Jyn's boss Leia was behind the counter, along with a man with slicked back red hair and a pointed face. Armitage Hux, the regional manager. They both looked up when Jyn pushed the door open.
"Good morning, Jyn." Leia said. But she was frowning.
"Good morning, Leia, Armitage." Jyn replied breathlessly, her heart thumping wildly in her chest.
Jyn circled the counter and put her things on the employee coat rack.
"Um, shall I count in and open?" Jyn asked, uncertainty gripping her.
"By all means. We're going to be observing today to make sure that everything is going smoothly." Hux said. Leia nodded. Jyn went to the back to collect her bank and cash in for the day.
"You've been clocking a lot of extra time." Leia said, following Jyn into the office space.
"Um, well, not intentionally. It's been incredibly busy, and with only one person on close it can be very difficult. I'm sure the others are feeling the same way." Jyn replied, trying to keep her tone even and conversational.
"Actually, no." Leia said. "You're the only one consistently clocking out late. So we're going to make sure that you're still doing things according to company policy, see if there are any changes you can make to improve your performance."
Jyn didn't let the panic she was feeling in her gut steal onto her face, just kept counting her register bank. Leia knew as well as she did that Jyn closed every day of the week except Friday, when they had two closers instead of one. The logic there was bogus, but if corporate was concerned, then they all had to suck it up and deal.
The morning went according to Policy. Jyn was hyper-vigilant about everything, and things went smoothly for the first half of the day.
Cassian came in on his afternoon break and got his usual. He looked like he wanted to talk, but Jyn subtly shot a glance at Leia and Armitage at the other end of the store.
"You got help?" Cassian asked softly. Jyn shook her head.
"Corporate is here to see why I've been clocking out late." Cassian raised an eyebrow, but only put a dollar in her tip jar in response.
"Do me a favor and wait somewhere else at close, okay?" Jyn asked, trying not to draw any suspicion. "I can't do anything out of line today."
Cassian nodded, and retreated from the store. Jyn winced as she shut the fridge, regretting how harsh her tone had been.
"Doing all right, Jyn?" Leia asked. Jyn nodded and turned to her boss with her best customer service smile.
"I'll just refill the sundae ingredients while we have a lull."
The first "incident" happened on Jyn's break. Because she was there the full day, usually alone, she locked the door and put up a sign so she could take her fifteen minutes in the back.
"What are you doing?" Armitage asked as Jyn moved to the door.
"I'm sorry, I should have asked first. It's time for my break, and since I'm usually here alone, I lock the door and put up the sign."
"What sign?" Armitage asked, nose wrinkled in some unpleasant emotion.
Jyn held up the handmade sign that had been in the store for months. It was a piece of white cardstock with ice cream stickers on it that proudly said "Back in 15 minutes!" in Ben & Jerry's font.
"This is hardly regulation. All signage needs to come from corporate." Armitage said, tossing the sign in the trash can behind him without a further glance.
"I understand. Could I still take my break?" Jyn asked. Armitage looked her up and down and scowled even deeper.
"Five minutes." Armitage said, jotting down notes on his clipboard. Jyn's stomach rolled over, and she quickly escaped to the employee bathroom to take her five minutes.
After five minutes to pee, cram down a stale granola bar from her purse, and drink as much water as her stomach would fit, Jyn returned to the front and bumped into Leia on her way.
"Armitage said you were upset about not being able to close the store during your break." Leia said. Jyn's cheeks flamed red with embarrassment.
"No, sorry if I came off that way, I agreed with him that the sign we've had isn't regulation and we should get a new one." Jyn said.
"All right." Leia replied, leading the way back to the front.
As the hours ticked by, Jyn could barely keep her mind off her lunch and on the tasks at hand. It helped that the afternoon brought a crush of customers to the store, which kept her busy running back and forth from the fridge to the cash register.
"Would you mind terribly picking up another tub of Chocolate Therapy from the back?" Jyn asked Leia on her way by to ring up customers.
"You can go after you finish this transaction." Armitage said firmly from his spot in the corner. Leia opened her mouth to protest, then closed it again. She turned to the sink and began to wipe up water from the edge with a paper towel. Jyn inwardly screamed.
