Broken But Strong

CHAPTER 8

The cool air-conditioning in the grocery store served as a huge relief towards me as I stepped away from the sweltering heat outside. I was limping, putting most of my weight on my right leg, as my left leg had not fully healed from the injuries it had sustained. The long forty minutes walk from my house to the grocery store only made it a whole lot worse.

I grabbed a trolley, and started picking up stuff along the way. I didn't need a shopping list. I had been buying the exact same things for a few years now, and the list was already imprinted into my mind.

Eggs. Bacon. Coffee powder. Meat. Broccoli. Spaghetti. Cream. Apples. Water. 

The first seven items were for Samuel, of course. The eggs, bacon, and coffee powder were for his breakfast, and the meat, broccoli, spaghetti, and cream were for his dinner. It was strange, but he had preferred tastes and only ate rice with meat, or spaghetti with broccoli for dinner. Not other vegetables, but broccoli. 

The last two items were for me. I usually bought three apples, so that I could eat one every two days. I always bought a few bottles of water and placed it in my room, so that even if I couldn't eat, I wouldn't die of dehydration. Money was a problem for me, as my job as a waitress did not bring in a large income. I could barely scrape by, saving about half the amount and using the other half for grocery shopping. Currently, I had enough money to buy a small, one room, old apartment in the oldest district around the neighbourhood. Sadly, I could only wait until I turned eighteen, so I would be a legal adult.

Too absorbed in my thoughts, I didn't notice when I ran into someone. I snapped out of my thoughts, stepping backwards will rubbing my head. Ouch. That person had a hard chest. 

I looked upwards, suddenly finding myself drowning in two grey-blue orbs. I blinked, surprised at the familiarity, before looking at the person's face.

It was the guy from my History class. The one who apologised after disturbing me. The one who I was acting like a bitch to. The one who was incredibly hot, and had an air of power and importance revolving around him. He was wearing black jeans and a fitted white tee, with a leather jacket on. I immediately stepped back again, still not comfortable with the short distance between us.

"Sorry." I mumbled softly, before grabbing my trolley and pushing it past him. However, I had barely taken a step when his hand wrapped around my wrist gently, holding me back. 

I know this sounded unbearably girly and cliche, but I suddenly felt tingles and sparks that jumped around the contact between us, making me feel weird. A nice kind of weird.

"Hey, you're the girl who sat next to me in History!" He exclaimed, finally letting go of my wrist.

I nodded my head, not saying anything as I looked around, trying to avoid his gaze.

"I didn't catch your name the last time we talked." He stated, walking alongside me as I pushed the trolley along.

"Thats because I didn't tell you my name." I mumbled under my breath, not expecting him to hear it. However, he seemed to hear it as he chuckled, a light and happy sound that brought the dormant butterflies in my stomach awake, fluttering wildly.

"I'm Asher." 

Asher. That was a really nice name. It suited him well too, the name sounding as muscular as he was.

I nodded my head again, as I grabbed a carton of eggs and placed it in my cart. 

"What's your name?" He asked curiously.

I mentally smacked myself on my forehead. Of course. If someone introduced themselves, I should have done the same too. The lack of interaction I had over the years had already caused me to become a hermit. 

"Leah." I stated, as I double checked that I had already picked everything up.

He said something under his breath, something that sounded suspiciously like "The name is as beautiful as the human." but I shook it off. Something was definitely wrong with me. I was now hearing imaginary things.

After making sure that I did not forget anything, I turned to him, not wanting to seem impolite if I just left.

"I need to go now, see you at school tomorrow." I said hurriedly. Despite my words, I desperately hoped I did not see him tomorrow. I didn't want to make friends with anyone. Friends led to concern. Concern led to curiousness. Curiousness led to secret revealed.

I turned around, preparing to head to the counter to pay, when he suddenly grabbed my wrist. Again.

"Hey, umm, do you want to hang out for a while? Now?" He asked with a nervous expression on his face, as he tucked his hands into his pockets.

I was stunned into silence. He wanted to hang out? With me? Confusion swirled around my mind as I stared at him. 

I knew I had to reject him. I didn't want to get close to anyone. I couldn't. 

"I'm sorry, I can't." I replied back softly.

I felt a pang in my heart as I watched his face fall. The hope in his eyes disappeared, and a disappointed and sad look replaced it. He looked downright hurt, and I couldn't help but feel upset that I was the one who caused him to feel that way. 

"Oh. Right. See you tomorrow." He muttered, disappointment coating his tone. He started walking towards the exit, seeming really upset.

"Wait!" I called out, surprising both him and myself. I just couldn't stand the pure hurt and sadness that radiated off him, it made me feel very sad as well, although I had no idea why.

"I can hang out for a while. Not too long though." I said, not even knowing why I was doing this. I was going against all the boundaries I had set for myself, and I had no idea if I was making the right decision or not.

However, the way his face lit up, the happiness suddenly showing in his eyes, made my decision worth it. My heart was pounding rapidly in my chest, as I watched him walk over to me with a new found vigour. 

Him being happy made me feel on top of the world. I wanted him to be happy, and I was proud that it was because of me that he was smiling widely.

Realisation suddenly dawned on me and I realised what was happening and why I felt the way I felt.

It was because of one simple word, six consonants, four vowels, and three syllables.

Attraction.

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Hey guys!!!

Sorry for making you guys wait for so long.

Hope this chapter made y'all smile:-)

xxx, Regine