Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 90098 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90098 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
In other words, he showed no signs of making other arrangements anytime soon, and yet I walked around on eggshells as if I’d wake up tomorrow to find him gone.
I was fucking pathetic.
If this was what it was like to develop deeper feelings for someone, it was garbage.
Besides, he didn’t give me anything to look at anymore. He closed the door to the bathroom when he showered, and he went to bed—right fucking next to me—in boxer briefs and a tee.
That was probably the worst torture. Sleeping next to him every night without any touching. He stayed so close to the edge that it seemed deliberate. He was serious about us being friends.
At the same time, I couldn’t even call him a cocktease, ’cause look at where he was in life. The last thing on his mind should be me. He’d finally achieved a sustainable stability where he could move forward and build a future for his son. If anything, his focus and dedication only made him all the more appealing to me, and wasn’t that just a bitch.
On Friday, I took a few hours off once Petey arrived, because he offered his car when it was time for the weekly grocery run for the soup kitchen. I had a pocket filled with coupons, apps overflowing with deals, and screenshots of weekly ads stacked with promotions.
Some played games on their phones when they were on the shitter…
I started with the Costco on Ashland, and color me surprised when I spotted Ben right outside finishing up a hot dog. He wasn’t alone either. An older man wearing the same utility clothes stood next to Ben with his own food.
Ben smiled in surprise when he saw me, so I didn’t feel the need to avoid him. I mean, I didn’t wanna interrupt him in the middle of his lunch. I guessed he was fine with borrowing money from his ma and cousin, but God forbid he let me help him till he got his first paycheck.
“Hey,” he said. “You shopping for the soup kitchen?”
“Yeah. You’re on your lunch, I take it.”
He nodded, crammed the last of his hot dog into his mouth, and gestured to his coworker. “Gio bribed me so he can go home early. He says I don’t need a babysitter anymore.”
I smirked a little.
Gio shrugged. “I’d rather nap on my couch than watch him get us all fired.”
Huh?
Ben snorted and elaborated. “He got on my case yesterday for not calling in professionals for something I could fix on my own.”
“It’s in the damn job description,” Gio bitched, though there was no actual heat to it. “Maintenance and basic repairs.”
“Fixing a radiator is basic,” Ben argued.
Gio eyed me and jerked his thumb at Ben. “You see what I gotta deal with? Management’s gonna notice, and he’ll make the rest of us look bad.”
I shook my head in amusement.
So I guessed Ben was going to be popular with his manager for not racking up invoices from outsourced professionals, but maybe he wouldn’t make many friends at work.
Gio muttered that he was glad to be retiring soon, and he handed over the car keys to Ben before he called it a day. At…noon.
“How are you getting home?” Ben asked.
Gio was already walking off. “Ever heard of the train?”
I smirked.
Ben was amused too, and then it was just the two of us.
“You need a hand with the shopping?” he asked. “I don’t have anywhere to be for another hour.”
“Hell yeah, you can push the cart.” I was suddenly happier about this outing. “They have insane deals on peanut butter, Barilla pasta, and Rice Krispies.” And some other shit.
We headed inside, with Ben dutifully pushing the cart, and he let me ramble about the next few services’ menus. On Sunday, I was thinking mac and cheese with bacon, ’cause we’d been stocking up on cheese, and I had collected sixteen BOGO coupons for bacon from Aldi’s weekly ad. I’d handed them out to our staff, so everyone had come to work with bacon. Each ad was limited to four packs, but I could get creative.
“And Rice Krispie treats for the kids,” I added. “My sister’s coming over tomorrow to help me make them.”
Obviously, I’d check if store-brand cereal was cheaper first, but sometimes you struck gold in the world of coupons.
“Then next Thursday, I’m thinking hot dogs to celebrate the new season starting,” I went on. “I ordered extra fries from our suppliers too.”
Would this be the Cubs’ season? Well, I’d be a shitty fan if I said outright it was unlikely.
We went down the aisle where the peanut butter was, and just as I started counting on my fingers, I remembered I had a math whiz with me.
“How many tubs do I need?” I asked him. Because they were actual wholesale tubs. “At this rate, we’re pushing three hundred servings twice a week, and I think we’ll do ramen and PB&J sandwiches the Sunday after this one.”