Prozac

III

Zeke

I sat in my usual place on the popcorn counter, sipping on a Diet Coke. I had been joking about nothing with Dave, per usual, but I couldn't help but notice a pair of eyes burning into the back of my head. Elijah. He had been super weird lately; it had been three weeks since I gave the kid my number and he still hadn't called, but I was largely over that. It was possible that he didn't even swing my way. However, he had been non-stop staring at me since I gave it to him.

It was beginning to annoy me. 

If he liked me he, he would have rang, but he didn't ring so he must not like me. So, why is he staring at me? I couldn't have had something on my face for the past three weeks. I sighed, shoving Dave and jumping down from the counter. Bettie watched as I grabbed her employees arm and dragged him into the men's bathroom. I pushed him against the wall gently and placed my hand against the wall by his head, making him squeak in surprise. He was quite a bit shorter than me.

"Yes, I am gay, but that doesn't give you the right to stare. I'm sorry I asked you out when you don't swing that way, my mistake, but that doesn't mean you get to glare at me whenever I'm in the room." I growled, holding his eyes as he looked up at me.

"I wasn't glaring." He squeaked, his eyes were swimming with two emotions: nervousness mixed with something else I couldn't quite read.

"What, then?"

"My arm smudged and I couldn't make out the numbers. I was too nervous to ask again."

My heart felt like somebody had grabbed it and attempted to use it as a stress ball; squeezing the life out of it. The way he mumbled his confession, his cheeks flaming red and hair falling into his eyes as he tried to look anywhere but at me, which was hard considering I was in his face, made my stomach flip. I gingerly stepped back, apologising for trapping him against the wall like that.

"Oh, right. Shit, sorry." I chuckled, running my hand through my hair.

He was still pressed against the wall, despite me no longer keeping him there.

"Pass me your phone?"

He obliged, silently, and I entered my phone number into his phone. I shot myself a quick text and showed him as it come through on my phone so that he definitely had my number this time.

"No excuses this time, okay?" I grinned mischievously, "See you later, cutie."

I left the bathroom feeling pretty accomplished. Dave raised an eyebrow at the pep in my step and I chuckled, shoving him playfully. I saw Bettie raise an eyebrow as a slightly dishevelled, still blushing Elijah, left the bathroom while glancing my way and making eye contact with me. I winked at him and his eyes widened with shock. He was so distracted by me that he walked straight into a bin and knocked it over, falling with it straight onto the floor.

Resisting the urge to burst out into laughter, like Dave and Bettie did, but instead I jogged across the theatre to where he was sprawled out on the floor. I offered him my hand with a crooked grin and he blushed taking it. I didn't think he could get any redder. Pulling him to his feet made him stumble against my chest. I held his hand a few seconds longer than necessary before I stepped away with a cheeky grin. Picking the bin up and placing the few things that had gone rogue back inside, I couldn't stop smiling.

"Thanks." He mumbled, keeping his head bowed.

"No problem; anything for my damsel in distress." I joked, giving him another wink before I turned and went back over to Bettie and Dave, who both had their eyebrows raised.

"You're too flirty for your own good." Bettie looked over to where poor Elijah stood while barely able to put together a coherent thought, "The poor kid doesn't know what hit him."

"A bin. Or Zeke's chest?" Dave suggested, making Bettie burst out laughing. 

I rolled my eyes at their antics. 

"When was the last time you went on a date, Dave?" 

"Teach me your ways." Dave grinned, "I want boys falling over bins for me, too."

"Sorry, Dave, you have to have a face like mine to go along with it." I joked.

Dave hit my chest playfully, mumbling 'cocky' underneath his breath.

 "You'll find someone who loves you just the way you are." I cooed.

Dave rolled his eyes at my half-joking cooing. Dave was such a softie and truly a hopeless romantic. I knew that if he ever got a boyfriend then he would treat them as if they were a God, but nobody seemed interested. Whether it was the spikes on his leather jacket or the neon green Mohawk he sported, he didn't get approached by guys too often. Sometimes people skipped buying popcorn before their movie because they were so intimidated. It's who he is though. Dave came with a green Mohawk and a plethora of leather, love him or leave him.

"Can I take Saturday off, Bettie? We have a gig." Dave was truly excited to play in front of a real audience.

"Of course, anything for the band. You know I'm your number one roadie." Bettie chuckled, patting my head teasingly.

It was strange to me that to some people she was a stern, unamused dragon. I had witnessed her sharp tongue cut a few people before, especially difficult customers. However, we had seen each other at our worst and that had sealed our bond long ago.

"You should come along to a gig sometime, Bettie." I said, since she had never seen us play.

She had only ever listened to recordings that I had brought in to show her, like an infant proudly displaying their crappy art on the fridge. She was always so proud and so supportive. It was her that had given me my first guitar. It was still my favourite.

"You know I'm too old for that." Bettie shook her head, acting as if she was eighty rather than her real age of forty-eight.

"Never too old for rock." Dave grinned, doing a cheesy mock of an air-guitar solo. 

I cringed pretty badly. Maybe this was why he was single and not the Mohawk at all.

"On that note, I'm out of here. See you." I waved, heading out to my motorbike.