Kinetic Energy
"Were you going to miss me?"
There was no way Perrie was going to get to the boutique in time to stop her manager from ripping her a new one. They were in Chicago, he would say. They needed the best service, he would say. It was all her fault they were about to go out of business, he would say.
If anyone asked Perrie, she would say it was because they were an overpriced boutique with nothing to offer but floral dresses, but no one was asking her. All she could do was go to work, hope she could make enough money to start a business of her own, and wait for opportunity to knock on her door. But, opportunity was taking its sweet ole’ time.
With one hand wrapped around her water bottle and the other clutching onto her handbag, Perrie made her way off the subway, her sundress blowing up in the wind and nearly flashing everyone in the terminal.
Her cheeks flushed, and she took her already full hands and grabbed the hem of her dress, willing it to stay down. She hoped no one had seen her mishap, but she couldn’t be sure.
She had just reached the stairs heading out into the sun of the city streets when a hand pressed against her shoulder. With all the crowds in Chicago, it wasn’t unusual for people to bump into one another, so she just ignored it, assuming someone had nearly fallen and was just using her for balance.
When the hand didn’t move after several seconds, she turned her head to the side and was met with the brown eyes of a very handsome man. He had perfect cheek bones, with a small cut towards the top of the left one. His lips were a soft, pale pink and they were twisted into a soft smile.
The moment she looked at him, the man began speaking, his head nodding towards her bottle and bag. “Do you need some help with that?”
Perrie chuckled, shaking her head. “I think I’ve got it. It’s just a bag.”
“I think your dress says otherwise,” he replied, his smile turning into a flirtatious smirk. Perrie blushed and turned her head away from the man, hoping he wouldn’t notice. Of course, he did and spoke again. “Just trying to help out.”
With that, he took the steps two at a time, reaching the top long before her and turning the corner. Perrie almost couldn’t believe he’d just walked away so quickly, and there was something about it that had her moving at twice her normal pace.
She caught up to him easily once she’d made it up the stairs, almost as if he’d been walking slowly enough for her to catch up.
“You shouldn’t do that, you know,” she said once she had caught up to him, changing her pace to match his new one.
He looked over at her, his face back to the smile she had first seen him with. “Shouldn’t do what?”
“You can’t just walk away from people without telling them.”
“Why?” he asked, his smile turning into a smirk yet again. “Were you going to miss me?”
Perrie moved her gaze forward, pursing her lips as she kept her eyes locked on the man with a bald spot on the back of his head. Her eyes were blinking quickly as she tried to come up with an adequate response, but she was failing miserably.
“No, it was just rude,” she finally said, folding her arms across her chest.
He chuckled and shook his head before looking back over at her. “Well, I wouldn’t want anyone to think that, now would I?”
Perrie shook her head, trying to mask the smile that was falling to her face. She kept her eyes forward as she was determined to keep her gaze away from him. She just knew that if she looked over he’d be smirking or staring or anything that would distract her.
“Well, this is my stop,” the man said, pointing to the Starbucks on the corner. Perrie followed his finger to the building as she nodded her head softly.
Her eyes fell back to his face and she gave him a gentle smile. “Have a good day, then.”
He nodded, his smile matching hers. “You do the same.”
With a nod of both of their heads, the man began walking in one direction, while Perrie went in the opposite. She smiled the entire time she walked, knowing soon that smile would be taken away by her awful manager. She didn’t care though, because there was something about that stranger that made her want to laugh until she couldn’t breathe anymore.
If anyone asked Perrie, she would say it was because they were an overpriced boutique with nothing to offer but floral dresses, but no one was asking her. All she could do was go to work, hope she could make enough money to start a business of her own, and wait for opportunity to knock on her door. But, opportunity was taking its sweet ole’ time.
With one hand wrapped around her water bottle and the other clutching onto her handbag, Perrie made her way off the subway, her sundress blowing up in the wind and nearly flashing everyone in the terminal.
Her cheeks flushed, and she took her already full hands and grabbed the hem of her dress, willing it to stay down. She hoped no one had seen her mishap, but she couldn’t be sure.
She had just reached the stairs heading out into the sun of the city streets when a hand pressed against her shoulder. With all the crowds in Chicago, it wasn’t unusual for people to bump into one another, so she just ignored it, assuming someone had nearly fallen and was just using her for balance.
When the hand didn’t move after several seconds, she turned her head to the side and was met with the brown eyes of a very handsome man. He had perfect cheek bones, with a small cut towards the top of the left one. His lips were a soft, pale pink and they were twisted into a soft smile.
The moment she looked at him, the man began speaking, his head nodding towards her bottle and bag. “Do you need some help with that?”
Perrie chuckled, shaking her head. “I think I’ve got it. It’s just a bag.”
“I think your dress says otherwise,” he replied, his smile turning into a flirtatious smirk. Perrie blushed and turned her head away from the man, hoping he wouldn’t notice. Of course, he did and spoke again. “Just trying to help out.”
With that, he took the steps two at a time, reaching the top long before her and turning the corner. Perrie almost couldn’t believe he’d just walked away so quickly, and there was something about it that had her moving at twice her normal pace.
She caught up to him easily once she’d made it up the stairs, almost as if he’d been walking slowly enough for her to catch up.
“You shouldn’t do that, you know,” she said once she had caught up to him, changing her pace to match his new one.
He looked over at her, his face back to the smile she had first seen him with. “Shouldn’t do what?”
“You can’t just walk away from people without telling them.”
“Why?” he asked, his smile turning into a smirk yet again. “Were you going to miss me?”
Perrie moved her gaze forward, pursing her lips as she kept her eyes locked on the man with a bald spot on the back of his head. Her eyes were blinking quickly as she tried to come up with an adequate response, but she was failing miserably.
“No, it was just rude,” she finally said, folding her arms across her chest.
He chuckled and shook his head before looking back over at her. “Well, I wouldn’t want anyone to think that, now would I?”
Perrie shook her head, trying to mask the smile that was falling to her face. She kept her eyes forward as she was determined to keep her gaze away from him. She just knew that if she looked over he’d be smirking or staring or anything that would distract her.
“Well, this is my stop,” the man said, pointing to the Starbucks on the corner. Perrie followed his finger to the building as she nodded her head softly.
Her eyes fell back to his face and she gave him a gentle smile. “Have a good day, then.”
He nodded, his smile matching hers. “You do the same.”
With a nod of both of their heads, the man began walking in one direction, while Perrie went in the opposite. She smiled the entire time she walked, knowing soon that smile would be taken away by her awful manager. She didn’t care though, because there was something about that stranger that made her want to laugh until she couldn’t breathe anymore.