Rest Stops Make for Great Meet-Cutes
This is something new I’ve been working on, so I hope you like it!
This is also a birthday present for @keep-a-bucket-full-of-stars - so, happy birthday Leah!!!
Summary: He works at a rest stop and she always stops there on her way to her family’s lake house.
Warnings: No warnings for this one
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Nessa sighed in relief as she took the exit, grateful that she could get off the 648 for at least twenty minutes. Ever since she could remember, the sign for Exit 36 had been her favorite thing. It was the exit her family had always taken in their way to the lake house, since it had one of the nicest rest stops.
As a child, she’s mostly just enjoyed the fact that she’d be getting food, but now that she was driving, she appreciated the break it gave her from Highway 648 - her own personal hell.
In reality, the highway wasn’t that bad. Nessa just didn’t have the patience for ignorant drivers, and after three hours in the car, she needed a break.
Pulling into a parking space, Nessa grabbed her purse and headed for the entrance, enjoying being able to stretch her legs and the feeling of the sun on her face.
Opening the door and getting a blast of cold air to the face, she made her way to the little store with the prepared sandwiches and salads in the back corner of the building.
As she walked by the register, Nessa couldn’t help but notice the guy working it, a rush of warmth flooding her chest as she realized who it was. Fixing her brown hair subtly with one hand, the other one drifted to the strip of skin visible between her high-waisted jean shorts and the jade green crop top she’d paired with them.
Since the year she’d turned sixteen, she’d had a thing for the cashier who always seemed to be working every time her family came up to the lake. Nessa realized how pathetic it probably was to have a crush on a guy who’s name she didn’t even know for five years, but she couldn’t help it. With his dark blue eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair, not to mention the tattoos scattered on his arms, she couldn’t help being smitten.
Grabbing a turkey sandwich with a significant amount of veggies and a bowl of yogurt with granola and strawberries, she made her way to the register, grabbing a bag of chips on the way.
“Hi,” the guy at the counter greeted her. “Is this everything for you?”
“Yeah, this is everything - holy shit, you have a nose ring?” Nessa wanted to smack herself for that, but the sight of the jewelry - which he didn’t have the last time she saw him - had caught her off guard.
“Yeah?” he questioned, looking just as surprised by the question as she felt.
“Sorry,” she blushed. “It’s just - you don’t see many guys with it done, and it’s something I just really love. So, uh, yeah, it looks really good.”
“Thanks,” he chuckled, ringing up her dinner and taking the money she handed him. “It’s true, a lot of guys don’t get it done, but I’ve always wanted it.”
“Well, I really like it. Have a good night.”
“You too.”
Nessa nodded at him before finding a table, her cheeks still burning as she sat down to eat.
~*^*~
She’d just stared on the second half of her sandwich when someone cleared their throat from the other side of the table. “Is this seat taken?”
Looking up, Nessa’s eyes met the deep blue gaze of the guy from the store. “Uh, no, go for it.”
He sat then, setting a salad on the table in front of him. “I’m on break now, so I thought I’d join you.”
“Really? I mean, why?” Nessa couldn’t help the awkwardness; she always got like that with guys she was into.
“Eating along gets pretty boring after a while, and you seem like the type of person I’d get along with.” He paused, taking a bite of his salad. “After all, you are the only person who’s commented on my nose ring.”
He finished his comment with a smirk and a wink, and Nessa couldn’t help but laugh. “I can’t help it - I’ve always had a thing for a guy with a nose ring.”
He shook his head at her then, a giant grin lighting up his face. “Oh, so you have a thing for me?”
Nessa blushed, but held his gaze. “Maybe I just have a thing for your piercing.”
He clutched his heart in pain, but Nessa could see the laughter in his eyes. “Cruel, cruel woman.”
~*^*~
Eventually, he pushed himself away from the table, his break clearly over. “Have a good night,” he called over his shoulder as he walked away.
Nessa began cleaning up her trash, and she had pretty much everything collected when she noticed a napkin that the guy - had she really not learned his name? - must have left behind.
Picking it up, she saw what looked like black ink sprawled across the napkin. Unfolding it, she realized that it was a phone number and a name.
Beau.
Nessa grinned, tucking his number in her pocket for safekeeping before making her way back to her car.
~*^*~
Nessa didn’t have a chance to text Beau until late that night, since her brothers insisted on taking the boat out the minute she pulled into the driveway. That meant she didn’t have a chance to unload her car and unpack until after dark.
It was sometime after 11:00 before she finally had a minute to herself. Picking up her phone, she typed a quick message before she could lose her nerve.
Nessa: Beau? This is Nessa, the girl from the rest stop.
She had her answer within a minute.
Beau: Hey, I’m glad you found my number. I’ve got a random question for you.
Nessa: Okay, shoot.
Beau: You’ve been coming to the rest stop for a couple years, haven’t you?
Nessa: Yeah, why?
Beau: I thought I recognized you!
Nessa: You actually remember me?”
Beau: Obviously. You’re absolutely stunning.
Nessa blinked a couple times to make sure she’d read that right. When she realized she had, it took her a minute to come up with a response.
Nessa: You’re not so bad yourself. You’re one of the most beautiful guys I’ve ever seen.
Beau: Well thank you, beautiful. I hate to cut this short, but I’m supposed to be working. I’ll talk to you later.
Nessa fell back on her bed, a grin taking over her features.
This had been a very good day indeed.
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