Just The Girl

Chapter 2

D A H L I A

I didn't go home as I had said I would, but coming here was something that I needed to do. Considering that stationaries and art materials was what had kept me sane these past few months.

Break ups are ugly, the healing process of it is just ugly.

One minute you're feeling fine but then the next thing you know, everything just hits you all over as if the wounds are still fresh. But it's not. The breakup happened a year ago. But I'm still here, lamenting the loss of who I used to be and what could have been and should have been.

"Fuck, I hate this..." I mumbled under my breath, looking up as I tried to push back the tears that were beginning to form at the brim of my eyes.

"I'm fine... I'm fine..." Reciting this like a mantra to get by each day has been a struggle, and a pain. I puffed out my cheeks, nodded my head before I started walking deeper towards the heart of the store, where I last saw the turtle shaped stationaries being kept there, I was planning on buying one today.

Reaching the specific isle, I noticed a tall man standing just right in front to where the turtles were, seeing that he was holding two packs of it.

I only stood there, staring at him.

He was tall, very tall. Tall enough he had leveled the shelves' height. He wore a black shirt, tight enough that I could clearly make out his toned chest and arms—not that I had any idea what toned chest and arms looked like. But he looked like he worked out, like daily.

A big man holding turtle stationaries.

I was about to turn around and busy myself with the isle next to this until he was done doing his business on this one, when suddenly he had turned to the right—his eyes landing on mine. He wore round frames, just like me, hair as dark as the night, wavy like an ocean painting. His bangs hanging lazily on his forehead. Disheveled but handsome. He was handsome.

I was the first one to look away, not wanting to make things awkward and was about to turn around and leave but the sound of deep music had stopped me in my tracks, the sound of his voice held notes I was so sure had sung against my ears. I never knew as simple as the words excuse me could trap me in like this—no guy had ever could.

Nonetheless, I turned around to face him.

"Sorry to bother you but I don't know which is suitable for a 16-year-old girl, this turtle stationary or the cat one?" I only stared at him, blinking. His eyes trailed from the things he was holding, then back unto me who was still giving him the silent treatment. Noticing this, I saw him give out a nervous laugh before scratching the back of his head.

A big man being all shy.

"I just figured that if I asked a woman, I would choose the right thing." he added, and that was my cue to stop blinking at him. I pointed towards the turtles, not knowing why but I based it off towards my own preferences and not the entirety of what 16-year-old girls on this Earth would actually like.

I mean, my 16-year-old self would be down bad for turtle stationaries.

"You think so?" He asked again, I nodded my head. Still, no words have been spared on my end, but this communication was okay. For me, at least. I then saw him nod his head, holding onto the turtle stationaries and placing the cat ones back on the shelf. "Thanks, I appreciate the help." He smiled brightly this time, and I shall admit, I felt something jump at the pit of my stomach.

I don't know if it's a bad thing or a good thing.

I could only nod my head, giving him a light smile in reply to his gratitude, and was about to walk away again when I felt something slide across the palm of my hand, looking down almost immediately and saw that he had placed a pack of turtle stationaries in there. I stared up at him, noticing how close we both were now compared to the distance we both had just a minute ago. He was tall; indeed, my head couldn't pass his shoulders. Maybe it did, but I couldn't look over it.