The Boy at 7-Eleven

I rounded the corner of the street where 7-Eleven was at, peeking through the glass panels furtively. 

He was standing at the cashier. There were no customers, and he was drumming his fingers on the counter, glancing around with a bored expression on his face. His eyes suddenly flittered up to mine before I could hide myself.

My face was red with embarrassment as I darted away and leaned against the wall. Of course, like the last two times, I had no business at 7-Eleven. I’d already bought more than a week’s supply of junk food and soda, and more horrifically, it was when I first met him. 

He’d just started work as a cashier boy, and I was balancing an armful of junk food, soda, and a stack of Vogue magazines. Yes, Vogue, the one with all the beautiful models and their perfect bodies on the cover page, humiliating my choice of food. When I basically dumped the stuff all over the counter, he gave me an amused look but didn’t say a word. Of course, his electrifying blue eyes and sandy blond hair were enough to leave me in a trance. 

The next two times I hung around the store like a thief just to catch glimpses of him. I would never spend more than ten minutes in the store because it was too suspicious. Basically, I was just a chicken who didn’t dare to talk to him and preferred to admire him from afar. 

I combed my short brown hair with my fingers, and smoothed my jeans. I put on my best totally-nothing-happened face and whirled around, only to crash into a rock hard chest. 

His arms were crossed as he looked down at me, his eyes twinkling with amusement. His blond hair was tousled, and it made me want to run my fingers through it oh so bad.

My heart stopped. “A-aren’t — aren’t you supposed to be manning the cashier?” I squeaked stupidly, pressing my fingers on my nose bridge where I’d collided with him. 

“Yeah I was,” his voice was deep and husky, just like the Never Gonna Give You Up singer. Ugh, now I had the image of him dancing awkwardly in my mind. “But something interesting has been catching my attention for the past week.” I could hear the smile in his voice.

I sucked in a breath. This was my chance. “Well, me too. I’m Bella.” I flashed him a lopsided grin and put out a shaky hand.

He laughed, waving my hand away. “Why so formal? I’m Nathan.” He leaned in close and whispered into my ear, “And I think you’re cute.”

**

One week. Two, three, four weeks since I’ve known Nathan. I stumbled through the doors of 7-Eleven when Nathan let me in, panting heavily, and staggered over to the cashier.

“Let me guess, an escaped lion chased you down the street?” Nathan teased as I collapsed on the counter. 

Nathan was funny like that. He was witty and had a great sense of humour. “No, but my dad did,” I said between breaths, fanning myself. The heat was sweltering, I was sweating profusely and I was pretty sure I’d stinked up the whole place.

“I’ll buy you a Slurpee, and you talk,” he winked. Nathan always got me free drinks, free because he paid for them, but it made me feel bad all the time. 

“You don’t have to keep paying for me, you know,” I followed him to the machine. Nathan grabbed a cup and filled it up with blue raspberry, my favourite flavour.

“Sweet girls deserve sweet drinks,” he grinned, handing me the full cup of Slurpee. I downed half the cup in a few seconds, letting a moan escape my lips. I loved Slurpees. Especially the blue raspberry. It was my daily dose of sugar.

“You eat like a pig,” he shook his head, smiling. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

“I already know that. And that was lame, you know,” we headed back to the counter, where I propped my elbows against the counter and watched Nathan pull out the cash register. It was his lunch break now, so there were no customers and we were free to hang out.

“What was?”

“‘Sweet girls deserve sweet drinks’. Seriously, Nate? Is that how you flirt with all girls?” I joked.

“No. None like you,” he said charmingly, grabbing the Slurpee from my hand. He gave it a long sip, shuddered and pushed it back to me. We just had an indirect kiss. 

“Too sweet,” he said. “Which means, none of the girls I know are as sweet as you are.”

I blushed. “You’re cheesy.”

“And you’re cute.”

I finished the last of my Slurpee, tossing it into the bin beside. “Dad yelled at me for spending too much time here. He gave me five minutes to get whatever I needed. So I ran.”

“And isn’t that five minutes long gone?”

I shrugged. “I’ll just tell him I got chased by an escaped lion.”

Nathan laughed. “Well, it’s not my fault I’m too attractive and you come here almost everyday.” He sat on the tall chair and propped his elbows on the counter, just like I was doing, and stared into my eyes.

Our intense staring into each other’s eyes and was interrupted by a loud knock on the glass doors. There was a middle-aged woman standing outside, pointing at the sign that read LUNCHBREAK FROM 12-1PM. She jabbed her wrist at her non-existent watch impatiently, glaring at us.

“Shit.” Nathan went around to unlock the doors as I grabbed all the food I needed. I paid for the stuff, waving him goodbye.