All day, it had seemed like Armitage was trying to set her up to fail. Every time Leia tried to help with cleaning or restocking, he told her to stop. He seemed happy to sit on his corner stool and watch Jyn sweat.
The clock chimed half hour to closing, and the store was packed with a small line out front. Leia had convinced Armitage to let her ring up customers as Jyn ran back and forth scooping.
"Don't you think you should start closing now?" Armitage asked, sounding bored. Both Leia and Jyn looked at him incredulously.
"I'll start dishes as soon as people are inside out of the cold." Jyn said, and tried to move through the line faster. Unfortunately she was stuck with a customer who didn't know what he wanted, and needed a sample of just about everything.
"I'm so sorry, can I try the Americone Dream again?" The customer asked sheepishly.
"I think you've given him enough samples." Hux said, gliding down from his chair and smoothly edging Jyn out of the way. "Please make your decision, sir." He said to the customer. Jyn's face was red again, but she moved on to the next customer.
By the time the line was inside the shop and the sign turned to closed, it was ten minutes until closing. Hux had stayed on scooping, while Jyn alternated between customers and closing tasks. They rang up the last customer at ten past close.
Jyn immediately ran to lock the door and turn the ice cream cone sign off, then tried to make her way to the back for the mop bucket.
"No, no." Armitage said, blocking her way. "We never leave the cash register unattended."
Jyn gritted her teeth and turned to the cash register, unlocking the drawer and pulling the money out. He was right, so there was no point in responding to his comment, even though the register would have been perfectly safe with both him and Leia standing there.
Jyn counted her bank three times, but found that she was short $5.
"Hey, Leia, did you have any weird cash transactions?" Jyn called over her shoulder.
"No!" Leia called back.
Jyn darted out and retrieved the tip jar, using everything in it to cover the discrepancy. She locked the safe and returned to the front with the mop bucket.
"I was short five dollars, which has never happened before." Jyn said to Leia as she rolled the mop bucket by.
"Are you blaming Leia for your mistake?" Armitage drawled.
"Not at all." Jyn said, trying to keep her tone even. "It could have happened at any time today. I was able to cover the missing bill with the tip jar funds."
Armitage drew in a deep breath and pinched his eyes shut, signaling to Jyn that his next words weren't going to be good.
"Go and take the tip money out of your bank, we'll be collecting it and distributing it to all cashiers evenly this pay period. You'll receive the infraction you deserve for your cash mistake."
"Y-yes, sir." Jyn stammered, setting down the mop and returning to the back. Her hands were shaking so hard she could barely pull out the five ones she'd added. She returned the money and the tip jar to Armitage, unable to meet his eyes.
"Remember, Miss Erso. Two cash infractions over five dollars warrants retraining and a probationary period on the register."
Jyn blinked hard to keep hot, angry tears from falling.
"Now please, stop wasting time and finish closing. I'm disappointed that I'll have to report you for another late clock-out."
Leia opened her mouth to protest, but Hux gave her a silencing glance. Jyn quietly returned to her mop and finished closing procedure, focusing on her tasks so her emotions couldn't spiral out of control.
When Jyn exited the store nearly an hour after close, she had to look around a moment to find Cassian's car. He'd parked in a space nearby, respecting her request. Jyn entered the car and was surprised to find that the familiar smell of Cassian's car was making her feel like she was getting wrapped in a blanket after a long day.
They didn't speak a word to each other, and Cassian didn't turn the engine on. Tears threatened to spill down Jyn's cheeks and she leaned her forehead on the cold glass of the window.
"He looks like a rat that ate another rat and didn't like the taste." Cassian said. Jyn saw Armitage and Leia leaving the store. The dam burst, and she found herself sobbing against the cold glass of the window.
One hand suddenly felt warmer as Cassian enveloped it in his two larger ones. He didn't say anything, just stroked Jyn's hand while she cried.
"He's trying to fire me, and my manager won't do anything." Jyn gasped between sobs. "He didn't even let me have a break today."
"Dios mio, the rat would rather go to all that trouble instead of getting you the help you need?"
