Page 20 of Until Next Time
I slowly remove my headphones to acknowledge his presence, wondering why this stranger feels so comfortable while invading my personal space.
“Hey There.” He says, looking down at me with intense eye contact and a smirk.
“Uhm, Hi! Can I help you with something?” I don’t want to be rude, but I’m slightly caught off guard and irritated about the proximity this guy has to me while I was clearly in the middle of something, and I can tell just by how he’s carrying himself, he probably thinks pretty highly of himself.
He smiles at me, and offers me his hand, “I’m Max. What’s your name?” I reach out to shake his hand, “Hi Max. I’m Birdie. What can I do for ya?” I snip.
“I’m here with some of my buddies, and I’ve just been watching you do your thing over here, and you’ve got me real curious about you.” He says, and I look over my mural just to break the eye contact for a moment.
“And why is that, Max?” I look back at him, setting down my brush and crossing my arms across my chest.
“You’re clearly very talented, and not to sound too forward, but you’re absolutely stunning. And since I’m being honest, I’m wondering why I’ve never seen you before. Are you from here?”
I’m honestly a bit shocked at how quickly this guy has come onto me. I’m flattered, and I’m not going to lie, the attention feels very good. Especially from a guy that looks like him. He’s very attractive, albeit, not necessarily my type, but I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily his type either. This type of guy is usually seen with girls who belong to country clubs and have designer purses. I’ve had plenty of guys interested in me, and I’ve even dated afew of them, but nothing lasts. Sometimes it’s felt like I’m more of a novelty to men. Something different, like a shiny object, and then once it loses it’s shine, they’re out the door. Except, I’m usually the one to run before they notice. I’m scared that if I give myself completely to someone, they’ll get bored and realize this shiny object isn’t that shiny after all. So I don’t usually give them the chance to find out.
I turn to face him more directly, giving him my full attention, because his boldness has earned that at this point at the very least. “I’m from here, but I moved to the city a few years back, so I haven’t been around until really recently. But, uhh, thanks for noticing. What about you?”
“I’m actually old friends with the guy who owns this place. I’ve been meaning to come in for awhile now, and I’m glad I did.” He says with a wink, which made my stomach twist a bit, and I’m not sure it was in a good way.
“You know Dawsen?” I ask a little too eagerly probably.
“Yeah, we played baseball together when we were kids. Went to summer camp with him like every year. We go way back.” He straightens and puts his hands in his pockets.
“Huh, so weird I’ve never met you. Dawsen and my brother have been best friends since they were kids.” I say, mimicking his body language.
“Oh, that’s cool, yeah, my parents are separated so I went to school the next town over, since I lived with my dad primarily, but hey, I’d love to talk and get to know you a bit more, would you maybe let me take you out for dinner?” He asks, rubbing the back of his neck.
He’s really lucky he found me today of all days. Myunhinged Friday.Maybe I should make that into my own personal holiday. Every Friday, just throw caution to the wind.
I pause for a few moments, but ultimately I decide to fuck it.
“Sure. Why the hell not!” I say, pursing my lips together into a smile.
“Awesome. How does tomorrow night sound?” He asks.
“Sounds perfect. I’ll be working, so if you want to just pick me up here?”
“Great. I can’t wait, Miss Birdie.” He winks at me again, insides still twist in a not so pleasant way. Kind of like the way oil and vinegar mix together. I give a smile and put my headphones back on, I press play on my playlist, Sexy Country, and get back to work.
I can feel the winery starting to empty, which means it’s close to closing time. I decide to start cleaning out my brushes for the day when I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. It’s probably Casey, I haven’t talked to her in a couple of days.
My stomach sinks at the sight of Dawsen’s name on my screen.
I swipe open the text message notification
Dawsen:Can I talk to you in my office before you head out?
Me:Yes sir. *salute emoji*
Dawsen:As your boss, I demand you to never call me Sir again.
Me:…if you say so. But only because I’m going for employee of the month.
I finish cleaning up my station, toss my headphones into my bag, and make my way back to Dawsen’s office. I see his door slightly cracked down the dark hallway.
I take a deep breath and make my way down to his office, unsure of what he would want to say to me, but my mind is racing, as well as my stupid heart. I tap my knuckle on the door once I’m there.
“Come on in.” I hear Dawsen’s muffled voice on the other side of the door.
