Lollipop and promises

s without h

ze lands on the small, red-wrapped candy still sitting on the counter. His receipt flutters s

lef

er for

ing strange twist in my chest. It's silly to be

, weaving past customers and ignoring Shelly's confused call behind me. The glass

aware of his surroundings. His hoodie is slouched low over his head, his hands bur

ll out, joggi

s brows knit together when he sees me, confu

lding up the lollipop. My vo

Then, his lips twitch, but it doesn'

my feet. "A

ine of customers, no rush to leave. Just me and him in an almost-empty parkin

ys finally, but I

r his hand, ignoring the way my own trembles slightly, and flip it over. His fingers

before I lose my nerve. "In case you eve

e he wasn't expecting this-but then something shifts. Amusement? Mayb

" he says, his voice

ng self-conscious. "I f

rling his fingers over the ink, like he's p

unexpected thrill through me, but I n

't drea

oward the store before my rap

e, reality crashes into

what did

the parking lot. After chas

. Shelly passes by with an armful of recei

kly. Too high-pitched.

not

Was it too much? Did he think it was weir

myself back to work, but m

ding a lollipop and a phone number, and I have