Penelope looks up at me with glassy eyes and I’m acutely aware this is the closest we’ve been in a long time.
“Is thisthelamppost?” Unable to trust my voice or word selection, I simply nod. Pen licks her lips delicately and my entire body tenses to the point where I might just disintegrate here on the spot. “Can I… is it rude to ask what it signifies?”
“Beyond the obvious?” I fake a laugh, but I’m stalling. If any other person asked me what any of my tattoos “mean” to me, I would tell them to fuck off. But this is Penelope. Her hazel eyes shine, waiting for me to respond, and suddenly I want nothing more than to explain my tattoo. Of all people, this explanation is for her.
Penelope rolls her eyes but keeps my forearm in her grasp. “If it’s too personal, Dom?—”
“The moment ordinary meets extraordinary.” Explaining what this tattoo represents for me is nerve-wracking, something I’ve never honestly shared with anyone else. “A beacon.”
Pen bites her plump bottom lip as she stares up at me, her thumb continuing to rub hypnotic circles over my tattoo.
“I got this the summer my dad died. It was… not a good time of my life. And I guess I just really needed a visual reminder of something that made me happy.”
“A children’s book series?” she asks sincerely.
You. It reminds me ofyou, Penelope. I should tell her right now, she should know. I open my mouth to say it?—
Tinkling bells announce the arrival of a group of middle-aged women, their laughter a welcome distraction from whatever I was about to confess. Pen drops my forearm and bounces over to the group, smiling enthusiastically, doing what she does best.
My secret is safe… for now.
FIVE
march
PENELOPE
“Guesswho’s coming to Trivia Night tonight?” Chloe sings as she takes a sip of her iced coffee.
I'm busy restocking books that were left lying around by lingerers— the ones who come in with their coffees, choose a stack of books to read, and stay for hours without making a purchase— after the Friday night rush while Chloe follows me around.
“Who?”
“Guess.”
It’s been a long day and I really don’t have the energy to play this game with Chloe. I’m twice as tired and sore as normal since Chloe dragged me to the gym after I got off work yesterday. While I’m not necessarily smashing my New Year’s goals, I’m trying to stick with the basics. This is the first year I’ve stepped foot in the gym after February, so that has to mean something, right?
My eyes flicker to the register, where Dominic is counting down the drawer and preparing cash for the safe. If I was being honest with myself, it’s a lot easier to stick to my “lose weight”resolution when I work with the human equivalent of a Greek god. The man is decidedly fit and sculpted in all the right places; we only share a few shifts a week, but it’s enough of a reminder that maybe one day I could physically be compatible with him. Maybe. Not that he would ever notice me that way. He probably still sees a vision of brace-face, frizzy-haired Penelope from fifteen years ago.
Dom looks up from counting the cash to eye me and Chloe. Startled at being caught staring, I blurt out, “Dominic?”
“What?” he asks.
“Are you coming to Trivia Night?”
Chloe tilts her head at me curiously. I didn’t need to tell her I have a crush on Dominic– she knew the moment she met him briefly in January. It’s impossible to keep secrets like this from my best friend, and honestly, I’m appreciative that she lets me gush about how perfect he is in private while pretending to be polite co-workers in public.
“No.” Dominic gives me a look. “Pretty sure your friend was talking about someone else.”
Chloe clears her throat. “You should still come. If you’re not doing anything after this.”
He hesitates then shrugs his shoulders. “Okay.” Focusing his attention back on the cash, I spin around to face Chloe with my mouth parted in shock. In the few months he’s been here, Dominic has never shown any interest in being social. I’ve invited him out a few times, but he’s always made an excuse.
“Wait,” I mumble, “who were you talking about?”
“Oh, Andrew Bastian!”
“Seriously?” This is even more shocking than Dom agreeing to go. Andrew owns the coffee shop down the street and, until Dominic showed up, he held the title of my biggest crush. With short, blond hair, a rugged build, and an outrageous sense of humor, there was little I didn’t adore about him.
