Engaged [z.m.]

Chapter 45: Bradford

C H A P T E R  F O R T Y - F I V E

Zayn

Bradford was perhaps even colder than London was. There was a cold chilly wind all day long accompanied with regular showers. Regardless that the rain was considerably less than that in London, the town still had a miserable aura to it.

My mother was incredibly pleased to have me back at home after ten months of zero visits. Dad was away until Christmas on a business trip, I was informed by my mum when I questioned his absense.

I spent my first three days back in my hometown, sleeping. I slept over 12 hours at night only to take long naps after grabbing a snack. My appetite was little to none as my mum continously pestered me through the span of these three days to try and eat something. I ignored her most of the time which was considerably easy to do since all I did was sleep and avoid contact.

I could tell she was worried. She hadn't questioned my impromptu trip since she was well aware I would not appreciate that question but I knew it was hard for her to resist inquiring. Regardless, she was glad I was here; far earlier than she should have expected me to come if I was considering spending the holidays here.

My elder sister was due to arrive home in exactly one week while my little one eyed me curiously every once in a while, desperate for me to reveal the reason behind my weird habits during these three days although she never directly questioned me.

The cold bothered me. It made it hard to leave my bed whenever I somehow gained some motivation to do so. The cold made my entire condition even more miserable and dejected.

Bradford wasn't exactly a very exciting town. There was little to do here and little places to visit. My mum had always complained that Christmas never felt like Christmas due to the lack of festivities that took place in the town. The rest of us had never really cared much.

My fourth day back in Bradford was comparitively unique from the rest. I showered first thing in the morning, pulled on the thickest jacket I had brough and ventured outside. It was considerably early as I walked through the isolated streets of Bradford.

The town was almost always asleep. Very few cars roamed the streets and even less people were visible walking.

I walked around with no such destination. It was uncomfortably cold, the wind blew against my face. It felt like needles but paid little attention to it. I pulled on the hood of my jacket and continued to walk.

I crossed an old coffee shop which I used to visit back when I lived with my parents. The bell jingled on the wooden door as I stepped inside. The smell of coffee was heavy and wafted through the entire shop. Only one person was seated in a far corner, busy scribbling something onto a piece of paper.

"An espresso. No cream" I mumbled, retrieving a pound from my wallet and handing it to the girl behind the counter. She gave me bright smile, probably recognizing me but making no remarks. I pushed my wallet into my pocket and leaned against the counter as she worked on my drink.

The shop was dull and old school. From what I could recall, it hadn't been remodeled in a long time and was desperately in need of some renovations but judging by the amount of customers present in the shop, I highly doubted that was happening anytime soon.

"Sir" the girl called timidly. I turned around slowly, wrapping my hand around the steaming drink that she had set on the counter.

I focused my vision on the glass window and the few cars that passed by every other minute. I finished half of my coffee and discarded the rest. There hadn't been any new customers since I had come, furthur confirming my suspicions on their slow business. The guy who was seated in the far corner was typing on a laptop now and the girl behind the counter was eyeing me.