Everybody's Romeo, Nobody's Juliet

Chapter One: The Encounter

Rose Alvarez exited the art supply store feeling annoyed with herself. She promised she'd only buy the colored pencils that she needed but she ended up buying a few paintbrushes, a new watercolor set and a new set of charcoal pencils.

'Damn. I am never going to be able to save at this rate.' she sighed, placing them all inside her sling bag. She unchained her bike from the bike rack. After adjusting the strap of her bag, she began to pedal her way back to Brünninghausen. One of the things she liked about Dortmund is the quiet atmosphere and the fact that she can bike almost anywhere. She pedaled at a steady pace, the late October wind blowing her raven hair all over the place. It was cold and she felt goose bumps rise on her forearms underneath her jacket. Turning at a corner, she saw a group of girls carrying some BVB plastic bags. She smiled. She has been a longtime fan of Dortmund's local club and the main reason she wanted to go to Germany was to watch a live home game in Signal Iduna Park and feel the match atmosphere. So far, she hasn't crossed that out of her bucketlist yet. She can't afford yet a higher category ticket even though she's already working two jobs and the standing place tickets were always sold out. For now, she enjoys watching the game at the pub where she works. 'Someday definitely.' It was still early in the afternoon so she decided to get a cup of coffee at the café where she also works. 'Maybe finish some sketches while I'm there.' She thought. She cut her way through Rombergpark.

"Welcome to - Oh hey, Rose. What brings you here today?" the guy behind the counter greeted. His hair was covered with a small purple visor but bits of his blonde hair were sticking out on the sides.

"Hey Kristopher. I just drop by for a cup and hopefully, finish some sketches."

"So I guess you'll be having Eiskaffee?"

"It's not a guess if you know that's my favorite." She stuck her tongue out at him.

He grinned and added, "And one coffeehouse specialty sandwich." He punched the order on the cash register.

"Hey, don't." she said as she smacked his hand away from the register. "I binged on art supplies today."

Kristopher chuckled, "On me. Let me finish next time."

"Oh no, I couldn't."

"Too late." He said as the cash register cha-chinged and ejected the receipt. "Besides, I owe you for covering my shift when my mom was sick."

Rose smiled, "Thank you. How is she, by the way?"

"Feeling better." He shooed her away. "Are you drinking it here?"

"Nein." She watched him get started on her order. "I was thinking of doing my sketches in the park."

"How's that going?" he asked as he poured the whipped cream on her coffee.

"Oh same old." She laughed. "They always find something that needs changing."

"Well, I think your sketches are great." He said. He saw Rose open her mouth and immediately he cut her off. "And I'm not just saying that because you're my friend. Here." He handed her order in a brown paper bag.

"Danke. I'll leave my bike here, I'll come back for it when I'm done."

She tore the wrapper and took a bite from her sandwich while she walked her away around Rombergpark. 'This place is absolutely beautiful.' Gone were the pastel hues of spring and summer as the trees turned into a fiery explosion of copper and gold. Dried leaves lined the ground like an endless scarlet carpet, crunching underneath her sneakers as she walked. 'Autumn just makes it more breathtaking.' She spotted an unoccupied bench and decided to get started on her sketches. She placed her coffee cup on the bench and pulled out the sketches she was working on. But as soon as she did, a strong gust of wind blew them out of her hands.