The Missing Piece Of Our Puzzle

Chapter 31

The air is becoming cold...

I jog down the sidewalk, the autumn air crisp and cold to my lungs. It's been over a month since I moved into this town and I'm really happy I did. The people are friendly and the shops around the area are so welcoming and nice.
The three boys keep in contact with me and keep me informed on how everyone was doing. I'm grateful that they are being nice to me because God knows I don't deserve it.
I jog past the park, deciding to jog a little further today. Maybe it'll help clear my head from all the stress, anxiety, and bad thoughts I've been having. I jog past a couple taking their dog on a walk and smile a little when the dog tries to follow me.
I eventually stop at a small cafe and decide to walk in and rest a bit before jogging back home. I walk in and immediately am hit with the smell of coffee and baked goods. A slight smile makes it to my face as I walk further into the cafe.
"Good morning! Haven't seen ya around here before, ya new?"
I turn towards the voice to see a rather elderly woman walking to the front counter with a smile on her face. Her crow's feet adding to her charming smile. I can't help but smile back at the elderly woman in return.
"I moved around here about a month ago. I didn't know that there was such a charming place here or I would have come sooner." I say as I look at the glass display of many baked goods.
"Ah yes. Me and my soulmate had built this little cafe from the ground up. Sadly, he didn't make it long enough to see it start thriving." The woman says.
"I'm sure he's looking over you now and probably has the biggest smile on his face." I say and the woman smiles, her eyes becoming misty.
"Would you like something to eat or drink, dear?" She asks after she composed herself.
"Just a Carmel coffee please." I say politely.
The woman nods and heads off to make my drink. I sit down at a table and look out the window at the autumn trees. I didn't know I was lost in a trance until the sound of a coffee cup being placed on the table made it to my ears. I looked over at the woman and smiled as I looked down at the coffee. The woman sat across from me and we started a conversation about anything that came to mind.
A good few minutes later the bell rang to signal someone entering the cafe. Looking up, I froze. It was Jin. I looked at the woman in front of me as she started to stand up. I immediately stood up, and helped her get to her feet.
"Thank you, dear. These legs don't work like they used to." The woman says with a bitter smile.
"It just proves how hard you work to keep your dream alive." I say with a smile, unaware of Jin looking at us.
I watch the woman go back to the counter to take Jin's order. I sit back in my chair and sip on my coffee. I see Jin sit across from me but no words seem to form in my mouth.
"I didn't know you came here." Jin finally speaks after a few seconds of silence.
"I just found this place today while I was on a jog. It gives me a sense of comfort already." I say quietly, not looking at Jin's face.
"Don't you live in the apartments in the town over?" He questions, confusion evident in his voice.
"So no one is saying anything, huh?" I mumbled to myself before looking at Jin. "No, I moved nearby. New beginnings. New start..."
I go back to my coffee as the woman walks over and places Jin's drink in front of him.
"Thank you, grandma." He says and she smiles and him before walking back.
"Grandma?"
"I've known her and her soulmate for a long time, even when her soulmate passed on she still continued the business. I helped when I could before I opened my own restaurant, but now she asks me to call her grandma because she couldn't bear any kids and it makes her happy to hear that name." Jin explains.
I hum in response, my hands clasped around the empty coffee cup. My head lost in thought.
"How've you been? Besides moving..." Jin asks, trying to rid of the awkwardness between us.
"Huh? Oh. Um, good. I'm trying to be a better version of myself, but I think everyone is also trying to do that in their own way. It might not be the same reason, but eventually everyone wants to be better than what they were." I say, my finger running around the rim of the cup.
"Have you been eating properly?" He suddenly asks, his eyes gazing at me.
"Yes, I've been trying to eat a better diet since I moved, but some habits die hard." I chuckled softly.
We were met with silence again and I looked down at my empty cup before standing up and placing the cup on the counter.
"Leaving?" The woman asks.
"Yeah, I have some work to do and I've been putting it off all morning." I smile at the woman.
"Then don't let me keep you. Do please come again." The woman says with a smile as she takes the empty cup.
"I will." I say before turning around and looking at Jin. "Have a nice day."
I walk out of the cafe and am hit with the cold crisp autumn breeze. I take a deep breath before jogging my way to my house. Not even a block later, I hear someone call my name. I slow down into a stop before looking around. I turn around and see Jin jogging up to me.
"Jin? What are you doing?" I asked, confused as to why he followed me.
"Y/n... I'm... I..." he pants as he tries to find his words.
"Woah, calm down and catch your breath. I'll wait." I say calmly, not wanting to keep Jin trying to catch his breath.
"I'm sorry."
I freeze. What did he say? Why is he apologizing? I'm so lost, shouldn't I be the one apologizing?!
"Huh?! Why are you apologizing? If anyone it should be me!" I let out frantically.
"I'm sorry I haven't been keeping in touch with you."
Oh. He feels guilty. I have a soft smile on my lips before looking at him.
"You had your reasons for being distant and I'm well aware that it was mentally and emotionally hard for you guys. I never was upset with you guys, I was upset with myself for putting you guys in that situation. Please don't feel guilty about it." I say softly as my hand hovers over his shoulder.
Jin looks at me with quizzical eyes before relief rushes through them. A smile makes it to his face causing me to smile as well.
"I hope you don't mind me texting you more often?" Jin says.
"I don't mind at all."

Maybe life will go well for me...