Disclaimer: No characters are my own
All mistakes are my own :)
Enjoy!
Chapter Two
I Like Twix Too
You don't know why, but somehow, you'd intentionally woken up late today. You woke up to the sound of your alarm blaring around your small bedroom. You immediately turned it off, but you didn't get out of bed. Instead you closed your eyes, and lifted your blanket up higher to your face, and went straight back to sleep. You woke up an hour later, late for work, again.
Your morning was exactly like it was two days ago, but this time you weren't angry about it. This time, you smiled the whole time you were rushing around. You even let out a laugh when you quickly spread your toast and shoved it into your mouth. You purposefully took a long time to check your purse was in your bag, before slowly leaving your apartment.
At the back of your mind you knew that this was wrong, that you should be mad at yourself for being late again. Even more so for purposefully making yourself later than usual, but for some reason you didn't care. When you really thought about it, you couldn't have cared less whether you'd be in trouble again for being late or not. You wanted to be late, if only for today. This one morning, you just wanted to miss your bus and than wait half an hour for the next one. You had a feeling you knew why this was, but you just couldn't admit it.
But when you got to your bus stop, and saw people standing around waiting, you knew that the bus was indeed late (just like it was two days ago). That was when you could admit it.
You hadn't seen those black-leather gloved hands and simple black shoes in two days. And in all honesty, it was driving you crazy. You wanted to see those gloves; you wanted to see those shoes. But more than anything, you wanted to see that face. Her face, her precious, pale complexion – the one that got you so mesmerized the second you saw her. And you wanted to be mesmerized again, so badly.
You were even willing to be late for work the second time this week. And you knew you would be in trouble, even more so seeing as it was in the same week. You knew that your boss would have a fit; he did two days ago like you knew he would, and you knew he would today too. You didn't want to make him angry, that wasn't your intention at all. But you did want to be late, just for today.
All you wanted to do was see her face.
It had been driving you mad for two days now; you didn't think you could handle not seeing it any longer. So you did what you had to do.
You made yourself wake up late, you made yourself forget your purse, you made yourself miss the bus, just so you could do just what you were doing now.
You were waiting patiently, at your bus stop for the next '132a,' and this time you couldn't even blame your sister. She hadn't called you late last night; this was all you're doing. But instead of being irritated, all you could do was smile as you calmly waited for her to arrive too.
The bus hadn't arrived yet, it was ten past eight, she hadn't arrived yet either. But then you remembered that the bus didn't come until at least half eight last time, so maybe she wouldn't get here until then. It wasn't like you knew her morning routine; it wasn't like you knew where she was headed. If she was even headed off to work. You started to panic; maybe she didn't even catch buses daily in the mornings. For all you knew she could have been going to a friends or relatives. Then again it had been two days; maybe she'll go there again today.
You hoped she would, just for today, just so you could see her precious pale face again. You only wanted to see her against the morning light, just like you had that day. You almost needed to, because just like you had feared that day, you really were starting to forget her face.
You remembered the basics, like her clothes and her main facial features, but you had begun to forget the details, like did she have freckles or was it just a small mole you noticed on her cheeks. Were her eyebrows long and thick, or were they thin and finely shaped, like yours. You just couldn't remember, and you wanted too, so bad. So you sat at the bus stop and patiently waited some more. She would show up, you hoped.
It was twenty five past eight now, and the bus was even later than usual. You were already starting to get hungry too. That small slice of toast wasn't even enough of a breakfast for you.
Growing up you had a full breakfast everyday, the maids in your family mansion waited on you hand and foot. That's right, you had maids, and you grew up living the life of having everything given to you on a plate. But even then, none of that was enough. You or parents never knowing why, anyone would have been honoured to have a childhood like yours. But for some reason none of that felt right. A life of money, didn't feel right. So as soon as you could you decided to live your own life. Away from home, away from France, away from your family. You needed to live a life on your own; you wanted to know if you could. If you could even survive. And you did, at first.
But now money was getting tight, your rent needed payment, and waking up late for work more often than nought wasn't going to help you gain the money you needed. For each time you were late your payment went down, and you couldn't afford it to go down any further. You loved your life of freedom (at first) but now that you kept missing out on basic things like breakfast every morning, a small part of you wished that you never left.
