In this Quaint Ole' Town

M

Mellie

Guest
The grass was noticeably dewy; it rained earlier that morning. Christopher's favorite weather was rain, but he'd never tell that to anyone. He'd simply wallow in the moment. It's one of the few things he considered calming and comforting.

Christopher laid down his plain white mug filled with black coffee on his wooden table. He swiped a finger on his lips, removing any drops that lingered. He cleared his throat and glanced at the digital clock on his stove/oven.

2:00 p.m.

Today was his day off from work. Typically, Chris would take in calls if any, but today none came in. Instead, he resorted to grocery shopping.

Chris was already dressed from this morning: in a plain white tee, jeans with a sleek black belt, and some old boots. He took the packet of cigarettes and stuffed them in his pocket. He swung the screen door open and closed the wodden door. The screen door fell back to its regular position, letting Chris venture to the store.

He didn't leave his door closed, primarily because his friends could enter at any time they desired. Often there are days when the house is full and people sleep on the floor; other days there's not a single sound but himself. Currently, everyone was busy with their own business.

His house wasn't too far off from the bulk of the town. He was able to walk to and fro without any problem. Will he did have a truck, it was better to get some air and save gas. Chris enjoyed having his house away from people that way he wouldn't have to deal with them as much. He didn't even have any neighbors but the animals that occasionally wander about.

People tend to steer out of his path, in ridiculous yet funny ways. Men would bow their heads or avoid the path in all its entirety. Women would rush their pace, also avoiding eye contact. The children would gawk at the towering man and whisper among themselves, creating tales about the giant with no emotion.

Chris paid no mind to them. He's used to their "tantalizing" stares, hell, he's gotten them ever since he was alive.
 
It was the day after she had moved in, parents already gone home and her old school mates already sending her a million emails to see what it was like. All she could say was that it was small, and she was happy with the environment. She'd always disliked the city, but it was the only place she could get the education she needed to save as many animal lives as possible. Having unpacked most of her clothes the night before, she had the pick of her wardrobe for her grocery shopping. Dressing herself in a cute blue summer dress, and putting her basket over her arm to talk through the neighbourhood and hopefully find the local market.

Outside of the house, spring was in full bloom. The snow was gone, and the sun was in the sky. Just enough clouds to keep her eyes from hurting behind the lenses of her glasses. Wearing a pair of flats on her feet, she would have much rathered walk bare foot, but she knew she needed to make a good impression with the people here. Smiling softly as a couple of birds flew bye, she giggled innocently. There was so much life in the air, the trees; birds constantly singing while squirrels forged for food. Lillian paused a moment to watch a duck walk her ducklings across the pathway, using her camera to take a few pictures for her blog. The local wildlife was at peace here, the small town much better for them than the cities she'd grown up in.

Continuing on her way, the brunette hummed softly, clearly enjoying herself in the afternoon breeze. It was nice out, she couldn't help it. Next week she would be starting her new job at the local veterinary, as well as spending a bunch of time at the animal shelter. Having been walking a little bit without seeing anyone else, Lillian was starting to feel a little lost, and stopped at the next corner. Glancing around, the young woman chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, before noticing a man walking down the street towards her. A wide smile grew on her face. With a small bounce in her step, she waved to him.

"Excuse me!"

Taking a few steps toward him to close the distance, she didn't even notice how someone passing by gave her an odd look, fear in the older mans eyes. The one whom she had approached was much taller than her, and, with her hands behind her back, she fixed him with a sugar sweet smile.

"I seem to have gotten a little bit lost. Can you direct me to the grocery store?"
 
Chris was just about near the grocery store when someone waved him down---someone that he had never seen before in the town. She appeared petite and like a fancy doll that came to life; with the long, shiny hair, those sparkling hazel eyes, and rosy cheeks to pair. She was smiling vibrantly and full of glee with every bounce to her step. What followed next was the sound of her voice; it was a melodic innocent tune, laced with beautiful regards. Such a person caught Chris off guard.

"Uh, yeah..." he answered, furrowing his eyebrows. He must have looked angry, but he was really confused. Why was such a pretty girl talking to him? In fact, out of all the people leisurely walking the town, she decided to ask him. Chris knew his appearance wasn't friendly, he made sure of it. So, why in the world would she approach him?

"You can follow me." Chris himself didn't know manners, but for some reason he felt that he should lighten his tone and be courteous to her. Admittedly, he is going to forget, but he's trying. If it were some other ordinary stranger that asked him, he wouldn't have even glanced at them.

They weren't too far off, just two more blocks till they arrived. Chris didn't look behind him, since he didn't have hopes nor expectations that she would really follow him. He was going to do what he came into town for, nothing else.

They arrived to the aged grocery store which was always bustling with people. Chris was interested to see if the girl was still following him. He turned and saw that the girl was still right behind him. He was surprised but didn't show it to the world. Chris turned back to face the store and said, "This is it."
 
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Lillian had never been the best at noticing others emotions; but she thought she saw surprise in his eyes when she waved him down. Sure, he was gruff looking, but the young woman had been around these types most of her life and had never had a reason to be scared before. Maybe she had just imagined his hesitation to reach out as she spoke to him. He was clearly caught off guard, but Lillian didn't realize what the look in his eyes really meant.

It wasn't a long walk, and the girl stayed quiet as she followed the larger man. Others gave them strange looks, which Lillian only responded to with a sweet smile and a small wave. It was a good afternoon, not too hot and not too cold. The breeze was light, but not enough to flip her dress, as the small woman walked behind the man whom others avoided. Watching his back, Lillian held her hands behind her back and watched. He had broad shoulders beneath the white fabric of his shirt, the tenseness of the muscle easy for her to see.

"Sorry if I bothered you."

Speaking softly, the girl looked at the ground before they came to a stop, having arrived. It was the grind of his heel on the concrete that made her aware of his movements towards her again. Lifting her head, she looked him in the face with a sweet and innocent smile, grateful that he'd been kind enough to lead the way for her. She knew that people from the city would likely have ignored her or said something unnecessarily rude. She bounced on the balls of her feet, shoulders lifting as she cheerfully looked up at her guide.

"Thank you!"

She made note of the surprise on his face, realizing that the stranger wasn't used to things like this and had expected her to sneak off at some point during the walk. Her smile faultered for a moment, before becoming a playful pout and she looked at him with those big bronze eyes of hers. Reaching up a delicate hand, she lifted up on her tip toes to make them a little more even, before gently touching her first finger to the end of his nose.

"How about you join me for dinner as a thank you? I'll make whatever you like best!"