The envelope

    Ellie was happy to be back at the shop. It wasn't unusual for highschool girls to talk about romance, but when the only thing resembling a love life you have is a cute guy you get to look at sometimes, the subject isn't exactly captivating. She knew it was petty to wish they'd shut up about it, unfortunately that didn't stop her from feeling jealous.

    Even though she wasn't the most popular girl around, why couldn't she at least have one admirer? She'd have to focus on her schoolwork and friends. Lots of people didn't date that young and they were perfectly fine. 

    The door to the shop opened and he came in. Not knowing his name was suddenly a lot more frustrating than it should be. At the worried look on his face, she realised she had been frowning at him. She tried to put on a more friendly expression. 

"Welcome back"

    The poor boy actually flinched at that, even if he still nodded her way. Jeez, was she really in that bad of a mood? She'd never scared people before and she didn't think she liked seeing him that jumpy around her. 

    That entire hour, he was a little different from what Ellie'd gotten used to. He kept looking over at her from behind his book or his cup and startle every time they made eye contact. Though her face might have looked angry when he'd come in, Ellie was getting irritated with the situation. This was an overreaction. 

    Theo found that for the first time in his life he couldn't focus on the book he was reading. Not only was it an interesting volume, but he'd also left it at a very interesting part the day before. Unfortunately all he could pay attention to was the girl behind the counter and the note burning a whole in his backpack. 

    How did some people date multiple partners at once? He was loosing his sanity trying to muster the courage he'd need to leave a note to a girl who'd only ever been kind to him. He decided to leave the note with the book on his way out. What was the worst that could happen? Aside from her feeling disgusted by him and rejecting him. Then he'd never be able to come here again for fear of running into her, not to mention there was always a chance of bumping into her around town. What if she told others about it as well? 

    Theo took a deep breath. Spiraling into dark thoughts wouldn't help. It was as harmful and useless as it was fast. Memories of the past weren't helping either, so he shoved them back down into the box he kept such a tight lid on.

    The hour passed and he got the envelope out. He placed it on top of the book, got up and placed the two on the counter. Before he had the time to get embarrassed or take it back, he left the shop. This time he actually broke into a run for a bit, before the feeling that he was forgetting something struck him. All blood left his face the second he remembered. That last note he had written, the more awkward, personal and much too straightforward one was still in there. 

    He ran as fast as he could back to the bookstore and almost forgot to open the door on his way in. Ellie turned to him with a little shriek, her face red enough to make a boiled lobster jealous, so he slammed the door back shut. 

   His reflection in the glass showed a face much like her own. His glasses were crooked on his nose and his black curls were a mess. Slower than if he had been disarming a bomb, he opened the door again. With her hand on the door handle, she was so close they almost bumped noses. 

    With her other hand clutching the paper to her chest, Ellie looked over at him. She tried to speak a few times, but she just ended up looking like a fish on the shore. For once, she was happy he wasn't looking at her.

"Did you?... You left this for me, right?" she managed to get out

    He nodded.

"Why?"

    She felt rather stupid asking that. She wasn't entirely sure what she even meant by that question exactly. His blush got even worse. If she didn't know any better, she would've thought he was running a fever sister of death. He took off his backpack and pulled out a notebook. After a minute he found the note he'd been looking for and handed it to her.

"I really really wanted to talk to you, but I couldn't"

"Why not?"

    At that question he stiffened, though it was only a second of hesitation before he turned to the first page of the notebook. It only had two words on it.

"I'm mute"

    Caught off guard, she wasn't sure how she should reply. Before she could think of anything, he flipped to the next page.

"My hearing is perfectly fine though, so talking to me won't be too hard"

    He continued flipping through the pages, a little frantic.

"If you have trouble with my handwriting, I can always write what I have to say on my phone"

"If you don't want to talk to me, that's also fine"

"Please don't talk to me just because you feel sorry for me"

    On that last note, he stopped. He hid his face behind the notebook and gripped it with enough force to turn his knuckles white. If she wasn't wrong, he was slightly shaking. It was awkward to have a boy a head taller than her this nervous because of her. Unsure of the right thing to do, she gently pushed the notebook down, looked him in the eye and just said what she was thinking. 

"The only thing I mind about your handwriting is that it's ridiculously better than mine"

    Before he could start stressing again, she continued speaking.

"I've noticed you as well. You always come in at same time, you always choose sweet teas and you gravitate towards fiction with happy endings, no matter the specific genre. You've never stayed more than an hour, but you come every day from Monday to Friday"

    While he was still bright red, he seemed a lot more relaxed and he was looking at her directly. She looked away, feeling her own embarrassment stir again.

"You should know I've noticed you. You caught me looking at you quite a few times"

    This time Theo had to take the time to write a reply. It seemed he hadn't predicted this turn in conversation.

"I always thought you were the one catching me"

    They both laughed at that. Ellie had to admit it was strange to see someone laugh without producing a sound. That being said, she didn't mind it at all.

"Pretending not to notice you can't speak would be insulting. It's not something I'm used, but it doesn't bother me" she looked Theo straight in the eyes again "I suppose it might be easier for me to say that then for you to believe it"

"It is" he wrote, then continued "Not because of you, so much as people in the past. Still, I don't want to attribute someone elses lies to you"

"Thanks" she hesitated "Would you like to exchange phone numbers?"

    He nodded emphatically at that. After the exchange, she received a text from him.

"Would it be alright for me to come by tomorrow? I'd like to go out with you after you close the shop"

    The wording made her heart skip a beat. "Go out with you", he was definitely not beating around the bush anymore. It made her a little giddy and she agreed without hesitation. "Then I'll see you tomorrow"      

    Theo nodded and walked off. He turned around a few times and Ellie had to stifle a giggle when he pinched his cheek. She felt a little lost in the whirlwind that had been the past few minutes, but everything would sort itself tomorrow.