December 19th, 2019

"What are you doing here?"

Kate smiled, her dimple showing. She widened her hand to emphasize but the giant hoodie she was wearing did nothing. "I came to save you."

He smiled too. 

It was contagious how her smile worked on him. Going straight to his heart and melting into his soul. 

Shaking his head, Nith asked again. "No, what are you doing here in Vlomot? You were supposed to come tomorrow. And why are you in the shop?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "I just told you. I came to save you."

"Amare ..." He tried hard to fight the smile from taking over.

"What Dodo?" she answered back, crossing her arms over her chest. Nith's eyes followed the movement before going back to her face. Kate sighed, dramatically. "I came last night. Called you this morning, but Lia picked it up. Said you went to get carrots but haven't come back yet." She tugged a strand of her hair behind her ear. It had grown longer in the past few months, reaching over her shoulder. "A few minutes later, she called me again. Apparently, some random person was calling on the family phone and kept asking for you. And she told them that you came here."

"Of course she did."

"But she realized that it was kinda stupid of her. And you even left your phone at home. So she asked me what she should do. I told her that I'll take care of it. And here I am. Happy now?"

"No," Nith exhaled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I am being followed by this reporter. If she sees you here with me ..." He shook his head. "We are both gonna end up on the front page of the Weekly Spotlight tomorrow."

"Those guys? Seriously," her nose scrunched as she said the word, "their magazines are good, but the online part is trash. Always with those clickbait articles."

Nith nodded in agreement, "This is why Lia should have come here instead of sending you. What was she thinking? What were you thinking? If she sees us ..."

"But she's on cake duty." Kate shrugged, flickering a strand of strawberry lock behind her. "Whatever that is."

Nith groaned loudly, slamming his palm on his forehead. His sister had no conscience‌. How could she ask Kate to come? "Kate, we need to -" he stopped mid-sentence. The sounds of Rina’s boots coming toward them. "Fuck," Nith cursed under his breath, pulling Kate by her wrist into the little corner at the end of the aisle with himself.

It was a familiar nook. Kate would hide here often from the manager when Nith used to work at the store. But now it seemed as if it had shrunk. It was tiny - his arm's width in size - just enough to hide them both from the views of the passersby.

"His stupid car is still outside. He can't stay inside forever," it was Rina, talking over the phone. "Whenever he gets out, I will get him."

Nith pulled Kate more toward him.

"He will say something alright. You think I will let him go without giving me a word?" Rina's footsteps stopped right beside their hiding place. She turned as her eyes looked through the place.

Another pull and Nith omits the little gap between them. Holding his breath, he listened to Rina talk. 

"No way in hell! I need my name on that article tomorrow."

"Lady, I told you can't get inside for your snooping!" The cashier was the one yelling. "I will call security!"

Nith bends down, reaching to Kate's ear to whisper, "We will stay -" But Kate shushes him with her finger on his lips.

She stepped closer. "Shhees."

And the situation finally registered in Nith's mind with a giant ding.

They were trapped in the corner.

For a brief second, he was over-conscious of their proximity, even though Kate’s bulky hoodie was like a wall between them. Until Kate moved her right hand on top of his chest. Her ear edged closer to the aisle as she listened to them talk. Her other hand was still on top of his lips. His own hand was on the small of her back.

It trembled.

His heart was pounding. Nith gulped, slowly. He couldn't hear what they were saying outside anymore. But the voices ringing through the halls were loud enough to drown the pounding beats of his heart in Kate's ears. For the first time, Nith was grateful to Rina for having that loud, obnoxious voice of hers.

Kate stepped closer. Nith lifted his head as she did. Her head fitting perfectly in the crook of his neck cause of the high sole of her Converse. His whole body was buzzing at the slightest gesture. He was getting drunk on her. Nith stopped breathing as if the little movement would break whatever momentum there was. His palms felt sweaty and his head swayed. He felt as if he would pass out from the lack of air inside his lungs. 

Slowly, Nith took a tentative breath. He couldn't have himself passed out here. Not now, with Kate in his arms and Rina outside to tell the world.

This was not what he thought would happen when he woke up this morning. This … he never thought something like this would happen.

Not with him.

Not with her.

"I think they left?" her voice tickled down his neck.

Nith closed his eyes, gulping. For a slight moment, he stopped breathing again, pretending that he didn't hear her. That he couldn't hear her flowery voice titillate its way through his body to his soul.

He was going crazy.

He wanted to stay here like this. Pretending that the threat outside this tiny bubble was still there and that staying here forever was the only option they had left. The only way they could survive.

That was what Nith wanted.

To stay here, like this, forever, with her.

Kate moved again. Nith stood rigid in his place, hands in fists. She poked her head outside to observe their current situation. Her hand crunched the neckline of his navy t-shirt, pulling him closer toward her as she leaned out to see. She didn't do this purposely. Nith knew that. She just wanted to keep herself steady as she looked. He knew that, too. But the part of his skin where her fingers brushed was burning. And if one listened closely, they could hear the audible crackles. Like a wood burning in fire.

He was on fire, from inside out.

"I think … I think they are gone." When she moved back in, the little nook felt even smaller. The hoodie did nothing as she ran into him. "Oh!" a gasp came from her. She tilted her head upward to meet his eyes.

The thought of the cake that he had in the oven was out of his mind so was Rina's raucous voice. The lowlights of the corner made Kate shine; her eyes bright and blue. Cheeks in pink. And lips dusted in red. As the ac over them hummed softly with his racing heart working as the background music for the scene, Nith felt as if he was inside one of the books he had read before. Or the movie he watched last night with Lia.

Time worked in slow motion as hearts raced against each other. This was the part where the leads would kiss and fall in love.

His ear burned as he looked down. Their faces inches apart. He could see her cheeks slowly turning red from pink, matching the deep red on her lips. Nith gulped, it was too loud for the silence that had stretched between them. And for a faction of a second, her ocean blue eyes dropped down at his lips before meeting his eyes again.

He was overthinking it. Nith knew that. He did, he really did. Yet he couldn’t stop an old thought that came back to haunt his mind. 

What would happen if he told her how he felt?

What would happen if he leaned in and kissed her?

Would she say yes?

Would she kiss him back?