It Won't Get Any Darker

At that very moment, the street lights stopped its flickering and lightened up properly. Primrose's bare face glowed naturally under the lighting. Her cherry gradient tinted lips curved up as a soft breeze blew her hair away from her face. Strands of baby hair rested leisurely on her forehead while her fingers rearranged it backward.

She answered, "Yes. The store has closed for today. If you need anything, you can come between 8 A.M. to 6 P.M. tomorrow." Primrose stood in front of the stranger, wondering if he had other questions.

Her sweet voice sounded soothing in contrast to the honking cars nearby. For a split second, she was stunned to recognize the young man as one of her classmates from school. However, she quickly hid the astonishment on her face and answered his question calmly.

Inwardly, she comforted and reassured herself that he wouldn't be able to identify her because she removed the cosmetics from her face. Compared to her overly exaggerated cosmetic painted face, she was an entirely different person. As soon as she believed in her own comforting words, she managed to maintain her composure.

Since he continued standing still like a block of wood with a dull expression, she decided to ask him a follow-up question. "Is there something else I could help you with?" She waited patiently for him to respond, but he didn't reply.

While she contemplated the chances of him recognizing her once again, the young man's heart was having a rough war with his ribcage. For the first time in his life, his heart was thumping quick enough to win a cheetah's speed. When their eyes met just now, he couldn't describe how beautiful the girl looked. The more he stared at her appearance, the faster his heart raced. He almost forgot why he came to the store at this hour.

"Um...excuse me? Do you have any more questions I could help you with?" She didn't want to appear rude, so she waited several minutes before repeating this question.

"Huh? Oh...I'm sorry for staring..out of space. I just came here to search for a book. I'm sorry for holding you back from getting off your shift. I'll just come back tomorrow." He snapped out of his daze and rubbed the back of his neck from embarrassment.

"Oh, do you mind telling me the book title? I might be able to tell you whether it is available in our store. If that's the case, it'll save you the trouble from visiting to ask the same question." With the limited experience she had with communicating in her normal appearance, she had no idea how much havoc she has caused to the youth's brain.

"I'm looking for this book." The young man agreed immediately and showed her a picture of the book cover from his phone. He turned the brightness of his screen up to give her a clearer look.

"Ah, we have this book in stock. If you come back another day, you could ask at the counter and someone will assist you." She returned the phone to him, smiling contently.

"Then, will you be there?" He realized his tongue slipped, making his inquiry sound rather awkward. He continued, "I mean since you were the one who told me the book I want is available...It would be easier for me to look for you."

"Ah, um...I might be there, but even if I'm not working, another staff can assist you. Everyone is a professional here." She smiled, looked at the time on her watch, and gasped from how late it was. Before the young man could ask her another question, her cellphone rung a soothing melody.

"Sorry, I have to go. Get home safe and have a good night." Primrose excused herself and answered the call while walking away.

He wanted to stop her, but his hand paused halfway. 'What's wrong with me? She is a stranger. How could I stop her rudely? Ah, I forgot to get her name too. Oh well, I can come back another time to see if I could meet her again. Seems like today is my lucky day.'

When he looked up again, she was already gone. However, her attractive appearance and soft voice was deeply engraved in his mind. At the same time, he found her voice oddly familiar. 'Must be my imagination.' He thought to himself.

After parting from her classmate, Primrose walked using the fastest pace she could to catch the next train. Fortunately, the distance between her work and her home was twenty minutes. On her way to the train station, she was actively speaking to her brother on her phone.

"Primmy, you've gotten off work a while ago. Where are you now? It's very dark outside. Do you need me to come to walk you home?" Although the neighborhood they lived in was considered safe, the route to their apartment was extremely quiet. Hence, her second brother, Justin Smith would always call her on her way home.

"Brother, it won't get any darker than this anyway. You don't need to come to pick me up. I'll be home in a bit. I got caught up by a customer earlier. Nn. Bye-bye." She hung up the call, feeling grateful that he called before her classmate asked more follow-up questions. If he asked for her name, then her identity might get exposed.

"Phew, I thought I would blow my cover if I continued standing there. Thank goodness second brother called me at the right time!" Primrose took out her MetroCard and quickly swiped to gain access to the other side of the gates. As soon as her transportation payment was processed by the gate, she pushed the metal bars forward and walked towards the platform.