Barely There

Chapter 1 - The Daily Routine

Her red coat stood out against the sea of grey on the street. The slightly, differing dark shades multiplied and grew as the clock ticked, signaling the start of work for many. 

A harsh wind raced through the littered streets. Goosebumps covered her olive skin beneath her coat as the September wind tangled around her body, engulfing her in cold air. The wind danced around the shadows and buildings as the blue slowly disappeared from the sky.

She frowned as the streets became more crowded. The lines of people surrounded her like metal walls. The grey shadows blocked the light and she struggled to see clearly as she moved her feet. Pushing her way through the swarm of people, she yearned for the warm light. She finally squeezed out of the horde and resumed her steps.

The wind became more aggressive and clouds began to roll into the dull, pale blue sky, transforming it to a grey tint. She quickened her pace in order to escape the oncoming rain storm.

Her feet moved along the scenic path and she raised her head in order to scan her surroundings. The uncovered sun gleamed brightly through the grey haze, warming her face with faint rays of light. The light shone through her dark brown locks and brightened her usually black eyes to a golden brown tint. Her breath showed in small gusts of white in the cold air as she walked and she glanced down at her watch, drowning in boredom.

The hands of the watch had barely moved on the canvas, yet it had already felt like it had been one hour. She returned to her observation.

The path transformed from a mere city sidewalk to a sea side trail. Less shadows littered the streets then and her shoulders slackened as she breathed in the salty air. Clouds covered the sun and the ocean became a dark shade of grey with only a hint of blue within it. The buildings next to her became dull as the sun was ambushed in the sky.

She halted in her steps when she saw the new building before her. A café stood across her, shadowing over the entire street with its welcoming structure. She frowned for a mere second as she never recalled the café being there the week before. Pushing aside her thoughts and obligations, she entered the café.

It was like any other café you would find. The inside was lined with tan cream walls perpendicular to rustic wooden floorboards. A small bookshelf with worn books and collected dust sat against the wall. Old wooden chairs were spread throughout the room, near the windows, and glowing lights of different shapes and brightness were scattered across the ceiling like stars in the night sky.

She approached the counter timidly and analyzed her options of pastries before settling her gaze on the most appealing one. The grey-haired man behind the wooden counter was staring her down as she continued her silence.

"Can I-... Um, can I please get one raspberry scone with a cup of hot chocolate?"

"Of course, and is that for here or to go?"

Her silence resumed for a long second.

"For here please."

She paid for the items and moved to sit at the farthest table in the corner of the café, smiling at the seclusion and privacy it provided.

Upon her further inspection of the small café, she discovered an eccentric pattern carved into the otherwise new wood. The initial frustration at such a childish act faded when she realized that it was for a game of tic-tac-toe. Perhaps what catalyzed this discovery was the faint but noticeable X in the middle of the grid.

Although she generally shunned those who vandalized property, no matter how small, she slowly sunk her long fingernail into the soft wood to carve the smooth lines of the O to the right of the X. Afterwards, she would highly question her intent and character, but she carved the O nonetheless. Perhaps it was out of mere boredom.

"The game begins," she muttered under her breath.

Her eyes traveled down to the time on her wrist again. The time had barely changed and she blinked her vision clear when she saw the watch mock her.

After drinking her hot chocolate and eating the last of the raspberry jam scone, she stood up from her seat.

She glided across the café like a floating spirit, not taking note of any of the other patrons and ignorant of her unavoidable responsibilities. She landed in front of the vintage and rather unstable bookshelf. Her dark eyes examined the selection of books carefully, making sure to not miss any of the titles. A shining gold title caught her eyes, Pride and Prejudice. However, as she reached to grasp the worn binding of the book her hand collided with another.

She gasped, broken out of her dreamlike faze.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you," she muttered quietly, shaken by the embarrassing and awkward encounter. She looked up from the book.

He was quite tall, towering over her. His eyes were the lightest blue, with hints of other hues within them, complementing his fair skin, and yet contrasting against his brown locks. His mouth was set in a firm line unmoving and his face betrayed nothing, it wore no emotion. His emotionless state looked practiced in a way. His eyes, although a beautiful color, were the same. A pit of nothingness. In the midst of staring though she could swear she saw something in the blue abyss of his eyes, a flash. It was gone before she knew it.

The more she examined his emotionless mask, she felt as if he was merely a walking shell of a man. Yet he was beautiful and the more of his appearance she took in, the more nervous she became. Everything around her blurred while he became sharper, clearer, more in focus. She jumped as she landed back in her reality

"You can have it," he asserted in a rather loud tone, probably having to repeat himself for a second time as she was too distracted by him to notice he was speaking.

"Wait, oh sorry, no I-, are you sure?" 

Everything muffled around her. She heard a song playing but struggled to hear the words. His presence was intimidating in a way.

His cold gaze softened at seeing her nervousness.

"Yeah don't worry about it," he assured.

A flash again.

Still unsure, she slowly took the book from his grasp, her fingers brushing against his, or perhaps it was her own mere imagination seeing that it elicited no reaction from him. With her decreasing confidence and nervous state, she sat down at the ruby couch next to the bookshelf and opened the book as he disappeared deeper into the café.

Chapter 1.