All For Us || Oscar Diaz

7: He's Back

CHAPTER SEVEN

Weeks pass and Nina was back in the store as usual. She was getting calls every now and then asking if she could tutor some kids in Brentwood especially with school starting up school. All these parents wanting their kids to get more advanced before school would start. Other than that some seniors would ask for her help in prepping with their SATs.

With school season coming closer she was nearly coming back in business. For now she's stuck in the bodega, not that she was complaining. The life she had with her sister was enough, and she was good with enough.

"Nina," Berto, Angelica's tío, called. "The new deliveries just came in the back. I can handle the counter for a little bit."

Nina nodded before proceeding to the back and unload a few boxes of groceries that she would soon have to bring up front in the store. She recounts on all those things that were delivered. She places some of the boxes on the shelves before Berto walks into the storage at the back to help out and pay the delivery guy.

"¿Puedes apilar cigarillos y otros productos en el monstrador? Mi esposa y yo peleamos anoche, I wanted to make up for it by having lunch with her. I'm taking an early lunch. Lo siento, mija," Berto requested.

"Berto, you're my boss it's fine," she shrugged smiling. "Go have lunch with your wife. You don't really explain those things to me."

"Gracias, Nina," he thanked before gathering his stuff to leave.

Nina continues to arrange some boxes in their storage in the back before going back to the counter. Along the way she catches Cesar along the chips aisle. "Hey Cesar!" she greets.

The teen looks up to her and instantly has a smile on his face. "Hey Nina," he said with a wave before she walked back to the counter.

As Nina was stacking up some things behind the counter she hears someone place some items on the counter top making her turn around. Her eyes widened for a moment looking at the amount of alcohol on the counter. It hadn't been the first time.

Usually the teens would try to slide past her with all these booze. All those times where she had to ask for an ID. She'd seen the fake IDs before but some people could pull it off and slip past her. All those high school parties.

"Party tonight?" she asked with a subtle smile on her face.

"Nina?"

She looks up to see the one and only Oscar "Spooky" Diaz. She couldn't help but feel stunned. To think she was supposed to ask for his ID. Idiot.

"Oscar- I mean, Spooky. Hey," she breathed. "When did you get back?"

"Last night," he nodded with a smirk on his face. "How are you? You look good."

Nina felt her cheeks grow hot and she did her best to fight back the smile. She didn't really pegged him to begin with small talk. Had he always been this smooth? "I'm good. You're not too bad yourself. You got... more muscle since the last time I saw you."

She mentally slapped herself for making that sorry excuse of a comment. Although, she couldn't help but stare. Yup, he definitely gained muscle. "I'm liking the facial hair," she commented smiling. That sounded worse than the first one.

"You're not too bad yourself. Your hair seems longer since the last time I saw you," Spooky said leaning in a bit. She looked like all those pictures Cesar would show him when he would come to visit. But she was definitely more beautiful up close and in real life

"Then again you were away for four years," she pointed out making him chuckle.

"Yea you're right," he smiled looking down on his hands that he laid down flat on the counter.