AUGUST | NH |

FOUR

Archer

"And then he just left?!"

Sitting on the couch inside of Paper Rings, I nod at both girls as they sit in the armchairs opposite me going through the new inventory that got delivered today. "Yep. Told me to be more careful and practically bolted out of the door."

I watch as both Rebekah and Dorothea shake their heads as I recount my run in with the town hero, Niall.

There was a reason that my body never went into the kitchen for any amount of time longer than it took to make easy food in the microwave. Case in point, the fire truck that showed up on my brother's curb last night.

Honestly forget the fact that I forgot to set the timer and charred the garlic bread before accidentally throwing the dish towel on the burner that was still turned on.

I've already wiped that from my mind.

What I haven't wiped from my mind is the man that stood in front of me and gave me a speech about fire safety.

Goddamn.

The way his blue eyes shined, even under the kitchen lights, was unlike anything I'd ever seen. Not to mention his brown hair pushed in a million different directions. He left so suddenly that I felt sad he wouldn't know my name or who I was. Not that I was anybody, but what if I could be somebody to someone like him?

Nope.

Can't think about it.

"I've only talked to him a couple of times and both times he was so sweet." Dorothea says as she stands up. "Actually, I don't think I've ever heard anyone have a bad thing to say about Niall."

"Well it's not that I have something bad to say." I shrug. "It was like, everything was fine and all of a sudden it was like— I don't know. He honestly looked like he had seen a ghost."

"I'm sure he was just having an off day." Rebekah stands up, making her way to the back room, looking over her shoulder. "I mean, I've heard multiple times that he's kind of a quiet person. It'll be fine."

She's right.

It'll be fine.

I think about how he may have easily been one of the most handsome men I'd ever seen.

The way his unruly hair laid across his forehead, the way the dark strands looked against his skin that was smattered with constellations of freckles. When he talked, I noticed an accent wrapped around his words like a present waiting to be opened.

God, it was so cute.

I felt like I tried to notice every detail that I could, all the way down to the lines that played at the corners of his eyes. Everything. I wanted to notice everything.

"Well hopefully you guys will run into each other again. Maybe you can talk?" Dorothea smiles, her blonde hair up in space buns today. "Besides, I need more details about him."

Laughing, I gather my purse and stand up to stretch out my legs. "Okay, well if you do you have to let us know! God, imagine if something happened between the two of you!"

"Please..." Making my way towards the door, I roll my eyes. "From the way he bolted? I highly doubt that. I'm out of here. I'll see you both tomorrow night, right?"

With a confirmation from both of them, I wave goodbye before making my way next door for coffee.

________

"Hot coffee?"

I wrap my hand around the cup, the warmth radiating through it as I look out of the window at the dark and stormy clouds rolling in. "I figured since it's supposed to be raining the rest of the day that it would be a good change of pace."