Chapter 1.
I covered my eyes. Gosh, it was too bright. I turned and tossed in bed, below my hand-sewn quilt. I sat up and saw my kitten sleeping next to my feet.
''Hey, little guy,'' I said as I stroked it gently. The small, fuzzy black ball looked up at me and meowed gladly. It came closer to me and began kneading my thighs as it purred. I laughed. ''Well, good morning to you, too!'' I stayed in bed petting the warm creature for a little while, before getting up and heading to the kitchen.
I left the room, and it followed after me. He always did that. Sometimes, he was too excited to go after me and almost made me trip. I tiptoed my way to the kitchen. Spring was barely beginning and the cool morning from winter were still a bit present. I sneezed and sniffed. I was still a bit sick.
I reached out for a kettle, filled it with water, placed it on the stove and dropped in a broken cinnamon stick. It wasn't long before the smell of cinnamon filled my small home. I sneezed again. I went to the bathroom and turned the tub's faucet on so it begun filling with warm water. I headed to the sink and washed my teeth and face. I heard the whistling of the kettle just when I was done. The tub was almost filled as well. Perfect timing, I thought as I turned off the running water.
Back at the kitchen, I grabbed a cup with cats on it. It was my favorite, the first thing I had ever made. I poured the cinnamon tea in it, added a couple of teaspoons of sugar and mixed. Then, I opened the refrigerator and began looking for some milk. It was practically empty. ''I've ought to do some shopping today,'' I said. Finally, I found a small milk carton behind two boxes of blueberries. Just as I opened the carton, my little kitten began meowing. Swiftly, it climbed onto the counter top and meowed frantically at me until I served a small plate of milk for him. I then poured a small splash of cold milk in my tea. And mixed again, I tasted it, and it was just perfect.
'' 'Kay, now, a bath.'' I went back to my room and got a towel, then headed back to the bathroom, my cup of tea in hand. The water was still very warm, so I slipped out of my clothes and got into it. I poured a bit of rose-scented salts into the water. It was Saturday, early in the morning, and I couldn't be more relaxed. I stayed resting in the water for about ten minutes, eyes closed, thinking about everything and nothing at the same time. After that, I cleaned my body and washed my hair. When I got out, I wrapped my body in the towel and walked to my room.
''Nabyi,'' I called out. Then, from under the sheets, my kitten appeared. ''There you are. Do you think it will be cold today? What should I wear?'' I asked it as I stared intently at the bunch of clothes I had. I ended up with a pair of jeans, boots, a white t-shirt and a light green sweater. I turned to my cat again, ''How do I look?'' It just blinked at me. ''Well, that's good enough,'' I said as I giggled and pet it.
I walked up to my dressing table, opened one of the drawers and took out a hair drier and well, used it. I couldn't go out with my hair wet and risk getting sick again. I'd leave my hair down. When I was done, I did my makeup. Nothing too heavy. All I ever wore was lotion, a bit of powder, maybe concealer, and this amazing cream blush I had bought a few weeks ago. That's it. Oh, and lip balm. No mascara, no lipstick. Nothing like that. My friends thought I was weird - a twenty-two year old who wore almost no makeup at all.
I took my phone and checked the time. Fifteen to nine. Perfect. I took my bag, checked that everything I needed was there - wallet, gloves, hand cream, notebook, pens, and colors. Cell phone in hand, I put on my coat and scarf and began heading out.
As I unlocked the door, I turned and watched the small mess my apartment was. It was so tiny, it was just me, and it still was very messy. I'll clean it when I get back. Yes, I'll do that. I glanced at my feet and saw Nabyi. ''Take care of the house, will you?'' I asked it as I smiled and closed the door after me.
I took the stairs instead of the elevator, I just felt like walking. Then again, it was only three floors. I reached the main floor and walked towards the door. I noticed one of my neighbors was just coming in.
''Morning, Robert. '' I said with a smile.
''Morning, 24b.'' He teased, as he struggled with a box full of flower pots.
''Stop calling me that. The name's Anna.'' I hissed playfully. ''Need any help with that?''
''No, no. I'm fine. Oh, but I do have something for you.'' He smirked.
''Really?'' I asked, excited. ''Gimme gimme!''
He looked up and down at me. ''It looks like you were about to go out. I'll give it to you when you get back, drop by my place. Let's have dinner. 8 o'clock?''
