𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐔𝐏𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐍 𝐔𝐒 ~ 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

~1~

Kitty's cheeks were flushed with pink as she crunched through the autumn leaves that paved the street. The steely grey clouds hung in the sky as she walked past brightly lit shop windows and stuffed her long pink and brown plaits under her beanie as she looked at the traffic before crossing the street and entering a warm coffee shop. She went up to the counter, looking up at the menu board before fumbling in her bag for her purse.

"Hi, can..." she trailed off as she looked up at the barista. Holy cow... Kitty thought as she took in the woman stood in front of her. She was smiling warmly at Kitty. Her nametag read anna.

"Yes?" Anna said kindly.

"Oh, sorry, can I please have a...um..." Kitty took a deep breath, trying to get her racing heart under control. "Can I please have a cinnamon roll Frappuccino and a blueberry muffin please?" she slid some money across the counter as Anna handed her her drink and muffin.

"Thank you," she mumbled, her face red with embarrassment. Kitty sat at a table and opened her laptop, taking a sip of her Frappuccino and typing a new paragraph in her book.

"Jasmine shook Kai's arm from around her shoulders. 'I don't want this,' she whispered. 'I don't want to settle for an ordinary love. I want my love to be one of a kind. I want to wake up every morning next to the person I love and tell them how lucky I am. I want to walk down the streets holding hands, and have people know how much we love each other. I want to be with someone who sees my worst but encourages me to be my best. I want to be able to laugh with them but also have a conversation where we share our deepest thoughts. And you are Not that person.' Jasmine ran into the winter gloom.'

"Excuse me miss?" Anna walked over to her. Kitty looked up at Anna blankly, before realising that the street outside was shrouded in darkness and the café was empty.

"Oh my goodness, I didn't realise how late it was, I'm so sorry." Kitty gabbled, wrestling her laptop into her Disney backpack. "Let me help you clean up." She said shyly, picking up some plates and mugs. Anna grinned at her.

"Thanks so much but you don't have to." Kitty smiled and put the plates and mugs on the counter.

"I want to," Kitty said simply. "Anna, right?" Anna smiled before wiping over some more tables.

"Yes, I started here two weeks ago" Anna locked all of the machines and went to grab her possessions from the staff area. "So...What do you do?" Kitty blushed.

"I'm Kitty, a struggling romance writer who has never been in a relationship..." Kitty admitted. Anna frowned thoughtfully, her brow creased.

"That doesn't sound very easy. How can you write about something you have no experience with?"

"I cant," Kitty sighed. "That's the problem." She tried not to look at Anna. Every glance she felt her heart thump more and more.

"I understand. I could try help if you want. I have been in several."

"Are you...currently in one?" Kitty asked, her breath catching in her throat. She maybe kinda hoped that Anna was single but...

"I am," She said blissfully unaware of Kitty's inner turmoil. "I can give you my number if you want, you know, for help with the book." Anna said as they locked up the shop.

"Oh- I would lov- That would be really helpful thank you." Kitty blushed profusely and was awfully glad it was dark. She tapped Anna's number into her phone and said farewell before walking to her flat.

Text to Anna: Thank you so much in advance for your Help!

Text from Anna: Honestly, it's no bother xx

Kitty's eyes went wide as she saw the kisses after the message. Anna had sent her a kiss! It probably meant nothing, in fact, it definitely meant nothing, but it still happened. She smiled before putting her phone on charge and drifting off to sleep.

She awoke at 6:32am to the sound of her alarm blaring in her ear. Kitty groaned as she went to get out of bed and instead walked into the wall. "OWWWYFWTDRDHGFUTEDTSHJFWJFWUFJ!!!" She was definitely awake now. She pulled on some leggings, a hoodie and a manky pair of trainers before stumbling out of her flat and heading for a run round Hyde park. Kitty hated running, in fact she was opposed to most exercise, but she knew that going for regular runs would be good for her. Didn't mean she had to enjoy them while they lasted.

The harsh autumn air whipped against Kitty's cheeks, her hair flying around her face and her heart pounding uncomfortably quickly. Her raspy pants were making her chest go up and down as she jogged back to her house and had a shower before flopping back on her bed again, this time looking like some sort of salmon. She picked up her back and coat before going on a walk around the city, admiring the crisp golden leaves on the trees and snapping a few photos and uploading them to Instagram.

You have one new follower: _ichbin.Anna_

Kitty clicked on the profile to find pictures of Anna and her girlfriend, who seemed to be called Clarissa. She went down and liked the posts without Clarissa. She didn't want to seem petty, but she didn't want Clarissa popping up in her feed or messages.

She ate her way through a bowl of cheerios, editing the passage she had written in the coffee shop. She couldn't get Anna out of her mind. Stop it Kit, she told herself. Anna is in a happy relationship and you need to respect that. She grabbed her backpack and walked to the café. The sun shone weakly throught the clouds and she could hear several birds chirping happily. Anna waved at her as she wiped the tables down. Kitty beamed back and walked up to the counter, placing her order. The man brought the order to her table and Kitty pulled out her laptop. The blood started to pound in her ears. Her heart thudded in her chest. Her feet tingled. Her vision disfigured, as is she were looking through a glass. She clutched the handle of her mug, her hands wrapped so tightly around it that her nails dug into her palms. Breathing hard. Really hard. As if she'd just run a marathon. Tears started to drip down her face and a concerned crowd of customers began to crowd around her.

"EVERYONE!" Anna said. "Please give her some room." The crowd backed off. Kitty started to cry as her chest grew tighter and tighter. Anna put a calming arm around her and stroked Kitty's hair back from her face. She guided Kitty into the fresh air and Kitty gulped several times. She allowed herself to be wrapped into a hug by Anna, before hearing an angry shout behind them.

"EXCUSE ME! WHY ARE YOU HUGGING MY GIRLFRIEND?"