Fall Away

Something had changed.

I could tell the moment I walked into work. People were looking at me differently, and Diana wasn’t even talking to me. Any attempt I made was greeted by a cold look and total silence. Normally, I would’ve appreciated the lack of talking, but today it just made me anxious.

I began to dread the small bell that signaled a new customer. I was sick of the looks, tired of trying to figure out what they meant. I let Diana handle the socializing and just took the orders she shoved at me.

“Ellie.”

I jumped at the sound of my name, glancing around to try to figure out who had broken the silence. I felt a smile cross my face as I saw Kirian standing on the other side of the counter, hands shoved deep in his pockets.

I brushed my hair out of my face as I stepped towards him. “Hey.”

“How are you?”

I glanced around the room. “Okay, I guess.”

He raised an eyebrow quizzically and I shook my head. “I’ll tell you later.”

He didn’t push it, and I loved him for that. “How long until you get off?”

I glanced at the clock, although I’d been counting the minutes in my head. “An hour.”

Kirian simply nodded before moving to sit down at a small table. My smile grew a little larger as I realized he was waiting for me. I forced myself to go back to working, but I couldn’t help glancing over at the boy occasionally. Frequently. Same thing.

I jerked back to reality as Diana “bumped” into me. Caught off guard, I stumbled backwards a few steps before regaining my balance. “What was that for?” I spluttered.

She handed me Kirian’s order with a death glare. “Next time, would it kill you to choose just one boy?”

I stared at her in confusion. What was she talking about? I hadn’t chosen anyone.

She snorted. “Don’t think we haven’t noticed that you’ve been sucking up to both brothers. Have you been telling them what you’re hiding?”

I continued to stare at her, completely speechless. Diana rolled her eyes and moved past me, intentionally hitting me with her shoulder. “Slut,” she muttered under her breath.

I turned away, tears filling my eyes. I had tried so hard here. Yeah, I hadn’t let anyone close to me, but I hadn’t insulted anyone or called them names or…

I forced myself to stop. So Diana didn’t like me. That was nothing new. I could handle it.

But the words still stung.

And, for some reason, I found myself unable to look Kirian in the eyes.