Half Brain, Whole Heart

Chapter 1

Roland Baird felt like he was drowning in his own sweat the moment he set foot in the café. The café was full of people, the air was dense with the smell of coffee and perfume, and every set of eyes seemed to be focused on him and his date. It was a miracle he hadn't turned tail and run for the door, but as he made his way to the outdoor seats he could almost feel the eyes on him, silently judging him in a way that made his skin crawl.

Adrienne Garrison had done up her hair in a beautiful updo, and her makeup was flawless, but her heart was racing out of her chest. It felt like there were a thousand butterflies in her stomach, and she could feel her throat go dry as she stepped out of her apartment and into the cold January air. She walked down the street towards the mall where the café was, her breath coming out in little clouds of fog as the cold breeze hit her face. She could feel nervous energy crackling through her body, and she couldn't help but wonder if that was how Roland felt too.The café was a popular local spot, and the wait for a table was a solid thirty minutes. Roland chose to spend that time anxiously thumbing through his book, nervously glancing at the door from time to time, hoping that Adrienne wouldn't be too late. He couldn't help but feel like the people in the café were staring at him, their judgmental eyes digging into him. It took everything he had not to get up and run for the door. That was, until the bell of the door rang out, and a moment later, Adrienne appeared in the doorway. She took one look at Roland and blushed heavily, biting her lip and looking away awkwardly. He could see her cheeks were red with embarrassment, and he immediately felt like an idiot. He hadn't even stood up to greet her, and she looked at him with those big brown eyes— eyes that seemed to stare straight into his soul. "Is this seat taken?" She asked, her voice soft and sweet. Roland suddenly realized he was still holding his book in one hand, and he looked up for the first time to meet her gaze.

Adrienne tucked a stray platinum blond strand of hair that had escaped her updo behind her ear. She could see he was as nervous as she was, she was just better at hiding it. Ever since "The accident" had left her with Amnesia she had to hide a lot of her feelings, like her confusion when meeting a relative she didn't remember, and she was told she was engaged to someone before "The Accident" but according to the woman who claimed to be her mother he died in "The Accident".

Roland set the book down, his hands now shaking uncontrollably, all nerves and fear. The café was still full of people, talking, laughing, sipping coffee and eating muffins. The café was a beautiful place, but to Roland, it felt like a torture chamber. "Are you ok?" Adrienne asked, her voice soft and sweet. She reached out to place a hand on Roland's arm, but he flinched away from her touch, unable to hide his fear. The waiter came over and asked to take their order. Adrienne was startled out of her concern for Roland, and she looked up quickly to see a young woman standing next to their table, a notepad on her arm. "Do you need a moment?" The woman asked, her tone polite. This was the first time Adrienne noticed the name on the apron— "Caitlyn.". Caitlyn turns toward Adrienne and smiles. "Adrienne, it's so nice to see you again. It's been so long!" Caitlyn says and Adrienne tries to hide her realization that this was one of her friends from before "The Accident". "It's good to see you too!" Adrienne replies convincingly with her natural charm that she would never be able to forget no matter how many times she could get Amnesia."We can ketchup on each other later, so I'll just take your order and leave you two alone. So what can I get you two?" Caitlyn inquired.

" I'll have a latte." Adrienne answered, her voice soft and sweet. It was good to know that her order didn't change.
"I'll have the same please," Roland said, his voice small and shaky. He still had all of his emotions from earlier flooding into him, making his chest feel tight and his breath come in short little gasps. The waiter nodded and scribbled down the order quickly before she gave one more smile and left to head back to the kitchen. Roland turned back to Adrienne and tried to say something, but his tongue felt like it was frozen in his mouth. He swallowed down more nerves than saliva as he waited for the latte to arrive.

As Adrienne waited for her order, she thought about "The Accident". She didn't really know what happened during "The Accident", just that it killed the fiancee she didn't remember, and left her with Amnesia. She didn't know if it was a car accident, a plane crash, or a train accident, it could be none of those. Finally, Caitlyn came back with the lattes, she had a bounce in her step and it made her ginger ponytail bounce about as well, her hazel eyes were sparkling. After handing Adrienne and Roland their lattes, she smoothed her white button down shirt with a Peter Pan collar, and her black pencil skirt, then straightened her name tag, it was clear that she loved her job and cared how her uniform looked.

Roland took a sip of the latté, and he felt his nerves settle just a little bit. He looked back at the café, taking in the bustle of people, and he felt a lot less like he was going to burst into tears at any moment. Roland turned back to Adrienne, and tried to think of something to say. He still didn't feel comfortable talking to her without using his book as a shield, but he was trying his best anyway. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the book, and looked at the cover. It was a copy of Hamlet, with a red leather cover and Hamlet spelled out in gold on the cover. He needed some time to settle his nerves so he excused himself and stood up, accidentally knocking over the table in the process, and spilling the lattes. "I'm so sorry!" Roland apologized, his face turning a shade of red that seemed physically impossible to reach and getting redder by the minute.

The table and the lattes flew all over Adrienne. Luckily the lattes were hot enough to warm you up inside, but not hot enough to burn you, and the table wasn't that heavy but the date still was a disaster. As Adrienne listened to Roland's repeated apology for knocking over the table, she looked him in his sea blue eyes and said " It's ok, it was an accident."

Roland stared at the spilled drinks and the table lying on the ground. The café patrons were definitely looking at them now, some with shock, and others with concern and pity. Roland blushed again, and he felt himself sink down into the chair, his hands curling up and gripping the arms of the chair so hard that his knuckles went white. "I'm so sorry" He muttered, his voice now no louder than a whimper. Roland was so embarrassed that he wished he could cover his face up with his floppy dirty blond hair and become invisible to all of the people around him. Roland tried to keep his eyes on the table, but he kept feeling the disapproving looks of the other patrons burning into his back. A few of them started to whisper, and a couple of the surrounding tables moved a little bit further away. That only made Roland feel even worse. He closed his eyes, and tried to focus on something, anything, other than the burning embarrassment and shame. He started to take deep breaths, hoping that he would calm down soon. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do.

As Adrienne lifted the table off of her she heard screams echoing through the mall outside. "ZOMBIES!!!" she heard someone scream outside. "Wait, did someone just say zombies!?" Roland asked hoping it was some prank or he misheard. "I think someone did say zombies." Adrienne answered.