I Found Home [Completed]

Chapter Ten

"Bye, Doctor Pat!" Rebecca exclaimed cheerfully as we exited the office.

Doctor Pat waved visibly. When our gazes met, she mouthed something to me silently. "Don't fuck this up." I rolled my eyes at her words, but nonetheless gave her a thumbs-up. Rebecca skipped up towards me because of falling behind, smiling. Glancing over at me, I looked back down at her. Her brown eyes sparkled visibly, and I found the happiness in the sparkles.

"What?" I snapped.

She smiled, putting her hands behind her back. She skipped a little ahead, making sure that I made eye contact with her. "Aren't you excited?" She asked, her eyes wide with a bold innocence. "I mean, we'll finally be going to America."

I put my hands in the coat pockets, shrugging. "I guess."

Her cheeks puffed out a little, a knowing disbelief in her eyes. "You don't seem to be too enthusiastic."

"Tch. I'm always like this," I replied with a drawl. I looked back at the halls. "It doesn't matter much now that we have Doctor Pat's consent."

We rounded the corner and carefully stepped down the flight of stairs. Rebecca struggled to keep up with my fast pace. Her hand grabbed my arm, letting me practically drag her to the entrance. She jogged a little, smiling shyly.

"But it'll be like an adventure!" She exclaimed joyfully. Her eyes sparkled once more. "Don't you think it'll be fun?"

I rolled my eyes, ignoring her arm looping through mine. I discreetly walked slower for Rebecca's sake. I ignored her question, and we continued down the stairs. Doctors had once again stared at us. Surprisingly, one of them stopped us.

"Sam!" He said sternly. "Do you understand the risks of this?"

Another joined in. "It'll be horrible if you decide to go! Your health risks have been going down ever since your ex-girlfriend broke up with you."

I clicked my tongue and glared at them. "Sorry, but Doctor Pat has already approved of the travel. It's too late." I then gestured to a frozen and slightly frightened Rebecca. "And you're scaring her. So excuse me."

The doctors immediately headed towards Doctor Pat's office, as if to clarify that the statement was true. As the receding footsteps quieted, Rebecca suddenly thawed from her frozen state. I hurriedly led her out of the building so that she could breathe in the fresh, cold air. Snow was falling lightly, but not too harshly. Good. We can probably walk to the coffee shop. I look at Rebecca, seeing her stare at the snowflakes brightly.

Pfft. She gets distracted so easily.

It's.. kinda cute.

"Yo," I said. Rebecca's eyes snapped towards me. Her brown curls bounced on her shoulders at the sudden movement. "We're walking to the coffee shop. This time, come with me. I don't want you waiting for me in the snow."

Rebecca smiled, her arm tightening around mine. "Okay!"

I unraveled my scarf from my neck and handed it to her. "Here. Wear it. Your nose is already getting red."

Instead of being flustered, Rebecca took the scarf, wrapping it around her neck. As expected, it was too big. It basically hung down to her knees. As we walked down the pavement towards the coffee shop, Rebecca made slight remarks and exclaims at the people and places around us. It was quite amusing. She seemed so ecstatic to see the stores around us. I assumed it was because her parents didn't usually let her out into the world unless paparazzi were clear from sight. The scarf made it funnier because she could barely speak under the fabric.

When we reached the coffee shop, I was surprised to find that the flirty baristas weren't there. Actually, the coffee shop was surprisingly empty. Instead, Manager Kim was sitting at the counter, as if waiting for my arrival.

"Good.. afternoon?" I said, but it came out as a question.

Rebecca took this as a sign to wave vigorously. "U-Um, hello!"

Manager Kim just nodded. I gave her a confused look. "Where is.. everyone?"

"Well," Manager Kim began. She crossed her arms, "the other baristas were sent off to trash duty because of flirting with a few teenage girls. I think one was complaining about someone called 'Table 8 girl'." Rebecca stiffened at this. "Brent and Luna are working on a grand cake because guess what!— we got our very first wedding cake order. I was waiting for you to arrive because of you being my best barista. The to-be-wedded couple is coming to visit the shop to see if the lattes are really that everything. If they approve, I'll give you a 10% raise."

My eyes widened at this.

Rebecca sat down at her usual table. "Ooohh~! That sounds nice!" She put her head in her hands, smiling innocently at me. "Why don't you take it, Sam? It'll be a good impact on the travel!"

Manager Kim nodded, sighing. "We really will miss you here when you leave, Sam." She stood up from her chair, clapping her hands loudly. "Alright, Sam! Five designs, ten minutes! Starting now! Let's go!"

I began scrambling through the counter's cabinets. Heart design. Peacock. Coffee mug. Rose. A girl. The first was the easiest to make, in terms of time and effort. Making a picture of a girl in a latte was a little more complicated. Rebecca watched in awe, her eyes on the designs. She loved to sit at the counter, facing me. She showered me with compliments from the skill and effort of the design. I couldn't help but smile a little at the kindness her heart had held. It's a really appealing attribute of hers. Swirls here, loops there, an eye here, lips there. Ten minutes later, I finally finished, and Rebecca was asleep. I looked at the latte and squinted my eyes.

This girl..

My eyes widened when I realized that I drew Rebecca. Silently thanking that she was asleep, I put my head in my arms, my face turning red. Peering up, I put my hand on Rebecca's head, patting her. It was out of habit now. She was like a little vanilla bean to pet. Her hair was really soft too. My lips pursed together, and I brushed away the snow that hadn't melted in her hair. How bad could it have been with her parents at the mansion of the Walker family? I closed my eyes drowsily.

I'll never know.