Requital hope

Thirty-five

Yibo's Pov

"Okay then. Make sure to stop by again!" Sandra waved at Zhan before she headed off into the back room.

"So, pick you up at seven, right?" Zhan asked, looking back at me.

"Yeah." I nodded with a half smile. My expression might not have shown it but I was beyond excited.

"Alright, six-forty it is." He said, throwing up a hand and leaving the diner without another word. I don't know why but I felt a blush coming on. Sometimes loving him can feel like the best and worst thing in
the world.

Around ten minutes later Sandra came out of the back.

"Sorry for leaving ya out here all alone. A shipment just came in and I was a little preoccupied sorting through it." She explained, using excessive hand motions.

"It's okay." I assured her in an overly cheerful tone.

"I'm assumin' you've had a job behind a register before." She said, smiling at me.

"No actually, I have some idea of how it works though. I used to watch cashiers and workers intensely as a kid whenever my parents went shopping." I explained with a slight chuckle.

"Oh, that's good to know! I'll give you a quick rundown of how I work things around the shop." And she did just that, explained everything there was to know. The only thing that stopped her from
continuing was the sound of the door chime.

"Perfect timing, show em what'cha got lion." She winked at me and then walked off into the back room. Oh gosh, okay you can do this Yibo, don't mess it up.

"Welcome." I greeted them with a smile.

"Hello there, handsome. I'm here to pick up the bread I ordered this morning." An old woman said, making her way to the counter. I blushed a little before processing her order.

"Ah, right this must be it. " I lifted a basket of bread from a nearby shelf. It had a label on it.

"Mrs. Darcy?" I questioned, reading the tag.

"That's me." She confirmed.

"Here you are." I said, handing her the basket.

"Thank you dear." She said gratefully, pulling out her wallet. She put on reading glasses and counted the money.

"You know, you look handsome, just like my grandson." She complimented upon returning her sight to me. I reddened, I couldn't keep myself collected.

"T-thank you ma'am." I stuttered.

"Oh please, call me grandma. Everyone here does." She ordered, heading out the door. She seemed chill, I like people like that. Zhan and Xichen are pretty laid back as well. I find it easier to relax around those types of people.

"Sorry, I couldn't make it yesterday." I heard a muffled voice apologizing in the back. I wanted to see who it belonged to but I couldn't leave my post during work.

A few minutes passed and the back door opened once again.

"Hey Yibo, this is Micheal, the guy I told you about yesterday." Sandra said, appearing from the door with a man. At first, I was wondering how she knew my name but I forgot I sighed my name on a
piece of paper she gave me earlier. She even got me my name tag. Gosh, I am forgetful.

"Uh hi, nice to meet you." I said extending a hand to be polite. I studied his appearance, he looked to be in his late twenties, with rugged clothing, and black hair.

"I hope she hasn't bad-mouthed me while I was away." Micheal said with a chuckle.

"No, not that I'm aware of." I respond with a smile growing on my face.