Kinetic Energy
"You have a beautiful day."
After folding what felt like a million dresses, all Perrie wanted was to leave work, but she still had a good fifteen minutes before her manager would let her off. Of course, that fifteen minutes was going to drag on. It always did.
Perrie was off in her own world as she stacked the dresses neatly on top of one another. She was in a place where she wasn’t working god awful hours for minimum wage. She was on an island somewhere – in the Bahamas, maybe – and the sun was warm and left a tingle on her skin. A smile fell to her lips as her thoughts overwhelmed her, only to be taken away by a finger tapping lightly on her shoulder.
Her eyes shot open more quickly than a baby being awoken from sleep. She was expecting to be met with the angry face of her manager, but instead it was the man from the day before, whom she had never expected to see again. He still looked exactly the same, aside from the fact that the cut on his cheek was beginning to heal.
“Fancy seeing you here,” he said, smiling down at her as he leaned his elbow against the table she was stacking dresses on. She was surprised it was sturdy enough to carry his weight, as he was well built and fairly muscular.
Perrie simply smiled at him, while continuing to fold the dresses. “Yes, odd. I didn’t take you for the type who liked to shop for women’s clothes.”
The man looked around the room a few times and realizing that it was strictly for women, he shrugged. “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”
Perrie chuckled. “That made no sense.”
The man shrugged again, biting his lip as he looked around the boutique. Perrie had no idea what or who he was looking for and simply kept folding the dresses while watching him look around.
“Did you need help with something?” Perrie asked when she saw her manager glaring at her in the corner. If Janelle thought she was talking to the man simply to talk, she would have gotten written up, so Perrie either had to turn it into a work related venture or ask him to leave.
Clicking his tongue to his teeth, the man looked down at her before smiling. “I do, actually. I’ve got a buddy that’s about to lose a bet. You got anything in an extra-large?”
Perrie laughed while nodding her head. “What exactly are you looking for?”
“The girliest thing you’ve got.”
Perrie laughed again, knowing just the thing to pick up. She guided the man to the back of the store where a rack of clearance dresses sat, organized by size. At the very end, hanging on a dainty wooden hanger was a lacey pink dress printed with black and red flowers. It was one of the most atrocious things Perrie had ever seen enter the shop, so she knew it was perfect.
She pulled it from the rack and seeing that it was an extra-large passed it to the man, a large smile on her face. His hand grabbed onto the hanger in the same place hers had been, their skin meeting for a brief moment. It caused Perrie’s skin to tingle and she couldn’t help the blush that fell to her face.
“This is perfect,” the man said, holding the dress out in front of him. “Will you ring me out?”
Perrie nodded her head before guiding him to the front counter, passing her manager along the way. Janelle looked suspicious, but Perrie brushed it off. The older woman should have just been happy that they were finally having a sale.
When they reached the counter, Perrie took the dress from the man’s hands and scanned it before gently folding it and placing it in a bag. She was moving deliberately slow as she waited for the man to pull out his credit card, hoping she’d work up a bit of courage before he could swipe it.
“So I’ve gotta ask,” Perrie said, trying to sound much more confident than she felt. “How’d you find me?”
The man chuckled, shaking his head. “You think I was looking for you?”
Perrie nodded while biting her upper lip.
“Like I said, I was just looking for a dress for my friend.”
“For the bet,” Perrie said, trying to mask the smile that was forming on her face.
“Exactly.”
The man swiped his card and Perrie managed to get a good enough look at it to read his name in small font of the front. It was strange, because he looked so much like a Dylan that she might have just guessed that was his name anyway.
Her cheeks blushed involuntarily at the realization she’d been creepy enough to find out his name without him telling her. He noticed the heat on her face and simply smiled at her, causing her cheeks to get redder.
“The receipt’s in the bag,” Perrie said, passing the bag across the counter. Dylan, she now knew, smiled as he took the bag from her hand, dropping it to his side. Luckily for him, the bag was plain brown and no one walking the streets would know he’d bought a dress from one of the girliest boutiques in Chicago.
“You have a beautiful day,” he said, shooting her a smile that almost had her melting on the floor. It didn’t seem fair that one person should look so good all the time.
