Work Text:
Mornings were usually the worst part of Shane's day, crawling out of bed to go to his mediocre job at the local supermarket, leaving his aunt's ranch and facing the cruel light of day.
But on that particular day, beyond daylight, he met outside the young woman who had inherited the abandoned farm and moved into that small community last spring. She was leaning against the fence, and when she saw him, she said:
"Good morning Shane"
“So now you are waiting for me outside my home? Isn't waiting for me at work and going to my bar enough anymore? ”
She didn't seem to be irritated by his comment. As soon as she had moved in she used to be quite offended whenever he was rude, but something had changed since that night when they had met by the lake and he said a lot more than he should. He continued to treat her the same way, but now she reacted differently, it was as if she could see right through him, it was disturbing.
She smiled.
"As far as I know the bar belongs to Gus, and I'm actually just waiting for your aunt to open, Robin made some improvements to my chicken coop and I have space now for a few more chickens"
“Oh. Okay... do you want me to call my aunt for you? ”
“No, let her sleep. I can wait"
He leaned against the fence beside her.
"Shouldn't you be going to work?" She asked.
"I don't mind being late"
In fact, since he had been forced to see employee training video that said being late was stealing time from the company, he always made a point of showing up a few minutes after his shift started.
“I don't have peppers if that's what you want. Their season is over ” she said.
“Anyone who hears you say that will think that I must go to you all the time asking for peppers, instead of being you randomly appearing in the places I am to give me peppers”
"You love it when I give you peppers"
"I love peppers, it's different"
"If you say"
"How did you find out that I liked them?"
“Emily, she said that you loved spicy food. And I was getting my first crop of peppers. I almost didn't give it to you, but then I thought, maybe it's a way for him to stop acting like a grumpy jerk with me. It didn't work, right after that you told me to leave ”
"And yet you kept doing it until the summer was over ... why?"
"I think because when I gave you the peppers it was the first time that I saw you smile and I like to make people happy, I always did."
"Even grumpy jerks?"
“Especially grumpy jerks”
"You are so weird"
"Says the guy who put a whole pizza in my mailbox"
Shit. He thought, hoped, that it had been a strange dream.
"I was drunk when I did that"
"Clearly ... I think I didn't get to thank you for the pizza, it was really good"
"Did you eat pizza from the mailbox?"
“Yes, it was still warm. You must have put it right before I woke up ”
"I think it was clearing up already"
“You could have knocked on my door and then we would have eaten together. An entire pizza is too much for one person ”
"I've eaten whole pizzas alone several times"
"But wouldn't it have been better with someone?"
"No"
"Okay, if you say so"
"At least not with anyone"
“Thank you"
"I didn't say you specifically"
"You didn't have to say it"
They were then silent for a moment. It was a disturbing silence. A silence full of possibilities.
"I have to go to work, I'm already late," he said, already walking away.
"Okay, have fun at work"
"I work at Jojamart, this is basically impossible"
He was already far away when she shouted:
"Shane one more thing!"
"What ?"
"My new chicken I will call her Shane!"
"That's a terrible name for a chicken!"
He didn't look back but he was sure she was laughing. He didn't look back because he didn't want her to see that he was laughing too.