Venus

“Next please,” I called and a boy with tanned skin and a familiar smile strode up with a green flannel. “Did you find everything okay?” He blushed and just stared at me and I couldn’t help but feel awkward so I quickly scanned the price tag. “Okay so that comes to seventy-nine dollars and sixty-two cents.”

I honestly didn’t know why someone would pay that much money for a shirt, I mean sure it was a nice shirt, but it wasn’t eighty dollars’ worth of fabric. I looked at the boy and waited for him to give me the money or a credit card but he couldn’t stop blushing. One of the boys in line behind him cleared his throat and the kid in front of me snapped back into reality. His dark chocolate brown eyes were shadowed by his curled dirty blonde hair and as he lifted his head to hand over the money they twinkled in the lighting of the store. I smiled kindly at him, I instantly was snapped back to the bench at the park, he was the boy that came over to me.

“Okay, so thirty-eight cents is your change, would you like the receipt in the bag?” I smiled at him knowingly and the blush on his cheeks became more and more noticeable.

“The bag is fine,” his voice came out like honey and I was instantly stuck in the sweet and sticky goo. A sudden burst of confidence flooded my chest as I reached for a blue ink pen and flipped the receipt over onto the back. His eyes watched my hands in curiosity, but he couldn’t see what I wrote.

Thank you for that day at the park.

I quickly folded the receipt in half so that he still wouldn’t be able to see and slipped it into the bag. I flicked a piece of hair out of my eyes as I handed the bag imprinted with a smiling beach couple, he sheepishly smiled and took it and for a brief moment our fingers brushed.

“Have a nice day,” I smiled at him and he returned it. His teeth were straight and white; it was like he belonged in a Crest White Strips advertisement or something. It wasn’t like I’d see him again, but I couldn’t help but fantasize about the two of us meeting again and him swooping me off of my feet and the two of us rushing off into our happy forever; but then again, I thought the same thing about every cute boy that I came into contact with.

Ever since I’d gotten myself out of my pitiful hole of misery I felt better about everything even though Justin did cross my mind too much. Maybe I really would find someone to be happy with, or I’d just stay alone and be happy with my future twenty billion cats in Carly’s living room. I laughed at myself and called out “Next please!” again and before I knew it the work day was over.

I drove back home to Carly and Will’s place, when I got there the two of them were gone and had left a note:

We’re already left for the beach, have fun for the next two weeks! The only thing we ask is that you clean up after yourself, LOVE YOU!

I had totally forgotten about the fact that they were leaving to go on vacation with Will’s family. I opened the fridge and just as I expected, it was empty.

“Thanks guys,” I sighed and grabbed my keys and my wallet and walked right back out to my car. “Love you too.”