Lost Focus At Work

Anonymous Flushed Temptress #386 · General

I started this night-shift gig about six months ago at a small convenience store on the edge of town. It's usually pretty quiet, but there's always something to keep an eye out for and it keeps me busy enough that I don't think much about my own problems while working. But tonight... things are different. I just got out of a long-term relationship with someone who turned out to be more into their work than spending time with me, which is hard when you're night shift. We were both in our twenties and had been together since we graduated college. She said it was my fault for not being around during the day, but I think she just wanted a way out after realizing she could get promoted faster as a single. Tonight's been weird from the start. An old friend dropped by with a new guy, both in their thirties, they're married now and visiting for the holidays, even though my place isn't that far from theirs. I hadn't seen them since the big breakup announcement at Thanksgiving last year. Anyway, she said it was 'nice catching up', but it felt forced and I could tell her husband didn't want to stick around either. So here I am now, three hours into my shift alone, just starting to get in that rhythm where you're not worried about the work piling up too fast. But suddenly, out of nowhere, she texts me. It's been weeks since we spoke last, I thought it was over for good. She says something cryptic like 'miss you' or 'I've been thinking about us', and then asks if she can come see me at the store. Of course, my mind starts racing. Is this a trap? Did her husband know she was coming here tonight too? I mean, he's not exactly thrilled to be seeing me again either after what happened last year. After a bit of back-and-forth texts, we arrange for her to come in around midnight. And then she shows up and it's like time stands still. We talk, more than just small talk this time, it's been months since we had any real conversation that wasn't about who was leaving or how awkward things were getting. But there's still that pull, something between us even though everything should be over. And before I know it... well, you can probably guess what happens next without me needing to go into detail. It feels wrong on so many levels, betraying a trust, breaking my word when we said 'this isn't happening again'. But there's also this tiny part of me that's holding onto the hope maybe things aren't really over. I'm not sure what to do from here and it's already affected how much attention I can pay to work tonight.