The Checkout Continued

An attractive teen walks into the grocery store and everyone notices him, especially the young bagger, Connor. The teen applies for a job as a cashier.

A few days later, the teen comes back into the store for an interview. The manager says his name, “Bryan.” They walk up the stairs to the Managers’ office and Connor can’t stop looking at him from behind. He’s so distracted he stops bagging and the customer gets angry. “Hey! Can you bag my groceries!” she yells at him.

A few more days later, Bryan starts his new job as a cashier and says to the female cashier ringing, “I’m coming on for you, I guess.” Connor was afraid this would happen and tries to say hi, but nothing comes out. He kept bagging, but couldn’t take his eyes off the most handsome and attractive boy’s he’s ever seen. He was so nervous, his mind raced about every feature of this boy. His short brown hair, his cute face, his tan skin.

Weeks went by and attraction turned into a crush. Connor cared for Bryan. He felt attached and connected to him even though he knew nothing about him. Connor decided to nothing about this crush, he thought it would just disappear soon. But every time Bryan was his cashier, he became extremely nervous, his heart and mind raced.

A year came and went and Bryan was promoted to an assistant manager in the checkout department. Bryan began to become suspicious that Connor had a crush on him. Connor kept staring at him and watching him. He could feel he was nearby. As Bryan walked around the checkout and saw Connor he would jokingly say, “I love you,” to him. It happened a few times and every time, Connor didn’t answer and looked away. And when his cashier needed help, Bryan would come over, and Connor couldn’t look at him. He looked at the TV in the seating area or watched another order go through at another register.

With a crush, comes obsession, and once Connor found out Bryan’s last name. He scoured the internet for any trace of him, but found nothing. He tried this a few times over the next few months a still found nothing.

One day, in the midst of nervousness and opening up, he said he has a crush on Bryan to a cashier. The cashier said, “He’s attractive, but straight.” Bryan was at the register next to him and heard him say this. He smiled and laughed a little. Connor frowned in embarrassment. Bryan already knew Connor had a crush on him, but now it was confirmed.

Connor had his suspicions too, thinking Bryan was gay. The way he complimented other men and the way he talked about other men, calling them a stud.

Years passed and Bryan went into the Marines. He came back to the little checkout to work again. A lot had changed since Bryan left, managers got transferred, assistant managers were fired, and employees quit. Bryan had finished basic training and had matured. Connor had graduated high school and was now a sophomore in college. But Connor still had a crush on Bryan. It was smaller, but still present.

Next week, Bryan came back to work. He only worked a few days a week, but Connor still couldn’t look at him as he helped his cashiers.

Bryan sporadically worked at the checkout over the next six months and the crush shrank. Connor still found him cute, but he knew he couldn’t have him. He accepted this and moved on with his life. He did find his updated social media account, with a few photos of him. He was happy and may never get over his crush.

One of the assistant managers told Connor to bag for Bryan, the lines were long, so Bryan rang. Connor couldn’t look up at the attractive man, so he looked down and tried to focus on bagging. Bryan wouldn’t talk to Connor.

Bryan predicted a customer would need something and he called Bryan a psychic. Connor noticed the customer forgot a product in his carriage and the customer called him a detective.

“The psychic and the detective,” said the male customer.

“What could have our own show,” Connor said to himself.

“I’ll make sure to tell the detective,” Bryan later said, in response to the customer.

Bryan worked a few days a week until he was redeployed.

One day, it was a normal day, Bryan was working, helping cashiers if they flashed their light. But every once in a while, he would take a drink from his gallon of water jug, and Connor would take a glance at his cute face.

His sixteen-year-old cashier, Britney noticed her bagger staring at Bryan. Connor and Britney had a weird co-worker relationship, they talked, but there was an awkward uncomfortableness between them.

She finally said something, maybe to get his attention or rile him up, “Why didn’t you tell me Bryan was hot?”

Connor didn’t say anything out of embarrassment.

“Your face is so red right now,” Britney said.

“He not hot, he’s cute,” Connor said to himself.

She figured me out! Saying that was her way of saying I’m gay, Connor thought.

Britney continued ringing in the customers’ orders and later tried to apologize as she felt bad.

“I’m sorry, he’s not hot,” Britney apologized.

Connor just shook his head.

Britney took a leave of absence from work, not because of Connor but to focus on school. She even visited once while she shopped. She asked Connor where something was while he was helping to adjust the aisles. He forgot about the incident between them and remembered when she walked away.

Connor continued to work and tried to get over his crush once Bryan went back into the Marines.