William Finds Love Pt. 01 by BrazenHorse

“Sorry sir, we’re closed now.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” The man protested as he stood in the doorway of the pharmacy. “It’s fucking eight o’clock! I just need one thing!”

William shook his head. “I’m sorry sir. We’re closed.”

“Un-fucking-believable,” the well-dressed man muttered as he stormed off towards his Range Rover. “Fucking bullshit,” he said one last time before driving off.

No stranger to being talked down to, William carried on with locking the door of the pharmacy and heading out to his Toyota Corolla, parked in the far corner of the parking lot as is required of all employees.

As he drove home listening to some NPR host droning on, he again got lost in his thoughts. This was his life. A twenty-two year old loner, no college degree. Working at a pharmacy, barely making ends meet. No girlfriend, no friends to speak of. He had no hobbies. Nothing that made him passionate.

William was always shy growing up. He wasn’t particularly attractive. He was short, skinny, and spent most of high school covered in acne. Despite being very intelligent, he never possessed the financial means or motivation to go to college and ultimately make something of his life.

Instead, this was it. Aimless. Living alone in a small apartment. Not much money. Not much drive. He feared his life would pass him right by.

“I’m here.” The text popped up on William’s phone as he neared the turn into his neighborhood. It was Amanda. She needed William to fix her phone again.

If there was one single bright spot in his life it was certainly Amanda. The two met way back in eighth grade when they were randomly assigned to work on a school project together. They couldn’t have been more opposite. Amanda was the pretty blonde. On the cheerleader team. The volleyball team. The debate team. Top of her class. Prom queen.

William was the quiet, awkward nerd. He never imagined being in the same room as someone like Amanda nevermind talking to her. She was known as the perfect ten. Shining blonde hair, piercing blue eyes. A smile that could illuminate a thousand cities. A stunning physique that fit perfectly in every outfit she assembled.

Working on that one project, however, brought the two unlikely people together for an extended period of time. Amanda was very open to everyone. She had no issues getting to know William. It was he who was uncomfortable at first. But after several long hours together, he opened up. They learned a lot about each other. They grew fond of each other, but more in a sibling sort of way.

Amanda cared deeply for William and they stayed very close over the years. Even as she went off to College and he stayed home, they remained close; often hanging out together on long Sunday afternoons when there wasn’t much of anything else to do. When Amanda needed a break from her many boyfriends or busy plans with family and friends, she spent that time with William. He was her escape from reality.

“Hey,” William said as he opened the door to his apartment and tossed his keys on the counter. Amanda was laying on the couch watching TV. She had her own key to his place. She practically lived there sometimes.

“You look dead inside,” she teased.

“I feel like I died a year ago and now I’m just a walking smelly zombie.”

“You know, scientists don’t actually know what zombies look like. So you could actually be one,” she joked as she sat up and crossed her legs. “There’s so much we don’t understand.”

“Ha ha ha,” William said mockingly. “What did you do to your phone now?” he asked as he took a seat in a chair opposite her. “Toilet again?”

“I completely fucked it sideways,” she said as she examined the device in her hands. As she described what happened to it, William looked her over. She was wearing tight, dark jeans. Her legs looked perfect in them. The black v-neck sweater allowed her ample cleavage to show off. Her blonde hair was in a ponytail.

William never had a girlfriend. He only kissed a girl once. He had no idea what love was. But he knew he had very strong feelings for Amanda. Aside from the fact that she was drop dead sexy and a walking boner-creator, she was sweet and kind. She didn’t look or talk to him like most women did. In fact, most women acted like he was invisible.

Not Amanda. She laughed with him. Made dinners with him. Had long conversations over bottles of wine. They had the perfect relationship. Except that is, for the sex part. William accepted the fact that she was completely out of his league. Just like in eighth grade. He would never stand a chance.

“So that’s it? Just the screen?” he asked. He wasn’t even listening to her story. He understood the minute he saw all the cracks across the glass.

“Yeah, do I need a new one?”

“Naw. Give it to me. I can put a screen on. I have all that stuff.”

As William worked meticulously on her phone at his makeshift workbench, Amanda told him all about the latest happenings in her busy life. She always had so much to say to him. He never minded listening to her talk. He found it adorable, quite honestly. As he worked on the device, he periodically peeked at her on the couch. She was laying down, facing away from him with her feet up on the opposite arm rest. He watched her toes wiggle in her sandals as she spoke. He loved that little quirk about her, but of course would never dare to admit it.

