Chapter 3

(Author's note; I just wanted to point out that for Sauli's dialogue throughout the story I will be making some grammatical errors on purpose because English is his second language, it's not because I don't know how to write. Thanks and enjoy the story :) )

Adam stood behind the store counter, bored out of his mind, hating every customer that walked in.

"This is so pointless," he thought. "Everyone who walks in takes a look at three things, picks it up, smiles as if they're ready to make a purchase, puts it back, then leaves. I can't take another minute of this!" Adam looked at a young woman who was looking at a perfume set, debating on whether to buy it or not. To satisfy his boredom, Adam glared at the woman, his eyes turning their original yellow-red color. Suddenly, the woman was taken by an uncontrollable desire to buy everything she could afford. She grabbed as many blouses, skirts, shoes, and perfume boxes she could carry off the racks and headed to the counter. Adam perked up with a smile.

"Ready to pay?" The woman nodded slowly with no expression on her face, like a zombie staring at its next meal. Adam chuckled as the woman handed him her credit card, then he swiped it. The card's remaining balance was 50,000 dollars. "Ooo," said Adam quietly, "someone has an excess amount of money. It'd be a crime not to help her." Instead of handing the stony-eyed woman back her credit card, Adam tucked it in the back pocket of his black jeans. He bagged all of the items the woman purchased, then sent her off with a wave of his hand. Adam slapped his butt, pushing the credit card down deep in the pocket where it wouldn't fall out. As he turned around to head for the water fountain in the corner of the store, Tommy stopped him, standing right behind him. Adam gasped and put his hand to his chest.

"Jesus Christ, Tommy! Where the hell did you come from?!" Tommy smiled with infatuation and sighed softly.

"You're even more handsome when you're yelling at me." Adam rolled his eyes, then gave a fake smile.

"Aren't you the sweetest?" He said, ruffling up Tommy's hair, Tommy purring as he did so. "You're like a little kitty, aren't you?" Tommy blushed as Adam played with his hair. The door to the back room opened and Sauli walked out, running his fingers through his sweat soaked hair. Adam's eyes widened and they flashed red for a quick moment. "Tommy," said Adam, pulling Tommy to the side of the store, putting them out of Sauli's sight, but still giving Adam a glimpse of him. "I want you to tell me everything you know about Sauli, okay?" Tommy rubbed his arm awkwardly.

"I don't see why we need to talk about him but..."

"Just do it!" Growled Adam, but Tommy just tapped his nose playfully.

"You're cute when you're angry. Okay, well...I know he's from Finland. Um...He says he likes rock music, but I know he really likes that really pop boyband dance kinda music. I think I remember hearing that his favorite meal is a Southwest Taco Salad...uh...and...oh! I think he told me once that his favorite color is red."

"What about his sexual preference?" Tommy tilted his head in confusion. Adam slapped his palm to his face and grunted in frustration. "Does he like boys or girls?"

"Oh!" Said Tommy laughing softly in embarrassment. "He likes boys. He used to flirt with me all the time." Adam ran his index finger down Tommy's neck, making the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

"I bet it was because he loved how smart you are," said Adam in a sarcastic yet flirtatious tone. He rolled his eyes once more as Tommy beamed with joy.

"You really think so?" Adam sighed in defeat.

"Just tell me what kinda guy he's in to." Tommy went from blissful to irritated in a matter of seconds.

"W-Why do you wanna know that? Who cares what he thinks?" Adam's eyes looked up at the ceiling and he grunted in vexation.

"Will you just tell me? Why does this have to be so difficult?" Tommy looked down at the floor and sighed.

"He likes ordinary guys." Adam looked confused.

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"I don't know," replied Tommy timidly, "that's what he told me awhile ago."

"Well you're of no help." Adam moved Tommy out of his way, "I'll go find out for myself." He walked over to Sauli, who was stacking boxes of makeup. Adam fixed his hair quick and cleared his throat. "Ahem?" Sauli, still with his back to Adam, continued to stack boxes, completely oblivious of his presence. "Ahem!" Coughed Adam louder. Sauli still did not turn around. Adam took in more air, but before he could cough again, Sauli said,

"I know that you're there, I am just choosing not to turn around." Sauli's accent was so different and fluid, his words bounced like a song, definitely a Finn for sure.

"Why not?" Said Adam, rubbing Sauli's shoulders.

"Don't touch me like that," said Sauli as he shrugged Adam's hands off his shoulders. "I don't like to be touched by people I don't know." Adam scowled for a moment, then went back to smirking flirtatiously.

"Let's get to know each other then," he whispered in Sauli's ear. The scent of Sauli's cologne made Adam's stomach grumble and his eyes flutter in ecstasy. "Mmm," purred Adam, "I wanna know you really well." Sauli put the stack of boxes he was holding on top of the store counter and looked at Adam, irritation written all over his face. He sighed and put his hand on Adam's shoulder.

"Look," he said, "I could tell as soon as you gave Tommy that sweet and cute act that you are one of those guys that like to get what they want. Well, I'm very sorry, but you will not be getting me." Adam looked appalled, his jaw dropped. No one had ever said no to him before, ever!

"Excuse me?"

"So," continued Sauli, "you will not be touching me or sniffing me or whatever you do. I am flattered, but I wish to be left alone with my work. Kiitos, bye." Sauli gestured for Adam to leave, turned back around and continued to stack boxes. Adam blinked a few times, still trying to process what had just happened.

"Wait...what?" He said, almost without thinking. Sauli rolled his eyes, not even turning around to face Adam.

"Voi Luoja," he said to himself softly, shaking his head. "Go do your work, Adam. Let me do mine in peace." Adam huffed.

"You can't be serious." Sauli groaned, slammed the boxes down on the counter, pulled out a chain of keys from his jean pocket, and went around the counter.

"Angela!" He called.

"Yeah, Sauli?" Angela answered from the other side of the store.

"I'm taking my break right now. I need the fresh air as soon as possible." Angela nodded.

"'Kay, I'll let Tommy know!" Sauli did a quick nod and walked out the door, mumbling to himself in finnish. Adam crossed his arms and snarled, his red eyes glowing with a scowl on his face.

"No one says no to me," he said to himself, his voice distorted and demonic. "You will be mine, whether you like it or not." Adam walked angrily toward the door of the store, the paint on the wall peeling as he passed. Angela turned as she heard the bell on the opening door.

"Hey! Where do you think you're-" Adam walked out of the store, leaving the door to swish back and forth freely. Before Angela could walk after Adam, the door slammed shut by itself, cracking the glass from the center. Angela gasped in fear, putting her hand on her heart. "What the hell?" She turned around to tell Tommy what had happened, but then she noticed the walls. The paint had melted down to almost nothing, bubbling as if they had been boiled off. "T-Tommy?" She said, holding her boyfriend's arm. "D-Do you see that?" Tommy was playing with one of the complimentary employee pens, rolling it back and forth on the counter, daydreaming of Adam.

"See what?"

"The wa-" Angela looked up at the walls and saw that they were perfectly normal, fully painted and unchanged. "B-But they were..." She looked at the door, which looked repaired as well, no streams of cracks.

"You need to relax, Ang," said Tommy, almost in a swoon, "Everything's more than fine." Angela took a deep breath, confused and scared, questioning her own sanity. Had she really seen the walls peel and boil? Did the door really slam on its own? These questions surfaced in her mind.

"Yeah...maybe you're right..." Angela went back to organizing blouses by size, but in her mind she couldn't shake the feeling that maybe she had been sent an omen. She didn't know for what, but the feeling that something terrible was going to happen haunted her for the rest of the day.