❝Constantly, boy you play through my mind like a symphony❞

- Selena Gomez, Love You Like A Love Song.

My eyes stayed focused on the customer in front of me who tried to keep check on her little girl.

"So, mini cheesecakes?" I asked her.

"Yes, what flavors do you offer?" She pushed her hair away from her face.

"Uh, the top selling flavor we have is the vanilla bean and you could have some whipped cream on it," I smiled at her.

"That sounds good. I'll have that."

I opened my mouth to say something but someone had just walked through the door of the bakery.

The feeling returned. My heart was beating fast again and I felt restless.

"Hello? Are you okay?" I heard the woman ask and I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry, "Y- Yeah. Two mini cheesecakes, right?" I tried to take my mind off the guy who had already taken a seat and taken out something that looked like a sketchpad.

"Yes, please," the woman nodded and I nodded as well before grabbing two cheesecakes carefully, putting it in the Layers brown bag, handing it to her.

"Thanks," she smiled, taking it from me.

I expected the mystery cute guy to come over to the counter to request something but I honestly couldn't believe my luck and I immediately remembered what Kaleb had said. I smiled to myself, but it faltered before I made my way to Sky who had just attended to a customer.

"Hey Renée, what's up?" She grinned.

"Everything's going great, except, uh, this guy came in and hasn't come to get something. Does that mean I have to go meet him?"

"Actually, we'll be seeing more of him these days. He's here to take in the scenery of the bakery and the bakery itself for quite a number of things we want to use for our advertising medium..."

Oh wow.

"... but of course, you could ask if he'd like to get anything. You just might have to take it to him because he deserves special treatment," she chuckled. "He's doing a big job for the bakery and he's only 17."

It honestly was huge, and for a 17- year old. I wondered what school he attended. The desire to know everything about him burned deep inside me. I gulped. Was I ready to do this, though? I didn't want to embarrass myself talking to him.

'Just be cool. Be cool. Be yourself.'

I let out a breath and confidently made my way to him, falling in step right in front of where he sat and when he raised his head to look at me, I felt like a tiny, disappearing person. My mouth wouldn't open and my eyes wouldn't leave his.

He blinked, "Hey? Are you alright?"

I snapped out of my gaze, licking my lower lip as I nodded quickly, "Yes... I— I was just going to ask if you would like to get anything. Welcome to Layers," I rushed.

"No, I'm okay, thanks," he nodded before his gaze diverted to his sketchpad and I turned to walk away, my heart still beating but not as much.

I hadn't taken two steps when I tripped over my foot.

My own foot.

How did that happen?

I immediately looked back at the guy who was looking at me, and he slowly looked back to continue what he was doing.

Wow. So much for not embarrassing myself.

*****

"Have a great time at work, Rae," Kaleb winked, "Maybe you shouldn't take your foot so you don't trip over it again," he teased.

"Ha ha, very funny," I rolled my eyes. Ever since I told him about what happened yesterday, he just wouldn't let it go.

"I should see this guy, really," he said seriously. "The one who's turning you into a total klutz."

"Kaleb, leave already," I chuckled.

"You know you don't want me to," he grinned annoyingly.

"No, I'm serious. Go home or go to Sydney, whatever," I laughed.

"I'd bet, though, that you're going to need me before the day ends," he said, starting his car.

"You wish," I stuck my tongue out, "I love you, though."

He chuckled, "I wish I could say the same to you."

"Oh my, go away," I let out a short laugh and made my way into the bakery.

Surprisingly, Mr. Cute Guy was already in and seated. He sat, reading his back with his eyebrows furrowed as he pressed his lips together.

Dimples.

How dare he? How dare he look so cute and think it didn't affect anyone?

I walked to my spot and there was no customer in sight, so I let my eyes roam the bakery where people sat either talking, chewing or drinking. Or all three.

My eyes landed on the cute guy and before I knew it, I was making my way to where he sat. Something told me he wouldn't want to order anything, but leave it to me to do anything to hear his voice again.

"Hi," I greeted in a soft voice and he looked at me just like he'd done yesterday.

"Hey."

"Are you getting anything?" I asked him.

"No, thanks."

I should go, but I swallowed, looking down at what he had sketched. I couldn't quite tell what it was but I said, "It looks nice, what's you're sketching."

He didn't look at me, "Thanks."

I couldn't move, and I watched him tuck the pencil he held behind his ear before picking another pencil up.

"What's the difference between the one you just kept away and the one you just picked up?'

"The shade's darker," he answered, his voice as deep and his eyes not leaving what he was doing.

Really, it was my cue to leave, but I just couldn't. I wanted to say more, just so he could say more.
Why wouldn't he even look at me? I wanted him to look at me. I hated that I had nothing to say. I always had something to say. I hated that I was hanging around a guy just so he could talk to me. I never did that.

I groaned inwardly before deciding to tell him my name, at least he might tell me his and I could name my pillow after him.

"I'm R—"

And then his phone rang, he picked it from the table where it lay and answered it, "What's up?"

It really was my cue to leave, and I did, feeling a bit embarrassed.

*****

"Aw wow, look who needs me now," Kaleb raised his hands to the back of his head on his bed.

"Shut up, Kaleb. I would have let you brag, yeah, but I come to you in frustration," I huffed, throwing my bag close to his dressing table.

"Don't knock my cologne off the table, thank you," he said and I flung myself down on his bed, laying beside him and letting out a breath.

"What's the matter?" He asked and I pushed my hair away from my face "It's that guy at the bakery. He won't notice me!"

"He does know you exist, though, but wait, before we fully go into this. I'm hungry and I bet you are, so order pizza?"

I sighed, "Fine, but you're paying."

He opened his mouth to say something, ten closed it before opening it back to say, "Fine."

After calling and placing an order for pizza, I turned back to look at Kaleb who raised an eyebrow, "So?"

"Yes, he does know I exist but, like..." I went ahead to tell him what happened today.

"So, he wouldn't pay attention to you is what you're saying?"

"Exactly... and it's so frustrating because I think about him all the time and that alone is frustrating and it's more frustrating that he wouldn't even look at me!" I raised my hands in an exasperated sigh.

My best friend didn't say anything. He just stared at me.

"Aren't you going to say something?" I threw a pillow to his face.

"I'm just so happy. I never thought a day would come when you'd actually want a guy's attention. Come here," he pulled me into a hug.

Dramatic hyena.

I started to roll my eyes when an idea popped into my head.

"Kaleb," I called.

"What?" He pulled away. "Wait, does he know your name?"

"Nope," I shook my head. "But hey, it was like love at first sight just as you said," I said dreamily before snapping back to reality and looking at my best friend who gave me a weird look.

"You have to help me," I said, grabbing his shoulders.

"We're not going to the clothes store with me disguised as a girl again."

"No," I groaned. "I want you to help me get him to notice me."

Kaleb's mouth opened, then closed again before his eyes dropped to my boobs, "I mean, we can always start with that."

"What? No!" I crossed my arms over my chest while he laughed like the idiot he was and I rolled my eyes, then let out a breath, "Come on, just do this for your firefly."

The only name I let Kaleb call me was Rae, mostly because the other nicknames he had for me we were embarrassing, or just bad. He knew I didn't like the name firefly because the event leading to him calling me the name was a cringy one, but for some reason, he loved it.

I looked at him hopefully, "So?"

He smiled, "I'll let you in on the first thing as soon as our pizza arrives."

●

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