After The Gold Rush

Like gold ink, her hair spilled into the wind as the breeze passed, the winter air sending chills down her spine as it nipped at her rosey cheeks. 

His curious, baby blue eyes watched the girl sitting outside the cafe. 

"Why don't you ask her to come inside? She's going to freeze to death," one of cashier girls asked, leaning against the counter to face him.

He shook his head, black hair shifting to the side once he turned to moved his torso towards the cashier.  "She's been doing that for the past three months, just go take her order and suggest for her to come inside."

"Adrian, go ask her yourself."  She pushed herself off the counter and walked in front of him, grabbing him by the arm. "You don't want the poor girl to freeze to death, don't you?"

"Of course not bu-"

"No buts! Go!" She pushed him by his side, urging him to move. Adrian ruffled his hands through his hair, taking a deep breath as he headed out the exit doors.

"She's just a girl right? Just a really pretty girl."  He opened the doors, blinking back slightly when the bitter wind slapped his forehead.

The girl outside the cafe closed her eyes once a group of four boys her age passed by.  Memories of D.C. reached clarity in her mind, a wave of nostalgia hitting as the experiences ran through her head like a movie. 

She was a pawn in a game of chess. A sheep in a room full of wolves and she fell straight into a trap like little red riding hood.

If only she knew better everything would have been avoided.  Her heart would still be intact and she would have been stuck in a social hierarchy that was ruled by manipulators and liars.

"Pardon me, Ms.?" Her thoughts her interrupted by a deep voice.

Opening her eyes, she stared at the boy that stood in front of her with a dimpled smile on his face. Amusement sparked in her chest once she weighed the thought of how scared he looked, his front teeth biting down on a pink nervous lip.

"Are you okay?" She couldn't help but ask him when he kept ruffling his hands through his hair.

"Yes, yes. I just- God, I've been noticing you go here outside this cafe for so long and I feel like shit that I'm only going to talk to you now. It's freezing and I was wondering if you wanted to go inside, I can buy you coffee or like what do you want? I mean like-"

The golden haired girl laughed. "You ramble a lot ?"

Adrian sighed, wanting to call himself out on how stupid he sounded. "No, I'm just nervous."  More honesty poured out of his mouth. 

"Now why would you be nervous?" she said, a smile written on her face.

"Because of you."

"Me?" she questioned, quirking an eyebrow up as she answered.

He nodded, "You're making me nervous."

Before she could answer back, rain started falling from the sky and droplets of water landed on both of their faces. "Do you want to go inside?" he asked, out stretching a hand for her to grab.