Jack kept an eye on the brick building across the street as he walked to the corner. He could easily head over there and say hi. He had the excuse of being in the neighborhood. He even had his bag from the computer shop, proving he had other reasons to be there. It wouldn't be seen as weird or needy. He had already planned on doing it.

He quickly glanced in both directions before darting across the street. If he made it to the corner and waited for the light to change, he'd have enough time to change his mind and talk himself out of the visit. Enough time to listen to the voice in his head telling him dating was off limits.

Jack slowly walked up to the entrance, his heart beating fast and his stomach somersaulting. He took a deep breath before pushing on the door. Once inside, his nerves calmed. He caught the familiar scent of burnt sage and wondered if Candace was right that he was just picking up on some witchy vibe.

He ventured further inside, hoping to catch sight of Kieran. He didn't have it in him to call out and attract the attention of any potential customers.

"Hey, there, cutie!"

Jack jumped and spun to face the female voice, clutching his shopping bag to his chest. A young woman grinned at him from behind a display case of necklaces and bracelets. His eyes fixated on the large silk flower pinning the brim of her hat to the crown. He quickly took in the rest of her clothing, confirming his suspicions on the hat. A dark blue vest over a white shirt, chunky earrings partially hidden by straight, light brown hair… He'd stumbled upon a real life Blossom reject. Too bad she looked too young to understand the reference.

"I'm just…looking," Jack said, his cheeks heating up.

"For something in particular? Or someone?" she asked, leaning forward.

"Uh, no. I'm fine. Thanks." He took a step back, and tried to look around without being too obvious.

"C'mon, Jack. Hang out for a while."

"No, I— How do you know my name?" He clutched his bag tighter as his heart rate kicked up.

"Hm? Oh! Kieran mentioned you. I'm Lindsey."

Jack quickly met Lindsey's eyes. She seemed sincere enough. At least she wasn't prompting him to shake her hand. And it was a good sign that Kieran had mentioned him to someone else, right? Unless it was something about him being a walking disaster.

"I guess you can just tell him I was in."

"No way! He should be right back. Pop a squat. I'm sure there's a chair around here you're allowed to breathe on. I dunno. I don't use them, I just live here."

"You live here?" His stomach dropped. Was she a girlfriend? She looked to be barely past her teens. Then again, he didn't know what Kieran was into. A friend maybe? Cousin?

"Work, live. Same thing," Lindsey replied with a dismissive wave. "Retail's retail."

The sound of a key attempting to unlock a door drew their attention. After a moment of silence, the door opened to reveal Kieran.

Jack stared at the floor to avoid seeing the irate frown Kieran wore. He really shouldn't have come unannounced.

"Kindly explain to me why the door is unlocked, you stupid g—" Kieran froze as he stepped in, and Jack slowly raised his eyes to meet the shocked stare. Kieran coughed and looked away uncomfortably. "Forgive me, Lindsey. You're not a stupid girl. Jack. This is a surprise."

Jack raised his shopping bag, making sure the logo faced Kieran. "I was in the area. I'm sorry."

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"No need for you to apologize," Kieran said as he drew closer. "It's a pleasant surprise."

"I did good," Lindsey said, her voice dripping with smugness.

"You did something," Kieran replied in a tired tone. "You can't even use the register."

"I can use the register. I just can't take cash. I have this touching thing. Big time germaphobe," she said to Jack before returning her attention to Kieran. "We should have a card only register. They even have those card readers that'll take phones! I have nothing to do all day when I'm done with research. I have all the prices memorized. I'm that bored."

Kieran sighed and glanced at Jack. "We can talk later," he said pointedly.

The situation was proving too awkward for Jack. He was sure "talk" translated to "continue to have this ongoing argument in private." And the longer he stuck around, the more likely it was that he'd be used as some sort of ammo in that argument. "Maybe you guys should hash this out now. I'll just head home," he said.

Sam was wrong. He was an inconvenience. He moved to get past Kieran, but a light touch on his shoulder had him flinching and freezing in place. He winced and gave Kieran an apologetic shrug.

Kieran smiled reassuringly when Jack's eyes darted up and away. "Don't mind Lindsey. She's an accidental hire," he explained. "I acquired her from someone who neglected to warn me of what I was getting into. I would pass her along, but she's proven useful at research and willing to learn the trade."

Lindsey nodded along. "I can even tell if something's haunted!" she said with pride.

Jack frowned at the admission, but quickly wiped the look from his face. He wasn't here to judge people on their belief in ghosts. Not when he had one skeptical foot in the door, thanks to Candace. He still thought it was a load of bull, though. "So you're the one burning sage?" he asked, hoping it came off as conversational and not judgemental.

"No, Kieran was the one running around with burning weeds and a bell. I'm kinda allergic to sage, so I'd be a pretty bad exorcist."

"A silver bell works best," Kieran added.

Weirdo. Jack fiddled with the handles of his shopping bag. He hadn't thought he was going to ruin the relationship in this way, but it seemed his life wanted to throw him through a few loops just for the hell of it. He may as well be upfront, but polite.

"That's, uh… I guess, whatever makes you feel comfortable?" he said. "Uh, with that whole sage thing. I'm not judging. My friends smudge my apartment when they think I'm being really down. It's more the act of them caring enough to try something that raises my spirits than it actually working."

He caught Lindsey's amused smile, and internally cringed. Great, now she thought he was the idiot for not being a believer. He prepared himself for the same look from Kieran. What he found instead appeared to be along the lines of how Sam looked when Candace bragged about getting out of another speeding ticket. Fond, but worried over the potential outcome. It was a strange feeling being on the receiving end of that look.

"I mean, believe what you want," he said quickly. "I just haven't seen anything myself, so… Yeah."

Lindsey gave Jack a lopsided grin. She waved at Kieran and pointed to the backroom. "I'm about to crash, so I'm gonna take a nap."

"Very well." Kieran nodded and turned his full attention to Jack. "Would you like to get lunch?"

"That's not what you just got back from?" Jack asked, his chest tightening.

Kieran frowned and looked away in annoyance. "Unfortunately, no. I had business at the bank, and lunch slipped my mind."

"I can buy my own?" Jack offered. He thought his voice wavered, but he couldn't be sure. He hoped it didn't. He didn't need to be any more obvious that he was out of his depth.

"I do believe I can afford it," Kieran said with a sardonic smile.

Jack had been planning on coffee and its lack of commitment. He should be thrilled at getting upgraded to a proper date. He wrestled with his conflicting thoughts.

He wanted to be pampered and treated to some of the nicer things in life, but he didn't want to get used to it. And as nice and generous as Kieran was, he still had the air of being a creepy asshole about him. Maybe Jack would get lucky and Kieran would slip up, justifying an easy break. Or he'd turn out to be Mr. Perfect, making Jack the overly paranoid asshole.

Big choices. New experiences. Change. Not necessarily good or bad. Just different. But it was still change and not part of his routine. There was also a tiny voice that told him dating was off the table.

He hated that voice and the feeling he wasn't allowed to live his life for himself. Right on the tip of his tongue were the words to deny the invitation. He'd been pushing it. He needed to leave before something happened. "I…"

He defiantly swallowed down the knee jerk reaction to keep Kieran at a distance. The hopeful smile he received when he looked up at Kieran gave him the extra push he needed. "Okay."

image [https://i.imgur.com/eZY0YUq.png]