Work Text:
Summer’s shift had been like usual; dragging on for far too long with nothing new. She had been idly staring at the fish swimming around in their tanks. She was glad to have a job here just so she could watch them as they interacted with one another and the small decorations in each tank.
Today she had been wondering… how do these fish see the world? Is it the same as she did? Maybe these fish would like the music she liked, or maybe they’re more into pop.
“Summer?”
Her coworker, Emmanuel, taps her on the shoulder. She nearly jumps out of her skin, startling a few birds off of their perches.
“Oh! Sorry, did you need me? Sorry,” Summer stammered. This is, what, the fourth time they’ve seen me staring at the fish this week? They probably think I’m weird. Did I have anything to do that I forgot about? Hopefully not.
Emmanuel hushes their voice and leans in towards Summer’s ear, “That lady is here. I didn’t talk to her yet.”
She knew what they meant. Lately, one woman has been a recurring customer at the pet store. Summer has seen her around three times now over two weeks, and she has never seen a woman look so easily stunning before. She feels a bit dirty, developing an obsession with a woman she hasn’t ever talked to, but since talking about it with Emmanuel, they’ve decided to help Summer out.
I’ve got to talk to her today. If I don’t, she’ll just be in my head until I see her next. Maybe I can get her number.
She keeps the positive thoughts going, hyping herself up as she takes Emmanuel out of the woman’s earshot.
“Okay, okay. How do I approach her?” Summer asks, trying her best to calm herself and failing horribly. She has never even tried to approach someone romantically, but she doesn’t think she would be able to live with herself if she didn’t attempt to talk with this girl.
“You work here, Summer. It wouldn’t be weird for you to, like, go up to her and ask about her pets,”
replies Emmanuel.
“You’re right, I forgot,” she fumbles over her words. She takes a deep breath to steady herself.
“Just go with the flow, you’re not as awkward as you think.” they say, pushing Summer playfully.
“Okay. Okay, alright. Thank you,” she grabs Emmanuel and pulls them into a tight hug for a moment before walking towards the lady.
Audrey was back at this pet shop again. After her usual spot closed down a while ago, she went on a search and ended up settling here. It was smaller than most of the stores, but the prices were better and the employees didn’t bother her.
Now that she was thinking about employees, her mind drifted to one in specific she remembered. For some reason, one girl that works here has stuck in her mind. A young woman with long, wavy hair and a mousy face. Something about her just catches her attention.
Audrey glances to her side.
The same employee she had been thinking about is approaching her. She feels like this is a message that she should talk to this girl.
The girl walking her way seems a bit giddy. Wonder what’s got her happy. She hasn’t looked like this on either of my other visits.
“Hello! Hi. Um. Are you looking for anything special today?” the employee fumbles with her words a bit, and it’s clear something is on her mind. Is she nervous? It’s kind of cute.
“No, just some food and some litter,” Audrey responds, “do you have any recommendations?”
The girl seems surprised at the question, despite the fact it seems she’s worked here for a while. “Oh, I wouldn’t know. I only have fish,” she lets out a forced-sounding laugh to cover up her embarrassment.
“Oh, really? I’ve been looking into getting some. But, I don’t think my cats would play nice with them,” she chuckles.
There’s something about this girl who’s trying her best to talk to Audrey that pulls her in.
“Oh! W-Well, I’d suggest something less active, like a starfish. We don’t have any here, but I have a few at home, and they’re really low-maintenance! I think they’re really cute, and a lot of people…”
The employee begins rambling about starfish and sea urchins. It’s really endearing how this girl cares so much about knowing about her pets and, by extension, her job.
Then, it clicks.
“We live in the same apartment, don’t we?” Audrey asks, cutting the ramble about echinoderms short, “you’re that girl who lives on the second floor. I’ve heard you around Mutt’s, and the only thing I remember is how excited you are to talk about fish.”
The girl goes completely silent. Her ears go red as she tries to shrink herself, “y-yeah, I guess that’s me- I-I’m Summer. In Apartment 28. That’s me.”
I knew it. I wouldn’t forget a voice like hers. “I’m Audrey, from Apartment 19. Maybe you can come over sometime.”
“Really? I… thank you,” Summer says, fiddling with her fingers.
“Looks like I got distracted with you. I’ll have to find some food quickly,” Audrey teases.
“Right! I won’t distract you anymore. I’ll let Emmanuel help you. They have cats. Um… see you later?” Summer looks her way pensively.
“Of course. See you later.”
Summer felt like that shift wasn’t real. She was back at her apartment, staring blankly at the ceiling. She kept thinking about Apartment 19, and just going there to see Audrey.
For once, Summer fell asleep easily with a smile.