Hide and… Look for Something
"Huh?" What the… "What are you doing?" His feet were protruding from in between discarded crates with fading produce stamps.
"Na…" his rear, then his back, then his "…ni?" shoulders. "Ouch," he splayed out as the crates toppled, colliding with his head. She raised an eyebrow and looked around. He emerged rubbing his neck, one eye crinkled with merriment. "Me?"
No, the other person I'm talking to. "Yeah!" she said perhaps a little too exuberantly.
"I'm…" he stood up and looked down and up the street several times. She followed his gaze trying to see what he was looking for. He now stared straight at her. Why is it so easy now? When she's not- He quickly cast his eyes to the sky as she stared back at him, confused as before. "…looking for something…" he trailed off as he lifted one leg, turned sharply on his heel and began walking away.
"Hey! Wait up!" she gathered her groceries and tripped after him.
Oh boy. He blushed and looked away.
"What are you looking for? Your book?"
"No…I finished them all…for the twenty-fourth time…Actually, I'm taking a break from them for a while."
"What?" What!!!
"Yeah…" She was quiet, feeling as though this was very personal, like a break up or something. "Actually, I'm looking for…uh," she tried to look at him but he turned away too fast, "uh…someone." He was blushing. It can't be. This man with so many options. Finally-"Just a friend," he added as an afterthought.
"I see."
They walked on in silence. His eyes drifted sideways and then flicked straight ahead. His face reddened even more. Why was it so hard to do? Because she was-
"Where'd they go?" she was looking decidedly ahead.
"Dunno…that's why I'm looking."
"Heh. Right." Silence again. "Do you want help?" they said in unison. She looked at his hand extended to take groceries. He looked at her hand halfway out of her pocket, a small phone book enclosed in her fingers.
"I thought, maybe, I might know them too or-"
"You've got a lot to carry there it wouldn't-"
"we could drop these off at the office and then go find who-"
"well, see, it's actually a thing not a person."
"…What?"
"well…it's kind of both."
She rolled her eyes. What's up with him? He's so clueless like, well, like how I am when-
"Can I check your pockets?"
"Wha…"
He hadn't waited for a response. They were inches apart, his hands were sliding into her coat pockets, one sliding back out, one prying the phone book out of her fingers and taking it's place, the empty one slipping around her waist and feeling for the pouch on her belt. -looking at me -he's in love -looking at him -I'm in love. Her groceries dropped and her free hand went around his shoulders.
"I-"
"love you," he finished her sentence. They stared at each other.
"What were you doing in the crates?"
"…hiding."
More staring.
"So…are you still looking for something?"
"No," she raised an eyebrow, "I just found it."