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On my adventure out of the house, I decide to hit up the thrift store first for some discount furniture. It’s where I found the purple wonder the first time, may she rest in peace. I figure they’ll have a lot, and since it’s a short drive from the apartment, why not? Once the task is done, I can go home and do nothing.
Upon arriving, I find that they have no deals for me. All the furniture is gone. The only stuff in here is art décor, some ugly rugs and old kitchen appliances. Maybe Vicki robbed them too? All I can do is frown. A broken chair is the only thing in the whole shop, and it is far overpriced. Plus, what am I going to do with one chair? And a broken one at that? As I walk around the place, I muse over grabbing some art to put on the walls, so my apartment doesn’t seem completely empty. Ultimately I decide to save what little money I do have for things I actually need. Like for rent when I kick Travis to the curb.
My head starts to pound as I walk out of the consignment store. It’s a sign that I need some caffeine. Luckily, Frenzied Bean is just across the street and has amazing fraps, so I decide to go there for my much-needed fix. The coffee shop is one of about ten in the neighborhood, but instead of just having free Wi-Fi, they have laptops, a little library, and charging stations. Plus, they play the best music, and honestly, it’s just an overall chill place to hang out. Maybe I’ll just move in here, I’m sure no one will notice.
Stepping just inside the door, I’m a little shocked. I didn’t expect to see anyone I knew because, well, I look horrible for one, but there he is, Sam. He’s my boss’s PA, and he’s in line waiting for coffee. The smell of the roast is the only thing that keeps me from bolting. Running a hand through my hair, I hope my braids haven’t come loose. I find some tinted Chapstick in my purse and put it on quickly.
We’ve been flirting since he broke up with his girlfriend, Heather. She was an accountant in our firm and intimidating as all hell. Heather was one of those women who never had a hair out of place and wore a different outfit every day. She looked flawless and consistently made me look and feel like a troll. She moved to a different firm and left him like yesterday’s garbage. That sounds dirty, but he became available and was damaged goods, which just turns me on. I do realize that’s part of a laundry list of problems in the relationship department. I didn’t want to be a rebound chick though, so I’ve been casually flirting but not making an effort. I like to think it’s something I’m good at.
“Hey, Nina,” Sam greets, giving me a huge smile. “Fancy meeting you here.”
I smile back. He has that kind of boy next door thing going on with his shaggy brown hair, and blue eyes that sparkle in the sunlight. Today he wears a blue polo and a pair of black slacks with black shoes. He’s put together, going places and I’m just… well me.
“Hey,” I reply cheerfully. “What are you doing?”
What a stupid fucking question. I’m the biggest idiot.
“Getting coffee for the boss. We miss you today.” He tilts his head, and a little hair falls across his forehead. Be still my heart.
“Is it busy?” My job is half answering the phone, half filing, and doing paperwork. It’s only busy when the phone rings while I have someone in the office and need to print a million things. My phone hasn’t rung today, so I assumed Sam was rocking it. When things are busy, those are the days I like the best. It makes time go by so much faster.
“Yeah, but I’m holding it down. Notice I haven’t called you today even though I’ve needed to several times. I’m an excellent multi-tasker.” He winks at me. “How’s the crazy roommate?”
“Funny you should ask. She actually left and took all my furniture.” I frown, hearing it out loud, it sounds insane. “That’s why I’m out today, doing the whole furniture hunt. I struck out and decided to drown my failure in coffee.”
“Oh no, not your favorite couch! It sounded epic,” he says.
“Man, I really talk about my couch too much,” I say. And dream of it, I think.
The barista from behind the counter calls his name, and he goes to grab his order. He’s gotten a huge box of coffee for the office and a small latte for himself.
“I hoped I’d get to see it one day.” He winks as he gets the cream and sugar. “You made it sound like a real legendary piece of furniture.”
Shrugging, I say, “Yeah, too bad.”
Then as if a rock fell from the sky and hit me upside the head, I realize what he said. He wanted to see it? He wanted to come to my apartment and see my couch. That means he wanted to see me after work. Should I invite him over? No, Nina. Don’t be stupider than you already are. Also, stupider is not a word.
“Okay, well, it was nice seeing you, Nina,” he says and moves toward the door.
Dammit, I let too much time go by. My brain automatically goes into panic mode, and I’m not sure what to do. Let him walk away? Say something?
Tongue died and confused, I do what any sane cool chick would, I screech his name as he walks out the door.
“Sam, wait!”
Everyone looks at me, and of course, Sam turns with wide eyes to look back at me. Oh, boy. My throat tightens, and I swallow around the knot forming there. Way to put the spotlight on yourself, Nina.
“Let’s hang out sometime. You know, outside of work. I could get a new couch.” I beam at him. Stupid! Stupid. God, that was a dumb thing to say. I’m two for two today with the dumb comments.
Luckily, he grins and nods. “All right, we’ll do it.” He walks out of the shop, and I stare in awe as he does.
Smiling like an idiot, I order coffee. While the barista prepares my drink, I have nothing better to do than to overshare with her, “he said, we’ll do it,” I say, then blush, “not do it, like do it, obviously, we’re not even dating.”
Why can’t I keep my mouth shut?
The barista gives me a pitied look as I walk away. I decide to go sit and use a complimentary laptop while I wait. I’ll occupy myself by looking for furniture on the market sites and social media. Maybe then I’ll stop talking and making a mockery out of myself. After finding some shady looking couches I probably wouldn’t want in my apartment, I switch to Facebook marketplace for people posting gently used furniture.
After a couple hours and two coffees with a bagel later, I send a message to a chick with a plain plaid couch I can afford. I decide to hit up a couple more stores and then run some errands. I’ve already seen the only person that matters today, it doesn’t matter that I’m dressed like a homeless person.
