Joelle’s bold attempt at cheerfulness assumed the look of a constipated mannequin, only she had a jacket at her feet and a warm body squirming underneath it.
The guy with the baseball cap nosed around the store, pausing at the intersection of each aisle, looking left to right.
“He’s coming this way,” Joelle reported, although mystery man was simply making his way to the end of the store where Joelle stood in the corner. Having just opened, the store was mostly empty of guests.
“Does he know where you work? Hmm? He doesn’t seem interested in purchasing any products. What am I asking? You don’t even know if you had sex with him.” She lightly kicked Tessa’s side with the toe of her shoe to warn her, “Here he comes.”
The guy with no name played it cooled with a delicate smile. He carried himself like a trained athlete, not someone who had been up half the night. Joelle watched with suspicious delight. He took a bigger step to greet Joelle, as if had attained his final destination.
“Can you please tell me if Tessa is working this morning, and if she is, where I might find her?” He said, his head poised for an invisible pillow, and then his eyes shifted to her feet.
“Huh?” Joelle said. “I don’t know.” The morning’s events unfolded at an alarming rate for a Saturday.
“Strange. That clump on the floor,” he waved to her feet, “appears to be breathing.” He took off his shades, and looked directly into Joelle’s eyes, leaving her breathless. Joelle envisioned hopping on the back of a motorbike with him and shooting down the highway with the wind in her hair, her body snug against what could only be taut muscles under his button-down shirt. Certainly Tessa could forgive a little sightseeing.
A click, click, click invaded her morning daydream. It was Bianca’s heels forecasting doom, or at the very least, her presence.
“Hmm,” Joelle shrugged, and a smile spilled across her face. “So it is.”
“And this is a common?” he played along. A wave of hair hung over his dark eyes, framed by long lashes and a hint of wrinkles that endeared Joelle to him anymore. She placed him at late twenties, so he was older, and she reasoned, more mature.
“Um, yeah. It happens. I don’t know. It’s strange,” she nodded. “I usually don’t question it.” Tessa stirred.
“Joelle, I need you at the register,” Bianca walked by, clicking on the tile, without missing a beat. “Tessa, off the floor.”
Tessa sat up, the jacket draped around her head like a veil, exposing Joelle’s before and after makeover visage smeared to a non-distinctive mess.
“Ah, Miss Tillsdale. I had a feeling you were near,” said the stranger before her. Tessa ignored his outstretched hand, and pushed herself off the floor.
“Joelle,” her roomie eased in. She had a knack for good timing, and shook his hand. “I’m sorry we haven’t met. And you would be?”
“Layne,” he said, with eyes only for Tessa. “Ring a bell?”
“Of course,” Tessa shook his hand, but it was as if she was meeting him all over again.
photo credit: david.dames via photopin cc
AmyReeseWrites 
ohhhh the mystery man speaks and is drop dead gorgeous! Really good Amy!! I want more please 🙂
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Thank you, Jackie. I’m glad you like it! 🙂
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It’s really good. 🙂
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love it
http://www.fashionforlunch.net
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“Tessa, off the floor.”—Haha, I loved how that was said so matter-of-factly.
Okay, now I’m really curious as to how this plays out. Is Layne a good guy or bad? It could go either way at this point…
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Ha ha. Carrie, I think that’s my favorite part!
I don’t know. I could write this many different ways. Choices, choices…we shall see!
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Enjoying this!
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More please!!!
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Thanks, Guapo! 🙂
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I love the “look of a constipated mannequin”! LOL Great work here Amy, I can’t wait to read more 😀
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Thanks, Dianne! I’m so encouraged. Thanks for that! 🙂
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Tessa is still a “messa” and the Adonis doesn’t seem to mind. I shall join the chant. More please?
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You got it, Michelle. Tessa is, indeed, still a messa! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks!
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You’re such a tease! Keep er going, I’m down for more. Love the dialogue by the way, Amy, very natural.
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Thanks so much, Trent. You are a gem! Your comments are always so encouraging.
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Well, you should have a look at comments I leave when I don’t like something… I’m not very shy or interested in empty platitudes, so I do let people have it at times, Amy. I think I may be an awful person that way.
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Oh! Trent, you could never be awful. There I said it, so it must be true! I appreciate your candidness.
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Nice writing. He sounds like quite the guy. 😉 Of course, all I can picture now is a constipated mannequin.
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Ha ha. I think actually seeing a constipated one would make quite an impression. Wouldn’t that be funny if all mannequin had real expressions? Thanks! 🙂
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Beautiful choice of name 😉
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Yes, it is! Ha ha. Thanks, Joelle!
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I’m glad I can just move on to the next without waiting for you to write it!
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Yay! This story took me a long time to write, too. I’m glad you don’t have to wait either. I hope you’re using the Tab above called “Lash.” That’s what I ended up calling this story. Enjoy! Thanks again for all your reading. That’s so nice.
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I didn’t look under “Lash,” but I’ve found them! I’m on the eighth installment, I think.
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It’s under Short Stories in the navigation. I hope this will make it easier to find it. (I plan to add more to this page later!)
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