Talking
1238 Words
The store was quiet.
Tracy stood behind the checkout counter, tapping her fingers lightly against the edge.
She glanced up at the wall clock for the third time in ten minutes.
Night shifts were usually slow like this, and that was fine with her.
She liked the quiet, the stillness. It gave her room to breathe.
She bent over slightly to sort the receipts in the drawer, humming faintly under her breath.
Then the bell above the entrance dinged.
She glanced up.
A few men walked in, their voices low but firm.
They looked sweaty, like they’d just finished a long workout or training session.
Their shirts stuck to their backs, their breathing heavy.
Tracy quickly turned her gaze away and bent down again, pretending to adjust the basket of plastic bags beside her.
Then she heard the bell again
She paused.
Her body froze before her eyes could confirm it
Anthony.
She didn’t need to look up to know it was him.
She could already feel that cold nervous wave sweep through her chest. Her heart picked up pace.
She ducked down lower, trying to calm herself. She couldn’t let him see her not like this.
Her hand gripped the edge of the counter as she crouched slightly behind it, taking in small, quiet breaths.
Another voice broke through the silence.
“Hello? Anyone here?” A man’s voice. One of the others.
She stood up slowly, stiffly. “Yes..yes, I’m here,” she said, her voice soft, barely above a whisper.
The man approached the counter. “Uh, do you have any… fresh corn? And meat? Like, the frozen kind.”
She nodded, a bit too fast. “Y-yes, yes. Um… corn is on aisle… three. Bottom shelf.
The meat is… aisle five, in the freezer. On the right.”
He nodded. “Alright, thanks.”
Tracy let out a small breath as he walked away.
She looked down again, trying to steady her hands.
Then without warning someone placed a few items gently on the counter.
She looked up.
Anthony.
Their eyes met.
Tracy swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry,
She didn’t know what to say. He didn’t either.
He opened his mouth, then closed it. She did the same.
“I, uh…” Anthony cleared his throat and looked down. “Didn’t know… you… um… work here.”
Tracy blinked. “I uh y-yeah. Part… time. Just… night sh-shifts.”
He nodded, awkward. “Oh. Cool.”
A pause.
A long one.
She reached for the bottle of water in front of her, but her hand missed it slightly and fumbled.
She bit her lip and grabbed it again, managing to scan it this time.
He watched her silently.
She scanned the other items. Then he stretched out his hand slowly to pay, but their fingers almost touched, and he pulled back quickly.
“S-sorry,” he mumbled.
Tracy shook her head, quickly. “It’s uh it’s fine. R-really.”
Anthony gave a small, unsure smile.
“You’re… um… you’re good at this. Like… cashiering. And stuff.”
Her cheeks turned a little pink.
“Th-thanks.”
Silence again.
His hand was still resting on the counter, twitching slightly.
She handed him the bag, careful not to let their hands touch again.
He nodded. “Um. G-goodnight.”
Tracy opened her mouth, then closed it.
Then I tried again. “Y-you too.”
He lingered for half a second, like he wanted to say something else.
But then he just turned and walked off, slowly, back toward the others.
She stayed there, watching him leave, still holding the edge of the counter with both hands.
Her heart was still beating a little too fast.
And her hands wouldn’t stop shaking…..
As Anthony stepped out of the store, the night air brushed across his face.
It was cooler now, the kind that left a sting if you breathed in too fast.
He walked down toward the open field behind the grocery store, where the others had gathered.
His father stood by the weights, stretching his arms, barking short orders at the men around him.
Some were jogging in place. Others were resting on the low concrete edge of the playground.
Matt spotted Anthony from a distance and jogged toward him.
“Yo,” Matt said, squinting. “Why do your cheeks look like you dipped your face in tomato sauce?”
He laughed. “You look like you just kissed someone behind the bread aisle.”
Anthony kept walking, head down.
“I’m serious,” Matt added, stepping beside him. “You good?”
“It’s cold,” Anthony mumbled. “Must be the cold.”
Matt looked at him, unconvinced. But before he could ask more, a deep voice cut through the field.
“Everyone line up!” It was Anthony’s father, his voice as sharp as ever. “Ten rounds now everybody
Groans echoed across the field. Matt muttered something under his breath and shook his arms out.
“I didn’t even get to eat,” he said, stretching his legs out and preparing for the jog.
Soon, everyone was in motion. The group began to run laps, nothing fast, just enough to burn through muscle and leave lungs aching.
Matt jogged beside Anthony. The lights from the store behind them cast long shadows on the dirt.
“You think you can help me plan something?” Matt asked suddenly, glancing sideways.
Anthony didn’t answer right away. He was focused on his breathing, trying to ignore the question. But Matt kept going.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said. “I wanna do something big.”
“What are you talking about? Anthony asked his brows furrowed
They reached the end of the loop and turned back. Dirt kicked up behind them as they ran.
“I want to ask Tracy out.”
Immediately Anthony’s foot faltered. Just for a split second. His pace slowed before he quickly picked it up again. But Matt noticed.
Anthony didn’t look at him. “Tracy?” he asked flatly. “Why?”
Matt chuckled. “I don’t know, man. She’s quiet. Real and also very cute.”
Anthony scoffed. “She’s not even our standard or your type.
“That’s probably why I like her,” Matt said, not missing a beat. “There’s something about her. She’s different.”
Anthony’s jaw tensed.
He didn’t speak again.
His fingers curled into fists without him realizing. His arms stiffened as they ran. It was like heat was building under his skin sharp, restless heat.
They reached the starting point again and Instead of stopping, Anthony broke away from the group and walked toward where he had left his bag without saying a word
“Yo, you alright?”Matt called out behind him
But Anthony didn’t answer.
He picked up his stowaway jacket, yanked the cap off his water bottle, and poured the cold water straight onto his head.
The shock made him blink hard, but he didn’t stop until half the bottle was gone.
Then he sat down, still breathing hard, the cold dripping down his back.
His hands had stopped shaking now, but only because he had forced them to.
He grabbed the edge of his jacket and pulled it over his head, covering his face not because of sweat, but because he didn’t want anyone to see what he was holding back.
Especially not Matt.
- Writer
