"Hey Tris," Uriah says, prancing into the store.
"Hey, Uri." I keep my gaze fixed on the cashier. He walks towards me and wraps an arm around my shoulders, giving me a friendly squeeze. I look up at him and smile a little.
"What's up?" He asks casually. "Oh," I say. "Nothing really."
He smirks. "I saw that boy who left the store. He was blushing. I'm afraid to ask what happened between you two."
"What? Four?" My eyes widen and heat rises to my cheeks. "I mean um."
Uriah bursts into hysterical laughter. "Did you at least lock the doors?"
My face turns even redder. "URIAH!" I scream.
He doubles over in laughter, holding his stomach. I groan, but can't help the hint of smile that forms on my face at the fact that Four was blushing.
"I'll see you later." I grab my gray purse and keys. Uriah manages to nod through his laughter.
I roll my eyes and head out the door, wondering if Four is still in the mall. Once I exit through the dark doors of Hot Topic, I am almost blinded with the bright light of the mall. Out here, my outfit looks strange. I am wearing a black shirt, black leather jacket, black skinny jeans, and combat boots.
Normally I'll leave the mall right after work, but today I think I'll stay a little while. My boots screech on the white polished tiles as I head towards food court. If he's still here, he is most likely to be in the food court. Four doesn't seem like the shopping type.
Sure enough, Four is standing in the middle of the food court eyeing every menu. I can't help but stare. His hands are in his jeans pockets, and I see now that his jeans are dark blue. They complement his eyes nicely.
What am I doing? I internally scold myself. Why am I stalking this man I just met?
But it feels as if I have known him before, somehow. Everything inside of myself tells me that we have a special connection. That we are not strangers. But the idea is so ludicrous I push it aside. I begin to turn around and walk in the other direction.
Someone places a hand on my shoulder. Startled, I swing around and begin to throw a punch at whoever's hand it is. I am met with a pair of enchanting blue eyes, and stop myself halfway through the punch. I slowly bring my raised fist back down to rest by my side.
"Sorry," I laugh a little.
His lips curve into a small smile. "It's alright." He pauses and scratches the back of his neck. "You must be hungry. Would you like to grab something to eat?" His low voice says.
I nod. "I would love to."
His eyes light up. "Panera is right down the street." He shifts a little.
"I love Panera!" I smile and we walk out of the mall towards the surrounding restaurants.
We walk in a comfortable silence, enjoying each other's presence. After a moment, though, he speaks.
"This is probably going to sound strange," He pauses. "but I think we have a-"
"Special connection." I cut him off. "Yeah, me too."
He stops walking to look at me. "You felt it too?"
I nod. "I don't really believe in love at first sight but... I don't know. There is definitely something between us."
His lips pull into a grin. "I just think the universe wants us to be together."
I stare into the depths of his mesmerizing blue eyes and smile. Suddenly a name pops into my head. "Tobias," I breathe.
His eyes widen and he takes my face in both of his hands. "How did you know that?" "I don't know," I whisper.
He takes my hand in his, and it is as if a million lighting bolts are coursing throughout my body, burning with white hot electricity. I look down at our entwined hands, then back to Tobias's face. His mouth hangs slightly open, and he is staring at our hands also, trying to figure out why this bond between us is so strong, when we only met about thirty minutes ago.
"Let's discuss this over lunch." He says, giving my hand a comforting squeeze.
The person that stood before my cash register mere moments ago seems to be replaced with a softer, gentler man. And his name is Tobias.