Root glanced over her shoulder surreptitiously as she pretended to reorganize the incense holders. Part of her job at Bath and Body Works was keeping an eye on customers and Root had no problem keeping an eye on this one. The short girl from her Calculus II class was lurking in the candle aisle, smelling things intently. Her name was Sameen Shaw. They sat on the same side of the lecture hall but had never spoken before. She was very hot, but unfortunately, she had a boyfriend; some axe body spray wearing douchebag.

She'd had been wandering around smelling candles for almost an hour. She'd even picked up a basket on the way in, but hadn't put anything in it. Normally, Root would have chalked it up to a college student trying to de-stress, but the girl was dressed all in black. The ski cap and heavy coat weren't particularly suspicious; it was two weeks before Christmas after all and New York was freezing in the winter. Still, she practically screamed 'I'm trying to be inconspicuous' and 'I barely know what a candle is.'

It wasn't a particularly large Bath and Body Works, so Root was keeping her distance. This was only a part time job, so she didn't really care if Sameen stole anything. This was just the only entertainment she'd had all day. Despite it being the week before Christmas, the store had been pretty dead. Root would have given Sameen her focus even if it had been busy.

Sameen was hot, but she was also smart and that was definitely a turn on. Root had looked at her grades online. Their school's system had been so easy to hack into and Root had access to pretty much everything. That included Sameen's arrest record. It was only a couple minor thefts in high school and a fight at the bar on campus. Nothing that would put Root off.

Root glanced over her shoulder again, but Sameen was gone. She looked around the area, not seeing her anywhere. Quickly moving to her last location, Root spotted her across the aisle in the soap section, beginning her smell regimen again. Apparently, she'd exhausted the candle options.

Wondering why she was going through such an intense deliberation, Root leaned against a shelf and watched as Sameen held two soaps in her hand, looking between the two. Carefully, she held one and then the other under her nose. It was almost funny how long this decision was taking her. Maybe she was buying a gift for someone special. Root wrinkled her nose at the thought of Sameen buying something for her boyfriend to smell.

Sameen started to put one of the soaps into her basket and hesitated. Shaking her head, she put it back on the shelf and dropped the other soap in. She looked over the shelf again and took the soap back out of her basket again, placing it back in its spot. Root rolled her eyes and headed towards her.

"Hello!" she greeted, trying to sound enthusiastic. She stopped an appropriate distance away. "Can I help you with something?"

Sameen tensed and looked at her, her eyes widening in surprise. She clearly recognized Root. Looking away, she crossed her arms. "No."

"Ok," Root said, a little caught off guard. Sameen definitely needed help. She decided to be direct. "Are you here to steal something?"

Sameen's eyebrows shot up, insulted. "Excuse me?"

"Well, you're wearing all black and you've been here for almost an hour without buying something. That's kind of suspicious."

"If I was stealing something, I would have left after 30 seconds."

Root smirked. "Good point."

Sameen took a step forward, forcing Root to back up or get hit. "I'm trying to pick out something that smells good. I'd be out of here a lot faster if you actually sold anything that smelled nice."

Root laughed. "You would know if we sold anything that smelled good. I mean, you've smelled everything."

Scowling, Shaw dropped her basket on the floor dramatically. "I'm leaving."

She started walking toward the door and Root sighed, scooping up the basket. "I was just teasing! Take your time. I like having something nice to look at."

"Whatever." She glared at Root, but she took the basket back. Her eyes ran over Root's body, lingering on the way her half-apron accentuated her waist. Meeting Root's eyes again, she smiled dangerously. "Since you're so eager to talk, you can give me a hand."

"I would love to give you a hand," Root said, putting her hands on her hips. "Where should I put it?"

"Wow," Sameen snorted. "You're not even subtle."

"Oh, sorry." Root widened her eyes, putting on her most innocent expression. She let her body tense like she was shy, the act of pretending coming easily to her. "I don't know anything about flirting, and I've never even been kissed! I didn't even notice that you checked me out!"

Sameen glared at her, but the curve of her lips gave away her amusement. "Uh huh. Can you just help me find something that smells good? I don't have all day."

Smiling, Root dropped the act, her body relaxing. "Sure can do. What kind of good smell are you looking for?"

"Some shit a girl would like," Sameen replied with a shrug.

"Shouldn't you know? You're a girl." Root took a step back and obviously checked her out. "A pretty hot girl."

Another smile tugged at Sameen's lips, and Root knew she was winning her over. Sameen could put on an annoyed act, but she hadn't walked out of the store yet. In fact, she took a step toward Root, her basket dangling from her fingers.

"Do you flirt with all the girls that come in here?"

Root winked. "Just the cute ones."

Chuckling, Sameen gestured with her basket. "Ok, Root. Show me some good smells."

"You know my name?" Root asked, surprised. They'd never spoken before. Sameen did look at her a lot in class, though. She thought she was sneaky, but Root noticed. Maybe she was thinking about dumping her boyfriend and playing for the other team. "I know your name, too. Sameen."

She winced. "Call me Shaw. No one calls me Sameen."

Root pouted, but she led the way back to the soap aisle. "So, how did you learn my name?"

"You talk in class constantly," Shaw answered. "The teacher says your name so much, I'd have to be an idiot not to know it by now."

Smirking, Root twirled a strand of hair around her finger, watching the way Shaw's eyes focused on it. "The teacher calls on me, but she doesn't use the right name. How do you know I go by 'Root'?"

Shaw flushed, her excuse falling through. They reached the soap aisle and she snatched a bar of the shelf. "I must have seen something on Facebook. Look, are you going to help me, or not? Isn't that your whole job?"

