The Hopeless Romantic ✔️

Chapter four.

When my mom got home, I was snuggled up in my bed wearing an oversized jumper and sweats. I wasn't prepared to move for anything at this point because school killed me. I hadn't even started on my History assignment and yet, I decided to watch an old show that I was obsessed with.

My mom knocked quietly on my door and entered my room; she was out of her work clothes by now and she laughed at how my blankets were wrapped around my entire body. "I'm heading out to the grocery store, wanna come?"

I stared at her for a good moment before realising that I needed to get hot chocolate and mom usually got the one that tasted like nothing. I nodded and untangled myself from the blankets as mom left the room. Once I was up, I looked myself up and down, shrugged, put on my sandals and left my room and towards the door. I didn't even bother putting on foundation to cover up my bad acne, usually I did but I couldn't be bothered. I knew I would regret it later.

"I don't even care." I said with a smile as mom appeared in my view. Her car keys rattled in her hands as she smiled back and we both left for the car. The drive was short, the grocery store was only a few blocks away and I could always walk if I needed anything.

We found a parking space and headed into the busy store. It was always busy at this time of the night and at this point, I didn't care how I looked. My hair was wrapped up in my red beanie and I was warm. Once we entered, we both departed. I really wanted to find some hot chocolate because it was like my winter craving and it tasted so good.

My sandals made a slapping sound as I walked to one of the aisles and when I spotted the right aisle, someone very familiar was standing right in the middle, looking at the shelves. I mentally groaned and thought why on earth I decided to dress like this in the first place. I got the courage to move, the hot chocolate was a quarter of the way into the aisle; I could do it.

At the sound of the sandals walking into the aisle, Jace looked my way. I pretended I didn't notice him while looking to my left, hoping to come across some hot chocolate and once I located it, I was a few meters away from Jace. I scanned all of the difference kinds of hot chocolates while looking at the corner of my eye to see Jace still staring at what I was assuming was coffee.

That's another thing we didn't have in common. He liked coffee, I didn't. So, we're not meant to be.

I could tell from when I first appeared in his sight, that he was judging the way I was dressed. A seventeen year old girl coming to a grocery store dressed in sweats and an oversized jumper? That was not what he was used to. To keep my eyes away from the boy standing a few metres away from me, I remembered why I was here in the first place.

Hot chocolate.

I found what I was looking for and saw my mom at the very end of the aisle, on the other side of Jace. I took the hot chocolate from the shelf and quickly walked past him but not quick enough. He moved just as I walked past and he bumped into me. I sniffed a smell of smoke that lingered in his dark yellow jacket, I cringed as I didn't know he smoked and I hated the smell of cigarettes. When I bumped into him, his touch electrified me and I wanted to get out of here and away from him.

"Sorry." I muttered in a small voice to him, looking down just before I raced over to my mother who continued to stare at the shelves that held nothing we needed. My heart was beating a million miles per hour and by this point, I felt like it was going to jump out of my chest and slap me in the face. I continued to face away from him, feeling his eyes stare into my back. Right now, I felt hopeless and I regretted going out at all.

"Did you find the hot chocolate?" My mom turned to me, snapping me out of my ongoing thoughts that were still on Jace.

"Uh," I looked at the packet that I still had in my hand, "yeah, it's seven dollars. Is that okay?"