[FFRP] A Woman's Point of View

[Harri-chan]

There only seemed to be one person inside the little art supplies store. It was a boy. Maybe sixteen or seventeen. He looked so young to Emily, and yet as she got closer, she'd find he was easily taller than her. He was wearing a white shirt under a green sleeveless sweater, and a pair of jeans, and when he flashed his smile at her, she felt an odd little flutter in her chest.

"Hello, Miss. Can I help you at all?".

[muffinstud]

Emily blinked and put her hand over her chest as she felt the flutter. She couldn't...could she? It was impossible. She had never once entertained these kinds of thoughts or feelings as Richard. What else was Susan doing to her? "I need some pencils and some pastels, but nothing too expensive." She looked around and frowned at how her eye for those kinds of things had been lost over the years.

[Harri-chan]

The boy nodded, and glanced down at her round tummy with another smile. "How long to go?", he asked as he led her along the shelves, and pulled down a pack of coloured pencils, and then another pack with ones of all different thickness, and held both selections out to her. "Something like these, Miss?". The boy's voice was so pleasant, the kind she could have stood and listened to all day long.

[muffinstud]

"I've got a couple months still," she replied. Emily tried to keep her eye on the boy and not run screaming. She shouldn't think so, but his voice just seemed so nice and soothing. She rubbed her shoulder as she shivered in fear from just what it all could mean. She couldn't, she shouldn't, but here she was and she could hardly ignore what messages her body was sending her. "Those would be nice. You don't happen to have any oil chalks, do you? If not, the regular kind will do."

[Harri-chan]

He looked thoughtful for a moment, and runs a hand through his short blonde hair, "I think we do... they should be over.... ", he says and starts to move along the shelves, glancing up and them and trailing his fingertips across the products before bending down, rumaging around before straightening and presenting the oil chalks to Emily with a wink that sent a shiver down her spine, "... here".

[muffinstud]

Emily simply couldn't help it, no matter how hard she tried. She blushed. "Thank you." She took the chalks and bit her lip, trying to find some excuse for the blush, mostly for herself. "It would have been a pain to reach down there." She nodded to herself, only half fooling herself that that's why his wink made her feel so nice. "I guess all I need now is paper."

[Harri-chan]

"Which size paper, Miss?", he asked, and motioned for her to follow him. There was an air condition unit against the wall in the corner, and as she walked passed it, there was a gentle breeze around her long dress, making it swish and tickle her smooth legs. The boy reached up to a shelf that looked like it would be too high for Emily to even reach, pulling down two packets of plain white paper, one small, one large.

[muffinstud]

"Large, please." Emily put her hand to her hip to keep her dress from swirling about too much. But the cool breeze had felt nice. For a moment she had forgotten just how warm her tummy really was until that small breeze had taken some of the heat away. She half frowned at the shelf though. It reminded her of how short she was now, and that she would have had to ask for this man's help even if she did remember how to pick out the good products.

[Harri-chan]

He smiled and nodded, but carried the large pack of paper back towards the counter he'd been sat at when she'd arrived. "Is that everything, Miss?", he asked, rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt, and then prodded a few buttons on the register before the price flashed up as $28. He reached down below the counter, and pulled out a pink binder. "I'll throw this in for free since you're so cute", he smiled. It even had peach flowers on the front of it.

[muffinstud]

Emily stared at the binder, almost in shock. It was almost as bad as the pink beetle. She tore her eyes away from it to force a smile at the boy. It might not have looked all that forced though, what with the lingering pink in her cheeks from his "cute" comment. "No, thanks. I just wouldn't have anything to really do with it. But...thank you for your help." She reached into her purse and pulled out the necessary amount. "You've really been too kind."

[Harri-chan]

He looked into her eyes for a moment, and then shrugged his shoulders and smiled, slipping it back beneath the counter. "No problem, Miss", he said as he took the money from her and deposited it into the register. "Good luck with the little one", he said, and nodded towards her swollen tummy beneath her green dress, and then moved to hold the store door open for her.

[muffinstud]

She sighed at the gesture, but despite herself the forced smile became a little more genuine. The boy was nice enough, and having a door opened for her was something she really wasn't accustomed to. "Thank you. If you treat all your customers like this, you'll go far." Emily gave him a conspiratorial wink, meant solely to drive home how grateful she was for the service and to convey that she knew what she was talking about. At least, that's what she meant. Outside appearances made her wink look somewhat flirtatious.

[Harri-chan]

As she stepped out, the boy leaned against the frame of the door and watched her. His eyebrows raised at the sight of the pink beetle parked on the street outside, but let out a little laugh. "Hey... I guess your married? If not... do you think you'd like to go for a meal or something some time? On me... ".

[muffinstud]

Emily stopped and looked down at where her wedding band used to be. Richard was married, but Emily...not so much. She rubbed a hand on her tummy and turned to the boy. "I have to admire your gumption, but no. I'm not married, but I'm just a little too old and pregnant to go out with you." And a little too male in the head, she almost added. "Thanks for the offer though." She smiled and got into the pink little monstrosity. She smirked as an idea crossed her mind. "How about the next available, pretty girl I meet, I bring shopping here with me?"

[Harri-chan]

The boy looked utterly disappointed as she turned down his offer and climbed into her pink car, "I'd like that... ", he smiled, and waved to her before turning away and disappearing back into the store. The clock showed it was 3:30pm. Poor Kathy would be finishing her classes for the day now, and be heading for her cheerleader trial, no doubt.