From Across The Hall – 8

Barista-guy smiled at him again this morning, though maybe it was really a grimace for Ruben reaching out uninvited to flatten the collar of his shirt. Ruben had been on his way back to work from buying stationery since Mark had bit through the last of their pens, and barista-guy had walked right into his path after stepping off the escalator.

Ruben had frozen. His bag of pens and notepads swung by his side, while his other hand lifted without his express permission to flatten back that colla...