Chapter 4 - A pretty girl
Please Vote, Comment and Share
--JASON--
As I was walking down the aisles, I couldn't help but notice how calm the store is. But then, who would be here, this early in the morning, on a hot summer day.
I was walking to the familiar aisle where I could get my beers when I heard something move to my left. It made me stop momentarily and turn to the direction of the source only to find a girl seriously observing the items on the shelves.
I am facing her back while she is lost in her own world, thinking deeply about something. I can only assume that since she didn't hear me approach when the sound of my shoes are reverberating through the whole store.
It may be someone I knew since ours is a small town and I know almost all the girls here. But to call her, I should know who she is which I don't.
She stands a good 5'8" or 5'9" narrowing down the list of girls I knew. I would have decided it's Samantha Williams or Clarisse Harrington if her body structure isn't different from theirs. They are very lean with almost no fat that they look like they only have bones.
To find out who it is, I retracted my steps and moved to my left to her opposite aisle to get a view of her face.
I see a pretty girl with her hair tied up as a bun over the top of her head wearing a cute sundress standing exactly opposite to me.
She didn't have an ounce of makeup on her face and I am pretty sure she came to the store right after she got up, as she still has a bit of drool over the left corner of her lips.
I couldn't help but smile looking at the girl who is still standing at the same position, her eyebrows furrowed together, still thinking; not even knowing that a guy is checking her out since the past 2 minutes.
I am not complaining. The view is pretty great.
Though I wanted to talk to her, I don't know how to start a conversation with a girl who must be new to our town.
Should I ask her where I could find a particular something?
Like maybe a shower gel or a shampoo.
But, what if she finds out that I am from this town?
She might realize that I am trying to talk to her or worse hitting on her which will not be a very good first impression.
While I was still thinking about other rationale ideas, she picked up some item from the shelf and was about to turn away when I suddenly said "Don't buy that"
I don't know why the hell I said that. I don't even know what she picked.
Scared that she might go away, I said the first words that came into my mind.
She stopped suddenly and turned back to look at me.
She was shocked to see me first but then her expression suddenly changed to confusion.
Why the hell was she confused??
Was it because she realized I was standing near to her when she didn't see me approach or was it for some other reason?
She glanced at the shelves before looking back at me. She repeated the to and fro process of glancing between the shelves and me and I was beyond confused.
Why the hell is she looking at me like I've grown a pair of heads? My eyes involuntarily moved to the shelf from where she picked the item and I was beyond shocked.
Holy Shit.
Lying on the top shelf of the counter were stocks of tampons; different brands along with few other girly items and I realized, I just told a girl not to buy tampons.
F**k.
What have I done?
The shock must have been visible on my face as the girl was looking at me with her chocolate brown eyes, eyebrows raised a bit waiting for an answer from me.
What should I say?? How the hell am I supposed to explain that!
Since I have ruined my first impression, I only have another option.
DAMAGE CONTROL.
I looked back into her eyes and said "Don't buy that"; only this time it was firm.
She furrowed her eyebrows together again in confusion when I continued "I mean, um — I've heard that - um - my - um -" girlfriend??? No way "my sister said— um- they were not- I mean that brand were not that—"
I trailed off not knowing what to say. She raised her eyebrows again and I completed "Effective"
Thank God. At least some part of my brain is working or else I would have made a complete fool of myself.
I sighed when I saw her relax which means she bought my explanation.
Thank God. Thank God.
"Are you new to the town?" I blurted out.
She simply nodded without meeting my eyes with her head held down to the floor.
Why the hell isn't she talking?? Is she afraid??
I am sure I don't look creepy or scary. Not even close.
"Umm— Are you done?" I asked, fully aware that she might ignore my question completely but surprising me, she nodded.
She stood at the same position, rather awkwardly, fidgeting with her sea blue sling bag, not meeting my eyes; like a student who doesn't know the answer to the question posed by her professor and is frightened to meet his eyes..
I continued staring at her from head to toe, not bothering to hide the fact that I am checking her out.
I was finally pulled out of my trance from the blaring of my phone which was eerily loud because of the almost empty store.
Who the hell would call me now??
If it's Gabe, I am going to kill him.
Surprisingly it's my mom. I don't want to take the call but if I won't, I'd have to be prepared for the drama awaiting my house when I return.
"So. See you then. Um— Bye" I tried to end the conversation in a friendly manner though I am sure I would go after her and find out who she is and where she lives.
She sighed and nodded a bit, again and moved slowly towards the billing counter while I turned back to take the call.
"Hey Mom!"
"Don't hey me Jason! What the hell did I tell you to do before leaving the house?" Before I could reply, she continued "Didn't I tell you to find Elle and call me back? And still here you are-"
"Mom!!"
"-careless, not even—"
"Mom!!"
