The Hookup Pact

7| Evelyn

I loved working at the mart. It was one of the least stressful jobs I'd ever undertaken. Watching corporate employees rushing in to buy ingredients for dinner at the last minute, awkward teens coming in to buy condoms and throwing in one bag of chips on top of it as if that would hide the packet from me. The job was entertaining in its own way.

"Days like today are so chill," Stacy said from the other cash counter as she stretched her hands above her head. She'd recently dyed her fiery red hair to a chocolate brown color with bright pink stripes. It was also shorter than before and bounced around with her every movement.

"Wish we had more days like these," I replied. With only a few stragglers behind, the mart was practically empty. It was so quiet that I could take a nap on the counter. Which I considered because it was 9:30 pm, there was only half an hour left before we closed, and I was severely sleep-deprived from waking up at dawn to study.

"You're still coming with me to my cousin's party on Saturday, right?" Stacy asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Of course. I'm always in for free food," I said. It wasn't like I had anything better to do.

The final minutes of my shift dragged on as the last customers finally left the premises. But then a tall figure approached the counter, followed by the familiar voice that always grated on my nerves.

"Can't get a break from you, can I?" Atlas let out a humorless laugh as he stood on the other side of the counter in his arrogant, 6'4 glory.

I almost didn't recognize him with the black baseball cap on his head, but the taunting tone of his voice was unmistakable.

"I should be the one saying that. What do you want, Griffin?" I asked, scowling hard.

He lifted his basket and placed it on the counter. "My bill."

I scoffed and started scanning the items in his basket one by one. His entire grocery list was that of a typical bachelor pad with one too many flavors of chips and cans of soda and beer. When I spotted a condom box underneath the other packets as well, I almost snorted. No wonder he still acted like a teenager.

However, my laugh caught in my throat when I saw the big XL printed on the blue box. He couldn't be...

My gaze involuntarily flitted from the box to him and then to the box again. He was tall, muscly, and big in all senses of the word but that didn't mean he had to be big in...other aspects. But there were also those rumors about him going around campus. And that was enough to let my mind wander in inappropriate directions and uncharted territories.

Atlas raised a brow at me when he noticed me fumbling and a devilish smirk appeared on his stupidly handsome face. "What's wrong, Rosy?"

I looked away, my cheeks immediately heating up at being caught by him. I shook my head, pushing all thoughts about him away. But it was too late. If the grin on his face was anything to go by, Atlas already knew what was going through my mind and he had no intention of letting it go.

The grin on his face widened and he leaned against the counter, getting comfortable.

"You know I could help you if there's anything," he said, his voice all sultry and seductive.

I gulped and immediately scanned the rest of his items.

"That'll be 30 dollars," I said, clearing my throat that suddenly felt too dry. "Do you need a bag?"

His eyes ran over my face, which undoubtedly was bright red, while I stood there praying for him to let this go just one time.

"Nah. I'm good," he said and took out his wallet to pay. "Have a good day, Rosy." He winked at me and then left.