Healing Her Heart {Trilogy}

Chapter 4

Garrett debated on whether to return to the café or not. He wanted to see Fiona again, but he didn't want to look like a stalker. He was interested in that girl, but he still couldn't figure out why. Garrett needed to find out what it was that was pulling him to Fiona.  Garrett got out of bed, rubbing his eyes. Looking at the clock, he realized he woke up earlier than usual this morning. It was only seven thirty in the morning.

He knew he wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep, so instead of trying to get some more rest he went to the bathroom to shower. As he showered, he thought about what he was going to do today. There was the town, which he could explore, that was available for him to go shopping for food, furniture, and clothes. But first, he decided, he was going to go get some coffee.

Garrett steps out of the shower and shook his towel through his shaggy hair and made his way to the closet in his bedroom. He pulled open the door and scanned the contents. He found a pair of dark jeans, a green polo shirt with short sleeves, and a  speckled gray sweatshirt with green sleeves, a hood and grey hoodie pockets. He grabbed his converse and slipped those on after getting dressed and grabbed his apartment key.

He grabbed his phone off the mahogany side table by his bed and glanced around the room. The apartment owner had told him that whole apartment had been renovated by the owners who lived in it before Garrett had. The flooring had been replaced in all of the rooms, the walls had been repainted, and the plumbing had been fixed.  Garrett had gotten a pretty good deal out of this apartment; it only costs four hundred dollars a month, which was a lot less than he expected for the price. It looked completely brand new.

The walls in his bedroom were painted a creamy white color with a creamy gold trimming, and it was smooth to the touch. It was a relaxing set of colors for the bedroom, which is why Garrett chose this room to be his bedroom. It was a spacey room as well, but Garrett guessed it only felt spacey because he only had his bed, side tables, and desk in the room. A window was the only thing that decorated the room's walls right now, but it was an amazing view. He got the view of a lake from his apartment.

The living room was no better in the decoration area. He didn't have anything in there right now except for his boxes and a fainting couch. He really needed to go furniture shopping later today, otherwise he would probably procrastinate it later. He checked the mirror, running his hand down his face. His black hair was naturally messy and shaggy that refused to be tamed no matter what Garrett did to fix it. At least his hair made his ocean blue eyes stand out, which is probably one of the things he loved most about his face. 

He left the apartment and made his way to the cafe, hands in his pockets. The minute he stepped out of the apartment building he was greeted by a wave of chill, as though Jack Frost had sucked in a breath of air and blew it out as a chilly and frosty wind. Frost glittered on the windows of buildings and on the tips of the freshly cut grass. The air smelled like freshly melted rain, which Garrett liked a lot. In New York City, it was rare to have that nice fresh smell because of the forever running traffic and gas smells.

He soon arrived at the cafe, which was open. Garrett entered through the old door and made his way to the counter. The wood floors greeted him with the creaking sounds as he made his way to the counter. 

"Back already?" Rowan asked, smiling.

"Yeah," Garrett replied, grinning sheepishly. "The coffee was really good."

She laughed, leaning on her elbows across the counter, "So that's why you came back, I'm guessing. You liked our coffee that much?"

That, and because I want to see Fiona again. Garrett thought to himself. Instead of saying that, though, he simply grinned and nodded. "Yep. I want more and more."

Rowan winked, her elbows sliding off the counter as she stood up straight. "So, the same thing you had yesterday?"

"Please." Garrett reached for his wallet in his back pocket. He patted his back pocket and frowned, then patted the other one. With a feeling of frustration, he realized he left his wallet at home. "Or not."

Rowan raised an eyebrow in question, "What?"

"I forgot my wallet at home," Garrett admitted to her, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. 

Rowan frowned, but then her eyes flashed behind Garrett and he heard the door open and close. "I'll pay for his coffee," a familiar voice said.

Garrett turned his head and saw Fiona standing behind him, credit card held out. She raised an eyebrow at Garrett. "Well, tell her what you want."

His eyes widened and he searched for words, "Oh..That's fine..you don't have to buy it for me. I'll be fine."

She rolled her eyes. "Just tell Rowan what you want. I can pay."

"But-"

Fiona gave him a look that closed any doors for argument. Garrett furrowed his eyebrows and turned to Rowan. "The same thing I had yesterday.."

"Alright," said Rowan slowly, eyes shifting from Garrett to Fiona. Something flickered in her eyes, and an amused grin spread across the girl's face. "And you, Fiona?"

"Green tea," Fiona told her, brushing past him and handing the credit card to Rowan. Rowan took the credit card and swiped it, typed a few things on the cash register, and handed the credit card back to Fiona.

"We'll have your orders out soon," she tells the two and disappears into the kitchen.

Garrett taps Fiona's shoulder as the girl began to walk towards the couches. She turned and looked at Garrett. "Yes?"

"You didn't have to do that," he replied, sticking his hands in his pockets awkwardly. She studied him, making Garrett wonder what she was thinking right now. 

Fiona shrugged, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "It was nothing, really. I mean, it didn't cost very much so it's fine."

"I'll pay you back."

She shook her head. "No, don't pay me back. It's fine, really, it is. I just did it..just because.." She shrugged again, looking down.

Garrett smiled kindly at her, liking her more and more by the minute. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she replied, looking back up and returning his smile. She stuck out her hand. "I'm Fiona."

He took her hand. It was small compared to his, but it was soft and warm. She had really nice hands, Garret thought. 

Good job, Garrett. You officially sound like a weirdo. Garrett thought. He felt his cheeks go warm and prayed that Fiona didn't notice.

"Aren't you going to tell me your name?" Fiona's question snapped Garrett out of his thoughts. He shook his head and looked at her.

"Sorry," he apologized nervously. He shook her hand. "I'm Garrett."

She smiled a little, not letting go of his hand. "It's really nice to meet you, Garrett."

He held onto her hand a few more seconds, before letting it go. Instantly he regretted it, because holding her hand in his felt nice.

"So.." she said, her cheeks turning pink.

"Soo.." Garrett replied, running his hand through his hair awkwardly. "Um, thanks again for paying for my coffee..I'd like to make it up to you somehow."

Her cheeks turned a little more pink. "Well, there's one way you can make it up to me.."

"Yeah?" he asks, a bit too quickly. He instantly shut his mouth and scratched the back of his neck.

"You can sit with me." She gestured to the couches.

"Sure." He smiled, and she led him to one of the couches. He sat down by her, and soon the two were caught up in talking about everything and nothing.