''Again with the dinner thing, Robert ...''
''It'll just be dinner, I promise. Can't you have dinner with a friend?'' He pouted. ''Plus, you'll love what I got for you.''
''Well ...'' I said hesitantly. ''Okay. I'll bring dessert then.''
''Sweet,'' he said. He had this huge grin on his face.
He was cute, that I can't deny. ''See you later, then. Bye bye!'' I said as I left the building. I hurried out, and looked back after a while. He was still there, and when he saw me he waved. I smiled, and turned again to keep walking.
I walked for around half an hour until I reached the market. Things were just so fresh there, I loved it. It was Robert who showed that place to me when I had first moved in and knew no one. I bought lots of vegetables, some fruits, even dairy products and a bit of meat. Rice and pasta as well. The good thing was, though it was a lot, it didn't feel like it. I could carry the bags by my own perfectly.
I begun walking back home, when my stomach begun to grumble and make weird noises. I just had tea that morning. I looked at my phone. A quarter after ten. Great, I guess I'll drop by then. I smiled at myself and began walking again. I passed by a flower shop, and stopped to buy some daisies. Then, I kept on walking.
After about ten minutes, I arrived at a small cafeteria called The Starry Night. I entered and wind chimes rung. I loved it there. It had a very rustic and homey feel, among the city. I sat on the terrace, a couple of people were there. I left the grocery bags in the seat next to me, along with my coat and the flowers. A few seconds later, a girl arrived with a notepad and a menu arrived. She smiled at me.
''Good morning, miss. I hadn't seen you in a while. Would you like the usual?'' She asked politely.
The usual. I smiled. ''Absolutely. Oh, and could you tell Megan I'm here?''
She smiled back. ''Sure. I'll be right back with your order, then.''
I nodded and glanced at the menu. Some things were new, but I'll stick to ''the usual''. I laughed. How many times had I come here in the past three years? I noticed something next to me. I turned and saw a small bird. It had reddish feathers and a white belly. What type of bird is it ... ? I wondered. Well, it doesn't really matter. I reached my bag slowly, as to not scare it away, and took out my notebook and some sketching pencils. I begun drawing it, so my view shifted from it to my notebook to it again and so on and so forth. I drew and painted it with some aquarelle pencils I had. I was almost done when it flew away.
''Wait!'' I yelled at it, as I stood up. Disappointed, I sat again.
''Don't worry, it'll come back. Always does.''
I turned and saw a red haired woman standing there. She smiled warmly at me.
''Megan!'' I hugged her with no second thoughts. ''I heard you had finally come back from Pennsylvania, so I thought I'd pay you a visit.'' I fixed my hair and tied it under my ear, blushing a bit. I backed off a bit when I saw a guy behind her.
''Cute as ever, Anna.'' She noticed my surprise and apologized. ''Sorry. Anna, this is John. He just begun working part-time here. I was giving him a tour when Laura said you were here.''
''Hi.'' John said in a deep voice.
''H-Hi ...'' I said, as I looked down. I was nervous for some reason.
He smiled widely at me. ''Relax, I don't bite.''
And in that moment, I relaxed. I dropped my shoulders and took a deep breath. I looked up at him and our eyes met. My heart skipped a beat. For a second, I couldn't hear or see anything else but his smile and his voice. What's this?
''Well, Anna. I've got to finish giving John the tour. I'll be back in a moment.'' Megan said, bringing me back to reality.
''Oh, sure.'' I said and sat again. I glanced at John. He was still smiling, though he was not looking at me. I followed his gaze and realized he was watching the bird. ''It came back ...'' I said faintly.
''Told ya'.'' Megan said triumphantly. ''Well, later. Come on, John''
John nodded and turned to me. ''It was a pleasure, Anna.'' He smiled again.
''Y-Yeah ... Later.'' My gaze was fixed on his back until he was no longer there. My heartbeat had gone crazy and my throat was dry. I remembered his deep voice and smiled to myself. John ... His name felt so good in my lips.
''Miss?'' The girl, Laura, I suppose - from what Megan had told me - looked at me. ''Here's your order.'' She placed a plate of scrambled eggs and sausages with parsley flakes before me, as well as some toast and a cup of green tea. ''Is this okay?''
''Could I have some water, too?'' I asked.
''Sure., I'll be right back.''
She left. I stared at my food. My mind was blank. Well, except for one thought ...
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