MISSING PIECE

CHAPTER ONE

I have a meeting to attend to under five minutes but I need to get some vegetables before I go. Just as I was about to grab an apple, someone bumped into me. I can tell that person was in a hurry. As I turned around to face that person, I saw that it was a young lady in her mid-twenties like me. She was shorter than me by six inches, dark-skinned, casually dressed in a pink t-shirt and blue jeans with a pair of black air sneakers with her long straight black hair cascading her shoulders.

"Wow!" I said to her, "Hey, be careful!"

"I'll t-try to." she stammered. She looked a little embarrassed when I recognized she was staring at me too long. I realized I have an effect on her which caused me to smirk. She starts looking everywhere but me. Yep! I definitely have an effect on her!

"S-sorry." she said, "for bumping into you."

I noticed she was looking at the different stalls and a bit lost. Is she from here?

"It's okay. Don't worry." I said, "Do you need help? You look a little lost."

Her eyes shot up to meet mine.

"Yes...no thanks...I'm looking for the...I'll be fine." she fumbled. An angry expression suddenly filled her face. She looked cute. I'm not leaving her alone. She needs my help, though I'm sure I'm going to have a little trouble with her accepting that. I decided to tease her a little.

"I'm helping you find your way around here without injuries." I said. Her eyes widened and stared at me for a little while in shock.

"Okay." she muttered. I was shocked she agreed so quickly without any refute.

"What are you looking for?" I decided to ask.

"The vegetable stalls." she answered shortly.

"They're lower down to the right." I stated. I tried to think of something else to say that wouldn't sound too awkward or too friendly but nothing came in mind. I couldn't think of any conversation starters and she didn't offer any. We just walked in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable.

"Thanks." she muttered.

I wonder what her name is. Where exactly does she live? I glanced around me before turning my attention to her.

"What's your name?" I asked, voicing one of the many questions on my mind. She just looked at me puzzled. I couldn't help but smirk at her.

"Emma." she said quickly after a moment. Is she trying to get rid of me? I think I heard annoyance with a tiny bit of amusement in her tone. Emma, that's a pretty name, I thought to myself. She picked up a pumpkin and started examining it. A tiny frown was beginning to form on her face.

"What's yours?" she asked. She placed the pumpkin down and began to look at a parcel of beet.

"Travis." I said looking at her. A familiar sensation overcame me, and I glanced up to see Kent hurrying to get out of the market. I looked at my watch to take note of the time. I'm not the only one going to be late.

"I have to go, I'm running late." I tried explaining to her.

"It was nice bumping into you." I said teasingly. She smiled at me and looked a little embarrassed.

"I'll see you sometime soon, Emma." I said before leaving her on her own.

As I neared Kent, I called out to him.

"Travis! What you're doing in the market? Shouldn't you be in the conference room right now?" he inquired.

"Shouldn't I be asking you those questions as well?" I asked. He just looked at me knowingly.