"You're the worst kind of obsession, Jolene. My obsession. One I can't seem to find a cure for and if I'm being honest, I'm not sure I ever want to find one."
***
My initial plan is to get far away from here. I emphasize on the word 'initial', becau...
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JOLENE'S POV
I just finished storing the shelves to start the day fresh tomorrow when I go to the backroom to grab the vacuum and the mop. I notice Peggy looking at herself in the small mirror she hung in her locker, running her hands into her hair, trying to fix the volume of her dark brown locks.
"Don't worry about it, honey," she says without even looking at me. "I'll close up."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, go," Peggy chimes.
"Okay," I laugh. I don't really know why she's so happy to let me go. Usually I'm the one cleaning when she's counting the cash flow and closing the till. But if I can avoid vacuuming and mopping, especially tonight, I'm not going to complain.
I leave and head to my car that is parked in the back - not in front of the store, those parking spots are reserved for the customers -, and I start to freshen up, looking at myself in the rearview mirror. Doing some touch up here and there on my makeup.
I shift my car into drive and I'm almost there when I try to look for my phone in my purse that is on the passenger seat. I want to text Steve to tell him that I would be early for our date.
I don't really know what to think of it. Like, after everything that happened recently, I don't know what to expect from that date. Steve asking me out was rather out of the hat, and even if thirteen year-old me would be giggling and kicking her feet right now, I'm not sure this is a good idea after all. What if it ruins our friendship? Maybe it already did. There's no going back to being best friends after that.
I shake my head. We're adults. We can deal with anything to save our friendship. But from what I heard from Steve and Buchanan's conversation, what Steve is feeling for me is not friendly in any way. For years I've told myself that he would never give me anything other than that, and I eventually came to terms with the fact that I would rather have Steve as my best friend than not having Steve in my life at all. And now he's in love with me?
I'm overthinking. Can you tell I'm nervous? So I'll just try to relax and enjoy my date. Steve told me to meet him at that board game bar that just opened downtown - he said tonight's winner would get to choose our next date activity - and besides my anxious state, I'm really excited. And being there early would allow us to enjoy it longer before the closing time.
But I can't find my phone.
I grab my purse and put it on my lap at the next red light and keep browsing into it. Keys. A couple of tampons. Wired headphones. Dental floss. A hair clip. Yeah, everything is in there, except for my phone. Shit. I left it to charge earlier behind the checkout and haven't touched it since I started my shift. I must have forgotten it at the store.
I pop a u-turn, making my way to go back and grab my phone. This time I decide to park in front of the store to save some time, next to the other cars, and I notice that the lights are still on. It's getting late, Peggy should already be gone by now.
