Read Eventide (Her Father, My Master) for Free Online

his head. “Dude, I'm not angry. That was just a little crazy for me. I'm kind of an
    introvert.”
    “And introvert?”
    “Yeah, you know, I like to keep to myself, I like to be alone, I like quiet.”
    “Oh, I know what an introvert is,” I blushed. “I just never would have pegged you for one. You
    always seem so energetic.”
    “I'm good at faking it.”
    “Oh.” I thought with a start that maybe I was the same as Derrick. I just wanted to be alone too, right
    now, not ducking through a malls filled with hundreds, if not thousands, of people. “So, what are you
    thinking about getting for your sister?”
    “I have no idea. She likes music. Maybe I should just get her a gift card to iTunes.”
    I wrinkled my nose. “That's kind of lame. What kind of music does she like?”
    “Oh, pop music. The stuff on the radio. You know.”
    I blanked. I actually didn't know a single popular artist at the moment. Most of my music listening
    time was spent listening to obscure channels on Pandora, now. I wanted to see how weird music could
    get, and I got an answer, there. “Yeah,” I said, lamely not offering a single band. “What else does she
    like?”
    “Um. I don't know.”
    “What about-” I furiously swiveled my head around at each store we passed. People were jostling me
    left and right, the crowds were so thick, and at the moment I just wanted to escape into one of the stores.
    “What about tea?” We were fast approaching one of those expensive chain tea boutiques.
    “Huh, I don't know. That might work. Let's look around.”
    I exhaled with relief as we stepped into the quiet store. Blessed silence. No crowds. Just me,
    Derrick, a few other customers and an employee or two.
    “You know anything about tea?” Derrick asked as he picked up a heavy looking iron teapot. I didn't
    even know one could brew tea in an iron pot.
    “Not a lot,” I admitted. I had never been much of a tea drinker, and the entire store was confusing to
    me. “Um. Genmaicha is good,” I offered. It was one of the few teas I did know, and it was a good nutty-
    flavored tea. “And it's cheap,” I added with a slight smile.
    “Perfect,” Derrick grinned, and just then, an employee tracked us down, probably sensing our
    confusion and picking us out as an easy target.
    As Derrick explained his situation to the cheery young woman who seemed all to eager to sell him as
    much as possible, I meandered through the store, fingering the various cups and pots, smelling some of the
    available teas. I'd never been much of a tea drinker, or a coffee drinker for that matter. The only hot
    liquid I'd ever really cared for was hot chocolate, and in the heat of the summer, I didn't exactly drink
    much of that, either. It boggled my mind how customers could come into the coffee shop every day and
    order a steaming hot cup of coffee. Especially on days where it was over a hundred outside, which
    would become too often all too soon.
    “Do you need any help?” a young man asked, pulling me out of my reverie with a start.
    “N-no, I'm good,” I stammered. I mentally cursed. Was I so unused to crowds, to other people, that
    even someone starting a conversation with me could scare me so much?
    “What kind of tea to you like?” the young sales associate persisted.
    “Oh, I don't drink tea,” I said absently. He was rather cute, with large brown eyes and short, curly
    hair. “I'm here with him.” I jerked a thumb in Derrick's direction.
    The employee seemed to deflate at my words, and I wondered whether it was because I was so
    disinterested in the tea, or because I appeared to be taken. Which I was, just not by Derrick. “Sorry,” I
    added.
    “Oh, it's all right. Let me know if you need anything.” With that, he wandered off to assist another
    customer. Or possibly harass them. The employees at this store seemed a little pushy, judging by how
    that girl was treating Derrick. He already had an armload of merchandise that he didn't seem to