And then there he was.
Standing there, staring at the wall of aquariums, head tipped to the side.
“I thought you stood me up,” I said as I moved up beside him to watch the tank full of goldfish swim around.
Milo glanced down.
“Got distracted,” he admitted.
“By fish?”
“Had one of these as a kid. Won it at some fair game.”
“Let me guess. It died in a week.”
“It died on the day of my high school graduation.”
“Wait… what? Doesn’t everyone have a tragic goldfish story?”
“I was an unusual kid. Didn’t take much seriously. But when I did, I fully committed to it. Drove my mom fucking nuts with how many trips to the local fish store I demanded as I kept upgrading the tank and messing with the water to get it just right.”
“What was his name?”
“Capone.”
“Did he look like these?” I asked, nodding toward the goldfish.
“Nah. He was a Telescope. The ones with the big eyes,” he explained at my blank look.
“I bet my cat would get a kick out of watching goldfish. I put videos on the TV for her sometimes. But I’m already pushingit having her illegally. And I’m not sure the floors of the place could handle the weight of an aquarium. Are you thinking about getting another one?”
“Not right now. But maybe eventually. Get one of those fancy-ass built-in ones. How fat is your cat?” he asked, glancing down into my basket.
A little laugh escaped me at that.
“She is very picky. She likes having options.”
“Well, we can’t fault her for having discerning taste,” he said, starting to walk up toward the counter. “Do you have a bag?” he asked as I set the cans on the counter.
I handed it to him, thinking nothing of it until he finished stacking the cans into it, then handed it back to me.
Then there it was.
A black zippered pouch sitting on top of my cat food.
I hadn’t even seen him slip it in there.
“That was slick,” I said, slinging the bag over my shoulder.
“Then you’re really going to be impressed by the ride share waiting for you,” he said, waving toward it.
“When did you order that?”
“When I came in and saw you browsing the cat food.”
“Wait. I have to pay,” I said as he started to walk away from the counter.
“He already took care of it,” the clerk said, making me look between them.
