Stranger with the Stars

Archie's Input

The house smelled of a mix of cleaning supplies and wet paint. I had all the windows open to give as much air as I could to the now drying surfaces. I didn’t get to painting the second mast suite or the living room. The kitchen got a good new coat, and a beautifully scrubbed new life. Everything shined with the hard work put in. I painted the mast suite I planned on being in, everything was a simple white for now. It made it clean, open, and easier for a new choice later on. Every room did get a good scrubbing. 

By the time I was done, it was around 6pm. I made a list of things I wanted to pick up for future projects. I had texted my dad earlier that I was still out looking at places. I didn’t have the heart to say yet that I found one, especially since it wasn’t super close. I knew it would be easier to break it to both him and Uncle Eren at once. I’d get my stuff out by the weekend, and a new life by next week. 

I let out a deep sigh, looking over all my dedication for the day. The rooms we’re looking pretty good!  I had to go see Archie before they closed. Hopefully, he really meant that he wanted me to come back and wasn’t just out doing a customer service thing at me. Making my way out of the house, I left a couple lights on. When I made it out to my truck, I froze.

Don’t be afraid.

In the street, there was a a big scruffy looking dog. I couldn't make out any great details due to the distance and the face it was turned away from me. That was until it turned around. It was a wolf. A big f*****g wolf. I couldn’t see if there were any other people out, my attention fully on the beast just yards away.

 I attempted to sneakily make my way to the truck door, but the minute the locks lifted, its full attention was on me. It’s eyes were golden against the mixture of black and brown fur. It stood proud, but it didn’t move forward. Just staring at me, looking curiously. 

“Uh, hello. Please don’t attack me. I swear I’ll just taste like ass. Not the good kind of ass.” I gently called out. It c****d it’s head to the side in response. 

“Okay, well I’m gonna go now. Please don’t walk this way. If you promise not to walk this way, I promise that I’ll only talk about this in therapy.” I sang out. I could see it let out a huff of air, then dashing to the woods on the left. Gone in an instant.

 I hadn’t realized how tense my body became. I instantly released and threw myself into the truck as quickly as I could. If I was going to feel safe anywhere, it was in Borus. 

I started my drive to the hardware store, slowing down at the spot where the wolf ran. There was no sign of anything still there, but I couldn’t help but feel like something was watching me as I drove off.

________________________________________

“Welcome to… Oh hey, it’s my spark of light again!” Archie happily shouted out as I walked in the doors. I could tell the first part was out of habit, but he seemed genuinely happy to see me once he looked at who entered.

“What, did you think I couldn’t accept the invitation back? You’ve captured my heart.” I cooed to him, sauntering over to his register.

“I can’t help it. It’s just who I am. Call it fate. Did you bring me a list?” He asked, clapping his hands together.

“Yes, yes I did. Just try to help me not blow my whole budget in one evening.” He grabbed the list from my hands, doing a ‘gimme gimme’ motion.

“Psssh. This is easy. You basically want new light fixtures, light bulbs, and some general tools. That’s basically nothing. Get in that cart thingy, I’m leading.” He pointed to the hardware cart a few feet away. It was a flatbed, with a big handle up the back. It was generally used to haul bigger objects around.

“Oh, is Daddy gonna push me!” I chanted hopping on the cart, crossing my legs.

“Only if Mommy promises to be my friend.” He started to push, huffing his way to get the wheels to start turning.

“Ya know, I’m not that heavy.” I turned to face him. He was red in the face putting all his might into it.

“Shut up, I’m trying!” He whined.

“Would you like me to push you instead.” I offered.

“Yes, please.” he breathed out quietly. 

“Come on, we’re besties now. Switch me. However this will be on my survey if I’m asked.” I hopped up, and he plopped down. The store seemed mostly empty at this point. Archie seemed as happy as a child at Christmas.

“Are you hiding the lumberjacks in here somewhere? I have yet to see one of these ‘different breed’ kind of men. I like ‘em big and burly.” I was truly waiting to run into a large hunk of man at some point.

“Sorry, didn’t know you were so picky for your first day. Next time, I’ll just schedule them all for your one visit.” He scoffed back to me.

Archie directed me around the store to the various points on the list. He went off about how one was better than another, or how one light was a b***h to clean while another was classy enough for a home. It was honestly wonderful. We spent a good amount of time laughing and arguing about the color scheme. I loved the clean gray tones, he was more a moody dark color person. We agreed that we could do what I wanted for my room, but that he could make the vote on the guest room. H even helped pick out a color he deemed ‘satisfactory’ for the second bedroom. 

Making our way up to the front, it was evident we were hitting close to 10 as the other cashiers pushed the other remaining customers to the registers. Reggie was more than happy to personally be my cashier for our large cumulation of s**t. 

