A Broken Story

1.4 Start of a New Day

The night passed and the sun has finally reappeared, Jenna was struggling to open up her eyes as she slowly rose from the couch. After thoroughly rubbing her eyes, she opened them and saw that she was sleeping on a soft pillow. She also just noticed the warm blanket that was wrapped around her body, "What?" She said weakly, not remembering how the pillow or the blanket got there.

A sweet aroma started to fill the room; she stood up with the blanket still wrapped around her. She walked over to the kitchen area and saw the back of a man wearing an apron, with a skillet in his hand, and a pancake flipping in mid air, "Oh, good morning, well, afternoon Jenna!" He said as the pancake landed back on the skillet, with a smile on his face, "You look pretty comfy there." Commenting on how she was wrapped by the blanket like a burrito.

"Oh, yeah," She let go of the blanket and let it fall to the floor before sitting down on a tall stool by the kitchen counter, "Are you... making pancakes?" She tried to peek over his shoulder but her height was working against her.

"Possibly."

"Well, it sure smells good and I really like pancakes." Her attempt of subtly hinting was not so subtle.

Andy could only snicker hearing her say that, "Don't worry, I'm making enough for both of us." He turned around and put down a plate with a stack of pancakes on the counter, "One more stack to go. I think it's a good idea for you to shower while I keep cooking." He turned his attention back to the stove.

"Andy!" She feigned being offended, "Are you insinuating that I stink?"

"No, I'm saying that it's been a while since I got that couch cleaned."

She turned back to see that the couch indeed has some stain spots that she didn't notice last night, "You got a point there." She stepped down from the stool and looked for her bag.

"Your bag's in the bedroom!" He yelled from the kitchen, "You got some spare clothes in there right?"

"Yeah! I'm good!" She ran off to the bedroom and started rummaging through her bag to get a change of clothes. She looked around the room and took in the minimalist decoration and simple design of everything, though the movie poster of Endgame really stood out in comparison. She then looked to the bedside table, where he still kept a picture of him and Clare, facing the camera with a smile, the Sydney opera house filled the background. They looked so happy. She took her clothes and went to the bath room.

After a quick shower, she was greeted by the smell of a fresh batch of pancakes, effectively putting her in a trance as she walked towards the kitchen and what she found there was beyond her imagination, a stack of pancakes topped with vanilla ice cream and glazed with maple syrup, "Oh my god." She while sitting down on the stool but her focus was dead set on the pancakes.

"Hope you like it!" Andy said while sitting down opposite her with his own stack, "let's dig in." She was already devouring the food even before the invitation which Andy soon followed but at a much more modest pace.

After having finished her food, her mind wandered back to the picture of Andy and Clare she found, "She's very pretty."

"Hm?" A confused Andy stopped enjoying his pancake, "What are you talking about?"

"Your ex," She then just realized the mistake in asking that question, "Sorry, I saw the picture on your bedside table. You two looked really happy."

"Yeah..." An uncomfortable pause fell on the room, "We were, at least I thought were but I guess destiny had other plans."

"You believe in that stuff?"

"What? Destiny? I'm not sure but how else can I make sense of what happened?" He drank his glass of water, "anyway, what are you going to do now? Where are you gonna go?"

"Well, I'm not too sure." She took a long sip from her glass, "I think I saw a job opening at that new restaurant next to the bar, maybe I'll try getting a job there. Can't rely on strangers offering me bed and breakfast every night, can I?" She said with a smirk.

"Yeah, probably not the best idea. I doubt you'll find someone as kind, caring, handsome, humble, amazing.... Ouch!" His ego trip was interrupted with a punch to the shoulder.

"Didn't take you for someone that has an ego." She giggled while finishing her plate before standing up and getting her bag, "I'll take my leave, now." She sat down on the couch and started putting her shoes on.

"Already?" He stood up and sat next to her, "What's the hurry? It's a Sunday, I don't really mind if you stick around."

"I don't want to overstay my welcome." She finished tying up her shoes and stood up, "Plus, I'm not one to play the damsel in distress." She walked to the door and opened it but turned around as she stepped out, "Thank you for letting me stay, maybe we'll meet again." And with a wink, she stepped away and closed door.

Andy slumped back into the coach as this girl who came into his life so suddenly, left just as quickly. His mind raced back to the photo of him and Clare and let out a long sigh, "Why did she have to bring it up?" He stood up and moved back to his room, picking the picture frame as sat down at the edge of the bed... The memory of that night was still so vivid in his mind, the coolness of the air, the ambient noises of the night, and how her face shone in the moonlight but looking back only tightened the knot in his chest now, "I think it's about time..." He took out the photo out of the frame and let it fall into the can.

Letting his head fall back to the bed, Andy started to think about the future, mainly about his personal life, his career, and most importantly his love life. His mind ran back to Jenna. She came into his life very abruptly but she seemed interesting and fun to be around, meeting up with her again didn't seem like a bad idea. He unlocked his phone in hopes to text this woman who he didn't expect meet in the middle of the night but there was a major problem, "I didn't get her number," He let this woman stay in his home, gave her breakfast, and got closer to him than anyone ever did in months but he didn't even ask for her phone number. It was at that moment, he knew he messed up.

With that prospect gone, he buried his face in a pillow as he let his own stupidity wash over him but for some reason, he felt at ease, no longer numb or sad, just at peace. But there was still an issue. He opened up the drawer on his nightstand, taking out a box, and opening it to find the ring inside, untouched after that night. What can he do with it?