Pacing up and down the aisle I was in search of a spice a Mediterranean dish called for. Tamarind. Thoroughly searching each rack I huffed in annoyance.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I murmured. “Stupid store.”
It was becoming apparent my dinner plans for one were going to change. Looking down at my basket full of items specific to the meal I had planned it appeared it would be grilled chicken and broccoli again. Running my hand through my hair I sighed in defeat.
“Excuse me,” a woman’s voice said behind me.
“Oh, sorry,” I apologized as if I had done something wrong. Why do we do that? I quickly pondered shaking off the thought. Shifting back on my feet I watched the woman choose a container of garlic powder.
I could feel my eyes narrow when they caught the side of her face. She looked familiar but it was hard to tell. Her blonde streaked hair fell forward only allowing me a glance of her creamy pale skin and petite nose.
I rubbed my face feeling the day old scruff on my palm and waited for her to back up toward the minimally filled cart from where she came. She was short with curves that fit my usual type. Her dark skinny jeans hugged the edges of her hips and the ballet flats she donned made her true to height. Cute.
She snatched the spice and glanced up and smiled. “Thanks.”
When her crystal blue eyes met mine I felt the world shift. My heart leaped at the sight of her. “Katie?” I asked.
Her perfectly manicured brow furrowed in surprise and her head tilted to the side. Her eyes darted along my face trying to gain some semblance as to why I would know her. I was sure it was because she didn’t recognize me.
Katie and I met in college. I was pudgier back then and incredibly out of shape. We were friends but she never even thought of me as anything other than the guy who sweated too much walking up the hill to the dorms. I didn’t blame her. I was a far cry from the frat guys girls fell all over. And she was, well, gorgeous and popular.
Katie, however, was my secret crush. I wanted her more than anything but she never saw me that way. She was sweet and caring and we had a lot in common but due to my size, I assumed, we were meant to stay in the dreaded friend zone.
“Michael,” I said answering the question in her head. I gave a shy smile and shoved my hand into the pocket of my cargo shorts. Her eyes widened and mouth opened in revelation. Ding ding.
“Oh! Wow. I hardly recognized you.” Katie gave me a hug to which I returned awkwardly holding my basket of items. I inhaled. Her clean smelling perfume wafted in my nose. Sweet smelling rain. It flew me back to five years ago causing by heart to pound in my ears. God, I hoped she couldn’t hear it. “I hardly…”
“Recognized me,” I breathed out as she broke contact, my heart immediately sinking from the separation.
She half-smiled and blinked away. “Yeah.” She moved her hands up and down in front of me. “You’ve just changed so much.”
I shrugged.
"You could say that.” I snorted still uncomfortable in my new skin. I was trim and fit now, worked out daily afraid of becoming what I once was.
“But the smile is still the same,” she said.
A zing hit my chest like a sledgehammer. My smile. She remembered my smile.
Rubbing the back of my neck, the feeling of perspiration beading on the surface touched my hand. She still rocked me. Not again, Michael. Seriously, get a grip.
“Ah, yeah.” My hand slapped my thigh as it fell. “So how’ve you been?” I asked in a rush changing the subject.
She tossed the garlic into her cart and leaned on the handle. “Good. I’ve been good. No complaints.”
“You live in the area now?” I asked, hopeful she wasn’t just here visiting.
She nodded. “Yeah, my boyfriend...”
My ears ceased to hear another word. Her lips were still moving but a metal vice, at the word boyfriend, was crushing my soul. What did you think? She would still be single after all these years?
“…You know, it just didn’t work out,” Katie finished.
My auditory senses dialed back as my head was involuntarily nodding to her voice inflections. “I-I’m sorry. What was that?”
She giggled a delightful sound, one I missed and my body still reacted too. Warmth hit my stomach and nearly wiggled the toes in my boat shoes. Geez, she was something.
“I said it didn’t work out. He moved back to Michigan and I decided to stay. Fresh start or something like that.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Her neck had become flushed and the reddening of her skin continued to creep down her bare shoulder only covered by the small strap of her bright yellow tank top.
She was nervous…to be around me? My heart surged in my throat, the air becoming thick around us. Losing all my motor skills to speak I heard the voice in my head screaming, Ask her!
Swallowing the lump in my throat with all feeling lost in my hands I shuffled the basket I was carrying to loosen my fingertips. This was it. The moment I have been waiting my whole life for since meeting Katie.
“Would you, um…” I looked past her down the aisle, seriously considering halting the burning question. “Would you like to…” my voice trailed off losing all power. Nerves were taking over. I felt her hand touch my bicep through my white t-shirt and I swear my knees buckled.
“Sure, Michael. I would love to go out and catch up.”
The Hallelujah chorus rang in my ears and I nearly fist pumped into the air. She said yes! Well, I never really asked the question, but she got it.
I smiled as she typed her number into my phone. She sashayed down the aisle, rolling her hips as I watched until she disappeared around the corner. Glancing down at my phone, I squeezed it as the butterflies in my stomach rejoiced. There I stood flabbergasted. I had a date with Katie. Yeah, man.
I rubbed my face again trying to remember what the hell I was doing before she showed up. Looking at the spice rack a yellow and red bottle stared me in the face.
Oh right, Tamarind.
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