Jyn just nodded, mopping at her face with her free hand. Cassian reached across to the glove compartment and opened it, revealing a stash of napkins and a package of tissues. Jyn gratefully took both options and tried to triage her puffy face.
"Come here." Before she knew it, Jyn was gently pulled into Cassian's arms, and one of his large hands came to rest on the back of her head. The rush of comfort from just the simple gesture caused a fresh wave of tears to drop onto Cassian's brown jacket.
"Tomorrow is another day, and you don't have to close. Maybe things will be better." Cassian rumbled.
"You're right." Jym mumbled, her words muffled by fabric.
"Come on, I have something to show you." Cassian said, gently pulling away. Jyn sat back in her seat and buckled her belt, feeling hollowed-out and empty, but mostly hungry.
"Do you mind if I eat in here?" She asked.
"Go ahead. We'll be driving a few minutes."
Jyn pulled the squashed ham sandwich she'd packed for lunch out and opened the bag. The meat was warm, and the mayo had squelched out into the bag.
"No offense, Amado, but that looks terrible." Cassian said as he started the engine. Jyn gripped the sandwich bag in her hand tightly and willed herself not to cry more. She didn't want to eat it, but she didn't want to waste it or go hungry either.
"Here," Cassian said, reaching behind the seat to a little cooler. He pulled out a sandwich bag of empanadas. "They aren't warm, but at least they're fresh."
Jyn accepted an empanada from him and silently munched on it. The meat melted in her mouth, and the spices were beyond anything she'd had recently.
"This is amazing." Jyn said between bites. Cassian silently passed her a second when she'd wolfed down the first. After that empanada disappeared, he handed her a water bottle.
"I haven't had something that good in years." Jyn said, sighing. "I feel like I could eat a whole truckload."
Cassian chuckled, and handed her the bag. Jyn opened the water and washed the last bit of her food down.
"Take them home and eat them or freeze them. They'll last. I'll tell my roommate that his experiment was a success."
Jyn gratefully put the bag of empanadas in her purse, already fantasizing about the lunches and dinners they would become. Her grocery run from the week before would last twice as long.
They traveled in silence, listening to the heater and the windshield wipers.
"What are you going to show me?" Jyn finally asked, tearing her eyes away from the empanada bag and willing herself not to devour them all.
"You'll see. I found it the other day and thought you would like it."
Jyn felt a little flutter in her stomach at his words. He thought of her?
The sky was still holding on to the last streaks of sunset when they pulled into a parking spot by the river. Rey's heart thudded nervously. He wasn't going to do anything to her, was he? The riverside park was completely deserted, and she was probably way too easy to overpower.
As if following her line of thought, Cassian spoke.
"I won't do anything to hurt you, what I want to show you is by the river."
"O-okay." Jyn replied. They got out of the car, and the crisp wind bit at her cheeks.
Cassian led her down the bike path, then veered off on a man-made hiking trail. Jyn picked her way after him, hoping she wasn't about to break a leg on the trail.
"Careful, Tesoro." Cassian said as she stumbled on a rock. He waited up and held his arm out to help steady her. Jyn's cheeks burned, but the twilight hid her embarrassment, thankfully.
The trees and shrubs thinned, and suddenly they came out on the riverbank. There was a small overlook carved into the bank with a concrete bench situated so that the view of the river was unobstructed. Overhead, the last rays of the sunset bled out of the sky towards the mountains that held the local ski resort.
"Cassian, it's beautiful..." Jyn breathed, captivated by the reflection of the sunset on the rushing river. Cassian looked toward her, assessing her face in worry until he was sure she meant it. Jyn smiled at him, and his face relaxed.
"I found this on one of my walks. Must have gone on the bike path a hundred times and never thought to come down here." Cassian said. He picked up a rock from and skipped it into the current. His stone made four little skips.
"Wow, you have a lot of talents." Jyn said, wrapping her arms around herself to stave off the chill of the evening.
"Are you cold?" Cassian asked. Jyn shook her head, but he was already shrugging out of his beat up old coat so he could drape it around her shoulders.
"Shit, I left my coat at work." Jyn shivered. "I'll have to get it tomorrow."
