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Towards the back of the shop, the space opened up.
“Back there is the storage closet and staff area.” His huge arm rose beside my head as he pointed from behind me at a tiny table and two chairs. “You can take breaks there, or you’re welcome to leave the premises as well, as long as you’re back on time.”
I nodded dumbly, wanting to tell him that I was very punctual, thank you very much. But I couldn’t speak. I was too overwhelmed by the rich, spicy scent coming from him now that his damn arm was so close to my face. A guy this intense-looking has no business smelling like a cologne ad.
“That door there leads downstairs to a small kitchen. Shelly comes in during the early morning to bake the few food items we stock.” I took note of that door, and the one he’d said belonged to the storage closet. Other than that, there wasn’t a heck of a whole lot more to see back there.
But I decided that I liked it. Like, really, really liked it. It was clear that the owner had gone for a very nostalgic, old-Earth feel with all the wood and the glass and the bunches of holly that had been placed here and there. And it all came together so beautifully, everything feeling warm and cozy and lovely.
“I wish my house looked like this,” I sighed, shaking my head.
“You’re from Terratribe 1?” X asked from behind me.
I lived in a tiny little box of an apartment there. It was nothing close to the shining warmth of this place, though similar in size.
“Yeah.”
X made a grunting sound of acknowledgement, then fell silent, a hulking ghost behind me.
Eventually he spoke again.
“You should go now. Get some rest before your first shift.”
“Yes,” I said. “See you at 10 am station time tomorrow, right?”
I turned around, stunned by how close he was to me, though I shouldn’t have been, by now. Working in such close quarters was going to take some getting used to.
“Yes. We open at 10 am. That’s when you’ll start.”
“Got it,” I said. X grunted again, then reached over to the wall, switching off the lights and sending us into darkness once again. For a split second, I had the strangest impression that he seemed to get even bigger – closer to me – in the darkness. But then the door jangled open and sound flooded in, bringing me back to reality. X held the door open for me again.
“Thanks,” I said, slipping past him, once more taking note of his spicy, weirdly appealing scent.
X quickly locked up, then turned to me with a stiff nod.
“See you tomorrow, then,” I said, my skin heating under his fierce gaze for some reason. I turned and hurried away, merging with the crowds. But even so, even among all those other walking bodies, I was sure that I could still feel his gaze on my back, hard as chestnuts, hot as fire.
