𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐌𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝 ⁻ ᴬ ᴶᵉⁿⁿᵃ ᴼʳᵗᵉᵍᵃ ˣ ᴹᵃˡᵉ ᴿᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ ˢ ᵗᵒʳʸ

2 - A Coffee Shop Meeting

A Week Later

Ding! Ding!
The tiny bell hung above the door rings, signalling my entrance to the small café. Dylan's mom looks up from her cappuccino and laptop at the intrusion and the burst of cold air coming through. She smiles as she recognizes me and stops her work, almost spilling her coffee on the laptop in the process.
"Y/N, you're here a bit later than usual," she states.
"Yeah, it was a busy day at work," I responded drowsily. "One of the newly born lion cubs caused a bit of a ruckus; it was refusing to be anywhere near any of the other cubs, even when eating."
"So, the usual?" she questioned.
"You know it," I replied contentedly.
As she got to work on the latte, I sat down at one of the free tables next to the window; which at this point in the afternoon was easy to find, all the tables were empty, except the one in the corner which was taken up by an old woman, sipping happily on a coffee while reading a book.
I reached into my wallet and took out the ring from a week prior, mindlessly gazing towards it. The yellow gem shone in the warm, orange sun's rays,  Suddenly, I felt a cautious hand tap my shoulder.
I looked up to see the barista looking at me with a small, yet tired smile.
"You're lattes ready," she stated gently, in her hand the brown beverage.
"Sorry, I must've spaced out," I apologized, as I gratefully grabbed my coffee and returned the ring to my wallet. I hadn't even heard her coming.
"No problem dear," she said as she returned to her desk.
I took a weary sip of the hot, hazel drink, before gazing contentedly out the window. Minutes, hours, days; time went by quickly as I sat relaxedly on that mahogany-wood table.

Ding! Ding!
The familiar noise chimed in my ears, as I managed to return to reality.
"Can I have a cappuccino, please?" a sweet, mellifluous voice asked. I turned towards the melodious sound that had entranced me, and was surprised by what had garnered my attention so easily. The beautiful brunette from the week before had wandered into the small café; you had been looking for her for the last week in an attempt to return the ring, or at least that's what you told yourself every time she had snuck into your thoughts, and now it seemed as if fate had pushed her to come back to you.
Her brown hair was woven with strands of gold and auburn lights, cascading past her shoulders like hazel waves in the sunset. She wore a grey sweatshirt cloaked by a long, black jumper. Sleek, stygian headphones sat atop her brunette locks; an item that seemed a staple in her everyday attire.

She grabbed her coffee from the table and looked around the shop, searching for a place to sit. After a couple of seconds, her soft eyes landed on me: the man that had knocked her over. She put on a warm smile and advanced towards me. As she got closer, I subconsciously bounced my leg up and down, a nervous habit of mine. Why was she coming towards me? Was she angry about me bumping into her? No, that can't be it. She had smiled at me when she left.
During my internal conflict, she came ever closer, to the point she was only a few steps away from my table. My brain was frantically trying to piece together the cause of her approach, but I was unable to solve this problem.
"Hey, Y/N, right?" she questioned lightheartedly as she finally reached my table, interrupting my inner monologue as she removed her headphones. "Do you mind if I sit here?" she asks, gesturing to the empty seat across from him.
"Uh, yeah sure, Jenna. Go ahead," I responded, smiling timidly. Jenna took a seat opposite me and placed her cappuccino on the table. I anxiously felt the strong, wooden table under my bare fingertips, fretting over what to do next. Do I compliment her? Or maybe ask her about the weather? Again, I was unsure of what my next step should be. And then I had it: ask her how the day has been. This would let me get to know about her, whilst keeping the conversation fluid and not awkward.

"So, how's your day been?" I said.
"It's been good, how about yours?" she replied.
"Good," I said. Actually, it was not good. I had been exhausted since lunch, yet I didn't have the time to rest until now when I felt as if I could fall asleep at any point if given the opportunity. But I don't think she wanted to know all of that.
"So what kind of work do you do?" she asked politely.
"Oh, I work in a zoo. Just kind of looking after the animals, that kinda thing," I said.
Her eyes lit up with excitement.
"You work with animals? That's so cool, I love animals!" she said excitedly.
"Really?" I asked happily, a smile starting to form on my face. "What're your favourite animals then?" I queried.
"I mean, obviously dogs have to be up there. But also elephants, and maybe lions I guess," she said, "What kinds of animals do you work with the most?"
"Well, I used to work with nearly all the animals at the zoo, like pandas, meerkats, tigers; all sorts. But more recently, I've been quite focused on the lion cubs. They're only 2 weeks old now, so need to be watched all the time in case of an emergency," I said, "What about you, what line of work are you in?"

At this, she appeared to retract slightly into her seat. I was a bit nervous now: it seemed that I might finally be making a new friend outside of the workplace, and now I might have ruined it. But what could be so bad about asking about someone's job? Was it how I worded it, or maybe my expression? It couldn't be. Something must be wrong, I concluded.
"Is everything alright?" I asked carefully; I didn't want to make her any more nervous.
"Yeah, it's fine. It's not you, don't worry. It's just..." she trailed off. "Well, it's just..." She paused briefly, appearing thoughtful as she carefully weighed her words for the next response. Then she slumped into her seat and took a sip of her coffee. Clearly, she was uncomfortable discussing this particular topic. Glancing quickly at her phone, she checked the time displayed on the screen.
"I'm so sorry, I have to get going now. It was nice talking to you again," she said hurriedly.
"Yeah it was good to finally properly meet you," I responded slightly confused, "I'll see you around, I guess."
"I hope we'll see each other again soon," she said. I nodded my head in agreement.
"Goodbye, Jenna." "Goodbye, Y/N."

At that, she delicately picked up her headphones and placed them over her ears, ensuring that they fit comfortably and securely. She then stood up, and with a final nod of acknowledgement left, the door creaking open and then shutting, and the sound of a ringing bell echoed through the room. I stayed put, experiencing a sense of confusion and bewilderment over the events that had just taken place; how had I messed up that badly? 

As I sat there at the table, going over anything I might have done wrong, a sudden realization hit me. I took out my wallet, placed it on the table, and carefully retrieved the object that had slipped my mind - Jenna's ring. I had forgotten to give it to her. 

"I'll make sure to return it to you the next time we meet," I promised myself quietly under my breath, "I promise."

*****

A.N - I'm sorry for the long wait, and I hope you guys like this. Please let me know about any suggestions for what you want to happen next, or just any corrections I need to make. Bye for now  :)