“So… yeah. That was that. I’m not sure he’s gonna get a call back from me,” she said looking back at William. “So how’s it going with that thing? Am I gonna need to go to the Verizon store and shell out money I don’t have?”

“Here,” he said as he stood up and handed her the phone. “Good as new.”

“You really should start a business or something,” she said as she inspected his work. With the brand new glass screen installed, the phone was completely repaired. “This is awesome!”

William shrugged as he sat down on the couch next to Amanda. He turned on the TV. “I try,” he said nonchalantly.

He never really said much around Amanda. For as long as they have been friends and gotten to know one another, he maintained a feeling of nervousness anytime he was with her. It was probably due to him constantly feeling like he didn’t deserve to be so close to her. She was everything he dreamed of. Outgoing. Attractive. Motivated. He never felt like he was enough for her.

Amanda was content to hang out for hours at William’s apartment. He didn’t mind so neither did she. As they sat in silence, William watching Jeopardy while she scrolled her newly repaired phone, she sighed and looked at him. “What’s going on in that big brain of yours?” she asked as she tapped his head. “Hello?” she teased.

“I think it’s Mozart,” he said.

“Hmm?”

“The answer. I think this is Mozart.”

“Who is Beethoven?” the contestant guessed. “Correct,” the host responded.

“Close but no cigar,” Amanda said as William half-smiled. “How’s it going with the whole find a girlfriend thing?” she asked, hesitant to bring up what had proven to be a touchy subject.

William shrugged. “It’s going I guess.”

“Any good leads?” she asked, sitting up and leaning in towards him. She studied his emotionless facial expression.

“Not really. I’ve been busy.”

“William,” she said as she reached for the remote and turned the volume down. “You’re busy with what, the pharmacy?”

She quickly realized that wasn’t a fair comment. “I’m sorry. You know what I mean. You’re such a great guy. I want you to be happy. I want you to have your person.”

“It’s fine, Amanda. You don’t need to worry about me,” William said as he finally turned and made eye contact.

She grabbed his hand. “I do though. I want you to be happy. How’s the dating app thing going?”

William laughed. “Oh yeah, it’s going alright.”

“You didn’t try it?”

“Amanda. Look at you. Look at me. I’m not getting any swipes on a dating app.”

She sighed as she checked him out. He was scrawny and short. He was still wearing his work shirt with khaki pants and cargo pockets. He had on gym sneakers that didn’t go with anything. She suddenly got an idea.

“Oo! Oo! I know. What if we did a complete makeover?”

“What, like… makeup?”

“No! Your wardrobe! Let’s go on a shopping spree. I swear I can get you looking sharp and spiffy, then we can post some good photos for the app!”

William shook his head. “I don’t know, Amanda. It seems like that’s just putting lipstick on a pig.”

“Oh don’t be silly. Let’s go to Nordstrom tomorrow. I want to pick out some clothes for you. My treat?”

William couldn’t deny he liked the idea. Not only would he get some new clothes, but spending the day with Amanda wouldn’t be that bad. “When?”

“I’m free tomorrow. What about you?”

The next day was Tuesday. One of William’s days off. “Ok fine. Just this once.”

Amanda giddily clapped before leaning in and hugging William. He returned the favor by lightly rubbing her back. “This will be so much fun!” she exclaimed.

“Sure it will,” he said skeptically.

————————————–

“Where did the blazer go?” Amanda asked as she ruffled through a pile of clothing they had collected and laid out near the dressing room.

“The blue one? I put it back,” William said.

“Go get it, silly! That was one of my top selections!”

As William fetched the blazer, Amanda laid out her favorite selections on a small bench. She would first have him try a plaid shirt and dark, slim jeans. Then, she had another pair of jeans with a v neck t-shirt and the blazer. She was so excited to see how he looked.

“Here,” she said, handing him the first combination. “Try these.” William begrudgingly took the clothes with him into the dressing room and shut the door. Amanda sat on the bench, crossed her legs and patiently waited.

“Hmmm,” she said as William emerged and stood before her. The clothes were far too baggy and not a good fit. But even so, they didn’t really look very good. “Hate it,” she said.

“See what I mean?” William protested.

“This is trial and error, William. Relax. We’ll find the right combo. Here take these and put them on. I’m gonna go grab another button down.”

William returned to the dressing room and stripped down to his boxers. Amanda found a new shirt and returned to the bench to see how he looked in the next outfit. Suddenly, another man approached the dressing room door and swung it open before Amanda could say anything.