"I don't think I believe you, but I'll let it go." Root pushed herself off the shelf and turned to face it. "Are you interested in boys or girls?"

"Excuse me?"

Root grinned, leaning closer. "Who are you shopping for? A man or a woman?"

Her eyes narrowing, Shaw didn't move away. She leaned in, too, her coat brushing against Root's arm. "A woman."

"Anyone I know?"

Shaw glared at her for a second longer before shaking her head, a teasing smile tugging at full lips. "No. She's not in our class."

Raising an eyebrow, Root tore her eyes away, turning to the shelf of soaps. "I'm surprised you aren't buying something for your boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Shaw repeated, distastefully. "You mean Tomas? He's a good time, but he's not my boyfriend."

Root smiled to herself, pretending to look for a soap. "So, a girlfriend then. She's a lucky woman."

Groaning, Shaw shifted her basket from one hand to the other. "Just ask if I'm single. I am, by the way. I'm not really the dating type."

"Me neither," Root murmured, tossing her hair over her shoulder and meeting Shaw's eyes. "I don't need a relationship to be satisfied."

Shaw gave her a knowing look before glancing down at the bar of soap in her hand. "Glorious Morning." She sniffed it and pretended to gag. "Yuck. Smells like my grandmother."

Taking it from her, Root looked at the ingredients. "Hyacinth and lavender. So, we know those are bad. Hmm." She traded the bar for another. "How about this?"

Shaw reached out a hand for it, waiting for Root to put it on her palm. She curled her fingers, brushing them against Root as she moved the bar to her nose. Her eyes met Root's, dark and mysterious. The look made heat pool in Root's stomach, and she had to take a breath and compose herself.

"Ew, no," Shaw muttered. "Midnight Terrace? What the fuck kind of names are these?" She turned the bar of soap over. "Lilac and Honey. It's too much."

Root laughed as she tossed the bar onto the shelf. "Ok, picky. Well, what kind of stuff does this girl like?"

"Uh, I'm not sure." Shaw put her basket on the floor. "I… haven't talk to her before."

Root froze as she put the pieces together. Shaw already knew her name, she was buying something for a girl she'd never talked to, and she'd been flirting with Root this whole time. Licking her lips, Root held back a grin, nodding seriously instead.

"I see." She put the bar of soap back and wandered down the aisle to the lotions. "If I was getting a gift from someone, that implied a lot of intimate contact, I think I'd prefer lotion over soap. It's more versatile."

"Interesting." Shaw casually followed after her, sticking her hands in her pockets. "You wouldn't want to be… intimate in the shower?"

Root lifted an eyebrow playfully. "I'm more than willing to be intimate in the shower. I just like lotion, because it because it gives you an excuse to really work someone's body."

Shaw nodded thoughtfully, her cheeks turning a soft red. She stepped into Root's personal space and acted like she was perusing the bottles. "I do like to work bodies. Although, I usually get complaints that I'm too rough."

"Really?" Root breathed, her heartbeat quickening. "I think a good massage should be a little rough. If it doesn't leave you sore, what's the point?"

"I agree." Shaw glanced at her again. "Which lotion does your boyfriend buy you?"

Root laughed loudly, Shaw's question surprising it out of her. The idea of dating a boy was hilarious. She had never liked a boy in her life, and she honestly forgot about them if they weren't around. Brushing her hair from her face, Root grinned at Shaw.

"I'm single," she said, still chuckling, "and I only like girls. No one buys me lotion, Shaw. I buy it myself and use it with anyone I want."

Reaching for a bottle, Shaw hesitated. She let her hand fall heavily onto the shelf and then looked up at Root. "You know I'm buying this for you, right? Like, you got that?"

"Oh, I got it."

"Well, then, just pick something, so I can buy it and we can go use it."

Frowning, Root gestured to the store around them. "I'm in the middle of my shift. I can't just leave the store four days before Christmas. I'd get fired."

Shaw hesitated, awkwardly stepping away. "Oh. Right. I guess-"

"I'm totally fucking with you," Root said, grinning. "Let me close up."

She started walking away, but remembered herself and went back to where Shaw was still standing, staring after her. Grabbing Shaw's shoulders, she shoved her into the shelves, knocking over the perfectly lined bottles of lotions. Shaw only had the chance to look surprised for a second before Root's mouth covered her own, their bodies pressing together.

Shaw's hands found Root's waist instantly, pulling her even closer. Her mouth was demanding against Root, insistent and aggressive. It made Root melt in her arms, ready for even more. She wished Shaw could rip her clothes off right here and take her on the floor, but there were cameras everywhere and Root didn't want the extra work to delete the footage.

She pulled herself away before she could change her mind. "I'll be right back," she panted into Shaw's mouth. "If we go to my place, I've got plenty of stuff we can use. Everything I own smells good."

"What if I want to buy you something?" Shaw asked, her eyes half-closed and mouth half-open.

Root kissed her again, sinking her teeth into Shaw's lower lip until she groaned. "You can buy me dinner later. We'll need the energy."

Shaw's hands untied Root's apron and threw it aside. She tugged up Root's shirt, her hands spreading over soft skin. "What do I get out of this?"

"Hmm," Root hummed against her lips. "I'm going to make this the best Christmas you've ever had. If you're really nice, I'll let you stay 'til New Year's."

"Don't worry," Shaw said, digging her nails into Root's hips. "I'm always nice."

"Too bad." Root pulled herself away, swiping her apron off the floor, and heading for the break room. "I prefer my women to on the naughty list."