Now, waiting here at your local bus stop, in the freezing cold - typical British weather. Watching the world go past as your bus ran late again, you couldn't help but wish that you were at home, in France, with your family. Talking to your sister, Gabrielle, every so often at night, didn't seem like enough anymore. You were missing out on so much of her life, you couldn't take it.
These thoughts were getting you down, and you didn't want to be upset again today. You'd been thinking too much like this lately, you needed just one day to be happy again. And you felt that when you woke up, so you subtly shook your head of the thoughts clouding your mind, and tried to get back into that mood again.
You turned your head to the side and stared at the empty seats available beside you, and began to wonder what it would be like to have a familiar face sitting next to you.
That's when you remembered, a familiar face, your friend Katie from work. She had given you a bar of chocolate yesterday. When you had told her how hungry you were because you didn't have any food at home for breakfast or lunch that day. You remembered the way she just chuckled and rolled her eyes, as if to say 'Typical Fleur.' She would always do that whenever you did something she found amusing. She'd gone into her bag and quickly pulled out something wrapped in golden foil and she had said 'Here, Fleur, you like Twix right, I've never taken a fancy myself so have mine.'
You kindly declined at first, thinking that she was joking as why would she have bought a chocolate bar that she didn't even like. But when you saw her give that face again, you knew she wouldn't take no for an answer so accepted it reluctantly. Even though, Twix aren't even your favourite chocolate bar.
You remembered putting them in your bag and had forgotten to eat them after work, so they must still be there now. You weren't very fond of them either, but right now you were that hungry you could eat anything given to you.
Once you checked your bag and saw that golden foil, now a little bit creased in certain areas, you couldn't keep the satisfactory grin off your face. Food. You instantly took it out and opened it and before you knew it you were munching down the thin chocolate bar, loving the mixture of the smooth caramel and crunchy biscuit in your mouth.
Having chocolate probably wasn't the best source of breakfast; heaven only knows your parents would have gone mad if you had something like this when you were young, but right at that moment you couldn't have cared less. And you couldn't have been more grateful for a friend like Katie. Maybe she even had some more chocolate she could offer you today that you could eat tomorrow if you ran out of time in the morning, yet again. You liked that thought.
But then suddenly a voice brought you back down to reality. And you remembered exactly where you were. Still waiting at your bus stop. You quickly looked down at your watch; it was now half past eight. Why wasn't it here yet?
Then you remembered that someone was speaking to you, so you looked to the side to see who it may be. And then your heart skipped a beat.
It was her.
She had shown up, just like you hoped she would.
Her precious pale face was now the only thing you could see. She was right there, sitting beside you. She was so close you couldn't help but take in her lavender scent. A small smile graced your features, as you remembered flower picking in your garden during spring. The smell of the daisies and the wildflowers hitting your senses, your purple sundress spinning around as you twirled, loving the feeling of the soil beneath your small feet.
You remembered being so young, so free, out in the open spring. You remembered seeing a small lavender, right in the corner; you bent down and breathed in the scent, filling your lungs. You began to smile at the memory, and let out a small laugh. Just like you had done that day, back when you were only ten.
She smelled like home.
You don't know why, but you almost cried at the memory. You hadn't remembered that moment in years.
You watched her mouth as it formed into a small sideways grin. She was simply watching you stare at her in awe. You couldn't keep your eyes away from her. You loved the shade of brown in her eyes; they seemed to glow in the morning light, just like her pale skin. You liked how her cheeks were beginning to get the slightest bit rosy red from the cold winter air. And you noticed that there were freckles covering her cheek, but only a few, it was almost like someone grabbed a handful of them and sprinkled the freckles onto her soft, round cheeks. Her lips were thin and plump; her lip-gloss making them look pinker.
And from this moment on, you knew that this woman, from her eyes to her ears – which stood out just a fraction as her hair was tied up again into that bun – and right down to her little black shoes was special.
No, she was beyond that. You knew that she was Beautiful.