Cassian's jacket smelled like his cologne and a hint of old cigarettes. Jyn tried not to sigh audibly as she snuggled into its warmth. Cassian studied her for a moment, then returned to the shoreline to skip more rocks.
"Will you teach me how?" Jyn asked, watching as another rock soared across the river in five strides.
Cassian beckoned her over and pried up some muddy stones, dropping one into her hands and keeping one for himself.
"Throw it like you'd throw a disc, with the flick of your wrist." Cassian demonstrated, sending his rock soaring into the current. It skipped three times and sank.
Jyn threw her rock directly into the ground at their feet, splashing them both and causing her to shriek as the chilly water made contact with her skin. When she wiped her face clean, Cassian was laughing.
"I've never met someone that bad at throwing rocks." He admitted, eyes sparkling.
Jyn's face flamed, and she busied herself looking for another rock. She spied one near Cassian's feet at the same time he did, and he accidentally grabbed her hand instead of the rock.
"Sorry." She said, leaving the stone in his hand and pulling her fingers free. Cassian quickly brushed his hand clean on his jeans, the tips of his ears coloring.
Jyn found another rock and set her feet, testing the arc of her arm. Cassian watched as she wound up, and then dove out of the way as it soared towards him.
"Shit, I'm sorry." Jyn threw up her hands in frustration. "I guess I can't throw."
"Do you want me to help you?" Cassian asked, his face amused.
"Like... what?" Jyn asked. Cassian picked up a rock and put it in her hand, then sidled behind her.
"Oh my god, it's like that movie with the pottery." Jyn said, mortified at their close proximity.
"I'm impressed, you made a movie reference." Cassian chuckled in her ear. Jyn tried not to shiver as his hand gently touched her left hip to straighten them out, and then his right hand came around to hold her hand.
"Relax. Move with me." Cassian said, testing the arc together. Jyn willed her body to relax and come along for the ride. Cassian moved her to wind up, then moved her arm out and away from her body, urging her to let it go. The stone skipped across the river in five bounds before sinking.
"I did it!" Jyn cheered. "Well... You did."
Cassian stepped away, and Jyn's insides sank at the loss of his presence.
"Come on, it's getting chilly. We should get home." Cassian said. Jyn bobbed her head and followed him up the trail to the car, her stomach flopping around. What was with the butterflies all of a sudden?
Okay, no. They weren't sudden butterflies. They'd moved in a few weeks ago and weren't making any plans for a change of address. The butterflies liked Cassian and his brooding, quiet, comforting demeanor.
"Jyn?" Cassian was watching her disassociate as he held the car door open.
"Sorry, spaced out." Jyn started shrugging out of his coat.
"No, no. Keep it until tomorrow. You need it more than I do." Cassian said, holding his hands up to stop her.
"Oh, okay. I'm sorry." Jyn replied.
"Don't be sorry, CariƱa." He said, reaching out to tug the hood's drawstring out from where it had gotten trapped between the coat and her breast. Jyn involuntarily shivered as the cord dragged precisely over her nipple. Cassian licked his lips nervously, realizing what he'd done.
"Jyn..." He breathed, looking down at her. Jyn returned his gaze, blushing as red as possible. Once again, she thought he was going to kiss her, and thoughts of their moment in the shop ran through her mind. Cassian huffed out a breath, tickling her face, and stepped back.
Jyn schooled her face into normalcy, determined not to show any disappointment at this turn of events. Cassian didn't want her like that, and that was okay. She quietly got in the car, allowing Cassian to shut the door and walk around the hood.
They didn't say a word the entire way home, the silence stretching awkwardly between them.
"Um, thanks again. For everything." Jyn said as Cassian parked in front of her building. "Especially the food." She held her purse with the bag of empanadas close.
"Goodnight." Cassian said quietly, and it sounded wrong. Jyn nervously got out of the car, then leaned back in.
"Are you sure you don't want your coat back? I can take the bus tomorrow." Jyn said.