Perrie forced herself to smile back, nodding her head. “You do the same.”
Perrie was off in her own world as she stacked the dresses neatly on top of one another. She was in a place where she wasn’t working god awful hours for minimum wage. She was on an island somewhere – in the Bahamas, maybe – and the sun was warm and left a tingle on her skin. A smile fell to her lips as her thoughts overwhelmed her, only to be taken away by a finger tapping lightly on her shoulder.
Her eyes shot open more quickly than a baby being awoken from sleep. She was expecting to be met with the angry face of her manager, but instead it was the man from the day before, whom she had never expected to see again. He still looked exactly the same, aside from the fact that the cut on his cheek was beginning to heal.
“Fancy seeing you here,” he said, smiling down at her as he leaned his elbow against the table she was stacking dresses on. She was surprised it was sturdy enough to carry his weight, as he was well built and fairly muscular.
Perrie simply smiled at him, while continuing to fold the dresses. “Yes, odd. I didn’t take you for the type who liked to shop for women’s clothes.”
The man looked around the room a few times and realizing that it was strictly for women, he shrugged. “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”
Perrie chuckled. “That made no sense.”
The man shrugged again, biting his lip as he looked around the boutique. Perrie had no idea what or who he was looking for and simply kept folding the dresses while watching him look around.
“Did you need help with something?” Perrie asked when she saw her manager glaring at her in the corner. If Janelle thought she was talking to the man simply to talk, she would have gotten written up, so Perrie either had to turn it into a work related venture or ask him to leave.
Clicking his tongue to his teeth, the man looked down at her before smiling. “I do, actually. I’ve got a buddy that’s about to lose a bet. You got anything in an extra-large?”
Perrie laughed while nodding her head. “What exactly are you looking for?”
“The girliest thing you’ve got.”
Perrie laughed again, knowing just the thing to pick up. She guided the man to the back of the store where a rack of clearance dresses sat, organized by size. At the very end, hanging on a dainty wooden hanger was a lacey pink dress printed with black and red flowers. It was one of the most atrocious things Perrie had ever seen enter the shop, so she knew it was perfect.
She pulled it from the rack and seeing that it was an extra-large passed it to the man, a large smile on her face. His hand grabbed onto the hanger in the same place hers had been, their skin meeting for a brief moment. It caused Perrie’s skin to tingle and she couldn’t help the blush that fell to her face.
“This is perfect,” the man said, holding the dress out in front of him. “Will you ring me out?”
Perrie nodded her head before guiding him to the front counter, passing her manager along the way. Janelle looked suspicious, but Perrie brushed it off. The older woman should have just been happy that they were finally having a sale.
When they reached the counter, Perrie took the dress from the man’s hands and scanned it before gently folding it and placing it in a bag. She was moving deliberately slow as she waited for the man to pull out his credit card, hoping she’d work up a bit of courage before he could swipe it.
“So I’ve gotta ask,” Perrie said, trying to sound much more confident than she felt. “How’d you find me?”
The man chuckled, shaking his head. “You think I was looking for you?”
Perrie nodded while biting her upper lip.
“Like I said, I was just looking for a dress for my friend.”
“For the bet,” Perrie said, trying to mask the smile that was forming on her face.
“Exactly.”
The man swiped his card and Perrie managed to get a good enough look at it to read his name in small font of the front. It was strange, because he looked so much like a Dylan that she might have just guessed that was his name anyway.
Her cheeks blushed involuntarily at the realization she’d been creepy enough to find out his name without him telling her. He noticed the heat on her face and simply smiled at her, causing her cheeks to get redder.
“The receipt’s in the bag,” Perrie said, passing the bag across the counter. Dylan, she now knew, smiled as he took the bag from her hand, dropping it to his side. Luckily for him, the bag was plain brown and no one walking the streets would know he’d bought a dress from one of the girliest boutiques in Chicago.
“You have a beautiful day,” he said, shooting her a smile that almost had her melting on the floor. It didn’t seem fair that one person should look so good all the time.
Perrie forced herself to smile back, nodding her head. “You do the same.”