And then just like that, you knew staring at her wasn't going to be enough anymore. You wanted to know all about her. You wanted to know how old she was, if she had a job, if she goes there every morning and what bus she takes to get there.
You wanted to know her favourite colour, her favourite show, if she liked the same food and drinks as you. What made her smile, what made her cry, had she ever cried before?
You hoped she didn't, because a Beautiful woman like her shouldn't even know the word, you couldn't ever imagine seeing that face sad. She was way too pretty for that.
You looked down and saw she was wearing those black-leathered gloves again, but this time her shoes were a different style than before. Still black and still simple, but they looked more elegant as the heels were slightly higher. And instantly more questions burned into your mind, like what size feet was she? How had she got those gloves and were they her favourite.
So many questions were spinning through your mind that you didn't even know if you could ask her one of them. But really out of all those questions, there was only one that you really wanted to know. Only one that you were simply dieing to ask her, the one that had been on your mind from the very beginning. You simply wanted to know her name. There was just one question that kept repeating in your head.
'What's your name?'
But when you tried to open your mouth to ask her, no words came out. You immediately closed your mouth, you didn't want her to think something was wrong with you, and she most likely would if you kept staring at her with your mouth open. That would just freak her out.
Then you remembered you were staring at her, so you instantly looked away. Your eyes staring at the stone pavement below, before they wandered down to your hands and saw that you still had your chocolate bar. You still had one thin bar left seeing as you had hungrily eaten the other one.
You wanted to eat the rest, your belly dieing for you too, but you couldn't. You didn't want to seem rude, eating in front of someone else. You may not live with your parents anymore but you still had your manners. So you held in your hunger, you could wait a bit longer.
When you were beginning to gain the courage to say something to break the silence that had formed, she had beaten you to it instead.
"I Like Twix Too."
Her voice was so calm, so soothing. She said it in the gentlest voice you had ever heard. She liked Twix too. They were simple words, spoken in a simple way, almost matter-of-factly.
They were words that would make some people look at her as if she was crazy, as no one really admitted something like that to a stranger. But to you she wasn't a stranger; you never thought her one from the beginning. How could you when she had gotten you so hooked from the start.
You didn't look at her as if she was crazy, you didn't think in the slightest that she was weird. You gave her a teeth-showing smile, your eyes softening as you titled your head to the side a bit. You looked at her in the eyes, seeing her own brown ones shining back at you, and you couldn't seem to look away.
She was amazing.
She was wonderful.
You looked at her in the eyes, your face saying it all. You were telling her that she was amazingly, wonderful. And she couldn't have gotten anymore perfect.
She stared straight back at you, and for a second you thought you could see her face blush. You watched as she bit the side of her lip, slightly. Her teeth showing too as she smiled back. Her nose scrunching as she did so.
She liked Twix too, you don't know why but that fact made butterfly's fly around in your stomach. You didn't have that in common at all. You didn't really like Twix; you only ate it because you were hungry and bored. And yet, she thought you did. And she liked them too. You loved the fact that she did, for some reason; it made her all the more special to you.
"I do not really like Twix" you told her, truthfully.
The first words you said to her, and you smile even more, you were happy that your first words were the truth.
"You can 'ave 'ze rest if you like."
Your hand rose up slowly, as you offered the bar to her. Your belly was screaming at you to put it down and take back the offer, you were really hungry. But her smiling face was telling you otherwise.
"No, that's okay, it's yours." She said kindly.
"Well 'zen, at least 'ave 'alf. It is only fair seeing as I do owe you twenty pence anyway" you offered, your voice wavering just a bit at the last part.
You knew it was risky adding that in, she may not even remember you from then. It wasn't like she saw you, seeing as you had your back to her the whole time. And when the silence started to come back, you began to worry that you had scared her, maybe she thought it was weird that you had remembered her. You barely even saw her yourself.
But all you had to do was see her smile. All you had to do was see the way her head tilted, slightly, to the side too. All you had to do was see the way her shoulders shook up and down as she let out a small chuckle. Her teeth still biting her bottom lip. And all you can do was think how Beautiful she was, especially when she gave a small nod, her blush beginning to show.
"Okay."
