Quietness

It stopped, all the noises in my head.

I felt a warm hand touching my bare shoulder.

"Excuse me, miss, you dropped this."

I heard a manly voice coming from behind. As I turned, the voices got back.

He extended his hand with a wallet that looked exactly like mine. It's my wallet.

Alexis: "Thank you," I said to him with a smile.

He smiled back at me, saying, "You're welcome," and went on his way. So did I.

.

.

.

Sarah: "I envy you."

Alexis: "I am sorry?"

Sarah: "You work four days a week, and you still manage to have a good life. Is it hard?"

Alexis: "What?"

Sarah: "To be a writer."

Emily: "Honey, you are no writer."

Sarah: "Why not?"

Emily: "You don't look like one."

Sarah: "And how is a writer supposed to look?"

Emily: "Like this," she said as she stood behind me, putting both of her hands on my shoulders.

I felt a bit offended. I don't know why.

Sarah: "By the way, they opened a new café right beside the hospital."

Emily: "Then how about a coffee before our shift?"

Alexis: "I will get it. The regular?"

Sarah: "Yes, please."

Emily: "You are an angel."

They said and walked out leaving me in the changing room alone. Not a minute later, I went on my way to the café.

As always, as I walked, my head was full of voices, people's voices.

But it stopped.

It stopped as I felt his touch, his hand on my shoulder.

It's him again.

"Hello, welcome. What can I get... Oh, it's you."

Alexis: "You remembered me."

"Of course," he said with a smile, but I heard nothing.

Alexis: "Thank you again for that day."

"You are very welcome."

Alexis: "I work in the hospital right next to the café. I mean... you probably can tell from my clothing."

"I can tell."

Alexis: "It's a nice café. Is it a book café or something?"

"Yes, you can read as many books as you want while drinking delicious coffee made by my worker, and we have some pastries and cakes as well to enjoy the most."

Alexis: "Your worker?"

"Yes, I just opened my dream café."

Alexis: "Oh, congratulations."

"Thank you. What can I get for you? I can tell it's a short visit as well."

Alexis: "It is. I am here to grab some coffee before work, but I don't live far away from here. I may come to visit sometimes."

"I would love that. I am Kyle Moore, by the way."

Alexis: "Alexis Myers. It's nice to meet you."

Kyle: "It's nice to meet you too, Alexis."

Again, I couldn't hear his thoughts. I thought it was because it's crowded here, but again I heard nothing.

I can't hear his thoughts, even though I want to hear them the most.

As I grabbed the coffee,

Kyle: "Have a great day," he said to me with a smile.

It doesn't matter how hard I focus, I still can't hear his thoughts. I wonder why?

.

.

.

I suddenly felt hands on my shoulder as I felt her putting her face close to mine.

I didn't hear her coming. The hospital is very crowded today.

Emily: "I see you smiling since the morning."

Damn, can she read minds?

Sarah: "Did something good happen?"

Or perhaps I am not good at hiding my feelings. I have always been a bad liar.

Alexis: "Something good did happen."

Emily: "Which is?" she said with a big smile on her face.

And I told her. I told them about him.

I can feel chemistry between us, if I am not wrong.

Besides the fact that I can't read his mind, again I wonder why?

The long day finally came to an end. As I drove my car to my mother's house to pick up my little Annabeth, she ran toward me the moment she saw me.

Annabeth: "Mommy!" she said with a big smile and jumped into my arms.

Yes, I am a mother of a six-year-old girl, the cutest and sweetest angel alive. She is the best thing that has happened in my life.

Annabeth: "We made monster cookies."

Alexis: "Monster cookies?!"

Linda: "They're dinosaur cookies, not monster cookies."

Alexis: "Hi, Mom."

Linda: "Hello, darling. How was your week?"

She walked to me and kissed me on the cheek.

The moment she did, I saw her, my daughter playing with the dough, making dinosaur cookies.

It was a quick flashback, though, but she looked so freaking adorable.

We went inside and sat down, having tea and eating the dinosaur cookies my mother and Anna made.

Alexis: "I don't see my father."

Linda: "He went to the store to get some stuff."

Alexis: "Another project?"

Linda: "You know him well."

Alexis: "Not as much as you do. Now, if you'll excuse us."

I said as I got up from my seat.

"Tell him my greetings."

Linda: "I will."

Anna: "Bye, Grandma," she said with a big smile on her face, waving to her grandma as I drove the car away.

Isn't she the cutest thing alive?

Annabeth: "We're not going home? Did you forget something at the hospital?"

Alexis: "No, but we are heading somewhere else by the hospital."

We went to the café. It was a bit early to get back home.

We walked in. There were a lot of voices. I could hear them, but his wasn't one of them.

I saw him walking toward us from the back the moment he saw me.

I wasn't fooling myself.

Kyle: "Hello again."

Alexis: "Good evening."

Annabeth: "Hello."

Kyle: "Oh, hello there. Is this your younger sister?"

Alexis: "My daughter, actually."

Kyle: "I see. What can I get for you?"

Alexis: "Honey, what do you want?"

After giving him our orders, we went to the kids section. Such a great thing that they have such a section.

There were plenty of books, different genres, like a mini library.

The atmosphere is quite nice here, and it's quiet, at least not in my head.

We sat down after we picked a book for Annabeth, and not long after, our orders came.

Kyle: "Can I get you anything else?"

Alexis: "No, thank you. We are good."

Kyle: "All right then," he said with a smile and left.

Alexis: "Honey, I will start writing. Is that okay with you?" I asked Anna, but she was already in her own world.

I could hear her cute thoughts.

Anyway, let's get to business.

A good one hour of writing later, I got a headache.

It's not easy to think here after all. It's not easy almost anywhere.

Maybe I should read a book instead.

I went to the bookshelf. As I walked by, thinking about a book to choose,

Kyle: "Would you like a recommendation?"

I didn't hear him coming,

Alexis: "Yes, actually, I would love one."

He walked toward the bookshelf and grabbed a book.

Kyle: "I hope you like mystery," he said, handing me the book.

Alexis: "I do," I said as I took the book.

Alexis: "Thank you."

Kyle: "You're welcome."

I turned, heading to my seat, but I felt a warm touch on my shoulder, and again it was quiet, I couldn't hear the voices anymore.

Kyle: "Excuse me."

It came back again.

Alexis: "Yes?"

I couldn't hear his thoughts, and I saw nothing, I felt nothing and heard nothing the moment he touched me, everything was quiet for a moment, I really liked that feeling.

He asked me out on a date, I wasn't wrong after all, I wasn't fooling myself, thankfully.

Alexis: "Well..."

Kyle: "I am sorry if I am wrong, but I didn't see a ring on your finger."

Alexis: "You are not wrong. There is no ring on my finger."

A big smile drew on his face when he heard my words.

Alexis: "But it's complicated," I said as I looked at little Annabeth sitting there.

Kyle: "It's all right. I totally understand."

Alexis: "Do you? Because it's not easy for me to make such a choice."

Kyle: "Yes, I totally understand, but I would be really happy if you gave me one chance, please."

... ...

......To be continued......