I watched as the laundry spun in an endless swirl of colors. The old music which played through the dusty speakers served as a distraction to anyone who was bored out of their minds. and I was standing there in awe. My eyes still viewed how the colors mixed without flaw.
The timer on the dryer was still at twenty minutes.
I was at the public laundromat, finishing a huge load of laundry since the washer and dryer I had at my apartment wasn't fit for satisfying me with clean clothes . Lately, I've been too busy to catch up on laundry and that soon built up.
I continued to watch as the dryer spun at a constant speed.
The bell that singled someone walking in snapped me out of my trance, like a teacher calling out a daydreamer.
My head perked up and my eyes scanned the dimly lit room. I was expecting to see someone had entered but no one was in sight. I was the only person here considering that it was 9:30 pm.
My head looked back towards the dryer, clothes still spinning. Quarters going into a machine sounded two isles away in front of me. I looked up and towards the noise. Finally, I saw the reason why the bell had sounded just a minute ago.
A young man was standing at the washers exactly two isles in front of me. He has a mop of dark brown hair atop of his head, and a really detailed jawline. His hooded eyes flicked up and met mine. Blinking, I looked away quickly.
Seeing that I still had about eighteen minutes left, my eyes started to wander around the room.
Looking to my left, a magazine rack stood there lonesome. I walked towards it just to see their selection. While spinning the rack, I heard footsteps going towards the cash machine against the wall not too far ahead of me. Curious, I examined the young man from afar. He was wearing a maroon vans sweatshirt and black sweatpants with a 4ou logo on it. He was tall, compared to my 5'6. I have a clear view of his side profile.
He rolls his eyes at the machine that spit his money right back out. He turns his head and looks at me with an irritated look and quickly, my eyes snap back to the magazines. I'm pretending to be interested by the titles, which i'm sure it was obvious I really wasn't.
I feel and see his presence approaching me. My whole body becomes tense, frozen, as he now stands on the other side of the rack peering at me. I dare not look at him. I've been caught staring at him too many times.
He looked around awkwardly before he spoke, "Um.. i'm really sorry for asking, but, I don't have enough change to complete my load of laundry.. Do you by chance have fifty cents?"
I continued to stare at the magazine I now had in my hand. Fifty cents? Almost instantly, my eyes had found his and I was in awe. His eyes couldn't be more hazel. I blink twice.
"Uhm y- yeah.. let me just." I stutter on my words considering I was slightly awkward during first encounters.
His head drops and his face turns slightly red. He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly, "Sorry for asking.. Thank you."
"Here, I have a dollar." I pull four of the quarters I still had left and handed them to him. I meet his eyes again and he freezes.
"Oh. Well, again, thank you.. uhhhh-"
"Delaney."
"-Delaney," He finishes his sentence. He nods and smiles a crooked smile.
"And your name is..?" I find myself curious which deserves a smack across the face.
"Ethan?" The way he says his name more like a question shows me he's slightly awkward too.
"You're welcome, Ethan." I end the conversation there and put the magazine back. I look at the floor on my way back to the dryer. The black tiles stand out against the original white. Six more minutes.
Once back, I take the opportunity to look at him again. He's already staring at me. He smiles to thank me once again and I nod.
The timer on the dryer finally goes off and I quickly toss everything into the hamper I brought. Figured I might as well fold everything at home.
I leave the building without looking at Ethan. I don't need to be caught staring at him again. By the time I get into the car, I figured I might as well look since he can't really see me... it's dark. Ethan almost slams his washer door, swearing maybe? I shrug at the thought and pull out of the lot.
--
At my apartment, I fold all of my laundry and hang up my shirts. Throwing on shorts and a tee, I wash my face and but my hair into a messy bun. I eat a quick snack, trying to calm down my munchies, and brush my teeth before getting settled into bed. I lay there scrolling through twitter until tired enough.
Turning off my bedside lamp, I turn on my fan for some white noise and sprawl myself out in bed. Most nights I hog the whole queen bed. No regret there. I drift off to sleep.
Wow. Another book? ikr. wtf am I thinking? well I am obsessed with like, a ton of people soooo i kinda have to spread my love ha. anyways, i hope this is something different for my followers and i hope i actually get somewhere with this book. idk. i always say that but who knows. leave a comment.. or don't at all lollll. (most of you are asleep or something, meaning you're not active) but yeah leave a comment and favorite this! thanks y'alls!♥️
