Wait for me to come Home

Chapter 1

She was sat in the café typing away at her laptop, a coffee close at hand. Jennie rarely left her office on her lunch break, preferring to eat at her desk, but today she had been restless and decided to go for a walk. Her stomach was rumbling by the time she had walked off her frustration, and she had walked into the first café she had seen.

After ordering her coffee and a bagel, she'd parked herself down at the table by the window, basking in the sunlight that filtered in through the blinds. As she sat there, the café filled with people, their conversation falling into the background as Jennie concentrated on her work.

"Excuse me?"

Jennie looked up at the sound of someone talking to her, raising one of her eyebrows. A girl stood before her, fidgeting as she nervously smiled at Jennie.

"Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt you but all the other tables were full and I was wondering if I could sit here, I mean, if this seat's not already taken," she rambled nervously, pushing her glasses up her nose.

Jennie blinked at the girl in surprise, before looking around the room. Every table was packed with people; friends chatting, college students studying, mothers with their screaming children. She realised the girl was still waiting for an answer.

"Oh, of course," Jennie said, pulling the files and paperwork towards her, clearing the other half for the girl. She was shocked, Jennie knew she wasn't the most approachable person in the room.

The girl sat down, the chair scraping along the floor as she pulled herself in. She brought out a book and flipped it open to a page with a dog-eared corner, reading quietly as she tried not to disturb Jennie.

Jennie sneaked peeks at her as she read. She had golden hair, pulled into a braid, and her eyes were a deep blue behind her glasses. A crease formed between her eyebrows as she concentrated on the book. When the barista brought the girl's coffee over she looked up, an easy smile appearing on her face as she thanked him. Her eyes caught Jennie's as she took a sip of her latte. Quickly busying herself, Jennie stared at the screen of her laptop.

"I like your necklace," the girl said, pointing to the little pendent around Jennie's neck.

"Thank you," Jennie curtly replied, typing away at her keyboard.

"Where did you get it?" the girl asked.

Jennie hated being disturbed when she was working, but something about the open expression and warm smile on this stranger's face gave Jennie a weird feeling in her stomach, in place of the usual irritation she would have felt.

"It was a gift off my brother for my sixteenth birthday," Jennie answered, her hand reaching up to touch the pendent. She wore it every day to remember her brother, as a reminder to not follow in his footsteps.

"It's really pretty," the girl smiled.

Jennie gave her a small smile in return, the corner of her lips curling slightly.

"Oh, I'm Lisa by the way," the girl introduced herself, holding a hand out towards Jennie.

"Jennie," she replied, taking the warm hand and shaking it slightly.

"So what are you working on Jennie?" Lisa asked, resting her chin on her hand as she put her book down, keeping track of the page with one finger.

"Paperwork," Jennie told her, as she checked one of the files and compared it to what she was looking at on screen. Making a few corrections on the paper, she looked up at Lisa. She was staring at Jennie, a sheepish smile on her face.