The Boy Who Didn't Love

4 - poker face

A/N: beautiful and fitting cover by zoe_manijeh!

Ali stood silently and stiffly as he leaned over her, gracing the irritated customer with his attention.

"Good morning, ma'am. I was just standing over there when I noticed your blouse," Sawyer said, his voice surprisingly silky and inviting. "And I must say, it looks beautiful on you."

The woman peered at him for a second, then cleared her throat. "Well, thank you. But I would really like to speak to your manager—"

"I'm sorry, but is that an original Bill Gibb design?" he suddenly asked, gesturing to her shirt, and she paused.

"Why, yes, it is. I'm impressed a young man like you is familiar with his work."

He smiled, something that was probably more infectious than the stomach flu going around. "Oh, I think everyone should know about him. His use of color and pattern is art itself. I feel so blessed to have seen his work in person, especially on someone so gorgeous."

"Oh, you're too kind," the woman blushed, giggling.

"I'm only being honest," Sawyer shrugged, and she pursed her lips, thinking.

"Well, I'll pass on speaking to your manager this time. It's the least I can do for a fellow Bill Gibb fan such as yourself."

Ali's mouth practically dropped at her words, while Sawyer didn't look the least bit surprised. "Thank you so much, you're an absolute angel."

"Oh, stop," she laughed before making her way to the exit. "Goodbye now! It was a pleasure meeting you!"

Ali, who hadn't gotten a word in for the entire conversation, quickly yelled out to her. "Have a good day, ma'am! Come again!"

She then turned, and came face to face with a person who looked nothing like who she had just seen.

He was still standing next to her, but he didn't meet her eyes, staring out into the distance instead. She studied his face for a moment now that she was up close.

  He had dark, lifeless orbs and thick eyelashes. She tried her best to read his expression, which proved to be impossible. She wasn't sure if it was because he had a flawless poker face, or because there truly wasn't anything to read into.

  She then cleared her throat, tearing her eyes away from him. "So thanks for helping me out. That was nice of you."

  "Was it?" he replied flatly, still not looking directly at her, and she slowly nodded.

  "Yes. It was," she affirmed awkwardly before a thought came to mind. "Hey, how come you're interested in this Bill Gibb guy?"

  He shifted, his eyes gliding over to the other side of the store beyond her. "I'm not. I noticed the label on her shirt and looked him up before coming over."

  "Oh. That's actually really smart," she murmured, astonished.

  "Yeah," he said, and before she could say anything else, he went back to his corner. She gazed at him as he began to scroll through his phone again.

  Why did she wish she could talk to him some more?