I Never Knew
By mini princess93
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Ch. 1
How is it that whenever he would flick his hair from his eyes or...breathe, I honestly thought I would melt. He turned such mundane banalities as putting books away into something akin to ripping off his shirt. And every time he grinned at me with his perfect smile, I couldn't help but want to otherwise occupy his lips. The words I would use to describe every micro-action he did would be: So. Damn. Sexy.
It was the natural female reaction to Kevin Murphy. He was perfect. Amazingly gorgeous with actor-slash-model worthy genetics. I figured it was only a matter of time before his god-like face graced an Abercrombie bag and I, for one, couldn't wait for that day. And he wasn't just ridiculously good looking. He was a genius as well as an avid environmentalist (he rode his bike to school everyday which definitely contributed to his rock solid body), junior class president and a part-time employee at good ole' Albuquerque's very own Barnes & Noble. Just like me.
Currently, I was resting in the staff room on my break, elbow propped up on an moss green velvet arm rest with my chin sitting in my open palm. My thoughts were being plagued with something that was really nothing out of the ordinary – how to get Kevin to notice me.
Sure, he noticed me as a co-worker but that was absolutely it. He always treated me the same way he treated Troy and that was just not what I was aiming for.
Just then, Kevin walked in and plopped himself down onto the well-worn chair next to mine. I held my breath as he grinned at me, baring his perfectly aligned white teeth. God, I noticed the most random things.
"Hey Gabriella," He said casually, shooting me a glance.
Oh my. Natural female reaction kicking in three…two…
"Hi Kevin," I squeaked, my voice octaves above it's natural decibel, sounding like I had seriously been hitting the helium. Way to be cool Gabriella.
If he noticed how unbelievably dorky I was being or my obvious lack of composure, he didn't comment on it. Thankfully.
"I got you something," He stuck his hand into the pocket of his khaki cargo shorts and pulled out a bright yellow package of Sour Patch Kids. My all-time favorite candy.
*sigh* I think I'm in love.
"Thanks," I flushed an unflattering deep pink. I took the candy from him, carefully grazing my fingers along his open palm, all while trying to prevent myself from completely losing it right there and then. I was nothing if not a multi-tasker.
The fact that the Sour Patch Kids were slightly warm as a result of being in his pocket and close to his body heat probably should have repulsed me and normally, it would have. But not today. Now, it made me positively giddy. Carefully as I possibly could, I ran my index finger along the flap on the back, trying to rip the plastic as little as possible. I didn't want to open it at all, I'd rather frame it for my wall or stick it in a scrapbook. But Kevin looked at them, then me, like he expected me to eat it and I would be damned if I was going to let him down. Nobody said I couldn't save the wrapper for all of eternity though.
I placed a sugary green 'kid' on my tongue and savored its symbolism. He bought me candy! Granted, it wasn't exactly Godiva truffles in a heart shaped box but that would be so cliche. Kevin was anything but ordinary. He was extraordinary. It was such a sweet gesture. Both literally and figuratively. Plus, he knew my favorite candy AND took the trouble to get it for me. So, wouldn't that make it more personal?
It was, I was sure of it.
"Well, my break's ending soon," he braced his hands on his knees and straightened as I nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, mine too." Technically, my break wasn't over for another five minutes but whatever. I didn't want it looking like he was ditching me like I was some kind of loser. Even if I maybe was.
He nodded and smiled at me again. God, he did that so well. "I'll see you out there," He left and I sat perfectly still, waiting for the coast to be clear. When I was sure Kevin wasn't coming back, I kicked my heels and punched the air like an overturned bug and squealed in a pitch so high that dogs were probably the only individuals capable of hearing such a noise. I was ecstatic and nothing was going to bring me down from this sugar high.
"Hey Gabs - oh hey, let me get one of those!" I opened my eyes slowly just in time to see my precious Sour Patch Kids lifted off my lap as Troy dug his fingers in, ripping the yellow plastic in order to get better access to my candy.
Nothing except for that.
I made a soft noise of protest as Troy stuffed three gummies into his mouth. He made a disgusted face then swallowed with an exaggerated gulp and apparently great difficulty.
"Gross, why are they warm?"
I rolled my eyes and snatched them from him again. "None of your business," I snapped at him. How dare he?
He frowned at me, his brow crinkled in confusion at my evidently sour mood. And to think, I was on top of the world not five minutes ago. "What's wrong with you?" He was such a charmer, that Bolton.
"Nothing," I pouted petulantly, sticking out my bottom lip.
I saw Troy clench his jaw just the smallest bit as we lost eye contact and his eyes flicked from mine to the general vicinity of my chin for just a mere fraction of a second then back to my eyes. But he snapped out of it so quickly that I wasn't sure if I had just imagined it.
"It's just that…you could have asked." I reminded him, sounding a bit like a disappointed child. Mind you, not that I would have said yes to him. What, do you think I'm an idiot?
"It's just candy." He spoke slowly, enunciating each word as if I really was this fictional child. "I'll buy you more if it'll make you feel better." He dug his distressed brown leather wallet from his back pocket and rifled though his bills. "How much is it, like a dollar?"
I sighed, "I don't want your money." I shook my head disapprovingly at him. "Kevin gave me those. You just wouldn't understand."
Troy shrugged, pocketing his wallet again, still looking thoroughly mystified. "You're right, I don't get it. And I don't think I want to."
I readily ignored this. "You ripped the wrapper!" I complained.
"Who cares? You're supposed to throw it away anyways. It's disposable, that's kind of the point." He told me, stating the obvious. I pouted again. Once again, he just wasn't fully comprehending the magnitude of Kevin's actions. "What's it to you? You gonna save it or something?" He teased, unaware that he was hitting the nail right on the head. Of course, his one moment of mildly perceptive intuition was stumbled across by accident.
