THREE VEINS [H.S.]

| 2 | SEX, MONEY, & CAFFEINE

||| EVELYN |||

After the incident at The Vault, the days seemed to bleed into the next in a constant loop of sleep, work, home, repeat... as they usually do.

It's now a calm Thursday evening as I lock up Barker's five minutes before close, ready to run errands and head home for a glass of rosé.

That is until I hear footsteps running down the street. Towards the bookstore. Towards me.

Please keep going. Please rush past me. Don't let this be another time I get caught by a customer leaving early.

The footsteps slow and stop in front of Barker's glass window on my right, accompanied by the exasperated panting of someone who willingly decided to sprint down the streets of Portland.

"Closed already?" The person manages to speak out between breaths.

Damn it, Evelyn. This is what you get for being hasty.

My hand freezes over the lock as I quickly glance up at them for the first time, and they already have their eyes on me, wide and pleading.

Small details stand out: Sage green eyes. Short brown hair. Sun-kissed skin in the dead of late winter.

"We open up at ten tomorrow morning," I half-smile at them, jiggling the key out of the lock. "You could come back then?"

The stranger looks down at the watch on their wrist and frowns, damning my hastiness even more.

"This place doesn't close for another four minutes..." They knowingly tell me. "At least that's what the internet said?"

I shrug, fumbling with the keychain in my hands. "Well, sometimes the internet is misleading?" I reply, wishing they take my word for it.

The stranger lets out a light laugh, peering through the glass window before returning their gaze to me.

"What if I knew exactly what I was looking for and left you with a minute to spare?" They ask politely with a raised brow. "I ran almost four blocks to get here before you closed. It's an emergency purchase."

Right as I open my mouth to counter their request, they seize the opportunity to beg again.

"You wouldn't even have to bag the damn book for me! Just let me in and I'll make it up to you," They conclude, letting out any remaining huffs. "Please. I am a man in distress, with only one bookstore within his reach... this bookstore."

His unwavering, pleading stare makes it hard for me to say no, so without another word I unlock the door and quickly punch buttons to disable the alarm.

I prop the door open for the stranger and before he waltzes in, he faces me with palms pressed together and a crooked smile on his lips.

"Thank you..." He says quietly while brushing past me towards the bookcases, leaving the smell of teakwood cologne and mint behind.

I gather my bearings with a sigh and head back inside a dimly-lit Barker's, stepping behind the register to sulk and ride this wave of sheer customer service embarrassment.

However, more details stand out: Black joggers. Black and white sneakers. Relief washing over his face to be in a bookstore.

"So, what exactly are you looking for?" I ask the stranger, watching as he muses around the bookcases and tables with hurried ease. At least let me soften the hastiness with an attempt at conversation.