Timeless Rekindling

Wednesday, August 14

I woke up at 11 and got out of bed so I couldn't be tempted to go back to sleep. Today felt nice. I knew in my gut that things were going to change, whether it be for the better or for the worse. And for once, I was okay with that knowledge.

I picked out a dark blue tshirt and matching skinny jeans, throwing on an oversized black flannel shirt and adding my usual work jewelry. I even managed to go to the bathroom and wash my face, apply a little eyeliner, and fix my hair to look nice down. It was particularly unruly today so it took quite a few attempts with a wet hairbrush to even out my waves and make everything presentable. 

By the time I was done, it was a little after 12 and I raced downstairs to get something to eat before I left. Mom was busy working and it looked like there weren't any leftovers in the fridge, so I settled for making some ramen from the instant ramen packs in the pantry. Always an easy staple in our house, I was in autopilot in getting the water hot and adding in the noodles with some extra seasonings and bouillon for the best flavor. I scarfed down the noodles before they even finished cooling and hollered bye to Mom on the way out. I wanted to walk today, it was a gorgeous day with just the hint of fall temperatures that start to hit from time to time in the middle of summer in our area. 

I walked happily to work, listening to music blaring in my headphones from Taylor Swift to The Smashing Pumpkins to Bad Omens and more, it was the perfect mix of my favorite songs and I was often humming under my breath while I made my way towards the main street where my job and most of the other places to be in our little town were. I saw a truck drive by that looked precisely like a truck I once knew, and my mind spiraled some while The Way I Loved You by Taylor Swift started in my ears.

"Come on, you have to come! I love this engineering place I really want to work there when I graduate this year."

"I know, that's why it's a great field trip for you, Ash. I'm flunking Intro to Engineering and I don't do field trips anymore. I get too anxious and left out and I hate it." I was glum, Asher had been trying to convince me to come on the Intro to Engineering field trip to a production company that was top rated about an hour away, but I hadn't even considered going. Most field trips didn't go well for me.

"Please? I won't leave your side. Can't be anxious when you've got me, right?" He practically begged, giving me those big eyes I could never say no to.

"Promise?" I whispered.

"Promise." He said clearly, smiling big because he knew he had me giving in.

"Okay, fine. I'll come." I said as we kept walking towards the next class he had, photography.

That was one of my favorite field trips of my whole school career, and I never went on another since. It wasn't the same without Ash. And he kept his promise that day, even when I didn't want to do plasma cutting he took his turn and came right back to me, beaming like an excited child. He never left my side. I chuckled under my breath, remembering how he even kicked out the person I teamed with by chance for one of the team exercises so that I had him as a partner. Then on the bus ride back to school after the day, he dozed off leaning against my shoulder. I felt like I was on cloud nine that day. 

I've been firmly rooted to the ground since.

I shook my head to dispel the thoughts of the past and looked up, noticing I had made it to the front of my work while my mind was completely elsewhere. Stuck in the past, as always. I sighed and opened the door to the store while I shut off my music and worked on putting away my headphones while I walked towards the office to clock in. Jill waved at me cheerily and I smiled back at her before going in the office and starting my shift. 

Just like any other day, I got pretty dialed in on my shift and focused on doing what I had to with minimal room for extra thoughts or reminiscing. I worked shelves when customers weren't in the store or still selecting their items then hopped onto register to help people check out. Jill was busy with inventory and let me take over the register for the whole day. Lunch came and went, I didn't take a break since I would probably eat later when I headed home for the night and most shifts that are seven hours typically don't take a food break anyways. 

Hours passed by like minutes to me. It was three, then four, then five, then six. A simple rhythm set in of asking customers how they were doing and if they found everything okay, checking them out, then getting back to other tasks. Jill and I were almost all the way through the new stock from the truck by the time six o'clock hit. A couple customers came up to the register, so I scurried over to help check people out. Each was the same.

"How are you?"

"Find everything okay today?"

The usual courtesies. I started up with them for the fourth time in a row as I grabbed the next customer's items off the conveyor belt, a few energy drinks combined with some easy frozen food selections.

"How are you today?" I asked with my usual customer service voice.

"Quite well, you ma'am?" A husky and deeper but still extremely familiar voice responded.

Everything stopped. My hand, holding an energy drink, froze over the belt. That voice.

"I'm alright thank you. Did you find everything okay?" 

"Yes, ma'am, I did." 

I wasn't imagining it. I could recognize that voice from anywhere, even with the over a year it had been since I last heard it. I looked up and was staring right at the same face I knew all those years ago. 

He had grown up, just like me. His face was more worn and he had slightly longer hair then he kept when we were in high school. His face reflected the mix of emotions I felt pounding against my mind right now. 

"June-Bug?" The words came out of his mouth in disbelief.

"Hey, Ash." I said quietly, smiling hesitantly at the boy turned man I had missed so much the past year and many months. 

Suddenly, I remembered what I was supposed to be doing. The line was growing and I needed to get him checked out. I tried to put my head back down to avoid the expressions on his face while I quickly scanned his items and told him his total. He paused in disbelief for a moment longer and then swiped his card, the transaction finished. While the receipt started printing, I cut off his words before they could finish getting out.

"I don't need the recei-" He started to say. 

"Just check your receipt, okay?" I said sternly, just like when we were kids and I told him to eat something nutritious for once. While he was smiling slightly, I took a pen and quickly scrawled my number across the back of his receipt. I handed it to him like nothing was wrong and tried to smile goofily at him like we always did, the muscles in my face unfamiliar with the expression that I only ever used for him.

He beamed just like all those years ago and nodded slightly, stepping away and towards the doors without taking his eyes off me. I giggled when he almost ran into the door and kept watching him for a minute, brought sharply back to my task at hand when a customer cleared their throat from waiting for me to start ringing up their items.

"I'm so sorry sir. Let's get you checked out." I said quickly and started back into the routine that seemed so natural just minutes ago, now taking all my mental effort to do correctly and efficiently. 

This shift couldn't end soon enough.

Asher fucking Rockden just stepped back into my life. Completely by chance.

The bigger question now was, is he going to stay this time?

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A/N: AHHHH here it is!! the startttt!!