“I have to earn my paycheck somehow,” she brushed me off.
I could tell what she was doing. Lara was trying to place distance between us, keep me at arm’s length. Maybe my flirting with her last night had been a bad idea. The compliment sort of just slipped out of my mouth, came naturally to me because it really was the truth. Lara was the prettiest girl I knew. I took the chairs from her anyways, regardless of her protests. “It’s the least I can do. I wouldn’t want you pulling your back doing all the heavy lifting.”
Alistair laughed, “You two remind me of me and my wife, rest her soul. We were always squabbling.”
“W-we’re not squabbling,” stuttered Lara. “This is just– Chuck’s a guest. Practically a celebrity.”
I chuckled softly, “I wouldn’t go that far.”
“He shouldn’t have to do any of the work.”
Alistair waved a hand dismissively, returning his attention to a customer now walking up to the register. “Sure, sure. Do what you want. Just don’t rough up my furniture. I got those on sale at Costco and there hasn’t been a good deal since.”
Lara and I came to a silent agreement. I was allowed to help set up the tables as long as she got to arrange the chairs. I watched her as she worked, entranced by the way she moved with surety and fluidity. No matter what I did, I couldn’t seem to keep my eyes off her. Lara did this adorable thing with her hair, flicking her ponytail over her shoulder and shaking her head so her locks would sweep from side to side. She would sometimes nibble on her bottom lip when she appeared to be deep in thought, reorganizing chair positioning to make better use of the cramped storefront’s space. A part of me wanted to know how soft her lips were, how much I’d need to lean over to kiss her. At the very least, I wanted to know what it felt like to run my fingers through her hair, to understand the curve of her hips and the sensation of her skin against my palms.
“Is there something on my face?” she asked, tone lighthearted.
I cleared my throat and straightened my back. I hadn’t realized I’d been staring. “Er, no,” I mumbled. “Your face is fine. I was just daydreaming.”
“Daydreaming? About what?”
“Just a passage out of this fantasy book I’ve been reading to Clarissa. It’s middle grade fiction, but she’s a very advanced reader.”
“I love fantasy,” she giggled. “What’s the story about?”
“Oh, you know, classic prince slaying the dragon to save the princess type story. The plot twist is that there was no princess in need of saving to begin with, and the prince just needed to learn how to be courageous for the sake of himself and others.”
“That’s actually kind of sweet.”
“What about you? Are you reading anything interesting?”
Lara shrugged. “To be honest, not really. I’ve been trying to catch up on my reading list for class for some time now, and that doesn’t leave me a lot of free time for personal reads. Maybe my schedule will clear up soon.”
“I guess working in a bookstore must have its perks,” I commented. “You’re always able to pick something up without having to go out of your way.”
Lara smiled wide, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she did. “And I get them at a discount, which is always a plus on a student’s budget.”
“If you ever need any recommendations, I’d be ha
ppy to help.”
“Yeah? That sounds great, actually. I’d love to expand my collection a little.”
Just as I was about to mention a series of new adult thrillers I’d happened upon some time ago, several of my workshop students entered the store. They filed in and took their seats, many of them pulling out notebooks and sharpened pencils for note taking.
“I’d better take a seat,” she said softly. “Talk to you later?”
I nodded and smiled. “Definitely.”
I watched her walk away, eyes sweeping down her back and resting on her curvaceous ass. I knew I’d been opposed to opening up, to the prospect of moving on. My marriage with Sandy had been over for months, maybe even longer than that. My stomach flipped at the idea of asking her out. After I’d declined grabbing drinks with her, there was no telling if she was even still interested in me. If I asked her, there was no telling if she’d say yes. Maybe she was this nice with everyone, not just with me. Maybe I wasn’t her type. Maybe our age difference would turn her off. It was a little intimidating to think about dating again, but there was something about Lara that made me want to try. There was something undeniable between us, a spark that was slowly growing with each passing day. If I didn’t act soon, I knew I’d regret it.
Like the prince finding the courage to slay the dragon, maybe I, too, could set forth on a brand-new adventure.
5
Lara
I found myself up well past midnight on a phone call with Hannah. She was away this week on a class exchange trip to Barcelona. Hannah was studying linguistics, which was probably one of the reasons why we were such good friends. While she was studying broad range of language, I’d homed in just one. We had a lot to talk about when it came to course work, comparing notes and drawing ideas from one another. But tonight, there were other concerns on her mind.