**

I stared at myself in the full length mirror. I ate an awful lot of unhealthy food, but my metabolism rate was high and I’d inherited my mother’s curvy hips. I was dressed in a fitting, white jersey dress, and I’d done minimal makeup. Mascara, a touch of blush, and a dab of lipstick. I was never a girl who loved to doll up excessively anyway. My hair was a mess of wild curls even though it was short and kept beneath my chin, and I let it be.

Today was an important day for Dad. Ever since Mum lost her battle to cancer three years ago, he’d spent one year grieving. Only recently, he’d started telling me about this new lady at work called Jessie, and apparently she was a single parent too. I was positive there was some chemistry between Dad and Jessie, because he’d invited her out for dinner to meet me. 

“You look great, sweetheart,” Dad wrapped his arms around me, patting my head. “Thank you for agreeing to be here tonight.”

I shook my head and hugged him back. “I want you to be happy, Dad.” 

Jessie was a friendly and nice lady. She was pretty with blond waves, bright blue eyes and a sweet smile. No wonder Dad fell for her. 

“I have a son, who’s in college,” she was saying. “But he couldn’t make it here tonight. He’s a lovely boy, Bella, I’m sure you two will get along well.” 

“That’s great,” I said genuinely. I was a single child, and if Jessie and Dad got married, having an older step-brother was something new.

Dad and Jessie continued to flirt and joke around while we ate, which was honestly cringey but somewhat cute. I thought about Nathan. We flirted a lot, and I had a huge crush on him, but I had no idea what he thought of me.

Jessie seemed to have read my thoughts. “Bella, you’re a beautiful young lady. I suppose you have a boyfriend?”

Dad suddenly threw me a stern look, and I looked at my lap meekly. He didn’t know about Nathan. Not that Nathan was my boyfriend, but he didn’t know I had been frequenting 7-Eleven for a boy. 

“Uh — no, but I do have a thing for someone,” I said shyly, and Dad’s eyes grew big. “He works at a convenient store.” I added.

Jessie looked surprised. “Interesting. My son works at one too.” She liked to talk about her son a lot.

“Oh,” was all I could say, a million possibilities whirring through my mind. No, no, no. It was just a coincidence. No way could she be Nathan’s mother. I wanted to ask for his name, but I couldn’t bring myself to. 

Dad jumped in. “Now Bella, you’re in big, big, trouble — “ 

Jessie cut him off and started arguing with him about how old I am and how I should be able to date, and when she started talking about her son and his dating life again, I zoned out.

**

My heart sank when I stopped right outside the doors of 7-Eleven. A girl had replaced me at the counter. She was taller, curvier, and evidently gorgeous. She had flowy dark hair and she was wearing stylish clothes. She looked like one of those models in Vogue.

She was leaning her slim body against the counter, her elbows propped like I did and feeding something into Nathan’s mouth. He was laughing as she snatched the food away from him at the last moment, and he only bit off the end. 

They looked like a perfect couple.

Nathan suddenly met my eyes, and I turned quickly. As I stomped away, feeling a ball of jealousy and anger build up in my chest, a tight grip enclosed my wrist.

“Bella,” he said, and the girl appeared beside him, a confused expression on her face. Her face and makeup were amazing. She was amazing. I was nothing compared to her.

I waited for the this-is-my-girlfriend-I’m-sorry-for-not-telling-you-earlier speech.

“Excuse you, he’s my boyfriend,” the girl said rudely, and suddenly she wasn’t as angelic as I had made her out to be. “Wipe that look off your face. Ugh.” 

“Veronica!” Nathan said fiercely, and turned to me. “I’m not her boyfriend.”

Veronica hmphed and shoved past me, her shoulder banging onto mine roughly. “Watch your place, high school girl.” Then she stalked off.

I followed Nathan back into the store quietly as he locked the doors.

“I didn’t know you had another girl, you know, here…” I trailed off, my eyes watery.

“It’s just this girl from my college. I swear, she just found out where I worked. I keep trying to get her off my back but she keeps flirting with me.” he said desperately. 

“You’re in college? I literally know nothing about you.” I let out a cold laugh. “Please, Nate, you were enjoying her company. Admit it.” I didn’t know why I was so angry.

“Bella…” Nathan said, “Are you jealous?”

Yes. Yes, I was. I crossed my arms across my chest. “Maybe.” I pouted, then let out the breath I’d been holding.

Nathan grinned, and pinched my cheek. “I promise you, you have absolutely nothing to be jealous about.”

I swatted his hand away, a small smile finding its way to my lips. He took my hand and pulled me over to the cashier, where another tall chair had been placed beside his. He slipped his arms around my waist and gently lifted me up, setting me beside him.

“This prime seat here is only for you,” he grinned, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

“You’re a big flirt,” I rolled my eyes, but I was pleased. 

“You haven’t been here in ages.” 