"No," I scoffed like the mere suggestion was absurd. I stuck my tongue out at him. "Of course I wasn't."
He nodded at me skeptically. "Sure, whatever."
I brought my wrist up to my eyes as if to check my imaginary watch. "Oh, well look at that," Troy looked up from the book he clearly had snatched from the store room with a vaguely disinterested glance in my direction. "My break is over. Later Bolton."
He gave a small nod of acknowledgment before ducking his head down again, attention once again focused on his book. He was definitely not the kind of guy to buy a girl candy. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was exactly the reason why Kevin would stay superior to Troy.
Because, to be totally honest, Troy wasn't all that bad looking so that wasn't working against him. In fact, I would go so far as to say that he was quite attractive with floppy sandy brown hair that constantly fell in his blue eyes that usually rendered most girls incapable of coherent thought. Once upon a time, I had been one of those girls but then he opened his mouth and started talking and it all just went downhill from there.
Although, comparing Kevin and Troy was just cruel because Kevin was…Kevin! While Troy was more along the lines of just…Troy. There were no adjectives to accurately describe them so that's just how I always classified them in my mind. Kevin was filled with charisma and charm, the kind of guy that instantly got along with anyone. Troy, however, was an endless supply of bad jokes and annoying habits.
Okay, I was being a tad harsh. It wasn't like I disliked Troy, he and I actually got along a majority of the time. It's just that, in my mind, he was the sole reason why nothing was happening between Kevin and I. It seemed like Troy happened to always be there. Showing up unexpectedly for surprise shifts when I thought I had, for once, alone time with Kevin. No such luck. He would just show up behind the cash register where we worked together with all sorts of pointless chatter apparently stashed up in that head of his. I was beginning to think that was all he had up there, useless facts and countless ways to distract Gabriella. He would bring up a new subject every thirty seconds when all I was trying to do was inconspicuously try and watch Kevin.
Troy brought a whole new meaning to the word 'irritating'.
With a hopelessly pathetic lovesick look at my face which I would and could convincingly deny later, I gazed at Kevin. What can I say, he was mesmerizing.
Everything about him was hypnotic. The way his muscles rippled and bulged when he lifted those heavy cardboard boxes. And the way his simple dark red t-shirt would ride up when he reached to restock that top shelf (the same one that I didn't have a chance in hell of reaching unless I was wearing my zero gravity boots) to reveal an inch wide strip of the waistband of his black Calvin Klein boxers and then a sliver of the tan skin covering his sculpted back.
It was a thing of beauty.
"You're in love with Murphy!" A disbelieving voice shot into my ear, seemingly out of nowhere. It wasn't a question or even a simple statement. There was no doubt that this was an accusation, like this was a felony punishable by federal law. I was half-expecting to find some swinging ceiling light shined into my eyes.
I ripped from my gaze from Kevin as he disappeared through the 'Mystery & Crime-Fiction' aisle and whirled around to shift my gaze to Troy whose break was evidently finished. His shockingly blue eyes were wide and incredulous, directed towards me. His pupils repeatedly flickered between myself and the spot where Kevin had been occupying just a few seconds ago.
"No I'm not," I automatically protested, speaking much too quickly. I felt my face flame up. Oh wow. It probably would have been a little less obvious if I donned one of those sandwich boards, declaring my obsessive crush for our fellow employee.
"Very believable," he snorted, rolling his eyes at me.
"Alright," I swallowed the small lump in my throat. This was humiliating. I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to pretend that I couldn't care less. Although, I think the flush permanently staining my cheeks was probably betraying my emotions more than I was willing to verbalize. "so what if I am?"
He shook his head, ringing up the purchases of an old lady buying a sizable stack of romantic novels. But it wasn't just that, he was doing it like he was disappointed. In ME! Umm...what?
"You won't tell him, will you?" I asked uncertainly as he carelessly dumped her books in a trademark green plastic bag then handed them to her with a complementary farewell. "Because I'd be so embarrassed to look at Kevin that I'd probably quit here. And drop out of school because he goes to school with us too." My threat was pretty empty considering that I was legally obligated to stay in school (oh, pshh) but…I think I made my point. Just for good measure, I added, "In fact, you'd probably never see my face again. So if I become a unabomber, it'll be on your conscience."
He let out a low rumbling chuckle that sounded ever so slightly unnatural. I didn't know what to make of it. "No, don't worry. My lips are sealed." He then proceeded to mime zipping his lips shut and throwing away the key. Then his jaw trembled like he was trying and failing to open his mouth again. See what I mean about the bad jokes? But regardless, I laughed.
"Thank you Bolton. For finally doing something that doesn't benefit you." I smiled at him briefly before turning back to my machine.
He snorted again. Then, so softly that I was positive that I wasn't supposed to hear, he murmured "I wouldn't be too sure of that Gabriella."
A/N: *Sigh* So I definitely thought this was going to be longer (only slightly over 2,000 words!). Nope, sorry about that but that's where I wanted to end it. This story is loosely based off Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott (I swear, she sounds like a One Tree Hill Character like Peyton Elizabeth Scott, maybe?) but I've kind of stayed away from Hannah's parental situation [her mom is a former stripper and her estranged father is a Hugh Hefner type guy with a reality show] but I don't want every detail of my story to be the same as the book not to mention it would be terribly cliched. The situation of Gabriella working with two guys is the only similarity to the book so after this, I'm taking creative license with it and doing my own thing.
This is going to be a three-shot so it's my first multi-chaptered story in a while. Needless to say, I'm slightly nervous. So please review.
Okay, I'm done with my obscenely long author's note.