Another Timeline Without You

Chapter 2

2

Come on, Penny! We're going to get soaked! Lyn called out through the rain, though Penny could only care less. It was a Monday, so the thought of heading to work made her feel miserable, the rain only adding to her misery. Another boring day at the boring cafe she worked at, in the boring city she lived in.

And even though she thought that working at the cafe was a bit of a nuisance, she can't deny the comfort of the simplicity of making coffee, as she always considered herself to be a "coffee addict". She also couldn't deny the fact that she loved friendly interactions, an ironic fact that contradicts her introverted self's belief.

An iced latte for Maggie! She called out. As Maggie rushes to get her order from the counter, Penny greets and takes the next customer's order. When she turned to face this particular customer, her smile became brighter and her tone, sweeter. The rain coincidentally stopped once she smiled.

Hiya Cynthia. The usual? She asked. Cynthia was her neighbor, and a dear friend of Penny from this life. She was a regular old lady, and her heart was made of gold.

The usual black coffee and a brownie today, dear. That to which Penny immediately got to making this special customer's order. Cynthia didn't have long to live, which made Penny's heart crumble when she found out, but she decided that spoiling her would be a nice treat before she went.

Once Penny handed Cynthia's order, she got back to serving the other customers with her simple but tired smile, and after a while, her shift had finally ended. It was 3:30 in the afternoon, and rain was threatening the sky again. Penny waved goodbye to Lyn and went to buy groceries.

Her grocery list didn't consist of too many things. She simply just wanted some noodles, Sprite, and some good ol' chips.

That should be enough, right? She asked herself while staring at the basket, half-filled with instant noodles, a few bottles of Sprite, and a couple bags of chips she'd been carrying for twenty minutes. The cash register had a slight problem when it became her turn to pay, Great, even though it's only nine items she snickered to herself.

That'll be twenty-two dollars, the cashier announced. Penny took her wallet out and paid with a fifty dollar bill. Once her change was given to her, she took the bag of groceries and left. A yawn escaped her mouth, and she knew she needed to go home. Home to her soft and comfortable bed.

Once home, she placed the few groceries she got on the counter in the kitchen and went to her room, flopped on her bed, and stared up at her plain white ceiling, her slightly yellow-ish light turned off.

Her eyes shut close, as her breathing became quiet and slow. Just when she was about to drift off to sleep, her phone's annoying ringtone echoed through her half-empty room. She groaned and got up to answer the phone.

Hello...? She asked with her sluggish voice.

Hey Penny! Have you gotten home yet? She exclaimed. Did the rain catch up to ya?

Lyn, you worry too much. And with that, she put the phone down. It's true, though, Lyn worried way too much for her own good, like the mother figure she is. Poor Lyn, she only wanted to make sure that her friend was alright, but instead of getting a proper answer, she received a short and harsh dismissal.

But while Lyn remained worried, Penny shook it off and went back to bed. She knew that she was being rude, but she didn't want to seem desperate. She didn't want to seem desperate for attention and human interaction.

I'm so sorry for being a weird friend, Lyn. She sighed, closing her eyes, but this time, she kept them closed tightly, trying to wash away the feeling of guilt she had when she ended that call so abruptly.