The small screen of the kindle flashed to the next page after my thumb glided across the centre. Warmth surrounded me in the corner of the small café around the table that I always sit at. I gently placed the device on the table before taking hold of the handle of my mug and raising the steaming, hot chocolate to my lips to take another sip. My eyes wandered to the window and the outside world; the bustling streets of people laughing, others on the phone and older couples linking their arms with one another so that they don't get separated in the crowd. The slow-moving traffic on the road, boredom evident on many drivers' faces as they move barely inches forward in the tightly packed queues of vehicles.
"Four down, six spaces, the capital of Russia," Carol's soft voice echoed across the quiet, empty café, pulling me back from my thoughts.
A small chuckle left my lips as I rose to my feet and walked over to the counter that she was perched behind, my mug still held in both of my hands. I rested my elbows up on the counter and glanced down at her crossword puzzle.
"Moscow," I stated, looking back up at the sweet, elderly woman.
Her eyes lit up and a warm smile appeared on her lips, "thank you, dear," she replied as she filled in the spaces.
I lifted my mug to my lips once more and gulped down the last mouthful of my hot chocolate. Placing the white, empty mug at the end of the counter, I quietly made my way back to my table in the corner of the small café. I pushed my arms through the sleeves of my jacket and pulled the zip up. My hands gripped my kindle as I unlocked it to find out what the time was: 13:47. Cramming it into my bag and throwing it onto my shoulders, I padded towards the door.
"See you on Monday, Carol,"
"Have a good weekend, love," she called from across the café.
"You too," I replied before pushing the door open and walking outside. The streets were still just as busy as earlier, people weaving between one another to get to their own destination. Tugging my zip slightly higher and lifting up the collar of my jacket to shield myself from the icy-cold breeze, I turned to the right and started walking along the pavement. I glanced at each of the shops that lined the streets; small clothes stores, sweet shops, a couple of music stores with guitars and a couple of vinyl records in the window and also a small DIY store with a large sign on the front which read: SALE 30% off all drills. I dug my hands into my pockets and continued walking down the busy street. Eventually, I reached the end of the lively town; the streets became less crowded and the traffic was ceasing. Making sure that there were no cars coming from either direction, I quickly hopped across the road and took a left turn and squeezed through a narrow metal gate, leading into a large woodland area. I strode down the dirt-path and weaved through overgrown bushes and low-hanging tree branches.
Behind me, a twig snapped and I froze in my tracks. Immediately, I turned around to observe my surroundings but I couldn't see anything or anyone. Panic rose in my chest and my heart thumped in my throat. I could feel my face heat up as I swivelled on the spot, scanning the woodland from all directions before cautiously returning to the direction that I was walking in and continued to move forward. As I started walking once again, I heard footsteps behind me and so I forced my legs to move quicker. The footsteps picked up speed until I was running as fast as I could manage and they were following not far behind. All of a sudden, a hand gripped my shoulder and pulled me back, turning me around to face the mysterious chaser. I gulped and held my breath, closing eyes as I was whirled round.
"Hey, I'm so sorry that I scared you," I've heard that voice before, "I honestly didn't mean to. I-I,"
As I opened my eyes, a familiar pair of piercing blue ones were revealed. They were filled with worry and guilt and his brows were furrowed, causing his forehead to crease under his fringe.
"I honestly didn't want to scare you, I was just taking a short cut on my way home when I saw you and-" I released the breath that I was holding, glancing at the ground before looking back up to meet his eyes. He took his hand from my shoulder and ran both his hands through his hair, tugging at it slightly. He repeatedly glanced around us as he panicked. "Crap - I just wanted to say 'Hi', I never got your name,"
"Bailey," I couldn't hide the amused smile appearing on my face. He turned around to face me once again, his hands still in his hair.
"What?"
"I'm Bailey,"
Immediately, his eyes softened and he slowly dropped his hands from his hair which was now messy and ruffled. A smile emerged onto his face as he looked down at me.
"Josh," after a short pause, his brows furrowed again, "how come you're walking through here alone when it's getting dark?"
A cold breeze hit me, causing a shiver to rack through my body, "I was just on my way home, I always cut through here," I pulled the collar of my jacket up higher.
Josh raised his brows at me as I gave him a nonchalant shrug.
"Here," he unzipped his jacket and shook it off of his shoulders, revealing a dark grey t-shirt which was tight around his body, showing off the muscles which he had, and put it around me before I could protest. He gently threw his right arm over my shoulders and pulled me closer to him. "Better?" he asked, smiling down at me. How is he not affected by the cold? Another breeze surrounded us, carrying the smell of his aftershave to my nose as I inhaled. My eyes briefly closed as I let out a quiet sigh before I hugged his jacket around me. I looked up at Josh and nodded "good, I'm walking you home,"
We began to walk up the dirt-path and after a few minutes, emerged at the top of my street. We padded across the empty road and approached my front door. He reluctantly dropped his arm from my shoulders and I turned to face him.
"Do you want to come in for a while? It's freezing," I glanced up at him and his eyes locked with mine.
"Thanks but I should go, it's getting dark," he smiled down at me, his pale blue eyes still staring into mine. I nod and start to shrug his jacket off before he stopped me pulling it back around my body.
"Keep it so you can stay warm, you can always give it back to me in school," a blush crept onto my cheeks and I smiled. I turned on my heel and unlocked the door, glancing over my shoulder before stepping inside.
I gave him a shy smile, "bye, Josh,"
"See you around, Bailey," he shoved his hands into his pockets as he turned around and disappeared down the street, into the darkness.
