Right Behind You

Chapter Thirty-One: Side Effects

"I can touch the ceiling with my feet, I can, I can
Hidden from the street with you, and I know this is not our place
But we can always live as if it is, we can, we can
Paris is a dream come true
And we don't even need to explore

I got out, I got free, you don't got no hold on me
I don't feel no side effects when you're gone
I want love, I got some, thank god it isn't what it was
I don't feel no side effects when you're gone."

-Shura (side effects)

Kae:

I started hanging out more frequently with Hartley's friend group. I was mostly there for the drinks and how it made me feel afterward when I had just the right amount. Happy Kae was right, I should've gone out more because now I got to feel good, just like her. I felt happy. All as long as I had my drink in my hand, we were both happy.

I also ended up working downstairs in the hardware shop with Hartley, there was a job opening there and I didn't initially want to do it, but happy Kae said she was bored upstairs and could use some entertainment. Hartley ended up asking me if I was interested when I returned from another forced shopping trip with happy Kae and she made me agree to it. We ate at the diner almost every other day when we could when we didn't, she made me make us breakfast upstairs. I also wasn't allowed to see my bestie, so it was a little hard but I was making do.

"Hey Kae, do you think you could restock the lightbulbs for me? The boxes are in the backroom labeled...shouldn't be too hard." Hartley asked me. He walked over to where I was standing at the register, finishing packaging a customer's order. I handed the customer the purchased items with the receipt in the bag and he thanked me.

"Have a nice day," I said quietly. Hartley said I should be a bit friendlier when greeting and sending the customers off so that I leave a good impression. I wasn't really used to this kind of face to face interaction with people for a while, usually working as an emergency surgeon they just brief you on the patient and what injury they had, how it happened, and it was straight off to the emergency room. From time to time we would make acquaintances with the patients in the recovery room if they made it and they would thank us, then we would be on to the next one.

"Sure." I made sure the register was locked before making my way to the back room where the supplies were being held. I looked around the room for the box labeled lightbulbs and found it wedged between two other large ones. I grabbed the box that was relatively easy to carry and made my way back into the store where the appliance aisle was. I set the box down and began taking out the packaged bulbs to put them in their respective places. I did this for a while, kind of tuning out everything and essentially tunneling once more. Noises, sounds, people around me I did not hear as I just focused on this task entirely.

"You're so good at this, Kae. I see an employee of the month in your future."

"Thank you."

"We should go out to celebrate tonight."

"For what?"

"Your job. Celebrate being there for a month now!"

"Okay."

"Or maybe we can have our own private party. Go to the liquor store and buy drinks, so we don't have to share." Happy me suggested.

"Maybe," I replied.

"Excuse me, miss? Excuse me?" I turned around slowly from my crouched position to make acquaintances with whoever was trying to capture my attention. My eyes fell on this stubby looking old man. He had graying hair and freckles all over his face. He smiled widely at me and I stood up.