The handsome stranger walks up to me, standing on the other side of the counter. He is still breathless, his dark brown hair messy from the wind. I have the urge to reach over and smooth it out, but I resist.
"Hi," He whispers, looking into my eyes.
"Hi," I whisper back. He keeps staring at me, those dark blue eyes shining with a glint of something. I study the rest of his face. His nose is hooked, and he has a full bottom lip, with light stubble on his cheeks. He is wearing a teal blue shirt with black trousers. "Can I get you anything?" I ask him.
"Uh, yeah. Can I get a chocolate chip muffin, please?" He answers, his voice deep.
I nod and reach inside to get out a muffin, which was just baked. It's a typical breakfast order, so it is readily available. I place it on a small plate, take a napkin and hand both to the man.
He smiles at me and walks to a corner table near the big glass windows, sitting down. Taking a newspaper, he looks at it while enjoying the muffin. A few more customers walk in, some grabbing a coffee and running out the door, some just chilling and leisurely enjoying the baked goods.
After a while, Tori tells me she has to go back door and receive a shipment of compound chocolates. I tell her I'll look after the register and she runs out, yelling a thanks.
I notice the man keeps looking my way, but I can't figure out why. It's not like I'm the prettiest girl in here. I have plain features, with plain blue-grey eyes and dull blonde hair. He gets up and walks to me, smiling slightly.
"Hey, that muffin was delicious. But I'm still kinda hungry. What do you suggest I get?" He asks me.
"There's a 'Today's Special' board right over there. You could try anything on it." I answer, returning his smile.
"Oh, I'm not really interested in that. What would you get? Say, if you were to get breakfast here?" He asks. I'm taken aback by his question, because no one has ever been interested in what I want. Maybe he thinks I would know what the best thing to get is as I work here.
"Well, if I were to get breakfast here, I'd go with the butterscotch coffee bread, it's the best." I tell him, not having to think too much about my answer.
"Perfect, then I'll take one of that." He grins. I take out the bread and put it on a plate.
"May I suggest warming it a little with some butter on top?" I ask him.
"I would love that." He says. I quickly put a little butter on the bread and place it in the microwave. When it's ready, I grab a fork with a napkin, then hand it to him. "Uh, you know what? This is a pretty big slice. I don't know if I'll be able to finish it after that muffin. Um, would you like to share it with me?"
Again, I'm shocked by his question. Why is this random stranger being so nice to me? But what's so wrong with being nice? Isn't that a good thing? More people should be kind in this cruel world. I shouldn't be so negative.
"Oh, no, I don't-" I shake my head, ready to decline his offer, but he cuts me off.
"Did you already have breakfast?" He asks.
"I did, but it was in a bit of a hurry and-" He interrupts me again before I could say no.
"Then please have this with me, I would love to share it with you." He smiles politely.
"But I'm supposed to watch the register." I tell him.
"That's not a problem, I'll stand right over here while we eat. Go on, grab a fork." He says.
"Okay." I finally nod.
"I'm Tobias, by the way." He reaches out his hand for me to shake.
"I'm Tris. Well, my full name is Beatrice but I prefer going by Tris." I smile and shake his hand, which is warm. It sends a jolt through me, causing me to shiver.
"Tris, I like it. It suits you." Tobias says, his mouth full.
"I guess you liked the bread?" I giggle and shake my head.
"Yes, your choice is really good, Tris." He grins, which somehow makes me blush.
We eat the bread slowly, and I have to step aside a few times to tend to other customers, but Tobias waits patiently. I wonder if he's late for work. Soon Tori comes back and gives me a questioning look, but I brush it off.
"That was really amazing, Tris. Thanks for suggesting the bread. I absolutely loved those butterscotch bits in there. How much do I owe you?" Tobias asks, sliding a hand inside his pocket to pull out his wallet.
"Oh, don't worry about it. It's on the house." I tell him, feeling some form of kindness towards him.
"Really? Okay, thanks again. I'll be back here soon. And will definitely recommend it to my friends." He smiles again and waves goodbye as he leaves.
"What was that all about?" Tori turns to me.
"Nothing, I just had half of his food, so it only seemed fair to not charge him." I tell her. She nods and takes her place at the register.
The rest of the day goes by quick. Crowds increasing and the shop getting busy. It isn't so bad being out here helping Tori with customers. But I guess, after being in the house for so long, anything would have been better. I mostly sit, my leg aching after a while. But it's still a good day.
The sun sets quickly and we are locking everything up. Mom arrives just as we step outside and I say goodbye to Tori before getting in the car.
"How was your day, sweetie?" Mom asks me in the car.
"It was good, I'm glad I came. I don't really feel useless anymore." She chuckles at that.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that. What would you like to have for dinner? Caleb is also coming home, so I would like to make something special." She says as we turn the corner on our street.
"He finally found the time to meet us, huh?" I ask her, half-jokingly. The truth is, while we were both in that accident, he got better so much faster than me, going back to his school and his apartment and his friends, while I felt stuck. It's not really his fault, but I still felt bad.
"He was just busy, Beatrice. You know he loves you very much." Mom says, always trying to keep us all together.
"Yeah, yeah, I know." I sigh.
We reach home and I tell Mom that I'm going to lay in my room for a while, my leg hurting after the long day. I go to my room and change out of my dress, putting on a pair of soft pants with a white top. I brush my hair and braid it to the side.
I stare up at the ceiling as I try to relax before dinner. And my thoughts go to Tobias. The way his eyes lit up when he saw me, the way he smiled at me, the way he made me feel. I wonder if he will show up again tomorrow. But I stop myself at that thought, why am I thinking about a literal stranger? He was just a kind man who was nice to me. It means nothing. I shake my head to clear it.
I'm almost about to fall asleep when I hear a knock at the door. I get up and walk out, knowing Caleb is here. Dad gives him a hug and pats him on the back. Mom does the same and kisses him on the cheek.
"Hi, Beatrice. How are you?" He asks me, turning my way to look at me.
"Caleb, it's good to see you. I'm doing fine. How are you?" I ask him.
"Never better, Sis. I've missed you." He comes over to give me a hug. I hug him back and we all head into the dining room.
Dad helps Mom bring the food out, while Caleb and I chat. His teaching is going well as always. He brags about how he is the youngest professor at 22. We have a nice meal, the whole family talking over each other as we eat. We move to the living room and Mom warms up the brownies I made yesterday for dessert, serving it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Everyone thoroughly enjoys it and sends compliments my way, saying even with a broken leg, I make the best brownies. I smile, and in a long time, I feel like myself again. Caleb soon heads out, he has quite a bit of a drive to his apartment.
I say goodnight to my parents and go to my room, getting ready for bed and literally falling into it after the eventful day. I slowly fall asleep, a small smile on my lips, with the image of a certain pair of dark blue eyes in the back of my mind.
A/N: Hello! It's starting to get interesting now, isn't it? Hope you liked this chapter!