Logan

"Excuse me, sir, do you have any Orris root?"

My attention turns to a girl with short rainbow-dyed hair and a handful of items in her hand.

"Yes, actually, you can find it in that corner with the dry herbs. We only have the rough cut available at the moment; the powder should come in next week."

"That should work, thank you!" she responds gleefully, expressing her gratitude, before she and her friend navigate to the corner of the store, where they discover an assortment of herbs and homemade tinctures displayed on the shelves.

God, I feel bad for that poor man she plans on putting the Juju on, first the figure candle, then domination oil, now Orris root?

Poor guy.

I continue helping customers with questions and tidying up the store as they make their rounds through my mother's shop, exploring what we have to offer. Some people purchase trinkets here and there, while others browse and just take it all in.

It's not long before a familiar voice catches my attention.

"Lo-Lo" my little sister yells as she runs towards me and grabs onto my leg.

I scoop her up and hold her at my side as she begins to scan the room, probably taken aback by all the unfamiliar faces now moving through the shop.

"Hey Ry, how are you, little sis?"

She ignores my question. Something in the room must have caught her attention. She's like me and is known to space out if something more interesting comes into sight.

"Game?" she asks as she points to the glass cabinet filled with the many colorful crystals sparkling from the various sources of light throughout the room.

"No game, Ry. Remember what Mommy said? When you're older."

"You've created a monster, Logan."

I turn around to face my mother, who is smiling. I can't tell if it's because she finds Ryder's new interest in the spirit board amusing or if it's because she's happy to see the store doing pretty well on its first day.

"You've done a good job. I was going to check in earlier, but then I remembered that you are pretty responsible and would've called me if you needed any help."

She takes Ryder from my side, looks around the shop, and places my sister into her stroller, handing her a Ziploc bag of snacks and a sippy cup.

"So, how has the day been overall? No one giving you any trouble, right?" she raises her eyebrow.

"No, it's been pretty awesome, actually. The customers have been nice. Also, I've been keeping a small list of things people have been asking for that we either don't carry or don't have in stock just in case you wanted to review it before putting in any new orders."

"See, this is why I trust you being in charge. You're always one step ahead."

"So, since it seems like you have this under control, I was thinking of taking your sister for a walk. We haven't explored much of Angel's Grove since we've gotten here; it's been all unpacking, sorting, and getting settled in."

"I'd love to get a bit of fresh air, possibly chat with a couple of locals, find Ryder a friend, maybe two. Are you okay with handling another hour or two on your own?"

"Of course, Mom. I've already had my chance to explore the town a bit. It's only fair."

"Excuse me, sir, I'd like to check out, please."

I look over and notice a line forming and a customer looking frustrated by the register.

"Be right there!"

"Okay, I'll let you get back to work. Remember, I'm only a call away, so I won't go too far." My mom reassures me and kisses me on the cheek.

I quickly make my way over to the register and begin to process the customers' orders. I make small talk as I scan through the items, but I find myself getting bombarded by thoughts and looking toward the door from time to time, wondering if Tristan will show up today.

I should've asked him for his number.

No, I mean, we were only talking for like ten minutes. That would've been weird...

He'll show up, just maybe not today.

It's only been...

"Um, I'm pretty sure you scanned that twice."

"Sorry, long day."

"Uh-huh."

I take a look at the computer, delete the overscan, and bag up his items.

"Have a great day!"

"You too." He replies, rolling his eyes and making his way to the store's exit.

The store is now empty, so I take the time to make everything look as presentable as possible before the next set of customers arrive.

While I am arranging the tarot cards on the shelf toward the back of the store, I hear a ping on my phone.

I reach into my pocket, pull my phone out, and unlock my screen, revealing a notification from my text message grouper.

The grouper with Gunnar and Sadie, my exes.

Sadie: Forgotten us already?

Gunnar: He could never forget all of this...

*ping*

A shirtless picture of Gunnar pops up in the chat, and I must admit, it's doing something for me.

I can see his body glistening with sweat, and he is flexing and showing off the definition of his muscular physique.

I miss the way laying next to him made me feel safe, like nothing could ever hurt me with my hero right beside me.

Sadie: Oh, please Gunnar, pipe down, we all know who will lose this competition.

*ping*

A photo of Sadie in what appears to be some dominatrix-esque lingerie pops up on my screen.

The tight fit of the black leather compliments the natural curves of her perfect frame.

I remember how soft her skin was and how every touch she gave me sent rounds and rounds of heat pulsating through every inch of my body. She's right; she's definitely winning.

She looks amazing, and I miss her. I miss them both.

Gunnar: Oh, it's a competition? Don't let me pull out the heavy artillery. 😉

I quickly begin to type my reply.

Me: No, no, it's okay, I'm at work.

Me: I miss you guys. I've just been busy getting settled in.

Sadie: See, I told you the breakup wasn't serious. It's the three of us, always has been and always will be. We're unconventional, rebellious, and a thing.

Me: It's just the distance...

Gunnar: Dude, it's called a car. What is it like, a two-hour drive? I'll drive two hours for you, as long as you make it worth it. 😉

God, he's tempting.

Sadie: OK, horn-ball, exit the chat, and isn't your eye tired of winking? It's clearly not working.

