let me vibe on my spooky mountain. damn.

Now, there was a bit of hesitation to him, instead of the usual mischievous glint in his eye, as you stood behind the building for your afternoon smoke break together. Phil from accounting had just gone inside, so it was just the two of you. No reason to be nervous.

"What's up?" you asked.

He fidgeted under your gaze and his nose scrunched. You couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you breaking up with me?" you continued. "We've had one date, I'm not gonna take it that hard."

Which was a lie, you would be devastated. To calm your own self-induced nerves, you took a drag from your cigarette and turned your attention back to the squirrels that were sniffing around the loading dock.

"I'm psychic!" He finally blurted out.

You almost sucked the entire cigarette into your mouth from shock.

"Excuse me?" You coughed.

Ok, he wasn't breaking up with you, he was just crazy. Which you sort of already expected and also found charming regardless.

"It's not something I tell everyone," he explained, holding his hands in front of him innocently. "I just figured that you deserved to know in case, you know, you wanted to break up with me."

You blinked at him, unsure of what to say.

"Can I show it to you? What I can do?" he asked after a beat. "That way I can prove I'm telling the truth."

"Uh...sure," you replied hesitantly.

He held out a hand and gestured for you to do the same. At first, you thought he meant your free hand, but as you laid yours in his palm, he batted it way.

"I'm not a palm reader," he explained. "I guess...I mean, I am a fortune teller, in some ways. Just not that. Here, come over here."

He took a step back and led you back to the little ashtray atop the trash bin, and he stubbed his cigarette out and gestured for you to do the same. Which you did, but not before one more quick inhale of glorious nicotine that would get you through the next few, stress-induced seconds.

"It's like...reading tea leaves," Eddie grinned nervously. He waved a hand over the overflowing ashtray, noting the few butts that had fallen to the ground. "Better than tea leaves, actually. Let's take Phil for example." Eddie waved at the still somewhat smoldering remnant belonging to your coworker. He hummed and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, then held his hands over the ashes. "He's having trouble at home. He's afraid his wife is leaving him because of his receding hairline."

"Phil doesn't have a receding hairline," you pointed out.

"It's a toupee," Eddie responded immediately, he cracked an eye open and stared at you. "It's really convincing, right?"

"I don't believe this." You laughed. "Even if you did know that he wore a toupee, that's an observation. Not a fortune."

"Oh no," he closed his eyes again, "that's where you're wrong. There is going to be a big blowout in about a week...when Phil's wife leaves him...for the mail man. Damn. Poor Phil."

His eyes opened and he stared at you expectantly. "Want me to read your ashes now?"

You gestured for him to go ahead and he pulled the same Johnny Carson act from before. He hummed and waved his hands; there was a little twitch as his eyebrows drew together, and you had to admit that your curiosity was piqued at that.

"There's a lot of information here," he muttered. "You've...gained something new recently. A boyfriend? Interesting. I bet he's handsome. And really good at playing the guitar."

You rolled your eyes.

"No, no, wait!" He shouted and leaned forward. "Oh, but so much indecision surrounding you. Because you like this guy, you really like him, but you're not sure. You need a sign to tell you if he's the one."

"Is he?" you asked blithely.

He hummed and then threw his arms out and opened his eyes, suddenly out of breath.

"The future is unclear," he shook his head, stepped forward and took your hands in his. "But I was able to see one thing for certain."

"What do you see in my future, oh Edward the Clairvoyant?"

"A...kiss?" He offered hesitantly, and then nodded. "Wait, no, not just one. Many kisses. And some cuddling, if you wanna...come over to my place and hang out after work?"

You couldn't help the smile that bloomed on your face, and that boyish grin you loved to see on him deepened as he pulled you closer, right into his embrace.

"What a way to ask someone for another date!" You giggled.

"Hey, I didn't ask," he said, completely seriously. "I prophesied."

"Sure you did."

"Now I'm asking if you wanna come over and hang out after work. I can order pizza and maybe we...make out a little?"

"Sounds great!" You agreed.

He rocked you back and forth until you leaned into him. Your nose brushed against his and you felt your cheeks get hot.

"So, do you believe in my fortune-telling skills now?" he muttered.

What an idiot...

"Mmm, yeah," you nodded. "I do."