My Saving Grace

Chapter 2

The sun had barely begun to rise when I left for my shift at Starbucks. Shoving my hands into my coat pockets, I walked briskly down University Avenue, eventually slowing down as the abandoned building came into view.

I hesitated for a moment before slowly opening the door, which was barely hanging on to its hinges. For all I knew, the guy could've been an ex-convict or druggie, and yet here I was, trying to seek him out. My dad would kill me if he ever knew about this.

Glancing at my phone, I realized that I only had about ten minutes until my shift started. I turned on my heel, about to leave the building when I heard the sound of a cough coming from the back corner.

Next thing I knew, I was face to face with the same guy from last night, but for some odd reason, I didn't feel frightened at all, even though we were the only two in the room.

My breathing hitched at the mere sight of him--never in my life had I seen a person so skinny and pale. His clothes barely clung onto him, and he was shivering uncontrollably as he sat on the cold, hardwood floor.

"Here, put this on," I said, shrugging out of my jacket and handing it to him. He tilted his head to the side, studying me. That's when I noticed how blue his eyes were; they reminded me of the ocean back home. 

"What about you?", he asked, his voice barely audible.

"I'll be fine. It's not too cold out today."

When he still didn't accept the jacket, I simply tossed it onto his lap.

"Well, I have to go to work now. I'll come check on you again after my shift is over."

He gave me a slight nod, and the sound of his coughs filled my ears as I made my way out of the building. After seeing the man up close, I deduced that he must've been somewhere in his early twenties at the latest. How he got into his current situation, I had no idea, but I was determined to find out.

I stepped into Starbucks at exactly eight then got right to work. Like most college students, I was a total coffee addict, so working here definitely had its perks since I got discounts on the food and beverages. Every week, I brought back free bags of coffee beans for me and Alexa. She rarely ever had to buy her own coffee.

Today wasn't as busy as I'd anticipated. A couple of students just came by to grab some coffee and study, but once the cold front passed, it'd definitely get busier.

Before leaving the shop at eleven, I bought a mocha and sandwich for the homeless man then began the familiar trek back to his building. This time when I entered through the door, everything was silent. Immediately, I started to panic--did he freeze to death?

My eyes scanned over the expanse of the room, and just like earlier, he was in the back corner. Only this time, he was lying down. I quietly walked over to him, and the sight of him fast asleep, wearing my puffer jacket, almost left me in tears.

Careful not to wake him up, I set down the food I'd bought for him near his feet then left. Tomorrow, I'd go to see him again during one of my breaks between classes.

Alexa was doing her makeup by the time I got back to our dorm. I always thought that she was naturally gorgeous, with her wavy dark brown hair and hazel eyes. The guys fell head over heels for her.

I, on the other hand, was your typical blonde girl, only with brown eyes instead of blue. I'd inherited my mom's eyes. To this day, I still remembered how beautiful she was; no wonder my dad was hopelessly in love with her.

"You didn't wear your jacket today?", Alexa asked as she applied mascara.

"No. It wasn't too cold out."