Page 3 of Meet Cute
For the first time today my mind goes blank. How am I meant to respond to that? “Uh, yeah. That’s… it’s fine. I know, he was being a dick.”
The cashier’s features soften and he takes a breath. “Sorry. I’m sorry.” Without uttering another word he begins to scan my stuff, fumbling with each and every item. His wide nose twitches, and it’s more than obvious he is not okay in the slightest.
“Hey—” I lean in to read his nametag. “It’s okay, Finn. You don’t have anything to be sorry about.”
Finn freezes mid-scan, attention slowly moving over to me. He definitely seems surprised, but I swear there’s the tiniest smile on his face now. A little lopsided, but a smile nonetheless. “Y-Yeah, alright. Thank you… a lot of the customers aren’t… never mind.”
“I can’t imagine having to deal with that kinda shit every day.” I shake my head. “You want some help with the display?”
“No! No way! It’s okay… It’s my job.”
Grinning, I begin picking it up anyway. It’s not like he’s going to jump over the counter and stop me. “I’ve got it. You’ve had a rough night, clearly.”
Sort of ironic all things considered.
Finn lets out what can only be described as a whine. “You really don’t have to…”
“Already done,” I motion to the upright but now tilted display. “You aren’t gonna get in trouble, right? I can totally testify if your boss gets pissy.”
“No, my boss won’t mind.” He says before turning the cash register’s screen to me. “Your total is, uh, six-fifty. I gave you my… employee discount. A-As a thank you!”
Something about that makes me laugh, even if it’s quiet and ends all too soon. “Thanks, Finn. Appreciate it.”
The card reader beeps when I tap my credit card against it, and the printer whirs to life after it goes through. Finn moves quickly, bagging all my stuff up and tossing the receipt on top.
“Have a good night.” I say before turning to leave.
“Wait!” He calls, voice the loudest I’ve heard it since I walked in. “Um… If you come back, I’ll use it again. Just… cheap gas, you know…” His confidence seems to waver, voice growing small again.
The offer is tempting. It’s a bit of a drive, but this place is close enough that the discount would more than make up for it. It’s sorta funny how the first time I actually take charge of my life something interesting happens.
“You sure? You won’t get in any trouble?”
“N-Nah… It’s okay,” he says even though he’s playing with the sleeves of his shirt like there’s no tomorrow. “You… You didn’t have to help. Most people… don’t.”
He’s right about that. My whole extended family just stood there and gawked with the dumbest expressions on their faces while my mom yelled at me. People who claim they love me only watched as my entire life shattered.
“It was nothing,” I shrug. “Glad to have helped.”
Finn purses his lips. It seems as though there’s something he wants to say, but he’s obviously a little shy. “Uh… Uh-huh. Um… thank you… What’s… What’s your name?”
“Oh! Duncan, I’m Duncan.”
“Duncan…” He pauses briefly, seemingly testing how my name fits on his tongue. “Thank you, it’s really n-nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too, Finn.”
THREE
“No one texted? Called?” Haley’s voice is muffled as it comes through the speaker of my phone, which is resting flat against the mattress of my unmade bed. “I’m really sorry, Dunk…”
Being in my bed has never felt so miserable before. I couldn’t even be bothered to change my clothes. If it wasn’t for Haley calling me—since she saw right through my lie—I’d probably already be asleep. I’m not complaining, though. The fact she’s willing to stay up and coddle me means more than I think she knows.
“Yeah…” I mumble back, face buried in my pillow. Pale yellow sheets are sprawled across my body, but I definitely don’t feel any warmth. “I don’t know what I expected.”
“You expected your family to love you? Stick up for you?” She scoffs as if it’s the most ridiculous thing ever, but I guess to her it is. “Seriously, what they did to you was horrible.”
Haley isn’t the kind of person to get that family isn’t just sharing blood. Her parents have always been good to her. Going to her house for dinner was the best and worst time of my life because I got to see how an actual family treats each other, only to come home to shouting matches among other stupid things.
