Lavender

1.

chapter 1:

"Oh my god, I'm sorry" She bends down to pick up her notebook and his now half filled coffee cup. "I'm so sorry" she apologizes again and hands him his coffee. He doesn't move, he just stands there and smiles. "It's okay, you just have to put the coffee in my hand, I can't see, you know" he says. It's the first thing he has said since she ran into him a few minutes ago. "Okay, here you go" she wipes down the wet cup with her sleeve without caring about the coffee stain on her sweater and then carefully places the cup into his hand. His hands feel soft as she wraps his fingers around the cup. "Thank you beautiful" he thanks her and slowly takes a sip of the coffee. "You don't know how I look, I could be an old man" she raises an eyebrow. "You don't sound so manly, and your hands feel like those of a woman aged about 17" he laughs and straightens his sunglasses.

She notices how he looks very blind, the sunglasses even though it's cloudly and the cane that he has folded together since he's not walking. She could've been more careful, he is probably very confused. "True, I am not a man, but I could be very ugly" Why does she even continue this conversation? She just wanted to buy a new shampoo. "You sound pretty, like the sound of your voice. It has to belong to a pretty girl." He unflips his cane, ready to go. "Wait, wanna come with me, I'm alone anyways. Of course not, if you have an errand to run" she says. Why? She'd rather be alone right now but she feels bad for running into him. "No, I'm just enjoying the weather before it gets really cold. Let's go" he waits for her to show him the right direction.

She takes his arm, very carefully not wanting to come to close. "I didn't mean to bump into you. You know sometimes you just look at your phone the whole time and don't notice other people." she starts talking while they both walk along the park. "Not really, I normally don't look at my phone that often" he chuckles. She blushes. How could she forget? He is blind, of course he doesn't look at his phone while walking. "I'm sorry, I forgot" she apologizes for the third time today. "Stop apologizing, it's okay." he gently pats her arm. They walk all the way to the drugstore, she had to go to. "Let me just grab a new shampoo real quick? You wanna come?" she asks him and he nods in response. "Okay, there's the shampoo display to your right, the shower gel is to your left, take this please. It's a bottle" Why does she even talk to him? He probably has more than enough friends that pity him. "I know, you don't have to explain everything to me" he grins showing his teeth. She rolls her eyes, being thankful that he can't see her. Does he have to be so, annoying?

"Smells good" he sniffs the shampoo "it's lavender scented right?" She nods but then remembers he can't see her so she just replies with a "Yup, it's my favorite scent". After paying for her shampoo the two of them decide to split up. If she's honest she's glad, he got really annoying at the end. But it was the least she could do for him after scaring him. "So this is our goodbye I guess. I'm sorry again for everything, you know. Have a good day." she squeezes his hand slightly, then starts to walk away. "Wait! I'll give you my number, or I want yours, you decide." he smiles and she rolls her eyes again. She just won't get rid of him. "I'll give you mine. Do you even have a phone?" she furrows her brows. How can blind people use phones if they can't see? "Yes" he laughs and grabs his phone out of his back pocket "see here, it has an audio guide and more special audio features." The boy unlocks his phone by saying "yeehaw" and then says "messenger" to let his phone guide him to his messenger. "Yeehaw, really?" she chuckles and looks at the boy. "Yes, I couldn't think of something better when I set up the phone" he replies and blushes slightly. She really has to go. Meaning she doesn't have to but she wants to leave. Get away from this weird boy. He is nice and all but he's blind. "Well..." she sighs and takes the phone. "128-965" she says and types her name. "I'll also give you mine, in case my phone accidently deletes your number" he tells her "564-143". "Thank you, I really have to go now." she waves even though he can't see it. "Bye... Wait, I don't even know your name" he shouts but she can't hear him anymore. Or maybe she just doesn't want to.

Once at home she hops in the shower using her new lavender scented shampoo thinking about the boy. The blind boy. She couldn't imagine being blind. The girl closes her eyes, trying what it feels like to see nothing. She tries to reach out for the bar of soap that she had placed onto the rim of the bathtub the last time she showered, and slips. Her shampooed head hits the bathtub and she immediately opens her eyes. "Fuck" she curses "dumb blind boy". Her eyes sting because of some shampoo in them and her head hurts. It's a dilemma! Dumb blind boy. Dumb blind boy. Dumb fucking blind boy. She frowns and hurries to finish her shower.

He can't stop thinking about her. How soft her voice was, with a hint of sarcasm. How caring she spoke to him. He wants to see her again, it needs to happen. Soon. But the boy doesn't know her name, she didn't hear him. He starts to think of suitable names for her. Amelia, Hannah, Céline or even Summer?! It has been some time since he has met a girl that has talked to him for more than five minutes. That didn't find him odd because of his blindness. A girl that he actually liked. Kind of. He opens up his algebra book sighing. The boy hates homework. His fingers slowly trace the little knobs in the paper, he's reading.

The keyboard clicks and she takes a sip of her coffee. The coffee reminds her of the blind boy. Great. Does everything she does now have to do with the dumb blind boy? She doesn't finish her coffee, she pours it into the sink. She decides to never drink coffee again. And to never speak to the boy again!

He bought another coffee on the way home, hoping to re-live everything. It didn't happen, of course. But for a moment he felt her presence again, it was as if she was walking next to him, holding his arm. He decided to call her the next day. And to buy a coffee every day from now on.
_