Timeless [KTH]✔️

23 minutes

Where did we go wrong?

Maybe it's the day you broke my heart. Maybe it was when I broke yours. Maybe we should never have met at all.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.
I need to slow down, I still have 23 minutes until the train arrives.
Plenty of time to dwell on the past.

Let me go back.
Back to the very first time I saw you...

After the barista handed me my usual iced coffee and strawberry cheesecake with a smile, I took it and sat at my usual spot. The table nearest to the window.
You were sat at the corner, two tables to my right.
I was alone. And so were you.

I can't remember how many times I stole little glances at you.
I never saw you before. You intrigued me.

The way your shoulders were hunched over as if they carried the weight of the world.
The way you picked at your nails as if you wanted to strip yourself of your worries.
The way your hood was pulled over a good portion of your face but the bruises still peeped through.

You weren't okay.

I guess I found solace in your distress. You were something I could fix.
Countless times I've found myself trying to fix people, drawing attention away from how broken I was.

But now I know I should have ignored you. I should have sat at my table, sipping on my ice coffee and moved on. Why didn't I just go to my lectures?
I stupidly skipped them, to follow you as you left the cafe that day.

Looking back at it, I realise how intrusive I was. Lurking behind you, quickly dipping behind a tree or the sides of buildings when you turned around.
I just wanted to know more about you.

My mistake.

"Why're you following me?" You said, turning around quicker than I could hide. I was caught red handed.

"Y-You left your wallet behind." I innocently replied, holding up the brown leather wallet as evidence.
I got lucky that you accidentally left it at the table you were at. Or unlucky.

Your hard expression softened slightly and I swore I saw a little smirk play on your heart shaped lips. Handsome, you're so incredibly handsome.
"Oh. Thank you." You nodded, taking the wallet back.

Before you could turn around and walk away, I quickly grabbed your sleeve like a child.
"Are you okay?" I asked, scanning the bruises that scattered your face. Yes, you were beaten up but god you still looked ethereal.

I shouldn't have asked that though.
There's a lot of things I shouldn't have done.

Your eyebrows swooped down into a glare and your face contorted. You were pissed and I instantly regretted approaching you.

"I'm fine." You lied, the bitterness in your voice made me shudder.

Lying was always your strong suit.

With a click of your tongue, you yanked your arm out of my grip. I probably hurt you with my pity. But I wasn't trying to pity you. I just wanted to help you.

"Sorry. That came out too pushy." I mumbled, looking down at my feet.
"Just put some ice on the bruises. Cold peas help too."

Ah, good ol' peas.

I decided to walk away then.
You were too closed off and I knew the feeling of some outsider trying to break down the walls you've built. It's violating. I didn't want to over step the boundaries of some stranger.

Plus your handsomeness was making me blush.

I wish it ended there.
I wish I never saw you the next day.
But there you were. At the same café.
The barista handed me my iced coffee and cheesecake with a beaming smile and I took my order to my usual spot.

I couldn't help but stare at you again. The bruises faded slightly. Maybe you took my advice about the cold peas?

Gosh I was such a little stalker.

You didn't look my way but I didn't mind. It let me steal glances at you instead.
You wore the same black hoodie as the day before, this time, paired with black jeans and black stomper boots.
You looked sadder that day.

I wondered why you just sat there, drinking your Americano.
At least I had my laptop out, working on an assignment. But you weren't doing anything.
Then it struck me.

You were there for me!

No, I'm joking. No way in hell you were there for me, I was irrelevant, just a stranger sitting in the background. But my interest in you only grew.
Then I began to think the cafe was your safe place. Maybe you were like me, spending most of your time at the cafe to get away from the craziness of life.
The cafe became my safe zone, maybe it was yours too...

About half an hour later, I realised I completely finished my drink and cheesecake.
The display cakes near the cashier were practically calling for me to eat them. Staring at the sweet treats, I was weighing my options in my mind.

I already ate a cake... could I eat another? What about the calories?
I eventually decided to buy one. And to compensate, I wouldn't eat dinner that day.

Casually glancing at you, I walked past your table and greeted the barista with a smile.
"Hi, could I get a strawberry cheesecake?"

The boy with blonde hair and friendly smile nodded happily and took one out for me.
After paying for it, I turned around to go back to my seat when I stopped.

"Actually." I started, facing the barista again.
"Could I get one more cheesecake?"

A quick swipe of my card later, I was walking towards you, two cheesecakes in my hands and a stupid giddy smile plastered on my face.
Hesitantly and excitedly, I placed one of the cheesecakes down in front of you.

You looked up at me with a steely haze in your eyes.
"What's this for?"

I shrugged. I wanted to say to cheer you up but I didn't know how to be casual about it. I just wanted to approach you again.

"Well I don't want it."

"But-" I started but you cut me off.

"You eat it. You look like your used to eating a lot."

Please star, comment and enjoy <3