Absence and the Heart

Just picture this. Me, in my stunning blue uniform, entering my haven (I'm not even going to pretend like I'm not in love with Officeworks. You've obviously realized that already. I am highly devoted to it and I think I'm one of the few people that actually really enjoys my job).

I glance around as I always do. To get my bearings and see who else is on. I see A, my stupid manager and whose head should I see peeking over the printers? None other than R's. Looking as adorable as ever.

After about fifteen minutes, he wanders over to POS.
"I haven't seen you in ages!" he says. I melt.
"I know! What's new, mate?" I say. I try to keep my cool but I'm absolutely thrilled to see him. He puts on his pondering face. He is as slouchy and acne-faced as ever.
"Not much! They changed all my shifts and put me on less. I'm only on Friday afternoons now," he says.
"By choice?"
"No!"

We bitch about our manager and the new rosters. We laugh and smile. I regress into my own little world where it's just me and R. Sometimes, I get so engrossed that I forget to include A, my other usual Saturday partner in crime (and honestly, one of the most awesome people I have met this year), in the conversation. I must work on that.

He leaves to help out in tech.

There's a point where I call for his help at POS over the PA. He comes over and helps the guy. I look over at him as he's walking away with the guy. He looks back at me. I smile and mouth "thank you." Sometimes I don't know if it's just me or he does actually look back at me more than the usual person. Maybe it's just wishful thinking. But sometimes I feel it. Sometimes I know when he's going to glance back.

Another moment occurs that I feel notable. I'm at the registers, he's being door bitch. We talk. He confirms with me, "You want to be a GP, right?" I say I'm not sure, I'm not really interested in anything that much. He says, "Boys?" all jokey and what have you.

No. Just you, R. Just you.

I haven't even told you the worst part yet. He comes over during his break to get some money out. I service him (I would service him in more ways than that if he let me... Har har). I comment on his signature and say, "I love the flourish, R." He challenges me and says he can do it even better than that. He uses his receipt to do a huge signature and gives it to me, telling me to keep it forever and that his autograph will be worth millions one day. We laugh about it.

When he turns his back, I do actually pocket his stupid signatured receipt. I have placed it in a safe area where no one shall find it. I will cherish it forever.

And now for a negative experience. Since that day he made highly illegal and inappropriate copies of that bikini clad babe's photos, the topic of his bachelorhood and wannabe-womanizing ways have come up every time I've interacted with him.

Today, he told me about how he emailed his contact in Japan (a girl who's friends with someone in his Japanese class that he's staying with). He says that in his email, he mentioned that he's single and that she should introduce him to her single friends. In her email back, she says that she is also single.

"Are you going to go for it?" I ask him, still smiling.
"Nah, it'd be too weird."

Honestly, R. You don't need to work so hard to get a girl. Just ask me.

For my final R moment of the day, I must recount my first exposure to R's Forearms. They were having a barbecue outside today. He helped them carry the equipment back into the store including a rather heavy table. I looked over as he walked past. His muscles were straining. I focused in on his forearms (as you would). They were so average. I mean, the muscles were obviously under stress and I saw a vein or two. But it was nothing special, you know what I mean? None of that Zac Efron virility. Just a pair of forearms. Honestly, my forearms probably look the same when I'm straining them.

I still found them tantalizing as hell. There's so little about him that meets my criteria for a super attractive guy worthy of this level of crushing. But I still find everything about him so attractive.

I'm on in two weeks with him again. Can't wait.

J