Where Two Collide

Chapter Thirty-Eight - Alice

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Alice

I stood quickly, the groceries still in my arms. It felt weird to hear him say my name like he knew me. Of course I'd bumped into him three times now, the third time literally running straight into him, but this was to familiar, I didn't even know anything about this person. "I'm pretty sure it's the other way around," I said, giving him a look of disapproval. "Are you going to pick up the rest of your shopping or are you just going to leave it in the street where you dropped it."

He laughed, his eyes glittering in the sunlight, then bent down to gather the rest of the bags. "I'm not stalking you, I was on my way to deliver this shopping to someone, they live near here," he said, throwing his head back to look me in the eye. "And I didn't drop it, you knocked it out of my hands."

Guilt flashed across my face. I did run into him, and I broke one of the bags. He'd never be able to carry the bags he had and my armful. I glanced back up the street and then at him. "How close by do they live, this person you were delivering the food to?" I asked.

He seemed to hesitate as he straightened with bags in his hands. "Well... just around the corner from here, my grandad owns an apartment near the park," he said, gazing at me uncertainly. "I couldn't ask you to help me though, you don't even know me."

It was as if he'd read my mind. It gave me an out, I couldn't take it though, as much as I wanted to, it was my fault he was in this predicament. "Then you'll just have to tell me something about you on our way there so that I do know you a little," I said, reshuffling my arms so the food was a bit more secure. I started walking randomly in a direction I was pretty sure was the park, then looked back at him when I realised he hadn't moved. "Which way?"

"Onward young Miss, I'll lead the way," he said, finally moving forward with a big smile. He caught up with me and fell into step beside me.

I shot him a look. "Less of the young, we are clearly the same age."

"That seems like a good place to start then," he said grinning. "I'm seventeen."

I nodded knowingly. "I'll be seventeen in a little over a week."

"Mazel tof."

"Thanks," I said looking straight ahead. "Why don't you tell me why you were in my hospital room when I woke up, cause honestly I'm still a bit weirded out by that."

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked, suddenly looking at me with a serious expression. The seriousness lasted as long as his pause before he broke out in another wide smile. "It's because I'm an angel."

I rolled my eyes, which immediately reminded me of Cat, making me smile unthinkingly. She rolled her eyes at me constantly, was this what I was like with her? "Hilarious," I stated, hopping off the cobbled street and onto the pavement as we headed out onto a busier road where cars were driving past. "Was the lady your grandmother?" I'd assumed as much before when I'd blasted a tirade at him of my pure anger, he'd never actually confirmed or denied it.

Clearing his throat, he said, "Yes that's my grandmother. She had a fall at the café, it's her café, the one I was working at. It was a stroke; I'm told she might not recover. That's why I'm helping at the café, because my grandad is not well enough to take over and they might lose it."

My shoulders sag. I hadn't been expecting that at all, now I felt bad for being so mean to him. "I'm sorry, that's awful."

"Just as awful as what you went through, I'm sorry too," he said earnestly. "For calling you out on things that were none of my business. I guess I just didn't want to focus too much on what was going on in my life, it was easier to just jump into yours."

We paused at a traffic light, he reached over and pressed the button and I watched as the little man flashed and then turned green. The park was across the road from us now, we crossed the road and walked around the fence surrounding it. "So, do you live with your grandparents?"

"Actually, I live with my mum, she just moved us here to be closer to my grandparents a few weeks ago." He stopped outside the steps of a two-storey building. There was a little garden out front with a plastic wicker table and two chairs and two post boxes, one of which was shaped like a little house. Damien juggled the bags in his hands, bringing up his knee to balance them as he opened the door of the little house post box and stuck his hand inside, drawing out some letters. He shoved it inside one of the bags and looked back at me. "Do you think you know enough about me now that you'd feel comfortable helping me take this stuff upstairs?"

I nodded. In fact, I was feeling a lot less annoyance toward him in general now. I followed as he unlocked the door and headed straight for the soft carpeted stairs on the left of a long hallway. When he knocked on the door at the top of the stairs before opening it, I felt a wave of panic. I was about to meet this guys grandfather and here I was dressed in my running gear looking all sweaty and possibly even smelly. I hadn't even met Owen's parents, and here I was meeting someone close to a guy who I'd only met three times.

As we walked inside Damien called out, "Hi Grandad it's me, I have your shopping." He paused, glancing over at me. "I have a friend with me too, she's helping me with the bags."

I followed him into the kitchen and placed the food I'd been carrying on the round wood table tucked in the corner of the room.

I heard a walking frame scraping the floor before he came from the hallway to greet us. "Damien my boy, glad to see you." He was dressed in a navy three-piece-suit as though he was about to head out to some formal event, which for all I knew he might well have been, his silvery hair was partially hidden by the fedora he was wearing. He chuckled to himself, much in the way that Damien seemed to.

Damien pursed his lips as if to keep from smiling, which was odd for him. "Grandad this is my friend Alice."

I was weirdly grateful that he'd not told him about the bag-breaking incident as I held my hand out to shake his.

"Well hello Alice," he said smiling. He didn't take my hand, and now I felt awkward holding it out for him still.

Damien laughed a deep throaty life. "Grandad, she wants to shake your hand," he said, lines forming at his eyes as he struggled to stop laughing.

"Oh, she is?" His grandad lifted his hand out in front of him and I automatically took it. His skin was paper thin but very warm.

"Sorry Alice, grandad's blind," Damien explained.

"Oh yes, blind as a mole rat, but much more handsome."

I brushed a strand of hair behind my ear feeling embarrassed.

"You've got a splendid handshake Alice," said his grandad, tipping his hat at me.

"Thank you," I said, smiling faintly.

"Damien, do tell me, is she pretty?"

"Yes Grandad, very pretty," said Damien without hesitation.

All the blood rushed to my face. "It was lovely to meet you, but I have to get going," I said quickly. This was all getting a bit too personal. The sudden realisation of where I was and who I was with hit me hard. If Owen could see me, he would freak his shit. It didn't matter what my reasons were, he'd think I was hanging out with another guy and that would really hurt him. I'd hurt him enough already.

Damien cocked his head to the side, frowning in confusion. "Do you need me to walk you back?"

"No, no don't worry," I said hurriedly, relieved he didn't press try and press me for reasons for my sudden rush to leave.

"It was splendid to meet you Alice," said his grandad, his voice wistful and his eyes shining. "Do come back again and visit, I should very much like the company."

I nodded, but then remembered he couldn't see it. "I'd like that," I said, then darted out the door, running before I'd even reached the street.

***Sorry guys this was a little late in comparison to my usual daily posting! I also wanted to tell you about my short story 'The Dragon of the Forgotten Realm' which is one of the Winners of @WattpadDisney 'Damsel in Success' Competition. I'm so excited that it's now being featured on their Reading List 'If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It', I do hope you'll check it out :) ***