"Maybe that would be best." Cassian replied, avoiding her eyes. An icicle of pain stabbed through Jyn's chest, and she quickly pulled his coat off. She folded it and tossed it onto the seat, then picked up her purse and slammed the car door shut, wanting to make it to the door before Cassian could see the tears springing to her eyes.
Why had she asked? Why hadn't she just continued on her merry way and not ruined it for herself?
"Jyn!" Cassian's voice barked after her. "Wait!"
Jyn kept going, rushing through the outer door and jumping down the steps, already fishing in her purse for her keys. Cassian caught the outer door before it could slam in his face and followed her in. He threw out an arm, blocking the door as she frantically dug in her purse. Tears streamed down her face and avoided his gaze.
"Jyn, please." He begged, trying to catch her eyes.
"I'm sorry!" Jyn sobbed. She threw her purse on the ground and covered her face in her hands. "I'm sorry that I thought you were going to kiss me when we're just friends, and that I misread everything and ruined it all."
"Shhh, it's not like that, Tesoro." Cassian cupped her face in his hands, shocking Jyn into a hiccuping fit.
"W-what's it l-like then?" Jyn stammered. Cassian wiped her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs and then dropped his hands, brow furrowed.
"Jyn, I'm married."
Jyn's knees buckled, sitting her down hard on the hallway floor.
"You're... married?!" She gasped. "Oh, my god."
"No, no, let me explain." Cassian squatted in front of her, reaching for her again. She batted his hands away.
"You were married, and you let me flirt with you... Oh my god. I can't believe I bought you that jacket." She was hyperventilating now. Cassian looked warily at her.
"What does a jacket-"
"Shut up, you're married." Jyn snapped. Cassian went for her purse, producing her keys. Without another word he selected the key and opened the door.
"Can you go in by yourself or do you need me to carry you?" He asked.
"No." Jyn replied.
"Jyn, let me help you inside. You'll be more comfortable."
"No!" Jyn raised her voice as he knelt and tried to take her arm. Cassian sighed, then stepped back.
"You don't understand..." He started.
Sorrow turned to rage in Jyn's gut.
"I don't understand?!" She retaliated. "I think it's pretty obvious what's happened here. You're a cheater."
"Jyn, no. You don't understand."
"Don't tell me that I don't understand, I understand perfectly well!"
"I only meant that I didn't tell you, so of course you wouldn't know anything about the situation." Cassian said patiently. "I'm trying to tell you now."
"You're married, and you're trying to justify your actions and feed me excuses! You're despicable, you bastard." Jyn bit out. Cassian's face closed off at her words, and she instantly regretted her temper.
"Cassian, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"My wife is thousands of miles from here with her family, we got married so that I could stay in the country and go to school. In a few months, we have to prove in court that we have a viable relationship so that we can legally divorce without any problems."
"Oh. Oh god." Jyn started to cry again. "I'm so sorry."
"I don't want to hurt you, Jyn. But I think I already have." Cassian's brown eyes were boring into yours.
"I-I... I don't know what else to say." Jyn hiccuped.
"I think we say goodnight." Cassian said firmly. He straightened up and held out a hand to help Jyn up.
Jyn stumbled into her apartment, feeling like the entire world had tilted on its axis. Her mind raced.
"Jyn." Cassian said from the door. He looked lost.
"Cassian."
He looked like he didn't know what to say. He was clenching his fists as he watched her.
"I, um, before you go and we never see each other again, I have something for you." Jyn said. She picked the wrapped jacket off the coffee table and held it out to him.
"It is a jacket." Cassian said, tearing the paper. "Jyn, I-"
"Don't say anything, it'll just make this weirder and harder, and I don't know why I'm even upset, it's not like we really know each other after these few weeks." Jyn said, wiping her nose.
Cassian took a hesitant step forward, and then he pulled Jyn into his arms, the coat squashed between their chests.
"I've never met anyone like you." He murmured into Jyn's hair. "Please go to the film with me on Saturday."
"I can't. You're married." Jyn said, eyes welling up.
"Okay." He replied. He pulled away and held up the jacket.
"Thank you." He said genuinely. Then he made his exit, his footsteps fading out the hallway before the outer door slammed. Jyn looked at her apartment door, then curled up on herself to cry.