“So, you’re gonna need my number. I’m gonna have to visit. It may not be for a hot minute, but I swear I’ll raid your closet soon. I just know we’re the same shoe size. Don’t try to hide those troll feet from me!” he said pointing the scan gun down to my feet. They weren’t huge, but they weren’t the most common size. 

“Why will it be a hot minute?” I casually asked while munching on a bag of m&ms at the front. Promising him I’d pay. 

“My parents are being… difficult. They.. They just don’t understand… If I’m not at work or school, they want me home to make sure I’m not out.. Seeing other men…” He trailed off, looking to the floor with a broken heart. It was clear his parents weren’t very accepting of their son quite yet. 

“Move out.” I responded instinctively. 

“To where? Not to burst your fairy tail bubble, but everyone knows everyone around here. Unless you're a new student at the school, or in your case a new person to the town. It’s hard to just up and move to someone or somewhere that will be similar to what I’m in now. Lot of gossip for not a whole lot going on. Ya know?” He continued to scan while explaining how daft some people are.

“Move in with me.” I blurted out.

“What?” He instantly paused his scanning, looking up to me with a sparkle in his eye. 

“I mean it. You already picked the guest bedroom s**t, that and I already love you. It’s my place, and in my place, you’re welcome.” I puffed my chest up proudly. 

I felt arms wrapped around me. Archie was hugging me, starting to cry. 

“Are you sure? I mean we’ve only had this one night, and normally the princess needs to run away first before the prince comes and saves her from whatever bullshit she’s in. I haven’t even had time to put on mascara to cry in.” He sniffled into my boobs. His height made them perfectly level to his head. I patted his head, wrapping my arms around him in return.

“I mean it. I really feel like we’ve known each other a lifetime. I thought about getting a roommate when I signed the papers, but I didn’t know who I’d even talk to. We could be a tiny family. A tiny, p***s loving family.”

Archie fixed his potion and stood straight up again, wiping away both snot and tears in one gross hand swipe.

“We’re not gonna talk about what I just did to my arm. But I owe you. I really do. Gimme your number. I’m moving in ASAP.” He reached for his phone. We exchanged numbers, I wrote down the address for him on some extra receipt paper. Letting him know I’d be getting my stuff in this weekend, and to give me a minute to give him a key, as the other two were promised to both fathers of mine. I told him I’d more than likely have my furniture coming up on Saturday morning.

Archie gracefully, and secretly, applied an employee discount to the purchase, making it close to nothing as a thank you.

“You can use the saved money to buy us pizza that day. I’ll buy drinks. Heads up, it’s more than likely just us doing everything. Unless you have people I don't know about yet. The lumberjacks around here won’t talk to you until you’ve been around long enough, so don’t even ask.” 

“Nah, we can do it. My Dad might show up later on in the week, but I’ll get the stuff in one go. Don’t worry. We’ll be fine. If anything, I can always pull out a pair of heels and a v-neck to really get some help.” I wiggled my eyebrows at him.

“Ugh, don’t bother. Half of them don’t understand what a shower is yet. I’ll see you over the weekend then. Don’t forget your f*****g shoes. I mean it, I’m going through them.”

“Not even a day into roommates and I gotta hide s**t from you. Great.” I rolled my eyes at him, he slapped my arm in response. 

“ATTENTION CUSTOMERS, WE WILL BE CLOSING IN 5 MINUTES. PLEASE BRING ANY FINAL ITEMS TO THE FRONT SO WE MAY CHECK YOU OUT. HAVE A GREAT EVENING.” The announcement blared through the store. 

At this point, I was the last customer. I could see the manager trying to get through a transaction with a customer a few lanes away, but other than that we were it.

“Let me help you take this out to your car.” Archie attempted to push the cart once more, this time with more effort. I could hear his sneakers squeaking against the concrete.

“I can-”

“No! I got this!” He cut me off in his determination. 

That’s when the air changed. 

A figure, easily matching with the height of the door entered. He was easily 6’5. They were wearing a leather jacket, and rugged blue jeans that hit to the bottom of his black boots. He was easily built with broad shoulders. I could see his arms tightly pressing against the jacket. It wasn’t zipped up, gracing us with a plain tight t-shirt. My eyes were still making their way up when I was met with the most beautiful golden brown eyes. 

They stared right through me. They looked over me as mine did to him. His dark brown hair was messily pushed to the side. His face chiseled, with stubble forming. He had thick, perfectly shaped eyebrows, followed by even more perfect cheekbones. I just wanted to touch him…

“Ehem. Ellie, I’m dying. Offer to help me again.” Archie called from behind the cart, not seeing the Adonis that had entered. It was as though I was the only one in the room with him, his eyes never leaving mine once locked on. 

