What Life Stole From Me

Chapter Two

    It was dark,and Nelson Drive Avenue had no streetlights.
I walked through the backyard of the houses in our estate,cautious of my steps and what I bumped into.

Clueless as to what to do,or where to go,at that moment.
I thought of going to search for Sophia's aunt's place,but I protested against it;
'what if she'd left already? What if the first light of the morning comes and I still haven't seen her,then my parents get to reach me? I have to leave town. There was no time to stay looking for Sophia,I have to do that after I leave Coastal town,how? I don't know,but I.have.to.leave!'

   It was freezing and my teeth were clicking. I tucked my hand in my jacket,holding the magazine with the other. I kept walking.

I crossed the high street of Nelson Drive and spotted a Café open,I walked to it,and entered.

The Café had chairs and tables set on horizontal line,there were a few people inside.

My gaze fell on a man sitting at the table beside the entrance,he looked to me like he was in His mid forties,he had a lazy but striking gaze,heavy lids,his black hair dropped at his back,He wasn't strikingly handsome,but neither was he ugly,he looked well groomed anyway. I hadn't noticed him when I got in.

Until then, He saw me looking,standing clueless,He gestured at me,asking to join at his table.

I had no intention of having coffee,I couldn't afford to spend my little savings recklessly,I had to use it for transport,to wherever the waves of life took me.

I was somewhat uneasy,but the thought that the morning was still young,and no one at would notice that I was gone until much later,the thought relaxed me. I needed to sit down and think,and very fast too.

And so I walked towards him,I stood.
"Hello.." I uttered,shocked at my bravery.

"Hi,young lady...sit."

I thought he sounded authoritative,but I sat anyway,putting the magazine on the table.

"The night is young." He said.
'Okay captain obvious.'

"....and so are you." He added,looking into my eyes. I sat still.
"Are you here with someone?" He asked.

I felt my eyes watering,and so to distract his piercing gaze,I brushed away the side of my
Mouth with the back of my hand. "No... I'm alone." I muffled,a sniff escaped me.

"Have you been crying?"
Oh yes I have,He noticed. What a Man? I thought! Are men always like this? Pushing to talk to every girl they saw randomly? I had never had any encounter with any.
My preoccupations didn't leave me the leisure.

I hadn't realized I Was spacing out,looking at him blankly until He talked again.

"Huh?"

"No" I lied. "I haven't been crying. I have something in my eye."

He scoffed, "Yeah? Baby girl,that is the oldest trick in the book. Coffee?"

He had already figured me out. Smart. My mother had always warned me to stay away from smart men. "They are dangerous."
She'd said.

"Yes,please." I uttered,electing against thinking about my mother or anything that related to home,lest I change my mind.

He raised a hand to order the server to our table. A slim beautiful brunette appeared before us in no time. She took the order from Him and left. I was still thinking of how to reach Sophia.

Perhaps He had a phone I could use.
He disrupted my thoughts when He spoke. "I'm Jake Donovan."

I nodded. I said nothing. I was not interested in knowing His name. I only wanted to use his phone.