"worrying how she is or where-"
"MOM!!!" I yelled and continued before she can go back to her ranting "She is fine and at Kyle's.. I told her to come back as soon as possible.. I just forgot to call you"
"How can you forget such an—"
"MOM!!! I am sorry. I told you I forgot.. OK??? I am going to be at Gabe's for the day. We will talk in the evening at home" I told her stressing 'at home' so that she'd understand I am not ready for an argument over the phone.
"Fine.. Be back as early as possible"
"Ya. See you at home then. Bye mom"
"Bye dear"
Disconnecting the call, I turned back only to see no one at the billing counter.
Where the hell did she go?
Apart from Tom who is the store owner, the counter is completely empty. I ran towards him and asked in hurry "Where did she go?"
"Who? The girl you were staring at?" he asked with a smug look on his face.
I chuckled "Yeah."
"She just left"
Uh-Oh.
I ran to the parking space only to find a single car which is mine; which also means she left.
Feeling depressed, I went back to the store to ask Tom if he knows anything about her.
"Hey Tom"
"You came back. Hmm, she left?"
"Yes" I said, not bothering to hide my disappointment.
He smirked "We can always find anyone in our city. Don't worry"
"I hope so. Did you ask her anything? Like - like her name or- or where she stays. Any-Anything" I stammered nervously.
He chuckled, thought for a moment and then said "Now lad, no need to be nervous. Though I don't know anything about her, I can assure you; you will definitely find her"
"You mean you didn't ask anything about her?"
"Nah. When she entered the store, I introduced myself. Told her to find what she needed and ask me if she wants any help. All the while she was silent. Didn't hear a word from her mouth. Thought she was shy and so didn't start a conversation when I was billing"
I thanked him and bid goodbye, making my way to Gabe's house.
What the hell am I supposed to do now? Wait for her to show up?
This isn't a clichéd story where the girl and guy are destined to meet. This is reality and those f**king things don't happen in life.
And why the hell was she silent??
Aren't women supposed to talk like chatter boxes?
My mom does; and my sister too. And of course all the girls I've dated.
I've never seen a girl shut her mouth even for a while.
Then why didn't she talk?? At all??
Tom supposedly knows everyone in the city as he is very friendly with all of his customers and he couldn't get her to talk to him..
Why the heck am I thinking about a girl I just met??
Sure she was pretty, interesting and looked innocent. And um cute too..
Still, I barely knew her.. She didn't even talk to me.
In an instant, I remembered Tom's words 'Didn't hear a word from her mouth'
F**k.
She. Is. Dumb.
She didn't reply because she cannot.
And what have I done?
Sure she was feeling awkward. She couldn't just tell or rather show signs to a stranger that she is mute. But there I was; asking her questions and making her uncomfortable.
I felt a pang of guilt wash over me and couldn't help but pity her. I bet her voice would have been angelic (if she had) just like her face.
Sighing, I parked the car in front of Gabe's house and strode into his house. His parents must have left by now.
Mr. and Mrs. Walker are both lawyers and work at the same law firm. They are very warm people and treat me like family but they are hardly home. Like ever.
So, Gabe usually hangs out with me; mostly in Soccer field and sometimes at our houses. He has a sister who is of Elle's age.
As expected, I didn't find them as I made my way to Gabe's room. I knocked the door, pushed past it when I heard 'Get in' and closed the door behind me.
The strange voices of 'Decepticons' made me realize that he is watching 'Transformers' again in his laptop. He must have seen those movies like 20 times and still doesn't get bored of them.
"Hey dude!!" I called him loudly to snap him out of his daze.
He turned to me with the biggest grin "It's you!"
"Well, whom did you expect? Leonardo??" I said sardonically.
Gabe has a crush on Leonardo DeCaprio ever since he saw Inception. I bet he was as confused as me once the movie was completed but he loved it nevertheless, especially 'Him'.
I loved the movie too though it was really confusing and no matter how many times I watch it, I still don't understand it completely.
"Huh! I wish" he sighed with a dreamy look on his face.
"I feel so welcomed" I said sarcastically.
"You know I love you more than him" he told me with a pout.
"Yes yes... I do" I replied, smiling a bit.
It's not like he has feelings for me or something. He made it clear when he told me he was gay that I need not worry about it and that, it should in no way affect our friendship. But I do know that he loves me like his own family. He loves me as much as he loves his own sister Jamie.
Jamie on the other hand, doesn't just love me; she is also in love with me. That's the only similarity between our sisters- Elle and Jamie. Gabe and I would laugh about it sometimes that they must have read too many brother's best friend love stories.
When Elle has finally moved on from Gabe, Jamie is still desperate to make me fall in love with her. That's the only reason why I avoid coming to this house. I don't want to keep her hopes up as I can never love her. I see her as a sister and nothing more; though she tries to talk to me seductively, determined to prove me wrong that there can be a thing between us.
Honestly, I feel bad for her sometimes that I have to push her away when she offers herself to me. But I can't have a relationship with her beyond as a friend.
