Page 47 of Horn in My Side
Mal let out a resigned grunt as he grabbed the first clipboard off the hook.In a couple months, he’d be gone; maybe he’d even hear back from the Historical Society sooner.At this point, he was desperate for any word.Losing the bid would bedisappointing, but had always been a possibility.At the very least, he could line up his next job and leave Dewberry Falls—and start the process of forgetting Jasmine Gonzalez.
Mal checked the time on his watch, making sure he left the house so that he would arrive at the pet shop after noon.In the last week, he’d done his best to avoid Jasmine.He still went to Fantastic Tails every day, because he’d already made a long list of things he wanted to do around the shop.Despite his resolve to stay away from her, he’d made a promise to help, and an orc always kept his promise.
So he’d stuck to his early schedule, arriving before she did in the morning and usually stayed late or left before she did, so they hardly ran into each other.Neither had planned it that way, but that’s how it turned out, as if they had an unspoken agreement to stay out of each other’s way.However, every single night, he sat in the kitchen, waiting until the light in the garage apartment switched off at ten thirty on the dot.
Today, however, he’d had to stay home because of a conference call, which didn’t finish until ten a.m.That was the time Jasmine was usually busiest on the main floor.To avoid running into her, he decided to head to Fantastic Tails during lunchtime.She usually locked up and went to eat her lunch at the park.He could not risk seeing her again.It would just be too awkward now, after their kiss.Maybe once things went back to normal, things could return to the way they were.
Not that he knew when things would go back to normal.Perhaps they never would, and they would have to tiptoe around each other for the next five months.The very idea of it had tempted him into calling the Orc Historical Society directly to ask if they intended to pick him or not.Thankfully, he spoke with his parents again, and he decided to follow his stepfather’s advice to just leave it be for now.
With the “Closed” sign displayed on the window, Mal breathed a sigh of relief and headed inside—he promptly locked eyes with Jasmine, standing behind the counter, brown doe gaze wide with surprise.
“M-Mal,” Jasmine stuttered.“You’re here.”
“Uh, yeah.”He rubbed the back of his neck.“Meeting ran late.No lunch today?”
“I, uh ...”Her gaze flicked toward the tank.“I was worried ...”
“Worried?Is something wrong?”With his long strides, he crossed the room in no time.“Everything seems fine ...Seals are holding ...The base is steady.”He gave the tank a thorough inspection.“I could probably touch up that one corner.”His fingertip ran over the rough spot he’d missed with his sander.
“No-no, it’s all fine,” Jasmine said as she appeared beside him.“I know this sounds weird, but I just didn’t want to leave it alone.So, I quickly ate my lunch and decided to stay and do some inventory.”
“I see.”
The seconds of agonizingly awkward silence stretched between them.Just a week ago, he’d had her pressed up against the glass and—
“Well, I should—”
“Do you—” she said at the same time.
Another uneasy pause.
“Have you—”
“Did the—”
Mal let out a huff.“I’ll be in the office.I’ll take care of that corner later.”
“Okay.”
Mal cursed to himself as he retreated.Straying away from their unspoken agreed schedule had caused this encounter, so from now on, he would never come in late.
Mal coasted along for the next week, keeping busy and away from Jasmine, that was, until the weekend of the Founding Day Festival.It was early on Friday when he noticed that Main Street already buzzed with activity.Usually, at this hour all the businesses were still closed, or their owners were just trudging into their shops and restaurant to start their mornings.
Today, however, employees and shopkeepers hustled about, placing tables in front of their storefronts, decorating their display windows, and hauling out their wares from inside.Brew-tique had put a makeshift bar outside with an enchanted coffee machine pumping out small cups of espresso, while a magical register rang up orders, mostly from other Main Street employees looking for a jolt of caffeine to jumpstart their early day.A banner was strung across the street, from the library to the general store, with the words “Happy Founding Day, Dewberry Falls!”
Mal nodded and acknowledged the people who waved or greeted them.The restaurant workers in particular recognized him.Not much of a cook, he’d already eaten at every single eatery on Main Street at least three times.Thank Vorlak everyone was rushing today so he didn’t have to engage in small talk, though he picked up his pace so he could get to the shop sooner.When he got to Fantastic Tails, the door was wide open, and to his surprise—and annoyance—Kap strolled out, carrying a large table.
“Morning, Mal,” he greeted much too cheerfully at this hour.
“Kap.”The only reason he managed a neutral reply was because Jasmine had confirmed the tree giant wasn’t her boyfriend.Still, his first instinct was to demand to know what he was doing here, though he pivoted to a more casual, “Did you change schedules at the department?”
“No, still the same, but I took off early.Jasmine asked me to help her set up for the festival.”
A gut-burning sensation churned in his stomach at the idea that Jasmine would ask Kap and not him.
You know why she didn’t ask,he told himself.Not that the reminder helped the jealousy swirling in his gut.
Kap placed the table down on the pavement, then covered it with a red tablecloth slung over his shoulder.“This is your first Founding Day Festival, right?You’ll love it.It’s fun.There’s food trucks, games, rides, and the big parade tomorrow.And—Hey, Jasmine, is this okay?”
