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9

Saturday
9:30 a.m.

I woke up entangled with Calum on the couch, blinded by the sun shining through the windows. I looked over to see Calum still sleeping peacefully. I couldn't help but smile to myself, pleased at how calm he looked while he was snoozing.

As I was looking at Calum lying next to me, I felt a sudden pang of emotion in the pit of my stomach that I can only explain as painful, a sort of emotional pain, meagerness maybe. But whatever it was, it made me not want to even look at Calum; I wanted to leave. I just wanted to get up, put on my shoes and get out. So I did.

Being careful not to wake Calum, I slowly unraveled my body from his and began to push myself up off of the couch.

"Z? Where are you going?" I heard Cal's tired voice whisper from behind me.

I looked back and whispered softly to him placing my hand gently on his forearm, "I'm just going to the bathroom, I'll be right back. Go back to sleep."

Calum flashed me a tired smile, turned over on his side and fell back asleep. I hurriedly but quietly rushed down stairs to my room to put on some fresh clothes, fix my make up and brush my hair out. I tiptoed into the kitchen to get my phone from its charging place and looked outside of the window over the sink to see how the weather was outside. It looked like there were still a few inches of snow on the ground so I definitely needed my boots. Before I left, I decided to leave a quick note for Calum letting him know I went out so he wouldn't worry about where I was. I headed to the front door to get my coat and put on my snow boots and when I reached for the doorknob to unlock it, I realized the alarm was on and I stopped myself. I knew that if I were to open the door, the siren would wake Calum and I'd be busted.

I turned on my heels and slyly made my way to the end of the hallway where the new guest room was and climbed onto the dresser below where the small window was to make my escape. When my parents had the alarm system installed, this room wasn't a part of the house yet, since it was built recently. But I guess my parents forgot to install anything in here so it's just been sitting here unarmed. Of course it's a tad dangerous, but I won't bother to remind them since this window was literally a window of opportunity for me.

I slowly and carefully squeezed through the small opening and climbed out of the window, sliding down the side of the house and dropping feet first onto the snow capped ground, dragging the window closed along with me. I walked around the house to the front yard, hugging my coat closed to keep me shielded from the cold. When I turned the corner, I saw Luke's car still in front of my house. I glanced in the direction where we were on the ground and I noticed the outline of us was still imprinted in the snow. The memory of last night made me look down towards the ground grinning, heat filling my cheeks.

The snow was already starting to melt, but it was still cold enough to freeze a man to death. Lucky for me, the sidewalks were clear and the sun was shining right on me like a spotlight, keeping me warm in the nearly unbearable cold. As I made my way into town, I admired the snow sprinkling the bare branches of the trees, reflecting the sun like crystals. There weren't too many cars on the street, which is expected since the roads were mostly slick and iced over. Most people were inside enjoying their fireplaces or sleeping in their warm, toasty beds. Saturday mornings are always quiet around here, peaceful and serene.

After about 30 minutes of shivering and walking almost aimlessly, I came across a small corner store that had just opened up a few days ago, its large 'NOW OPEN' sign was still up. I usually would just walk by places like these since I never really have a reason to go in, but I was cold and getting a bit hungry, plus it couldn't hurt to give the place a chance. It was brand new and seemed pretty clean looking, even though I've yet to see the inside. Besides, I haven't seen a lot of people go in so I'm sure they'd enjoy having a customer.

I immediately got goosebumps from the rush of warm air that washed over me as I walked in. The store smelled like fresh cinnamon rolls and pumpkin spice. A woman appeared from behind the counter and greeted me, cued by the ring of the door chime.

"Good Morning." She beamed.

"Good Morning." I returned with a smile. I assumed she was the owner and I asked if she had made any fresh cinnamon rolls.

"Yes, actually. My nephew just finished a fresh batch. Would you like one?"

"Yes, 2 please." I say with a smile.

"Alright, let me go get that for you, sweetie. I'll be right back." She smiled and disappeared into the back of the store where the bakery must've been.

I looked around and admired all of the cutesy thanksgiving decor plastered on the walls of the mini mart. I took it upon myself to go get a banana and some eggnog while I waited for her to come back. And just to be nice, I got Calum a hot coffee since I knew he would probably be confused and maybe upset that I left without a clear warning. I made my way back to the cash register and put what I had on the counter so I could get my money out to pay for my things. As I pulled out some of my cash, a bunch of coins just fell out onto the ground, scattering everywhere.

"Dangit." I spat under my breath. I squatted down to gather up the lose change and heard a voice from behind the counter.

"Uhm, hello?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just dropped some of my change." I said in a hurried tone and heard a chuckle. I finally got up still looking down in my purse making sure all of the change was put back.

There was a small pause.

I looked up.

My heart skipped.

"T-that's alright." He said, his lips inching into a small smile. I was met by a boy, who looked to be around my age, in a messy white apron and wearing black framed glasses. I shyly smiled back and pushed my hair behind my ear.

There was another pause.

"Oh. Uh, cinnamon rolls?" He asked holding a styrofoam box in his hand.

"Mhm." I hummed, still smiling sheepishly, trying hard not to blush.

"Here ya go." He handed me the box with my cinnamon rolls inside. "On the house." He said sweetly with a smile.

I smiled back. "Thanks."

"Alright kiddo, get back in the kitchen and quit mackin' on the customers." The woman said in a playful tone, smiling widely.

He looked at his aunt then back at me with red in his cheeks. "Have a nice day." He said shyly.

"You too." I said quietly.

He made his way back into the kitchen looking back at me every few seconds with a small smile spread on his lips.

"That kid is something else, I'll tell ya." The woman said jokingly, shaking her head and chuckling. "You know, business has been really slow lately since we haven't been open for very long. Plus, a few members of my family and I just moved here from California and we're still adjusting to things around here. So thanks for deciding to come in. It's nice seeing a new face everyday."

She scanned my items and I handed her the money and put three dollars in the tip jar. "It's no problem, ma'am." I smiled sweetly.

She reached her hand out, "Call me Claire, sweetheart."

I shook hands with her and introduced myself, "Zia."

"It's nice to meet you, Zia. And tell your friends about us, will ya?"

"Sure thing. Welcome to town, Claire." I said smiling. She waved goodbye as I turned around and walked out of the store.

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The ending of this chapter is horrible and I'm so sorry I was rushing but i hope you enjoyed what was decent. Chapter 10 will be posted asap. Thanks for reading!! *let me know if i made any errors, and feedback is much appreciated!*
-Jess :)