A Chance to be Loved

Chapter 5 - First Encounter

I felt a tinge of pain in my head when I woke up the next day. It was almost nine o'clock in the morning and I really felt bad about it. I won't be able to catch the person who left the receipt, I guess. I sighed when I decided to get out of bed and took a quick shower. I still need to try my best to find out who's the person behind the receipt note. The words kept on radiating inside my head like it was a Math problem which needed a solution. It took me a while to prepare myself and I noticed something when I was already out of the building; the sky was gloomy and it was full of dark clouds. The weather forecast on my mobile showed sunny weather but looks like it will rain today. The weather in England was unpredictable. In the morning, it was sunny and during the afternoon, the rain would fall all of a sudden.

I checked my bag as soon as I arrived in the coffee shop and there was something missing, my umbrella! I always had it inside my bag but I no longer have time to go back home to get it.

The coffee shop was crowded as always; there were businessmen, sophisticated women, students and a group of friends. I would usually see people celebrating their reunions or business meetings in the coffee shop. Sometimes I witnessed marriage proposals, most times, heartbreaks. It always felt like watching a dramatic movie scene and it added to my fears of relationships. Well, I'm not really afraid of commitment, what I'm always afraid of was wasting my time. I wanted to be sure of him before I committed myself because breaking up was never an option for me. "Excuse me, you're blocking my way," he said while standing in front of me.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to block your way." I answered as I walked away from the door. I was so shy that I didn't look back as he went out of the door. In my analysis, he was 6'4" in height and he must be really sporty because of his broad shoulders which emphasized his masculinity. He looked like some kind of celebrity in his suit and tie. He has blonde hair and his voice; I must have heard it somewhere. I went to the counter and I saw Tia assisting her new staff.

"Hey Tia, did you know that guy earlier?" I asked her while frowning.

"Who?" Tia answered while writing names on the cups.

"That guy wearing a suit and tie, the one who went out of the door a while ago." Tia looked at the door and she saw an old man, maybe in his 70's, wearing a suit and tie who was about to walk out of the door. She looked at me in exasperation. "Don't tell me your taste with guys changed after all those problems?" she asked.

"Oh no! It's not him. He has blonde hair and maybe he's 6 feet in height," I answered while checking the menu.

"Samantha, there's a lot of people coming here every day who are wearing a suit and tie, blonde and 6 feet in height. You're in England. Do you think I know all of them?"

"I was just assuming you know him since you're always here. Never mind. Can I have a latte for today?"

"Now you're interested in men, I like that. I will serve your order soon. Just give me a sec."

"I'm only interested in the man of my dreams. Alright, thank you latte!"

"The man of your dreams only exists in your books!" Tia teased while preparing my latte.

I went to my favorite spot and I noticed that the "Reserved" sign wasn't there. The table was clean, no receipt or any tissue left. There was a flower vase on top of the table and I saw a yellow paper inserted inside the artificial flowers. I took it and I realized that it was a reply from my previous note. I read it carefully and the words lifted up my hope.

"I'm always in love with life but if you're asking me about being in love with a person, no, I have never been in love before. If I'm going to love someone, I will make sure to make her cry because of joy. And I think I finally found her."

I jotted down a reply, "So you're a guy? I hope it goes well with you. You must tell her before it's too late. She must be blessed to have you." I also inserted it inside the artificial flowers. "What am I doing?" I asked myself while looking outside. The leaves of the maple tree were starting to change its colors. I could see red, orange, and some yellow leaves. It's going to be autumn again soon.

Tia served my latte with some biscuits and she looked more vibrant after knowing that Xander will be back in England. She sat in front of me and started to ask me questions again. "So, looks like you already found Mr. Right?" she asked while giving me my latte. "What do you mean?" I asked her while getting some biscuits on the plate. "You asked me about a guy. You must be interested in him?"

"Not really, I was just curious."

"Your curiosity will lead you into something; I have a feeling about it."

"What kind of something and what kind of feeling? You always give meaning to every question I ask."

"I don't know, I just feel it in my bones."

"I hope it's not what I'm thinking."

"Why? What are you thinking?"

"Love? You know I'm not a romantic person but I do love romantic things."

"You'll never know unless you try. Speaking of romantic things, I found these great places online."

"Okay, I will check it out. Anyway, have you seen someone here in my favorite spot before I arrived?"

"I hardly noticed anyone sitting here. It's always crowded every day and my staff don't put the "Reserved" sign on this table if there are a lot of customers coming in. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, I was just curious."

"You're always curious Samantha."

Tia left the table as soon as she finished drinking her coffee. I checked the places she mentioned to me and found some really good reviews online.

"I really enjoy Greenwich Park where you can see some good views of London on top of a big hill. Lots of tourists go there! Plus there is Greenwich market with lots of stalls for selling food, jewelers, art, etc. not too far outside the park. Walking along the Thames near Tower Bridge which has a nice scenic walk of some of the buildings and you can sometimes see the boats go along the Thames. Richmond Park is a very fancy and popular area with some charm and character especially where the river is. There is a boat ride on the river and also, you can hire smaller boats to row out on the water for an hourly fee. You can hire coats for at least up to 6 people, smaller ones for 2 people. Also a bigger boat cruise for like 30 or more people."

These reviews were interesting. I scrolled down the site and found a picture of a café with an indoor garden. I love nature and seeing the picture made me want to visit soon, plus the reviews were really great too!

"It is a great place for a date, has a really cool quirky garden not far from the park and if a boat is taken on the river, there are a few restaurants, a pub and a coffee place right near the river too and you can hire bikes or walk along the edge of the river."

These places were fascinating and it suited my ideas for my new project. I hope I can visit soon and I hope Tia could come with me to explore these places. I started to fix my things before the clock struck twelve noon and as soon as I walked out of the door, the heavy rain fell.