At the meeting spot.

Alex got off work on his first day at 6:30 and went pass the food court to grab a Cinnabon on his way to get the merchandise he’d hidden. After all the excitement of the morning with Chloe, the rest of the day was really boring. Watch cameras, take a walk, watch cameras, take a walk… Alex was glad when it was over and once again wished he was back in his banking job for the millionth time this week. He’d pinned the polaroid John had asked him to take up on the cork board as people to watch out for and tucked the two extra ones into his jackets’ internal pocket.

He was leaving on his car checking his watch, 6:55, when a voice from behind him startled him, causing him to drop the rest of his pastry on the ground.

“Your car’s a piece of shit!”

Alex turned and found it was Chloe who’d very effectively snuck up on him. “I don’t see you driving anywhere,” he snapped back, more annoyed at dropping his Cinnabon than being snuck up on.

Chloe ignore him, instead asking about the phones and other items, “you get the stuff?”

“Yeah in the back.”

Alex had taken a backpack with him that had been left behind by some kids months ago and filled the bag with the stores’ boxes. Chloe and him climbed into the backseat where he pulled it up from where he had hidden it in the footwell. Chloe spoke to herself as she pulled out each of the items in turn, commenting on what she thought she’d be able to sell them for. Alex totalled it up in his head and worked it out as a thousand to $1200 each. Much better than what The Sunshine Mall was paying him.

He helped Chloe load it all back up in the backpack and told her she could take the bag with her as he didn’t need it. With everything packed up, Alex thought he should be heading back home to his wife soon. She wouldn’t be expecting him, she didn’t care when he came home at all but he should be getting home anyway. He was a bit confused when Chloe didn’t show any sign of getting out of his car and taking the stuff with her.

“So, thanks for not getting me arrested today,” she told him after the silence was starting to get long.

“Yeah no problem. It’s not my idea of a job anyway but I’ve got bills to pay, you know,” he said making what he thought was awkward small talk.

“Yeah, I know,” Chloe said before the silence returned again.

Alex didn’t know what he had to say to this girl. He had nothing really in common with her. She was half his age and from entirely different back grounds.

“You want to fool around?” Chloe asked completely out of the blue when it was clear Alex wasn’t going to say anything more.