Fireproof // H.S.

2. The Mysterious Boy

I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling. The events from last night flooded my mind. I sighed and got out of bed. I walked up to my bedroom window, pulled the curtains open, and looked out onto the street below. The city was alive and the sun was shining. I quickly got ready, ate breakfast, and went down the stairs to the bakery.

The bakery was busy. Customers were lined up at the cash register with baked goods in their hands and people were walking in and out of the store. I spotted my aunt in the kitchen. She held the phone in one hand while her other hand was scribbling something down on a notepad. My uncle was behind the cash register striking up conversation with customers. I quickly got behind the counter and put my apron on.

"It's about time you woke up," my uncle grinned at me. "We're swamped."

"Really? I couldn't tell," I joked. I looked around for something to do. I saw a tray of croissants that looked like they were cool enough to put in the display case. I reached for the tray.

"Violet, no!" I heard my uncle yell. I turned around to face my uncle with the tray in my hands. My uncle gawked at me. I cocked my head to the side and furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "That tray just came out of the oven. How are you not in pain?" I quickly put the tray down, upset at myself for forgetting.

"Ow?" I said pathetically. I shot him a playful smile.

"I've been a baker for 22 years and I still can't do that. How you do that baffles me." My uncle turned around to help the next customer and I took the opportunity to get away from him. I didn't want him to question me further. I looked at my hands. They were just fine. I didn't feel pain at all.

Business started to slow down around three in the afternoon. I took the opportunity to take a late lunch break. I sat at an empty table in the bakery and brushed the crumbs off the table and chair before sitting down. I ate my sandwich in silence and stared out the window. The streets outside were becoming empty. I'm glad the bakery closes early today and that Christmas Eve dinner isn't at our house.

I eyed a young man with disheveled brown hair walking towards the bakery. He caught me staring at him and broke eye contact with me when he went to open the door. Embarrassed, I looked at my sandwich, suddenly finding it very interesting. He walked around the bakery taking in what was left. I could hear the click of his boots against the tiled floors of the bakery. I felt bad for him. We were out on a lot of baked goods. Chances are we most likely don't have what he needs.

He cleared his throat which signalled to my uncle that he was ready. My uncle walked over to him.

"How are you doing?" my uncle asked.

"Good," the young man replied. "Do you have anymore chocolate chip banana bread?

"We are out of those, I'm sorry," my uncle replied.

"It's fine. I'll take a slice of strawberry cheesecake then."

"I'll give you two slices. The second slice is on the house for running out on you," my uncle said, putting two slices of cheesecake into a to-go container. "Is that all?"

"Yeah. Thanks for the generosity."

"It's no problem. Your total is $2.98." The young man paid for his cake.

I thought he was going to leave but he surprised me by sitting down at a table. Most customers who eat at the bakery sit in a seat facing the window or the display case. I found it odd that he sat in a chair facing me. He stared at me as he sat down in his seat. I held my gaze. This time I wasn't embarrassed. I felt as if he wanted to say something to me. After staring at each other for what seemed like centuries, he finally broke eye contact with me and reached for something in his coat pocket. I saw him pull out a journal and pen. He opened the journal to a blank page and began to write intently. I straightened my posture to try to see what he was writing but it was no use. I gave up and continued eating my lunch.

I spent a solid ten minutes behind the cash register playing Crossy Road on my phone. It's a quarter till five and I was wondering when the young man was going to leave. He was at the bakery for a good hour and a half. He spent most of the time writing in his journal but would occassionally check his phone or look out the window. Does he not have any plans for Christmas Eve? I looked at the clock again. The bakery is going to close soon and the last thing I want to do is kick him out.

As if he read my mind, he suddenly got to his feet, the wooden chair screeching against the tile floor. He placed the journal and pen back in his coat pocket, grabbed the to-go container, and left the bakery without a look back. I watched him turn a corner and disappear from my sight.

He didn't even eat the cheesecake.

.

.

- Christmas Eve Dinner -

I was at the kids table bored out of my mind and slowly slipping into a food coma. I tried to make conversation with my cousins but they were hard to talk to.

"How's school?" I'd ask.

"Good," they would reply, eyes still glued to their phone. I gave up after that. It was impossible to keep the conversation going when they kept on giving me one-word answers. To keep myself from falling asleep, I decided to go outside to get some fresh air. On my way to the front door, I passed the adults table. The adults were all cheery and drunk. They didn't even notice me slip by.

Once outside, I breathed in the fresh, cool air. The night sky was clear; I could see the crescent moon and twinkling stars. I decided to walk around the neighborhood. I looked around at the houses which were brightly lit. My cousins lived in a beautiful neighborhood. I longed to live in a real house--a house that wasn't connected to a bakery. I frowned at myself. I shouldn't be so bitter. I'm lucky to have such loving parents and a roof over my head.

A dark grey Audi entered the neighborhood, shaking me out of my thoughts. The car parked in the driveway of a house further up the street which had several cars in its driveway. I looked at the person getting out of the car and froze at the sight of the familiar face. It was the boy from the bakery. He looked at me wordlessly as he got out of the car with a large package under his left arm. We stared at each other for a while before he turned around to lock his car and walk towards the house.

I didn't realize I was holding my breath. My breathing went back to normal and I suddenly didn't feel like walking anymore. My body was telling me to get as far away as possible from him. He made me feel uneasy. I turned around and walked back to the house quickly. I dug my hands into my coat pocket and was surprised to find a piece of paper in it. I took it out and looked at it. Niall's number. I should call him. I took my phone out and dialled his number but couldn't find the courage to call him. I stared at my phone for a long time before deciding to text him.

*Hey, this is Violet. When are you free to meet up?*

I had so many questions to ask him. I put my phone in my pocket and entered the house. I was greeted by warm air. No one noticed that I came back or even left in the first place. I sat on the couch, hugged a soft pillow, and closed my eyes. Today was a long day. I was exhausted. Right when I was about to fall asleep, my phone vibrated. I took my phone out and saw that I had a text message from Niall.

*How about tomorrow?*