Those Memories (A Sherlock Fanfic)

Chapter 13: Welcome to Canada

John's P.O.V:

I managed out a groan as I willed myself to end what was the best sleep in years. Woah, man! Laura was like my sleeping pill! Speaking of the dame, I was going to start my plan today. Go John, you were in the army! This will be easy! Well, I was a doctor in the army... Still brave! You could even call me.... THE LOVE DOCTOR! Aha, I'm so funny.

With all of this internal talking I didn't realize that the very person the thoughts were started from was gone. "Wait, what?!" I silently exclaimed.
It never crossed my mind that she could have left. Crap. I pulled on my jeans and a jumper she had gotten for me as a Christmas present, running out the door.

I stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby. Yo, no, woah... This place was HUGE. And I had been in Buckingham palace! I went out the exit to the main part of the mall and let out a little 'dear god'. People were buzzing around at the early time of, I checked my phone, 8:00. Why. Why would anyone want to get up this early. Just, why?! Oh my. People were everywhere, meaning finding Laura would be about the trickiest thing that would cross my day! I walked through, passing several stores and whatnot. I found a huge pirate ship in water and started wondering what kind of a mall would have thought of that.

I had walked through most of the mall without breakfast or lunch. Great. I decided to stop off for some food and then retreat to the paradise of my room. I spotted a small Starbucks in a bookstore and walked straight forward. What a line it was! Full of girls and boys trying to hard to be 'cool'. Eugh. Hipsters. I waited and ordered a caramel macchiato (my usual) and moved off into the bookstore towards the back to get away from the obnoxious young crowd. I went past a bookcase to a small fireplace with a platform to sit on at the back. I gingerly sat down onto the black tilled 'rustic looking' seat. The grande coffee I had in my hands was hot, sending a warm aura outwards. I realized that not everything depended on Laura. I could now walk around some more and have a good time by myself! So far, all day had been spent looking for her, I had been too occupied to actually shop or do anything I wanted! I hesitated for a moment and then took a timid sip of my scalding beverage.
'Funny. Funny how you know something's going to hurt but you do it anyways' I thought while biting my scalding tongue in my mouth.
I looked to my left side at a bookshelf and scanned it. With no luck, I picked up a book with the title 'phantoms' and skimmed the first page. It seemed like a quality book so I started reading. Just as I had gotten through the first few chapters, I was suddenly interrupted.

"Hey... That's a nice book." I heard someone comment from walking distance.

"Yes, I know! It feels like no time has passed since I started!" I replied as I was contemplating buying it as well.

"Mind if I have a seat?" The voice asked and I nodded at the space beside me without taking my eyes away from my current page.

"Hey, ever read the hobbit?" The mystery person asked.

"'Course I have! Actually, a special person gave it to me for Christmas! I think I've read it more times then anyone!" The voice was silent and sat down near me but not close enough to touch.

"Stop, please stop. I came here for peace and books and coffee, but instead this happened. Great. Leave." It said.

'No, nonono.' I thought to myself.
'It's Laura, isn't it? I have been looking for her all day.... But, my looking for her was not reciprocated apparently, because it seems she spent all day avoiding me.'

"Hey, sorry to find you, eh, at a time of inconvenience but we need to talk." I said hesitantly. Her voice was muffled when she spoke, I heard a shuffling and looked over to find her lowering a book form her face where she had been attempting to ignore me.

"I'd rather not talk to you at the time. But, I can make you a deal. I'll talk to you in this bookstore?"

That was a terrible deal. But, I didn't say that. I nodded my head in agreement and looked over with a smile; she was reading a book called 'phantoms' and I asked what it was about. We were going nowhere with this conversation, which had ended with silence on her part because she was so absorbed in her book. She closed it with a sigh and looked at me.

"You remembered." she said lightly with a small frown.

"You remembered my favourite Starbucks drink." she said quietly.

"But sit up, put that book down, and come on! Because WE ARE IN CANADA AND YOU HAVNT HAD ANY TIMMIES." She was already standing and heading for an exit before I had time to question what timmies was.

I jogged to keep up with her as she walked swiftly through the mall, sliding between and around pairings of people of all sorts. I tried my best to keep up until we reached a small coffee shop.

"Laura I-I have coffee" I said shaking the half empty cup of frothy goodness in my hand.
"Well chug it and chuck it because I'm going to show you a taste so good it will make you fall to your knees and scream eternally about how much it graced your soul." she rambled.

She pulled Canadian... plastic money (?) out of her back pocket and looked at the overhead menu for a moment before ordering. She came back to where I was standing and thrust a small 'Tim Hortons' beverage into my hand.

"It's darkroast, thank me later" she said smiling and walked off.

I sniffed it.
'Hm' I thought, 'this smells oddly like her', then took a small sip and smiled.

Indeed it was good. Not so good that I would over-exaggeratedly do everything Laura said... But yeah, this does beat Starbucks slightly. I turned it around in my hand and noticed a small sharpie scribble on the side.

'John, don't expect me to talk to you when we get back -LV'

I chuckled and walked away from the under crowded store into the mass of people milling around.

*****

END OF PART 13