Snowed In

Pulling a towel from the top shelf, Brenna moved the soft fabric against the chrome countertop. The towel soaked the liquid right up, successfully cleaning up her minor spill. She wasn’t usually clumsy, but when she was, it was always at the worst times.

“At it again, huh Dawson?”

Brenna whipped her head around and was immediately met with Zayn’s dark eyes. He smirked at her, with one hand placed on the counter as his body leaned against it.

“Oh, shove off, Malik,” Brenna said, laughing as she spoke. She wanted to sound as serious as he had, but it wasn’t in her.

A small laugh fell from his lips, before he spun away from her. When his back was turned, Brenna let out the air trapped in her lungs. She didn’t know how it happened, but it always did. Her breath caught inside her every time Zayn was near. Most of the time, she didn’t even realize it.

“Table three needs water,” Zayn said, pulling the pitcher from its place on the counter. “I’d do it, but the tables yours.”

Turning to him, Brenna nodded her head, as he placed the pitcher between her open hands. She gripped onto it tightly, determined not to have another spill.

Zayn’s eyebrows raised, his lips turned to one side. “Think you can handle it? Should I follow behind you with a mop and bucket?”

Brenna refused to respond. Biting her lip, she tightened her eyes, before spinning on her heels. She took quick, short steps away from him. The sooner she could get away from him, the sooner her heart could stop fluttering. She hated that he had that effect on her, but even more, she hated that he wasn’t hers.

When she returned back to the kitchen, empty pitcher in hand, Zayn was sitting on top of the counter. He held a bread roll in one hand, while the other pulled bits from it and popped them into his mouth.

“So,” Zayn said, staring at her from his place on the metal surface. “I hear El is dating that Louis kid. How’s that going?”

Rolling her eyes, Brenna pushed her gaze to the empty plates on the counter. She moved them around a bit, fully intent on distracting herself from Zayn without actually having to clean them.

“I’m not going to spy on Elsie for you,” Brenna said, stacking the plates back up. “The two of you broke up. I don’t think you can ask me questions about her anymore.”

Zayn groaned, hopping from his place on the counter. With a few quick steps, he was just inches away from her. Their skin was nearly touching, and she could feel the heat rolling from his body.

His puppy dog eyes batted at her. “Oh, come on, Bren. You’re her best friend. No one knows better than you.”

“And I’m not going to tell you anything.”

Brenna looked up from the scattered plates to meet his eyes. The moment she did, she knew she shouldn’t have. The way his eyes bore into hers made her feel as though she would be forced to do anything he said at that moment. Lucky for her, he pulled his gaze away with a sigh. He walked over to the opposite end of the room, and began sifting through a stack of checks.

Taking a deep breath, Brenna shut her eyes. She tried to pull her thoughts in any direction she could, just to get them focused away from Zayn. The moment she met him, she knew he was always going to be the one to make her heart flutter. No matter what happened between them, he would always be the one who could send her body racing with a single word.

She had told Elsie about him immediately, and gushed on and on about how perfect he was. After just one shift together, she had become hooked on the boy with the dark hair. The way he flirted with her made her think she had a chance, but she should have known she never did.

Just a few months after Brenna and Zayn’s workplace flirting began, Elsie announced that she was going on a date and needed help picking out an outfit. Brenna raced to her best friend’s house immediately, and when she opened the door to tell Elsie’s date that she would be a moment longer, her eyes connected with Zayn’s and her heart broke.

Brenna knew she couldn’t blame Elsie. The poor girl didn’t know that Zayn was the boy with the dark hair Brenna had been swooning over for so long. Brenna didn't blame her, but her heart was still broken just the same.

Even now, hearing Zayn talk about Elsie and worrying about who she was with sent all sort of emotions through Brenna’s body and she wished she could make every one of them stop.

“Hey, Bren?”

Brenna whipped her head towards Zayn, who was standing by the time clock, punch card in hand. She nodded at him with wide eyes, signaling that she was listening.

“My shift’s over, but I’m gonna hang out at the coffee shop for a while. If we get busy, just give me a call and I’ll be right over.”

Nodding her head, Brenna pushed a smile to her lips. “That sounds great. You have a good night.”

“You too,” Zayn said, as he pushed his time card into the machine. It beeped at him and punched the dark ink against the paper. After shoving the paper back into the bin, Zayn walked past Brenna, towards the door that led back out to the restaurant.

When his hands met the cool metal surface, he turned back to her for a moment. “Oh, and Bren, I hear a blizzard’s coming, so if they close shop, I’ll see you next week.”

“Stay safe,” Brenna said, smiling back at him as he pushed through the door.

Another breath escaped her lips. This one, she knew she had been holding.