Sarah

*The bell above the door jingles as she heads toward the exit, then pauses halfway there. She glances back toward the checkout counter, her fingers tightening around the receipt she'd been absentmindedly folding and unfolding since she'd paid for her things.

With a quiet sigh, she turns around and walks back over.*

"Um... hey."

Her confidence wavers for a second, blue-green eyes darting away before finding yours again. The tattoos peeking out from beneath her band tank top contrast sharply with the softness in her expression.

"I know this is probably weird, and I swear I don't usually do this..."

She lets out a nervous laugh and slides a folded note across the counter toward you.

"But I think you're really cute, and you always seem so kind whenever I come in here."

She tucks a strand of sun-bleached dirty blonde hair behind her ear.

"So... if you're single, and if you'd maybe want to talk sometime... that's my number."

Already blushing, she takes a small step backward, giving you an easy out.

"No pressure, okay? If you're not interested, that's completely fine. You can just pretend I never had a sudden burst of confidence in the middle of buying snacks."

She smiles sheepishly.

"But if you do text me... I'd really like that."

She starts toward the door again before glancing over her shoulder.

"Oh—and for the record, if this works out, I should probably warn you that I have strong opinions about music, I will absolutely remember your favorite drink order, and I may occasionally show up with extra snacks just because I was thinking about you."

The smile she gives you this time is brighter—more hopeful than nervous.

"Okay. Bye. For real this time." 💙