Chapter Text
The only thing that Abigail is happy about at the moment is the fact that she won't need to pay for her lunch today. The grocery store seems to be in order and well stocked, with nothing out of place, which is good. But she can feel the boredom eating at her from the inside.
It’s barely 11; the only people in the store are hungover people, shaky teenagers, and mothers who read every label. She has two options for what she can do at this point: she can wander through the back of the shop pretending she’s checking, or she can stroll through the aisles. Choosing to do the latter, she is now on her third lap.
While she’s looking at the impressive amount of Oreos they sell, her walk is interrupted. The next thing she feels is the cold floor under her hands and the hard tile on her hip.
“Oh my god! I’m so sorry.” She hears a voice above her say. Abigail tries to wave her off, but the person sees it as her asking for help to stand. She’s hauled up by said person in such a fast motion she feels disoriented.
"No, it’s fine; I was the one who wasn’t looking where she was going," she says, letting a small chuckle out, and she turns to face the person in front of her. Her mind seems to have gone from a hundred to zero; it’s the woman she saw at the bus shelter. But before she can ask and confirm her suspicions, she’s interrupted.
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Suzie can’t believe her luck; the small supermarket near her apartment was closed, so she had to go to the one outside downtown. She’s too tired, and the fluorescent lights are not much help; the headache she felt building up yesterday has become a full-blown migraine, and to add to her torture, her mind also hasn’t let go of what she saw yesterday.
She stops in the middle of the cookie aisle, trying to slow down her thoughts while looking for her favorite cakes; she then feels how someone bumps into her. She quickly snaps out of it and apologizes as fast as she can as a reflex. But when Suzie sees the person who is in front of her, her mind goes still.
It’s the woman from the exploring video, Abigail.
Their eyes meet, and the words escape her before she can process what she is saying.
"You're the one from the video!” She yells, causing the other woman to freeze in place. A pause, as the others face changes emotions rapidly, causing Suzie to realize how creepy she sounded.
“I’m so sorry; I just saw an urban exploring video yesterday, and you’re the blogger who appeared on it!” she justifies nervously. “What a coincidence!" ending it with a forced chuckle. She looks down at the woman and notices two things at the same time: that the woman is very short and her name tag, which confirms to Suzie that her name is indeed Abigail. Before she can continue talking, Abigail speaks before her.
“Let me process this, because I also recognize you." This causes Suzie’s racing mind to scratch to a halt. "You're a real estate agent, right?”
What?
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God, she’s so stupid. ‘Let me tell the woman who saw my blogs that I also recognize her!’ She takes a deep breathe and continues, “I saw you on an ad at a bus stop.”
Now it’s the other woman's turn to pause; they stand like that for a minute before the other one starts laughing, causing her to start giggling. They laugh together for a minute or so before they compose themselves. Abigail clears her throat.
“I’m sorry that sounded weird, but I saw the ad just as I got on the bus.” She says with a calmer voice, “And now you’re here telling me you saw my blogs?”
The other woman nods with a weak laugh and brings a hand behind her neck. “Yeah, last night while cooking. It was the one with the headset.”
That comment makes Abigail think; it’s such a unique detail from one of her most recent adventures that she is shocked she can remember it. Before she can ask, the redhead continues.
“I was actually thinking about commenting, asking about the headset, but I didn’t because I just didn’t know how, but now you’re in front of me.” Abigail doesn’t know how to respond; it was so little yet so much information for her.
Probably seeing that she isn’t responding, the other woman seems to notice something that went over both their heads.
“Oh dear, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Suzie.”
“Abigail. But you probably knew from the blog or the nametag.” She smiles and points at it. That causes Suzie to chuckle.
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She did already know that, but it was cute. From a stressful conversation to an actual introduction, good job Suzie.
“Back to your original question, yes, I am a real estate agent.”
“Thank god I got it right. I’m an accountant here; I do blog from time to time.” The goddamn blog, it’s a good thing Abigail brought it up instead of her.
“That sounds so fun! I was in the building you blogged about, the old C&A one, right?” That comment seems to make the short woman contemplate. “The headset still works?”
Abigail takes in a deep breathe, likely processing what she is being told, but before she can answer her question, their conversation is interrupted.
“Ms. Brooks?” They turn as they hear the voice at the end of the aisle, “We need your help with something in storage. Can you come, please?” Abigail gives them a short nod, and the worker seems to take it as their sign to leave.
“Sorry, I need to leave.”
“Oh no, don’t worry, it was nice talking to you, Abigail.” The woman nods, walking by to where the worker was. Suzie watches her and impulsively shouts:
“Can I have your number?” Causing Abigail to turn around, she just rambles on, “You know, I mean, we both know the headset, and you seem nice; maybe we can get a drink or something.”
They stand there for a moment, rows of cookies and ultra-processed cakes between them, and Suzie praying she didn’t fuck up. Abigail gives her a small smile and walks back to Suzie while pulling out her small note pad.
“I can do that, and yes, a drink sounds nice.” She hesitates, “and a little nicer if it’s with you.”
Suzie can only laugh as she watches Abigail fumble with her notepad and pen as she writes down her number. When she’s done, she neatly folds it and hands it to Suzie. She thanks her, and they just stand there for a moment, and before either of them speak again, the same voice interrupts them.
“Miss Brooks, please, this is urgent.” Sighing, she waves her hand at the worker, signaling she’s coming.
“Well, I guess this is goodbye for now; see you, Suzie.”
“See you, Miss Brooks.” Making both of them giggle as Abigail walks away.
Maybe her dinner being ruined wasn’t so bad after all.