Hit And Run With It

Chapter 11

Caleb drops me off at the coffee shop, quickly pecking me on the cheek before I climb out of the passenger side, closing the car door.

"Call me when you're ready," he says, leaning over to look at me through the open window. 

"Yessir,"  I salute, smiling. He gives me a goofy grin, before shfiting his truck into drive and pulling away from the curb.

I turn away from the street, and cross the sidewalk to The Grind, pushing open the front door. The sound of smooth alternative rock playing in the background greets me, and I immediately feel out of my element. Sophisticated-looking people are scattered around the shop, sitting in armchairs, either reading something or typing away on their laptops. This was not a good idea. I swallow the huge lump in my throat and try to ignore the fact that my mind is screaming at me to turn around and get out of there.

A hand gently rests on my shoulder. I whirl around, fully expecting a stranger, but am relieved when Gwen's face is smiling at me. When she notices my expression, she laughs. 

"God, Belle, what happened to you? You look like you've seen a ghost," she says with a hint of concern.

"Nothing, I'm just...feeling a little more alienated than usual," I nervously laugh, but there's no denying how much I don't want to be here right now.

"C'mon, let's sit down," Gwen says, leading me towards the back of the room, for which I'm grateful to have a little bit of privacy. 

"Do you want anything?" she asks.

"Uh, no thanks, I'm okay," I reply, crossing my arms and leaning onto the dark wood tabletop. "So what did you want to talk about?"

She takes a drink from her coffee, setting the steaming cup down on the table.

"Oh, nothing in particular. Just wanted to hang out," she says defeatedly, looking down into her cup.

"Gwen, I may have brain damage, but I can tell when someone is lying," I laughed.

"I just...really miss you, Belle. Things aren't the way they used to be," she admits, but can't meet my eyes.

"I know. I'm sorry," I say, uncrossing my arms and wringing my hands underneath the table. I bite down on my lip, hard, to keep the tears from spilling over my eyelids. Of all of the things that could happen to a person, I somehow wound up with brain damage. And it's tearing me apart.

"God, don't apologize. None of this is your fault," she scoffs, almost bitter.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, trying to get her to look at me. 

She seems to snap out of a daze, finally meeting my gaze.

"Nothing, forget about it," She smiles, sipping from her coffee.

As much as I'd like to, I still feel like she's hiding something from me. A feeling that sits in the pit of my stomach and begs to be noticed.

"I need your help," I finally say.

"Sure, anything."

"I need a hobby."

Gwen has to hold her hand over her mouth to keep the coffee from being spit out. Swallowing, she bursts out laughing.

"What?" I whine, wondering what on earth could possibly be so funny.

"Nothing, dear. You just don't normally admit that kind of thing. That's something your friends point out," she says, still giggling. 

"I'm serious!"

"I know you are, sweetie," she waves her hand, while taking another sip of coffee. "Well, you sure love to read.  You bake occassionally. You sing for fun, but everyone else thinks you should take up music."

I couldn't help but smile. Was I really that person? Of course. I still am, deep down somewhere. I'll find her again someday.

"I'll lend you some of my books, if you want," she offers, finishing off the last of her coffee. "If I remember correctly, you quite enjoy sci-fi and mystery."

"Well I wouldn't know any different," I laugh.

A crease forms between Gwen's eyebrows. 

"You shouldn't joke about this, Belle," she says in a small voice.

"Being down about it isn't going to change the fact that I have memory loss, Gwen," I state softly.

She pauses, letting my words sink in.

"You're right," she admits, getting up from the table. "But it's still serious."

"I know, you're just trying to look out for me, and I love you for it," I say, standing up and walking with her towards the door. One of my arms slides across her shoulders, pulling her close, as we cross the threshold onto the sidewalk.

"Thanks for taking care of me," I smile.

"Anytime. Now where is Ca-Loser?" Gwen asks, searching the street. I punch her arm jokingly, pulling my phone out of my bag with the other hand. 

"He said to give him a call when we were done," I reply.

"Well, I'll wait right here to make sure you're safe and sound," she stands next to me dramatically.

Lifting the phone to my ear, I watch people cross the crosswalk down the street, wondering how they could feel so safe walking between those two white lines. I certainly wasn't.

"Hello?" Caleb's voice streams through the speaker.

"Hey it's me, we're done here. Could you come get me?"

"Sure, I'll see you in a few." I could practically hear the smile on his face.

I turn back to Gwen, who is watching a guy sitting in the window seat of the coffee shop intently. He pushes his glasses up his nose slightly, completely immersed in his book.

"Earth to Gwen!" 

She startles, oblivious to anyone except him. A cheesy grin and a blush creeping up her neck betray her.

"Does someone have a little crush?" I tease. 

"No," she lies, looking down at the pavement, trying to hide her smile.

"Sure," I smirk, glancing down the street both ways, looking for Caleb's blue truck. "Hey, one more question."

"Yeah?"

"What's my favorite food?"

"You mean Prince Charming never told you?" She says with mock shock on her face.

I look away. To be honest, I was a little upset. For being my boyfriend, he knew almost nothing about me. 

She notices, clearing her throat and answering, "Mac and cheese."

***

Sorry this update is very, very late. :S

Until next update.