Half Hearted

Chapter Two

| Teresa |

Since the other night had caused me to consume foods I couldn't even dream of consuming in the city - partly because of my wage, and also because of my 'healthy' dieting - I woke myself up early to go for a jog. Although the city - with its high expenses - prevented me from eating lots, it also prevented me from having severe coronary disease. And since my family was known for its long list of strokes, I had to take care of my body much more than the average person would.

At first I decided to only jog around the neighbourhood, as I didn't remember much of the streets anymore, but after a while I felt the need to go sight-seeing in the little town. It wasn't much of a sight, as the tiny shops were all still closed before sunrise, but I managed to get around town fast enough for me to head back home in time.

I was going to do that - head back home - until I saw someone that caught my eye. He was wearing a different style of clothing, one that isn't usually seen at a small town. His clothes were rugged, torn, and I noticed that he had no keys hanging down the side of his belt loop - something my town was known for.

Choosing to jog the opposite side of the street to get a better view of him, I slowed my pace down until we were about ten yards apart. At first a thought was nagging at me, a name struggling to form at the tip of my tongue. And then I started to notice his well-defined jaw. And then as I got closer, I noticed the familiar tattoo on his neck. "Ash Stymest?"

From under his hood, I saw that his eyes were wide - panicked. My head tilted slightly, and I saw that it was, indeed, him - from his untamed eyebrows. "It is you! Wow, out of all the places I thought I'd see you again, it's here in our little town!"

Before I knew it, he was dashing to get away from me. Raising an eyebrow, I looked around to see that no one was around us. Was he in any sort of danger? Did he really need to get to some place? Instead of letting him be, as my most rational thought would propose, I chased after him and we ended up in the alley behind my aunt's coffee shop. "What's with you?" I asked, out of breath because of the run. Jogging, I could do. Running was a whole different story.

He looked at me, annoyed. "Don't say my name ever again, alright?"

I was taken aback. What wrong had I done to him just by saying his name? "Why not?"

Giving a loud sigh, he rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm not supposed to be here, okay? Now, don't tell anyone you saw me here."

Before making a remark about how this town was about the population of a hundred, I raised my eyebrow at him one last time and then went to unlock the back door to my aunt's coffee shop. I knew the password because I used to work there, back when I was a teenager. "Here, I'll get you a drink before you freeze out there."

I could tell he hesitated because I didn't hear any movement behind me as I walked through the door, but shortly after he followed closing the door behind him. I set down my iPod on the counter and turned on the stove. 

Ash looked around the shop, seemingly paranoid about the security cameras. "You said you saw me before. Where?"

"You knew my friend, actually, and she got invited to one of your runways at the Elite in Manhattan, so she brought me along with her," I told him, just as I'd finished boiling the water.

"What's her name?"

"Oria."

"Yeah, I don't know her," he stated bluntly, still looking around at the miniature coffee house. I didn't understand why he was looking around so much; there was nothing to see.

"How do you not know her? You talked to her after your runway thing, and even though I didn't hear you guys talking, I'm pretty sure you guys were hitting it off."

"My agency tells me who to talk to; I don't make these decisions myself. She must've been important or something. Important enough to be invited," he told me, finally taking off his hood and revealing his messed up hair.

When I finished with the drinks, I handed him his tea and sat down on the chair in front of him. Taking a look at his face, I noticed that his eyes were creating bags that made him look about the same species as a raccoon.

"So why can't you be here?" I asked after taking a sip of my hot drink. I could tell that the tea was good to him, judging from his facial expression. It seemed he hadn't had a hot drink in a while. "Hold on, I'll grab some cookies."

He didn't speak as I headed to the storage and grabbed some of the cookies that were about to expire. Then I sat back at the chair and laid down the chocolate chip cookies, grabbing a couple for myself so that he'd feel comfortable enough to get some of his own.

"Again, enlighten me on why you can't be here?" I questioned, already halfway on the delicious ball of dough.

"I don't know who you are - I'm not telling you anything," he shrugged, dipping the cookie in his tea and continuing to eat it.

"That's a valid point," I nodded, a bit hurt by his answer. "But still, I could be a person who blackmails people into revealing information about where a certain person is, or not. Depends on how you're going to play your cards first."

Ash's jaw tensed as he considered his options, then roughly stood up and almost knocked his chair over. "Fine," his voice was low and threatening. "You go tell them whatever the hell you want."

Before he had the chance to leave, I sighed and called out to him. "Hey, wait!" Quickly jotting down my number on a map of the small town, I handed it to him. "Here, if you ever need anything."

He gave the map a glance and just stood there as I awkwardly held my hand out. "What's that for?"

"It's a way to contact me in case you ever need to hide from certain people again," I explained.

"You don't know anything," he said through his teeth. His fists were clenched at his sides, and a vain was becoming noticeable on his neck. "Keep your shit. I don't need pity from anyone else."

He left after giving me a death glare, and I exhaled at my pathetic attempts. What did I think would happen? He would run into my arms and thank me for being his damsel of a saviour? Chuckling bitterly, I cleaned up the mess and closed the shop.

I didn't even bother to think about it the whole day.