He didnât do this sort of thing. He had never been the type of guy who kept an eye on the clock in anticipation of anything besides the end of a work shift, or who checked his cellphone throughout the day in hopes that he had a new text. He had tried to play it close to the vest, allowing her to come to him whenever she wanted or needed anything, which was strange in and of itself. Usually, he only spoke to people if and when he needed something from them. She was his opposite in almost every way. On paper, a friendship between the two of them shouldnât work, but it did.
She always seemed a lot younger than she actually was, her eyes wide with wonder when looking at, or talking about, the most mundane things. Day-to-day activates that others would usually take for granted became something to be excited about. She was fully engaged, always asking questions, learning anything and everything she could. He would never openly admit how much he envied her. It had been a long time since heâd viewed the world with anything but contempt, if he ever had.
He preformed monotonous task after monotonous task; greeting guests, taking orders and making drinks, with little to no enthusiasm. It wasnât until he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket that the hint of a smile began to twitch at the corner of his lips. He didnât even need to check the notification to know who it was from, he knew it was her. It was just like Rapunzel to keep him up to date on what she was doing and when she was about to arrive. She was nothing if not reliable, yet another thing that made the two of them very different. Â
Sure enough, she entered the coffeeshop a few minutes later. She had her long blonde hair pulled back so that he could see the excitement written all over her face in its full glory. He ignored the way his heart leapt when her eyes lit up at the sight of him. He knew better, all the excitement and anticipation she was currently feeling was for the activity, not him. She was collecting experiences like a boy scout did badges and once sheâd gotten all she could from him, sheâd move on to someone who could show her even more of the world. Granted, he still had quite a bit of the world to share with her.
He leaned over and tapped a co-worker on the shoulder, asking if they could take over cash register duty a few minutes early. They nearly refused until he pointed her out, standing a few feet away, in front of the bulletin board. He knew theyâd be skeptical. what would a girl like that want with a guy like him anyway? But after heaving a heavy sigh, they agreed. He took off his apron and tossed to them with a wink, then left the coffeeshop without another word, grabbing her hand on his way out the door.
His car was parked around the corner and to be perfectly honest, he was a little embarrassed about the shape it was in. He was a damn good thief but most of the money he stole was spent just trying to stay afloat. It was only once he led her to the passenger side of the car that he realized heâd been holding her hand the entire time they walked. Clearing his throat, he dropped it. âWhatâs the name of this movie again?âÂ