“Yeah,” I said softly. I hadn’t come to 7-Eleven since my secret crush on Nathan was accidentally revealed to Dad, who had won the argument with Jessie about my love life. Ever since Mum died, he had become over-protective and somewhat obsessive that it irked me. Dad ‘grounded’ me, but that wasn’t the only reason why I hadn’t come for a long time. There was a lot on my mind. I was thinking about Jessie’s secret son, about Nathan, and what would happen if they got married. And then Dad broke the news to me that they were getting married. I was happy, but also shocked, and I suddenly felt like I had to see Nathan.

“My dad’s getting married to this awesome lady,” I said. “I should be happy, but I’m feeling scared for some reason.”

“Why?”

“I honestly don’t know if I’m ready to accept her, and her family…” 

“It’s okay,” Nathan said softly, his body pressing against mine. I realised that he had gravitated closer to me than before. 

“Nathan, I -- “

“Shh,” he shushed me, then leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. Fireworks exploded within my chest. I had been waiting for this moment forever. The kiss was slow and sweet, and it was the best feeling ever.

When he finally let go, I realised my eyes were wet, which I had no idea why. He realised it too, and raised his eyebrows.

“Do you cry everytime you kiss?”

“Only once,” I whispered. Nathan said nothing, managing a small smile as he kissed me again. 

This time, I wrapped my arms around his neck, running my hands through his hair. Our lips seemed to move in the perfect rhythm. It lasted for a good ten seconds, before there was a loud knock on the doors again. We broke apart, red and sweaty, only to see that same middle-aged lady fuming with rage.

“Best kiss ever,” I said happily as I pecked his cheek.

**

Nathan was avoiding me. Ever since that kiss, every time I tried to come during his lunch break, the doors were always locked and he wasn’t inside. When I tried to come in during his working hours, he was always busy with other customers or working on packing goods. He never met my eyes and told me to go home whenever I came.

Why are you avoiding me? I fired off a text to him angrily, the third one he hadn’t replied since last week. I was tired, fed up, and almost fully convinced he was playing me the whole time.

When he didn’t reply, I sent another. Was I just another girl for you to steal her first kiss?

Nathan replied instantly. 

Him: No, Bell… 

Me: I’m coming down right now. 

Him: Don’t come.

Me: I’m coming!

I pushed the doors open in rage, stomping in and towards the cashier. Nathan had his face buried in his hands, and I wanted to reach right over and cradle him. But I couldn’t.

“Nathan Lockhart!” I snapped, and he looked up. He looked distressed. “Tell me what is going on right now. Is it her? Veronica?”

“No!” he shook his head rapidly, then banged his fists on the counter. “Please, Bella, I don’t think we should see each other anymore. Trust me, you’ll appreciate it.”

“Appreciate what?” 

“Please,” he pleaded, “I just think we shouldn’t be doing this. We shouldn’t have feelings for each other.”

“What do you mean?!” I shouted, feeling my chest hurt. “I can’t do this if you don’t tell me why.” Impulsively, I reached over and gripped his chin, forcing my lips on his. 

Nathan pushed me away, and I saw tears in his eyes too. “I’m sorry. Just go.”

I wanted to slap him so badly. But my hands were shaking and I couldn’t do it. Fine. If he wanted it that way, be it that way. “We will never see each other again.” I said coldly, hot tears leaking down my cheeks. 

“Bella…” he reached out and touched my hand. 

I turned and left.

When I reached home, Dad and Jessie were sitting slightly too close on the couch. They jumped apart when I appeared.

I ignored their questions and rushed up the stairs. Burying my face in my pillow, I cried until there were no more tears left. Until my nose became snotty, my face grew red and hot, and the pillow got soaked. I cried until I’d completely wiped memories of him from my mind.

**

I stopped seeing Nathan once and for all since he shut me off. I spent my days cooped up in my room, refusing to come out even for meals. Dad finally forced me out of my room one night and demanded to know what was wrong, but I refused to tell him.

He sat me down, about to launch into ‘The Dad Talk’ when there was a loud knock on the door. It was Jessie.

“Nate is finally free tonight. He said he’ll drop by later to meet you guys.” she said, clasping her hands to her chest. “Isn’t that great, Bella? I’m sure you two will get along well.”

Nate? I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach as I dropped to the couch. Oh my God. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t be! What were the chances? 

My hands were clammy as I waited for the doorbell to ring. Dad and Jessie went to make dinner, while I sat on the couch, still in a daze, with a thousand thoughts flying through my mind. 

I didn’t want to know that I had a crush on my future stepbrother. I didn’t want to know that I kissed my stepbrother. My stomach was doing somersaults as I kicked my legs against the coffee table. 

The dreaded doorbell finally rang after what seemed like an eternity. “Bell, would you get that, please? We’re both busy.” Dad called from the kitchen.

I got up on wobbly knees and headed towards the door, taking a deep breath. Whoever it was, Nathan or not, I was going to accept him. I had no choice. My feelings for Nathan were erased and it didn’t matter anymore.

I opened the door.

Bright blue eyes and sandy blond hair. How hadn’t I realised how much he looked like his mother?

THE END