WREN

“Sorry?” I ask with a head tilt.

He jabs a finger at my cart. “The avocados are always rock hard here since everyone buys them before they get a chance to ripen, so I made a joke about the hand-dryer, remember when I said the air was hard?” His lopsided smile appears as he hooks his free thumb in his front pocket. “See, doesn’t work when you have to explain it. How you been? Didn’t work last weekend.”

Shifting my weight I explain, “I work nights. That Sunday shift before, that wasn’t mine. I was covering for my best friend.”

“Who’s that, Eleanor?”

Happy he remembered her name I smile, “Yes.”

“We like her. She’s a good egg.”

A small laugh relaxes my tight stomach. It’s been in knots for hours now and I really need this smile. “A good egg? Is that what you said? She’s one of the best eggs. Great friend, great mom, too.”

His eyebrows shoot up as he leans in. “She’s got kids?”

“Two of them.”

“You have kids?”

Reacting in a big way I wave my hand. “No no no. I’ve never been pregnant. Some day, but I’m just trying to figure out my own life right now.”

He nods, glancing to my cart. “Live by yourself?”

My face scrunches. “You trying to find out if my boyfriend lives with me, Eric? If any of this food would be eaten by a man?”

A burst of laughter explodes and his amazing smile is like a spotlight, brightening all the dull canned soup and packages of organic rice on either side of us. “Caught me. Guess sly isn’t in my skill set. I was checking it out for a sign of him, yeah. You guys live together?”

“No.”

“You want to?”

Blinking I answer honestly, “No.”

Eric nods, eyes dancing. “You from around here, Wren?”

“Yes, I went to school at Grady High.”

Pointing to the front of the store he asks, “The one right across the street?”

Running my hand through my hair I admit, “That’s the one. Four of the worst years of my life.”

“How so?”

“School and I don’t mix.”

“You’re an artist, aren’t you,” he says as if it’s obvious and he had it figured out already, was just looking for a way to bring it up.

Feeling self-conscious but not uncomfortable, I glance to my outfit. I’m in black cut-off shorts, sandals, and a black, v-necked graphic t-shirt that reads, Bowie Never Died. He’s In The Clouds. “You get that from this?” I ask, pulling the fabric out.

His eyes drop to check it out and I start to feel warm as that gaze lingers. “Partly that. But my brother loves graphic T-s and he’s a computer programmer.” Eric meets my amused look, the hazel in his appearing greener in this warm lighting. Or maybe I’m just close enough to see it better. “It’s the whole package,” he smiles, motioning up and down my body. “The tats, the black clothes, the blue toenail polish, the glint of rebelliousness in those laughing eyes of yours. Your energy says artist.”

On a grin I cock my head and demand, “Did you just say I have laughing eyes?”

“Yep.”

Biting my lip and glancing away I mutter, “I like that.”

“Me too.”

To change the subject I inhale sharply and ask, “So, what about you? I know you didn’t go to Grady.”

“Nah, all my schooling was in Buckhead, same place as my whole family, pretty much. Since the dawn of time.”

“Before the settlers even?”

“Oh sure, we were there before Eve screwed Adam over.”

Laughing I rake my fingers through my hair, “Don’t get me started, buddy!”

He grins. “But what if I want to get you started?”

Clearing my throat I ask, “Why aren’t you at the Trader Joe’s up there in your beloved Buckhead then?”

“I live over here now. Right around the corner in Virginia Highlands. You?”

“Midtown. Just as close, but in the other direction.”

“Listen,” he begins, fingers toying with the things in his basket. “How ‘bout we put the perishables back and go get some lunch in the strip mall out front? You like Mexican food?”

I moan as my empty stomach leaps with excitement, “I love Mexican food.” Then I remember Peter. “But I can’t.”

Eric frowns, head tilting slightly. “Have somewhere you gotta be?”

“No…”

He chuckles, eyes clearing. “Ah, the boyfriend wouldn’t like it.”

We’re glancing from the ground to each other in the most awkward of silences. Finally I can’t take it anymore and I start to push my cart, pausing to tell him, “It was nice running into you.”

Frowning, lips pursed in thought, he mutters, “You too, Wren. See you around.”

I go this way and he goes that. It’s now possible to clear my head. One, I’m so hungry my mind is playing tricks on me. I could swear that Eric was asking me out as a friend, not trying to get in my pants, but I know him better than that. And two…

“Well, hello again!” he waves as I turn into the next aisle and see him walking up it.

A grin flashes on my face from realizing of course this would happen. We met in the middle of the small store, after all. “We have to stop running into each other like this.”

“Yeah,” he laughs.

And we continue in the opposite directions. I slide the Panda cereal box off the shelf, place it in my cart before I steal a glance over to see Eric eyeing gourmet coffee on the far end. His eyes flick left and lock with mine. He tips his head and sends that famous grin my way before I quickly escape.

What was I thinking about? Oh yeah, reasons why this is terrible timing to see him on this of all mornings, when I feel so disconnected from my boyfriend.

In the last aisle, with the wines, cheeses and sliced meats, I glance up to see Eric strolling toward me. “Don’t I know you from somewhere?”

Since we’ve gone opposite directions this is inevitable but still it cracks me up.

“Yes, you look familiar. Where have I seen you before?” I ask, stroking my chin between my finger and thumb.

He adopts an introspective gaze, too, “Hmmm…another life maybe?”

“You don’t think it’s from those aisles?” I point west, face curious and maybe even convincingly innocent. “Because I was just talking to a man who looked a lot like you, right over there.”

“No,” he frowns, “I’m almost positive this is a case of reincarnation. Yes, I’m certain of it. We knew each other when we were King and Queen of Atlantis.”

Trying not to grin I frown, too. “Not Atlanta?”

“No, the lost sea. My sister went there not long ago, and when she spoke of it, I knew it was my home.”

Melting into confused laughter I wave my hands. “Okay, you’re so weird. Your sister went there? To the lost city. I was with you until you veered into crazy land.”

“No, I’m serious! They recreated it in the Bahamas. I’m not making that up. In fact, I’m not making any of it up.”

“Oh right, you and I were King and Queen of Atlantis.”

Eric smirks, “Total fact.”

“We fucked that job up pretty badly.”

“Magical storm brought our city to its knees.”

“Drowning all of our subjects.”

He nods, somber. “It was a tragic day for all of us.”

“At least we went down with them,” I smile, genuinely wishing I could stay right here. But the longer I do the more I want to, and I’m not that kind of a girlfriend. He senses the shift in me, hazel eyes losing some of their light as I reluctantly say, “I really have to go, Eric. But it was fun running into you.”

Gripping his basket with tighter knuckles he nods to the ground. “I’ll see ya around.”

“Yeah. See ya,” I smile, pushing my cart away.

“At the registers in three minutes?”

Laughter bubbles up despite my best efforts to remain detached. “I have some more shopping to do, so this will be our last run-in.”

“Too bad. Okay, see ya.”

Sneaking a peek over my shoulder I watch him disappear. A long exhale relaxes my stationary body as I pick up crumbled feta cheese and place it alongside the avocados it’s meant for. They are hard when you first buy them. Give them some time though and they soften. Not unlike me around Eric Cocker.