That was all she said, that was all she needed to say. You took back the bar and lifted up your other hand as you used it to snap the last thin bar in half.
You looked down at the bar and saw that it only crumbled a little bit when it broke, before you offered her the bigger half. She kindly took it from your hand; you noticed that her black-leather glove was off and now being held in her other hand. As she took it you could have sworn that you felt her pointer finger brush against yours. You felt the slightest tingle. But decided to shake the thought away, you didn't want to think too much of this encounter, you hardly knew the woman after all.
Then the silence came back again, as neither you nor she seemed to know what to say next. Instead you both just sat there, eating the chocolate quietly. You would turn to look at her every now and then, and she would look back and smile whenever you did. You would hold your gaze for no longer than a second before looking away with a smile on your face.
You ate your half a lot quicker than she did, seeing as you were hungry, but you start to regret it when you realise that you no longer have anything to do with your hands. So with the wrapper still in hand you begin to play with that, as you slowly wait for the bus to arrive.
When you next turn to her you see her take her last bite of the chocolate. You begin to watch her chew, slowly, up and down and your immediately fascinated yet again. For how can someone make something as simple as eating look so graceful? Her eyes look to the side; you know that she can see you watching her. So you instantly look away.
And then you remember the question that was on your mind earlier. Maybe now you can finally ask her, seeing as you've spoken to her now. She might not find it too strange. There's nothing wrong with wanting to have a friend that you see at the bus stop. Someone to talk to whilst you both sit and wait. She could be your bus buddy. But then you shake your head at the thought, your certainly not sixteen anymore. Friends, friends would do just fine. Friends definitely need to know the name of other friends.
So on that thought, you decide to ask her. But as you do, she begins to speak at the same time.
"What is your name?"
"Thank you."
You both instantly blush, and look away. A big grin spreads across your face; you don't think you've ever been this embarrassed before. And you don't even know why. It was a simple enough question. Everyone has a name, right?
So why couldn't you seem to meet her eyes all of a sudden.
And then it happens again, you both begin to speak at the same time.
"That iz' okay."
"My name is-"
And just when your about to find out, your bus finally arrives. You don't think you've ever been more annoyed to see your bus arrive than you are now. Why, of all times, did it have to pick this moment to show up? Now you don't think you'll ever know her name.
You look at her quickly, meeting her eyes, almost begging her to tell you. But it seems that she doesn't get it as she looks away and stares at the people getting on your bus. So with that you stand and start to make your way to the line.
Just as you join in at the end, you hear her gentle voice speak out to you.
"What is yours?"
You turn around and see her looking at you, expectantly.
"Oh, uhh… 'Zis is my bus now" you say, looking away ashamed.
You want to tell her, but the queue is going down fast, and you don't have enough time to carry on talking. You can't be anymore later than you already are.
You see her look away, her face almost looks disappointed. But then she looks back up at you with a small smile.
"Okay, that's fine."
All you can do is give her an apologetic smile back, before quickly getting on the bus.
As soon as you reach the first step, you instinctively reach in your bag for your purse. On the second step you're still reaching to find it – for a small bag you manage to put an awful lot of things in there.
And that's when you hear her voice again, this time closer.
"Maybe next time we can tell each other."
You quickly turn to see her standing there by the bus door. By the way her chest looks to be quickly rising and falling, you can tell that she quickly ran to catch up.
You can't help but smile as you find it all endearing. That she seems to want to know just as much as you do.
But you can't stand there forever; you know that the bus driver won't be too happy if you keep him waiting.
"Okay, I shall tell you next time" you quickly agree in the spur of the moment.
You look behind you and see that nobody is paying now; the bus driver is watching you both with a frown on his round face.
You quickly turn to her and give her one quick smile before grabbing your purse and turning to the front.
You waste no time in paying for the ticket, you grab it and quickly choose a seat at the back by the window. When you look outside you see her standing there facing you and she gives you a wave. Your face brightens instantly as you give her a wave back.
The bus quickly begins to make a move and you carry on waving as you watch her get smaller and smaller the further away you go. And the only thought that's on your mind now is: 'There's going to be a next time.'
