One Summer Day (BWWM)

CHAPTER 4

Getting to work, I feel the cool air of the AC hit my neck and sigh in relief. This summer heat is definitely not for the weak. Walking into the backroom, I put my bag into my locker and headed to the register to clock in. After clocking in, I started to clean up the store before we opened up, dusting a couple of albums here and there, restocking some of the empty slots, and before I realize it was time to open.

For the next couple of hours, we didn't have a lot of customers coming in, maybe 5 every hour. Now it was done to my last 2 hours at work and I was more than ready to leave, not that I hated it or anything, I would just rather be anywhere than work right now. 

Hearing a bell ring, I lift my head to greet the next customer, and to my surprise, I see the faces of my newfound friend Tako and Roman behind him.

"Hey friend," Tako says, "I didn't know you worked here." He said coming towards me as I walk up from behind the counter and giving me a side hug.

"I only work during the summer, just to save up some money, I can't have a hot girl summer if I'm broke you know," I say smirking up at him. "Let me not stop you from what you came here for, go ahead and shop if you need anything I'll be right here to help," I say pointing behind the counter and going back to rearranging the things on the counter, he wanders into the store, looking at the vinyl collection in the store.

After a couple of minutes of silence, I hear a shallow exhale and I look up to see Roman still standing there. Now, call me petty or whatever you want but I did ignore him and pretend he wasn't there. Sue me. I just refuse to give my time and energy to someone who obviously wants nothing to do with me. I continue to ignore him and go back to cleaning the counter, even though it's spotless. 

" Cléo," He says in a low tone. And I stop for a second, looking around. 

"You talking to me?" I say continuing to look around just in case there's someone who happens to have the same name as mine in close proximity. Yes, when I'm petty, I can be really petty.

"Come on Cléo, I'm trying to apologize here," He says running his hands through his curls frustratedly.

"Well you're going to have to try harder, I'm not that easy to please," I say smiling sarcastically at him. 

"Ok, I admit that I was rude to you, and that didn't leave a good first impression, and I apologize. I wasn't having the best day and being dragged to a party I didn't want to go to didn't help my situation. But that doesn't excuse the way I treated you and I truly do apologize." He says sincerely and it's like I'm truly seeing Roman for the first time. 

"I'd like us to restart, a better start," He says hopefully. "My name is Roman Lancaster," He says raising his hands toward mine, and for a second I hesitate,

"Hi Roman, I'm Cléo Dagwa," I say shaking his hands and smiling up at him. Maybe Mr. Roman is not so bad.

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Walking back to the dorm, I had an extra pep in my step. After Roman and I reconciled we agreed to grab some food in an hour. I honestly didn't take him for the type to apologize when he did something wrong, but that's what assumptions do to you. Making you have preconceived notions of people before even knowing them. Clearly, there's a difference between a gut feeling and purely basing your ideas on someone based on how they look. Note to self, stop.

Unlocking my dorm room, this time making sure it was empty, I saunter into my room and just flop onto my bean bag and just process everything that has happened in the past week. From completing my junior of school to working to figure out what I want to do after school, to my mental health, my physical health. Before I could slip into the mess of my brain I shot up from my bean bag and decided to deep-clean my bathroom. I know completely random, but it's better than wallowing in self-pity and the dreadful future. 

After changing into the appropriate attire I start the task of cleaning Yon and I's shared bathroom. Yon and I were lucky to be able to get a shared bathroom instead of using a communal shower. The thought of that in itself gives me the ICK. I'm also very grateful for Yon. At the beginning of freshman year, I communicated to her what I liked and didn't and she did the same and vice versa. Ever since establishing a good communicative relationship, we've been respectful of each other's wants and needs. Speaking of which, I text her and ask if she's okay with me cleaning her side of her bathroom while I start with mine.

After a couple of minutes of waiting, I get a text for Yon asking if I'm okay. With her knowing I like to deep clean when the thoughts in my head become overwhelming, I text her a quick message expressing how I feel and she gives me the go-ahead to clean with her side and I proceed.

I put my speaker on and the sound of Kali Uchis fills the dorm while I clean. I start by cleaning all the makeup tools Yon and I use for our makeup, separate of course, and put them in their respective areas. After that, I go to the sink and grab any fallen hair or makeup residue that fell unto it and just like that an hour flies by without me noticing. 

I didn't how long it had taken me to clean until I heard knocking on my room door. Scrunching my face in confusion I walk towards the door wondering who could possibly be visiting. Yon has a key so she has no reason to knock. 

Opening the door slightly, I'm met with none other than the electric blue eyes I saw a couple of hours ago. 

"Roman? What are you doing here?" I asked confused. 

"Well, are you gonna invite me in? " He said lifting a bag of food. And not just any food, my favorite.

"You don't have to ask twice," I say opening the door a bit wider so he can enter. Thank God I just spent an hour cleaning my room or this would have been embarrassing.