Heaven // Ryan Tedder

Chapter Five; Stop and Stare

Meanwhile, Ryan was out taking his daily walk. He had a pair of sunglasses on, a pair of ripped jeans, and a black hoodie.

He had a pair of earbuds in as he walked, listening to music from his phone.

He still couldn't seem to get Janelle off of his mind. Her eyes, her hair, her face, they were all burned into his memory. He would love to see her again, even if he could just admire her beauty from afar.

He bit his lip, shaking off the thought. He didn't want to be creepy. She was just the prettiest woman he'd seen in a long time. He really did hate to see her working so hard in that restaurant. To break down like that, she had to be really exhausted. He felt terrible, and began to wish that there was something he could do.

In the back of his mind, though, he knew he'd probably never see her again. They were living in LA, the second biggest city in the US. The chances of running into the same stranger twice were low.

Unless he went back to the restaurant. Ryan smiled to himself at his new idea. He could go in and see her again. Maybe he could get to know her.

Then again, would showing up at her job be creepy?

Ryan was rather conflicted; She seemed like the perfect woman. After all of the women he had been with in his life, he could already picture her being the one he would spend the rest of his life with. And she wasn't even his yet.

Finding himself a bit disheartened, he stopped, looking up to see a coffee shop. He hadn't had his usual cup of coffee today, so he was craving one for sure.

He pulled out his earbuds, pausing the music on his phone before opening the door, stepping into the coffee shop.

He stepped in the long line that there was, realising that it was pretty busy considering that it was still morning. But then again, businesses were always busy in LA, no matter what the time.

As he waited, he pulled out his phone, beginning to scroll through his Instagram a bit. He reached up, running his hand through his hair, accidentally messing it up.

Damn it, he thought to himself. Why couldn't he learn to just leave it alone?

He turned his phone camera on, using it as a mirror as he attempted to make his hair look the way it did before.

I should've just worn a hat, he thought, biting the inside of his cheek.

He thankfully accomplished making his hair look right, and he sighed in relief. As he went to turn off his camera, though, he happened to look in the background, seeing a familiar face.

No, that couldn't be her. There was no way.

He turned off his phone, slipping it into his hoodie pocket before turning around, looking at a table behind him.

A woman sat at a table with her Hispanic friend, who was talking very quickly as she sipped on her coffee. When Ryan saw the woman smile, he realised that it was her. It was Janelle.

Part of him wanted to walk over and say hi, maybe introduce himself. But he just stood there, staring.

As Janelle had her ear talked off by Abby, she sipped on her coffee slowly, hoping her friend would run out of things to talk about.

Maybe we should've gotten her decaf coffee, she thought to herself.

"Oh, And then Ken found the raccoon in his car!" Abby suddenly blurted, causing Janelle to wonder what she had been talking about before she began to tune her out.

She just smiled a little. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Abby laughed, taking a long gulp of her coffee. "I named it Claire, but Ken told me not to get attached because we're not keeping it."