Gabe would try to cheer me up, telling that though she is serious about me, she always has flings and lots of temporary boyfriends - which according to him, are to make me jealous. I honestly don't care who she goes out with. But it never gets into that stupid head of hers.
Even Elle would yell at her not to bother me whenever she comes around. When Gabe and I are best of friends, they are sworn enemies.
In addition to that, Jamie would never be courteous to Cheryl, and Cherry doesn't even care. Cheryl knows that I would never have any kind of relationship with Jamie and she is not like those jealous girlfriends -the ones you see in movies ; clingy, but definitely not jealous.
"So. You watching Transformers again??" I asked breaking out of my thoughts.
"Yup"
"Why??? Don't you get bored of it? You must have seen it like 20 times" I whined.
He chuckled "26 times and no, I don't get bored".
There's no way I am escaping this now. I have to watch the movies again with him. I just hope my day doesn't get worse and Jamie wouldn't come bursting into the room.
What a dreadful day it had been; except that I don't regret meeting the beautiful girl in the store. I wish I had found her. If it had not been for my mom's call, I would have followed her. She was really pretty.
The change in my mood must have been evident on my face since Gabe asked,
"What are you smiling at?"
"Nothing" I replied immediately. One look at Gabe and I knew he didn't believe it.
"Just tell me.. Why are you smiling??"
"Nothing really"
"I know that look dude. There is definitely something in that nothing" he smirked.
I stayed silent not knowing what to say. I should have been careful with him.
"Does this 'nothing' has 'something' to do with a girl?" He asked with his eyebrows raised, making his eyes look bigger than usual.
I simply shrugged not wanting to reply.
His expression suddenly changed to grimace "Please don't tell me it is Cheryl"
"No!" I replied immediately.
His grimace turned almost instantly into a full grin which means that I've fallen for his trick.
Shit.
I should have stayed calm. He knows what to do to make me answer him.
"Whoa dude. This is incredible.. Who is she?"
"I don't know" I replied honestly.
"WHAT?? What do you mean you don't know?" he asked irratedly.
"I saw her at the store. I don't know who she is. She is new to our town, I guess."
"Didn't you ask her?? You should have followed her" he droned impatiently.
"She didn't reply. I think she can't. And she disappeared while I was on the phone with my mum"
"Why did you say 'she can't'?" he asked with a confused look on his face.
"I think she can't talk. I mean, she is dumb"
"Oh!!!" was all he managed to say.
"Speaking of store, where are the beers?? Did you put them in the fridge?" he asked calmly after a minute of mutual silence.
Shit. I forgot to buy the beers.
How the hell did I forget to buy them when I went to the store for them. And I didn't remember until Gabe asked me.
Shit. He is going to kill me.
"Gabe!! umm— I— actually— u know— umm—"
"You forgot to buy them. Didn't you?" he asked me with a panic stricken face.
"Yeah.. I mean I was distracted and umm-actually in all that disappointment of not finding her, I completely forgot about it. I am sorry" I said, giving him the most innocent expression I could muster.
He sighed "It's OK. At least I am happy, my best friend is going to get rid of that bitch Cheryl."
"WHAT??? Why would I get rid of Cherry?" I yelled.
"What the f**k??? You still are willing to be with that bitch?" he questioned, looking completely irritated.
"Of course I will be.."
"Then what about the store girl?? You like her.. Don't you??"
"No.. I mean, umm— yes, I am attracted to her. But I don't know her. How am I supposed to like someone who I knew nothing of?"
"Oh come on. You didn't have that problem with Cheryl. You still knew nothing of her.. You barely listen to her talks"
"Yes. But, that's different.. We kind of agreed that we would be together until we move out to our respective universities. And I don't even know if I will meet that store girl."
"YOU DID WHAT??" he shouted, his eyes almost bulging out of its sockets.
"You heard it. We mutually agreed to--" I trailed off, not wanting to repeat it again.
I know that sounds stupid but it was what Cherry and I thought would be best for both of us.
"That's ridiculous.. Did Elle know about it??"
I scowled "Do you think she'll be calm knowing that?"
He nodded and then simply said "So you expect me to stay calm and not tell anything to Elle"
I nodded, looking into his eyes.
He sighed "What about the store girl?"
"I will think about it when I see her again"
"Look at the bright side. At least, the store girl need not face the wrath of Jamie now" he said chuckling.
I can't help but smile at him, fully aware that he is right. This boy never fails to amaze me.
"Ok. Shall we get back to what I was doing earlier?"
I groaned "No.. Please.."
He smirked before starting the movie from where he paused.
And that was how the rest of the day was spent. Though I was irritated that he made me watch Transformers all over again, I enjoyed all the time arguing with him and discussing films, books and school. I couldn't be happier when Jamie didn't show up the whole day.
—
Thank you so much for reading. Please consider voting if you liked the chap
Pic of Gabe is attached
- Janaki
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: ZingTruyen.Store