“ELLIE, I SWEAR TO GOD. JUST OFF--” Archie popped his head up. Stopping his sentence once seeing the man too. Archie gently tapped my arm, bringing me back to reality. I didn’t know how to explain it, but I was entranced, pulled to this man. 

“Hey Ellie, let's get this to your car, but I need you to push because you’re stronger.” Archie stated. I looked back at him, shaking my head yes in response.

I went to grab the handle, when a big bear-like hand cut me off. It was the man. His hands were huge, perfectly tan with small scars scattered on them. 

“Ah, it’s you Trenton. Thank you for helping us ladies.” Archie piped up. 

Trenton. That was his name. It was perfect. It matched him from head to toe. 

“Mmmm.” Was all Trenton responded with. It was smooth like velvet. He began to push the cart out the door. I could see it wasn’t a big deal for him. He made no sounds of effort, making it look as easy as pushing feathers.

“Archie, who’s he?” I whispered to Archie, holding him back by his arm. 

“Oh that? Don’t bother. Every girl wants him. He’s just a big quiet wall. I’m surprised he’s helping, but I’m not gonna say no. However, don’t be afraid to take a gander of that dump truck of an ass.” Archie trailed after Trenton. 

“Ellie,” He shot back, bringing me back once more. I was in-fact, distracted by that cake. It was like two perfectly shaped melons… Wait, of course every girl wanted him, I needed to snap out of it. “Which one is yours?” Archie called out. 

“The big orange one!” I shouted back, jogging to catch up. 

“You mean the big f*****g monster truck?” Archie shrilly asked.

“Yes, that’s mine.” I clicked the FOB to show the truck responding to me. Archie sat wide eyed. Trenton grunted in response, pausing for a moment before continuing his push.

“Thank you for pushing, I really appreciate it. You don’t have to help load it up.” I tried chatting towards Trenton, looking to see if he was open for conversation. 

“You’re welcome.” He gruffly responded. It reverberated in my mind. It was deliciously deep. 

Archie scrambled to climb into the bed, Trenton attempting to hand him things while Archie could barely lift them into place. I ran to put the cart back in place to make sure no one had to do a cart run due to my lack of attention to time.

“Thank you boys. I’ll see you this weekend Archie.” I nodded to him, sending him a wink. I was a bit out of breath from the job to and from the store.

“Good luck getting rid of me, I can’t miss this thing from a million miles away. You can’t hide it either, my senses will tell me!” Archie stomped his foot, causing a slight giggle to escape from me.

I turned to face Trenton to thank him. His eyes were back to looking me over. When his golden orbs met mine, I was locked in place. That was until the voices started screaming out.

“Trenty!! You’re taking too long!” 

“Come back!” 

“Yeah, we need you!” 

A group of female voices was coming from a few yards away. There was a group of muscle cars parked together, guys and girls scattered around it. The dark paint jobs made it hard to see when initially leaving the store. I hadn’t even noticed them until now. 

“Ah, it seems like you’re needed. Thank you again for your help.” I reached out and squeezed his leather covered arm to show my appreciation. I could see him visibly tense, flicking his eyes from me to the other people. The gold seemed to slightly fade. Maybe it was just my imagination. He was currently standing at the back of the truck while Archie was flopping out of the back onto the ground, praising himself for not eating the asphalt. 

“Bye, Ell! I’ll call you Saturday morning. I’ll be there at the crack of when I’m awake!” Archie called back, running back to the store to make sure he could be in before they locked the doors.

“Bye Arch! I’ll kick your ass if you don’t bring me a drink!” I shouted after him. 

There was a pregnant pause, as Trenton didn’t move from the back. His eyes had gone back to staring at me. It became apparent that he wasn’t going to be a big talker.

“Thank you… What was your name again?” I asked.

“Trenton.”  His voice went back to the velvet. 

“Thank you, Trenton. I really appreciate it. Maybe I’ll see you around, if you stop revving your engine at me.” I raised a brow at him, making my way into the truck.

I felt him tap the bed door before power walking towards the group of cars. The girls by the cars were jumping around, praising their excitement of his return. 

I couldn’t explain it, but I felt drawn to him. His name was tattooed into my mind. Those eyes… They’d never leave my thoughts. But I knew it was fruitless, he was just another bad boy. I turned on Borus, making my way out of the lot back to the house. I’d drop everything off and take a late night drive home. I’d be an official resident by Monday morning at the latest. I could call the furniture company to drop everything off by Saturday to get it up by Sunday. It was all falling into place.

When I turned out of the lot, I checked the mirror. The group of people were crowing into their cars, driving off the opposite direction.

Maybe I’d see him around, but I don’t think I’d ever be anything more than a passing hello. I’d be more than happy to see him walk away after a goodbye.