One quick glance at his eyes feels like he can see my very soul. His eyes flash with the kind of recognition I can’t decipher, and I instantly panic. Without giving him any time to insult me or say anything rude, I storm off.
Of course, my limp decides it wants to be extra prominent at this moment. I huff out a sigh of annoyance as I brush the invisible lint from my clothes. Anything to distract myself from turning back around. So embarrassing. I’m so lost in my own head that I collide with a stranger.
I’ve got to stop talking to myself and spacing out. Yet, I keep wracking my brain to find the shit I can’t remember.
I rush into the coffee shop and clock in.
After placing my items in my locker, I relieve Brooke from her post behind the register and get to work. I can’t believe I ran into someone. If I would just act fucking normal I would’ve seen him coming out of the book store instead of colliding with the man.
I can still feel where he touched me, my tummy warming with butterflies. I don’t do butterflies, never have. What makes him different?
Something at the back of the line catches my attention, so I reach up on my tippy toes to peak over the person in front of me. Imagine my surprise when I notice that the mystery man I collided with while I tried to enter the bookstore just a few minutes ago, is currently in line.
I take a few orders from the customers before him, preparing myself to face him before he approaches the counter.Just my luck, he probably followed me inside to probably yell at me.The closer he gets to the counter, the more my hands start to sweat. I can’t exactly hide from him either. Brooke doesn’t like to work the register unless she has to.
He finally gets up to the counter, but instead of yelling, he doesn’t say anything. He stares at me like he’s looking at a ghost. The silence becomes awkward so I decide to speak first.
“Hey, sorry sir for bumping into you. I should’ve been paying more attention, and I should’ve apologized when it happened. My bad.”
He blinks a few times like he didn’t expect me to speak. It takes a few more minutes before he responds.
“So you’ve been here the whole time and didn’t have the decency to tell me?” The words are bitter in my ears.
I physically feel my face pale. That’s not what I expected him to say at all.
“What are you talking about, why would I tell you? I don’t even know you.”
That seemed to trigger him. Anger flashed in his eyes as he clenched his fist before he covered it back up.
“Real fucking funny, Maze,” he hisses. “The joke is over. Cut the shit.”
I flinch at his tone but recover quickly.
“I…you must be mistaken. I’m not sure who you are, and I definitely don’t know anyone named Maze. My name is Emily. Also, I’m pretty sure I would remember if I met someone like you.”
He glances down to my name tag and back to my eyes. He must see the confusion swirling behind them because the next thing out of his mouth is an apology.
“Sorry.”
He parts his lips like he’s going to say more , but it dies on his tongue. Nothing about this interaction is going how I thought it would. His brow furrows before he finally speaks again.
“I um, I guess I made a mistake. You just happen to look a lot like someone I used to know. I apologize for any inconvenience.”
“Oh. Okay. Did you want to order something or…?”
“Shit, my bad. Can I just get a double espresso?”
I quickly make his drink and cash him out. After handing him his espresso, he gives me one last glance before walking off. I was hoping he’d leave but instead, he sits down at a table in the corner and drinks his coffee. I can’t help but to keep glancing his way.
Something about him is intriguing.
I’ve never shown interest in anyone.
Why do my eyes keep flicking back to him?
It’s almost like my eyes are magnetized to him. He hasn’t reacted to my lingering eyes. He either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care. Not really sure which option I’m hoping for. It’s like he cast a spell on my psyche.
I try to go about my regular task while he’s here, and I feel like I’m doing an okay job until he stands to leave. I’m hyper aware of his movements as he walks over to the trash can to throw away his empty cup.
