-Haphephobia: fear of being touched.

GOING TO work has always the highlight of Winters days. She understood how some people may find work dreadful, or even awful, but she, personally, enjoyed working. She enjoyed her job, and meeting new people, and interacting with others.

There was just something about engaging in conversation with others who didn't know anything about her, or her past and present, that made her feel mysterious and badass. Like some kind of spy in a weird and fantastical way. But, then again, wasn't she already mysterious and badass? Was it really much of an improvement?

She laughed at herself and the thought of that. There was a difference between being a mysterious spy and being just downright... Alone. She didn't want to seem unappreciative of Kristopher and all that he did for her as a friend, or even Angie and how she always tried to lighten up her spirits. She loved how they always somehow found a way to make her smile when she was feeling at her worst, it was one of her favorite things about them. But when she was alone and had time to think... Everything was always thrown back. She could never progress forward without being pushed thirty steps back.

But people helped.

Her job helped.

Feeling needed by working her butt off every day helped. No matter if it was temporary or not, just escaping the feeling she always felt was a nice change in pace. It was nice to be able to breathe without feeling like a hand was around your throat trying to make it otherwise.

When Kristopher pulled up to her job, a small building with a regular sign that said Vicki's art and book shop, he killed the engine and huffed. He did that when he was contemplating something. Which was never often, given that he was always somehow cool and collected in every situation hurled at him. Winter chalked it up to be the whole predicament with Stacey.

How ironic was it that even when they escape her, she still somehow manages to be on his mind?

Winter gazed at her best friend and wondered what it would take for him to understand the extent of how much she hated Stacey and all that she was and all that she stood for. It wasn't just the fact that Stacey disliked Winter for no reason, but it was also because she was a hypocrite, a liar, and a nuisance to the general public.

But if she pointed out any of that to Kristopher, he would give her that look he did when he was about to remind her to try to stay kind and not act like the world was about to end. He would say that Stacey was a nice girl who was just lost in her ways and gave in to popularity. He wouldn't say what was actually was going on and what she actually was.

Which was a bitch.

A stupid, dumb dumb stupid pants bitch.

He looked at her as she was getting ready to leave the car. There was something in his face, however, that made her pause with her hand on the handle. That was his we need to talk look, and she usually got it when she did something wrong. Or when he did something wrong. Or when they both did something wrong and are guilty about it. But she knew that this time it was he who did the wrong, so she had nothing to feel guilty about. Nothing.

Winter shook a loose lock of hair away from the front of her shoulder and back to the back of it with the rest. She waited patiently for what he was going to say, even though all she wanted to do was slap him right in the center of his face and get out of the car.

Maybe it would take more than pizza to fix this problem.

"Come on, Win, what was I supposed to do?"

"Not agree to go out with her? Tell her she is salt on an open wound? Spray her in the eye with lemon juice? Feel free to tell me to stop when you hear one you like."

"You know that's not fair."

"Not fair? She's not fair. She's the queen of not fair."

Kristopher pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. She wanted to try to let this go, but every time she thought about it, she felt sick. It wasn't just the fact that he agreed to go out with her, no. It was also the fact that he told her that he wouldn't go unless she came along too. Even though he understood just why he couldn't do that. He should have at least thought, "Well hey, maybe since Winter doesn't like this girl, I shouldn't get involved with her." or, "Hey, maybe since Winter hates her guts I really shouldn't invite her to come along on this date." or even, "Hey, maybe since Winter wants to stomp on Stacey's big fat BOOB I should really not be doing this."

But none of those words seemed to part his lips while he was making a deal with the devil.

"I am sorry, Winter. Okay? I am sorry that I dragged you into this. I am sorry that I agreed to a date with her when you obviously do not like her. I know you would never do that to me, so I should not have done it to you. Forgive me?"

Winter rolled her eyes.

"I hate you."

Kristopher smiled.

"I hate you, too."

With that being their parting words, Winter got out of the car and didn't look back as she entered work.

Kristopher's eyes stayed on her until she was far from view.

.....

Work helped release Winter's mind for a few hours. She enjoyed straighting what was out of place, and interacting with the customers, and talking to Vicki in her down time. She had no grievances at work. She had no problems.

Not until about two hours after Kristopher dropped her off, at least.

She was sorting through the paints on the shelf, rearranging them and making sure that all the colors were put back in there respective places, when the bell overtop the door went off and someone walked in.

She was in charge of greeting all who came in, so she halted her fixing and went to greet the guest.

However, the guest was Alek.

Alek Grayson.

Who was definitely not an artist, or a kid, or a struggling artist with a kid, or even a fellow book lover as far as she knew.

Her step began to falter when she saw him. She was quickly going over all her possible options with approaching this. She could leave. Turn around, walk away and act like he wasn't here. She could tell him to leave the store. Or she could tell him, just like any other customer in her sugary sweet all business voice: "Hi, how can I help you?"

She hesitantly opted for the last option. With the most business professional smile she could muster, She walked over to him more and tried to keep her heart from pounding. How did he even know where she worked? They'd never had a conversation before, and she doesn't talk to anyone from his crowd. So how would he know that she worked here? How did he know that she was here now? Lucky guess?

"Hi, how can I help you?"

He smiled when he saw her. All of his teeth were perfectly arranged and all white. He had good hygiene.

Good hygiene? Seriously? That's what you think when you see him?

Winter Reynolds, you are one weird Chicky.

"Hey there. Working hard?" he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Hardly working."

"Nice... Any other plans for tonight?"

What?

"What?"

"I said, do you have any other plans for tonight?"

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Winter's head involuntarily tilted to the side in confusion. She wasn't sure where this was going, or what this was turning into. Was it some kind of prank? Did Stacey put him up to something? Did he even talk to Stacey that much? She knew that they weren't friend friends, but they ran pretty close to the same group. Could it be possible that she told him to prank her? Or do something mean and underhanded? Who was to say. She wouldn't put it above Stacey to not to something along the lines of that.

Winter chose to answer the question honestly.

"I'm going to go home, eat some dry cereal, than go to bed watching Supernatural halfway into the episode."

"Nice. You thinking about doing something more... I don't know... Eventful?"

"Eventful?"

"Yeah."

Her throat constricted. " I don't understand what you mean."

He put his hands inside his jacket pockets and rocked back and fourth on his heels. If she didn't know any better, she would say that he was... Nervous.

"You know... Did you want to do something later on? Like a movie or something after you got off work. Something?"

Winter felt as though the floor just got pulled out from under her. She felt like she was falling, and falling down fast. Did he just ask her what she thought he just asked her...?

"Excuse me?"

He took one hand out of his pocket and scratched the back of his head.

"I'm asking if you want to do something later tonight. With me."

"Like... A date?"

A date. With Alek Grayson. He was asking her out? This was actually happening. This was an actual thing. She was not hallucinating.

He smiled at her his side smile. That smile that tried to pull a sucker girl into his web of awesomeness and bad boyishness and everything extreme.

"Yeah. Like a date."