X is for... Xurxo

Blogging From A to Z is a blog challenge where participants post a new item every day (except Sundays), where every item relates to the appropriate letter of the alphabet.  You can find out more over at http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com

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It's National Stationery Week this week, so it seemed appropriate.

Rating: G
Word Count: 401

Xurxo signed his name on the dotted line, and tried not to notice the way the cute guy behind the counter’s eyes widened. Any second now there’d be the inevitable incredulous comment, like he was so clever for noticing, like no one else had even thought to pass comment in Xurxo’s entire twenty- eight years.

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 Xurxo signed his name on the dotted line, and tried not to notice the way the cute guy behind the counter’s eyes widened. Any second now there’d be the inevitable incredulous comment, like he was so clever for noticing, like no one else had even thought to pass comment in Xurxo’s entire twenty- eight years.

“Your signature’s beautiful.”

Xurxo gawped open-mouthed at him.

It wasn’t subtle either: the man’s cheeks tinged pink and he ducked his head. No doubt he was wishing he hadn’t bothered. “I mean…”

Here came the backtracking.

“I mean, the way you form the O, the flourishes of your Xes. They’re amazing.”

This was not going the way Xurxo expected. Normally by now he was explaining his mother’s love of weird names and that the only reason he wasn’t called Chardonnay was down to her changing her mind at the last minute, and had nothing to do with his gender. “Thanks… I think?”

Now he truly looked at him, he wasn’t just a cute guy, he was downright gorgeous. Sun-bleached blond hair, a little dimple on his left cheek when he smiled—although now it was heading towards a grimace—and blue eyes that were fixed on Xurxo despite the uncertainty dancing through them. “I don’t want to sound creepy,” he said, voice barely audible, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Xurxo said. It didn’t take much effort to summon a smile in the face of his shyness. “I’m just… not used to it.”

“That’s a shame.” He cast about for a moment before fishing a notepad and pen out from under the counter. The string of digits he jotted down were all in the most elegant handwriting Xurxo had ever seen; he could barely tear his eyes from it even as it was scooted towards him. “This is my number. I don’t… I mean, not normally,” he dipped his head again, his blush returning, “I don’t make a habit of it, but if you’d like to meet later, we could talk more about it…”

Feeling the heat rise in his own cheeks, he took the sheet, folding it once and slipping it into his pocket. “I’d like that…”

“Maybe later, then?” That shy smile was incredibly appealing.

Xurxo nodded, allowing his smile to grow as he left the shop. Maybe those handwriting classes hadn’t been a waste of money after all.