Chapter 2: Slow Like Learning a New Language
1375 Words
Lee didn’t ask her out the next day.
Or the day after that.
He just… showed up again.
At the same time. It was like he belonged there. The walk over was easy, like it was his job, which was stupid considering she worked at a*****e bakery for a reason.
Becca caught herself staring right away.
-----------------------------------------------------
The first time he asked her to leave the store with him, she had to think about it.
She was locked up after closing.
Lee had leaned over to the bakery fridge, closing it when he said, “You hungry?”
Becca didn’t look up. “Of course, I’m hungry. I work at a bakery.”
He laughed. “Fair enough.”
Then, pointedly ignoring the fact that she was locking up her workplace: “Want to get coffee with me?”
Becca turned to look at him. “No.”
He blinked at her. “What?” He shook his head to the side.
“You heard me,” she repeated. Her eyes were serious.
Lee scoffed. “Becca Matthews, why not?”
She opened her mouth to say something else, then closed it again.
“You don’t just get coffee with strangers.” She finished.
“You’ re not a stranger.” He pointed it out. “And you’ re not that weirded out by me.”
“I don’t know you!” She protested.
“You know my name.”
“That’ s it?”
“It’s a start.” Lee gave her a warm smile.
Becca sighed and turned back around to finish closing. “I’ m going home.”
Lee sighed in defeat but didn’t argue.
As she walked past him, though, he muttered, “I’ll ask again tomorrow.”
Becca paused, turning to glare at him. “You think that works?”
Lee shrugged. “Hey. Persistence can work wonders.”
She shot him a glare over her shoulder. “What about when it doesn’t work?”
“I’ll know,” he replied with a grin.
---
He asked her again the next day.
And the day after that.
And the day after that.
It took three times more than he promised before Becca sighed in defeat.
“If I say yes, are you going to stop asking me every day?”
Lee grinned. “Most likely not.”
She groaned. “Great. Just great.”
“If you say yes, I’ll buy you coffee.”
Becca considered that.
Then relented. “Fine. But only one coffee.”
Lee nodded as he had just been given everything in life. “One coffee.”
It was quiet at the coffee shop.
Too quiet, Becca noted.
She twirled her cup between both hands, desperate for something to do.
Lee watched her quietly for a moment before speaking up.
“You don’t always look like that at work.” He said casually.
Becca snorted. “Oh yeah? You think I’m relaxed at work?”
“You’ re focused.” He clarified.
“I get stressed,” she muttered.
He chuckled. “Fair point.”
They sat in silence for a moment.
Eventually, Becca spoke up. “So, what do you do?”
Lee leaned back in his seat. “Work stuff. Boring things.”
“That was vague.”
“I know.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Avoiding the question.”
“I’ m just pacing myself,” he retorted.
Becca leaned forward slightly in her seat. “That sounds like avoidance with extra steps.”
Lee chuckled again. “Hey, at least I’ m honest with you.”
“You sound like a man who has nothing to hide.” She quipped back.
He laughed, leaning back. “Alright, enough questioning. Go.”
“No.” She held up her hand. “You are first.”
“Oh yeah?” He asked.
“I’ m king me of you first.” She smirked.
“Deal.”
They fell into comfortable silence.
Lee finally broke it. “You ever think about what you want to do?”
Becca looked at her coffee cup. “Busy working. Don’t have time to think about that kind of stuff.”
“Not an answer,” he said with a smirk.
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh yeah? Why not?”
Lee shrugged. “Because you sound like you just give up.”
Becca glared at him. “I don’t.”
“Your kind of just-”
“I do things,” she cut him off. “All the time.”
“Sure, you do,” Lee replied sarcastically.
Becca sighed, leaning back in her seat. “Whatever you say.”
“You should want more than ‘I work a lot’ for a life, though,” he told her softly.
Becca whipped her head to look at him. “You don’t know me.”
Lee shrugged. “I know enough.”
“Wow,” she deadpanned.
“I told you,” he said with a grin. “Persistence.”
“You’re back,” she said, kneading flour into some muffins.
Lee leaned in toward the bakery display case. “You sound surprised.”
“I am.” She turned to face him fully, hands on her hips. “Why are you here?”
“Most days?” He shrugged.
She shook her head. “No. Today. Why are you here today?”
Lee smiled. “To talk to you.”
“You don’t just do that?” Becca asked.
He raised an eyebrow. “Did you think I walked here every day just to look at you bake?”
“I didn’t-”
“You’ re not that great,” he finished for her. “Besides, people already stare at me while I eat.”
Becca frowned. “Are you ordering something this time?”
“I could.” He leaned back away from the bakery. “You weren’t exactly paying attention to me yesterday.”
“That’ s because you didn’t show up until close.” She pointed at him. “And you didn’t buy anything.”
Lee chuckled. “Oh, come on. You know I just wanted to talk.”
“So why are you here now?” she asked.
“I said, to talk.” He grinned.
Becca sighed and glared at him. “You aren’t leaving until you ask me out, are you?”
Lee laughed again. “No. I’m leaving now.”
He turned and started walking back towards the front.
Becca watched him go. She took another step back toward the bakery.
Then thought better of it and followed.
---
Lee started showing up on her closing shifts more frequently after that.
Not every night. Not enough that she could predict when he would come by.
But enough that she noticed whenever he didn’t.
“You don’t work here, do you?” She asked him one night, midway through mopping.
Lee shook his head. “No.”
“So, you just- Wait, why are you here?”
“To talk to you.” He smiled.
Becca glared at him. “Fine, we can talk. But then you’re leaving.”
“I promise.” He held up a finger. “One question, though. Do you do this with every guy that talks to you?”
She scoffed. “Are you serious right now?”
“No.” He sat down on a milk crate. “Why?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Why what?”
“What’ s your secret? What do you do that makes me show up here three days a week to see you?” Lee asked.
She glared at him some more. “I don’t know. Care.”
Lee leaned back, crossing his arms. “No. You tell me.”
Becca rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say, Mister.” She went back to mopping.
“I like talking to you.” He murmured.
She jumped a bit in surprise. “Oh?”
“Mhm.” Lee shrugged. “It’s obvious, isn’t it?”
Becca sighed and stopped mopping again. “Alright. What’s your deal then?”
“I told you,” Lee said, a smirk on his lips. “I’m persistent.”
- Writer