Gunnar: Hey, you guys knew who I was before you started dating me. No changing here.

Sadie: According to Logan over here, we are no longer dating...

Me: You guys, I just need some time to...

As I'm typing my reply, I hear the door chime. I look up and it's him. He's finally here, it's Tristan.

Tristan and a friend...

His girlfriend?

I try to ignore all the questions now zooming through my mind and slide my phone back into my pocket.

"Hey Tristan, you made it!" I wave as I make my way over to him and his friend, possibly girlfriend.

As I'm approaching him, that's when I notice how attractive he really is. He's so well put together, his hair groomed to perfection, clothes tight fitting but sort of complimenting his slender frame.

He has a nerdy kind of look, not my usual type, but there's something I like about him, something I like a lot.

"I did," he chuckles.

"I couldn't wait to see what crystals and stuff you guys have. We don't have any stores like this around here. You usually have to travel a bit, so I get most of my stuff online."

"Oh, and this is my friend Seki. I asked her to come along and check out the shop with me. Hope you don't mind."

Ah, okay, his friend...

"Of course I don't mind. The more customers, the better I say, Nice to meet you, Seki. I'm Logan." I extend my hand to offer a handshake.

"Nice to meet you too, Logan." She replies dryly as she shakes my hand with noticeable restraint.

"Wow, no way, Seki look." Tristan points to a small turnstile display sitting on the counter near a cabinet of crystals.

"You would see that, of all things." She sighs as they make their way over to the display.

I join them enthusiastically, curious to see which item has grabbed Tristan's attention.

He proceeds to remove a medium-sized necklace with a rose quartz hyena pendant from the display, and I swear I see his eyes glow with excitement.

"It's Ezra, my spirit animal. I have to get it!"

"Ah, so you're into more than just crystals. You practice the craft?"

"The craft? What the hell is he talking about, Tristan?"

"I'm assuming he's talking about witchcraft, but no I don't, I just consider myself spiritual, that's all..."

"So, a natural..."

"He's not a witch, Logan. Actually, his mother is heavily involved with the church."

"Okay, I didn't mean any harm by it. I was just asking..."

"No worries, I'm not offended. It's just not my thing."

I decide to give them a bit of space to explore the store on their own; I feel a bit awkward after that conversation and I really don't know if the things he comes across in the boutique will even make him still want to be friends with me.

I'm pretty open to everything but have never really been one for organized religion.

Some of the things in the shop could come off as offensive, and by the way his friend Seki is giving me little evil glares here and there, I think they might have discovered things that aren't really up their alley.

Either way, Tristan ends up calling me over to the register once he's done walking through the shop. He still only has that one item in his hand, the hyena necklace.

His friend Seki, on the other hand, is completely empty-handed, and I'm pretty sure it's not in my head. This girl has a distaste for me, and I really don't know why.

"Your mom's store is really cool; I'm going to have to come back sometime."

I can't help but get lost in how good-looking he is, so simply perfect.

I try to clear my head to respond.

"Of course, come by anytime. Both of you are always welcome."

"Thanks, and by the way, I noticed the help wanted sign in the front. What's the application process?"

I forgot about that.

"Um, it's through my mom. I haven't really talked to her much about it. It would be on an as-needed basis. I don't know if that's something you'd be interested in."

"I honestly could use anything right now, so that sounds great."

"Okay, maybe leave your number, and I'll talk to my mom. After that, can we touch base?"

I swear I notice Seki give a little eye roll the moment I end my sentence. I am absolutely sure at this point she does not like me, but it's okay. One friend is better than no friends.

"Okay, sounds good."

We exchange numbers, and I offer up a quick smile and goodbye as they exit the store.

I hear my stomach rumbling and realize I've forgotten to eat anything because I've been so busy with the boutique.

I head behind the counter, grab my ketchup chips, and start ravishing the bag before any more customers come in.

Not before long, thoughts of Tristan begin popping in and out of my head.

God, he's so hot.

I wonder if he's even into guys.

He's nothing like Gunnar. He's way more reserved...

Like the gentleman type.

Maybe I could just ask...

*ping*

I reach for my phone in my pocket and unlock it. The grouper is still open, and it looks like I've missed a bunch of messages.

Sadie: Need some time to what?

Sadie: Hello?

Gunnar: You're really just going to stop texting there?

Sadie: Yeah, like cliffhanger much?

Gunnar: Do we need to drive down there now to get a reply from you?

Sadie: Yeah, you know we'll come. I'm pretty sure we can find your mom's shop.

Me: No, not yet. I just need some time to think...

Me: That's all. Just need some time to think.

Sadie: Okay, that's fair, we get it.

Gunnar: Speak for yourself, Sadie. I don't get it... we can't wait forever, Logan... we love you, but we can't wait forever.

Me: I know.

I close the grouper and slide my phone back into my pocket.

I get why they're frustrated, and honestly, they're right; they can't wait forever, but I never asked them to.

I ended it, and I meant it.

I can't understand why I'm getting so emotional; the tears feel like they are building up, but I've already cried over this, and I won't cry again.

I came here for a new start, and something tells me that, for some reason, the new start needs to be without them.