This chapter has been posted on wattpad already as Chapter 14! You can see it here.
Sophie's POV
Making my way over to the tattoo-covered figure, I smiled to myself as I observed his body language. He was bored. I could see that. Everyone in this shop would be able to see it too, and I was beginning to realise why my manager was holding so many regrets in hiring him.
Once Todd had noticed me approaching him, he didn't attempt to move from his slouched position against the side of the counter. Instead, his eyes just drifted down the length of my body before finally travelling back up to meet my eyes.
On an initial glimpse, there was so much darkness behind them however, when I looked long enough, it was hard to miss the softer haze lingering too. This guy wasn't as standoffish and 'terrifying' as many of my co-workers had viewed him as. There was so much more to him and I was incredibly determined to figure it out.
"Why weren't you in work yesterday?" I asked once I was stood the opposite side of the counter. "Anne was mad that you didn't show up."
I could already smell the smoke on his body from where I was stood. His scent was a mixture of strong aftershave and the beer gardens of a pub. I wished I could hate it, but I really didn't.
"I slept in." Was the simple response Todd gave me in return and I couldn't hide the shock on my face.
"That's your reason?"
"Yeah."
"Are you serious? You told our manager that?"
He just nodded his head.
"You know you can't just do that, right? Have you ever even had a job before?" I exasperated, disbelieving that he thought he would just get away with it.
"Not like this." Todd replied with a shrug of his shoulders and although that may have been a convincing enough innocence for some, it wasn't for me.
"So, you're suggesting that you're completely oblivious to how life in retail works, yes?" I challenged, knowing Anne, our manager wouldn't have bought it and I wasn't either.
He didn't look innocent nor did he look naïve. I think he was just an excellent game player, yet I wasn't sure where it all stemmed from yet.
"No. I know how it works."
"Yet you think you can take a day off because you wanted to lay in?"
"You've never done it?" Todd asked so casually as though he was expecting me to admit to it.
"No, of course not."
"But you've probably called in sick when you're actually just hungover, right?"
That comment caught me off guard and I think he could see it in my face. I wished I could shake my head and act like I was innocent to that act, but he was right, I was guilty.
"Well yeah, but I don't just not call in and then admit I was in bed. You've really got a lot to learn."
"Then maybe you can be the one to teach me."
Todd's comment was paired with the first smile I had seen from this man since he had started working here. It was cocky with so much hidden meaning behind it, but it was also beautiful in the most bizarre way.
Every physical aspect about this guy was dark and a little frightening. He had tattoos covering every inch of his skin, even reaching up his neck and curving around his ears. While his face was clear of any ink, he did have a very prominent scar trailing from his eyes and down his cheek. It made me curious to how he got it, but I had a strong feeling that even if I asked, he wouldn't have given me a straight answer.
"You want me to teach you how to be a decent human being?" I challenged, keeping my own composure and trying to look at his eyes rather than his lips.
It was a lot more difficult than it should have been.
"If that what it takes to get this piece of shit to work, then yeah." He cleverly disregarded the true intentions of my remark as he pointed towards the till screen in front of him.
Making my way around the counter, I was expecting him to shift out of the way for me as I approached, but he didn't. He remained situated in front of the counter, not giving me any space to intervene.
"Excuse me." I spoke with an intentional authority to my voice, but it didn't seem to work. He just looked back at me with a placid expression, having now completely lost the smile.
"If you want my help, you're going to need to move."
"Better?" Todd asked once he had taken the smallest step backwards and it was at that point I knew he was definitely playing a game with me.
I should have walked away and left him to it however, that felt near impossible. I had absolutely no control when it came to a pretty smile and mysterious vibe in a guy. He was only making me more tempted.
"Perfect." I sang, playing along with him as a bright smile spread across my own face.
I squeezed my way into the small gap he had left between himself and the counter, trying to make it look easy. My back was pressed against his front and although he couldn't see my facial expression, I was making every effort to remain composed.
"Press this." I muttered while pushing myself a little bit closer to him.
I could feel his breath on the back of my neck and I was almost certain the beating of his heart was increasing by the second.
"Then you need to enter your employee code or scan your card. Do you have one?"
Turning my head around in one swift motion, my blonde hair swept across the front of his face, but he made no attempts to move. There was still no smile on his face, but he continued to gaze back at me with a look of intent.
"Probably." He shrugged while digging his hand into his pocket, yet his eyes never left mine.
"It's in here somewhere."
As he dug his hand deeper into his pocket, his whole body leaned forward slightly to follow the motion. At this point his face was so close to mine that even I felt my heart beat start to pick up a little too.
Letting my eyes glimpse down to his lips for a second, I attempted to divert my attention without being caught, but I immediately failed. He had caught me, and it seemed to have struck something in him too.
"Where are you from?" He asked, shifting his gaze to now look down at my lips.
"Brighton. You?"
"Do you live alone?"
That question should have sent a wave of fear through me due to him now portraying himself as a potential stalker. For all I knew he could have been plotting some kind of kidnapping. I tried so hard not to judge people but by the looks of this guy, I wouldn't put it past him.
However, that wasn't what scared me right now and instead, I was more concerned with how old he really thought I was. It was difficult to tell his age, but he definitely looked older. Maybe he had added a few more years onto the 18 that I actually was.
"No." I responded simply, deciding not to give too much away.
He didn't have to know that I was just a teenager, living with my parents. And if we wanted to get really technical, with my parents not being around that much, I guess you could class the friends I had stay over instead as my roommates.
"Well considering you've been so helpful..." Todd began while leaning across me to tap some numbers into the till. "...when you have a free house one night, maybe I should come over and teach you a few things. You know, as a thank you."
As those words left his lips, I felt my whole body erupt with butterflies, in a way I had never experienced them before. It wasn't nerves, I was certain of that, it was something else. Excitement? Fear? Desire? Curiosity? I wasn't sure, but it wasn't until he had stepped back from me that I took notice of how fast my heart was racing.
I could physically feel it thumping against my chest and I was convinced my cheeks had flushed a shade of bright red. Every bit of composure I had been holding onto had seeped through my body, leaving me to appear like a frantic mess.
Trying to recollect myself in hope that he hadn't noticed, I forced a smile; trying so incredibly hard to make it mimic the cocky one he had displayed before.
"Something like that will only ever happen in your dreams." I spoke with that regained confidence in my voice. "But it's sweet that you tried."
Purposely flicking my hair once again, it swept across his face again in one swift motion. He didn't react and instead just watched as I walked away. Although I hadn't turned around to look at him, I was almost convinced that smile had crept its way back on his face, as his eyes disrespectfully scanned my whole body from behind.
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