Jerrie One Shot-ish Stories | Book 2

Breathe - II

Perrie is walking along the sidewalk of Wallowdale, Washington. It's past two in the morning, and she's heading home. There were only a handful of people left in the streets. It's her daily routine to spend the rest of her day in her favorite café – the only café in town – up until it closes.

Wallowdale is one of the safest towns in Washington. And since it's just a small town, it wasn't hard for the authorities to watch over the place because everyone knows everyone.

She was about to round the corner of the street when she bumped her shoulder into someone causing her to look at the person to apologize.

"Oh, sorry–" Perrie stopped what she was about to say when she looked at the woman, she had to look twice.

"No, it's fine..."

"Jade?" Perrie said breathlessly. She was frozen in place like a rain that fell from the sky and froze mid-air. It's as if she saw a ghost. She could feel her heart stop beating for a while, like time has stopped – everything around her faded.

She didn't notice that she was staring at the woman in front of her for a long time, and that the woman had been calling her attention for a while now.

"Miss?" the woman waved her hand erratically at Perrie. "Are you okay? Hello?" When Perrie finally came to her senses, the woman spoke again. "How did you know my name? Have we met before?"

"I..." Perrie shakes her head. "I'm sorry." And just like that, Perrie ran, leaving the woman confused. The woman found the encounter odd, she just shrugged it off and continued to walk the opposite direction.

Perrie ran until she reached her house. She closed the door and heaved a deep sigh, causing her to rest her forehead unto the door. She was hyperventilating but she had to force herself to get to the kitchen and grab a glass of water to drink. After she calmed herself down, she sat on the chair and rested her head between her hands. She could not believe what she saw.

☆

For weeks, Perrie always saw the woman. She would often come across her down the street, but the woman hadn't glanced at her not even once because most of the time the woman had company or was either busy talking to someone on her phone.

She frequently saw the woman in the café, always with a companion. Perrie couldn't do anything but steal glances her way, her gaze following the brunette even as she exited the café. Sometimes, the woman would glance back at her, but Perrie was quick to look away.

Perrie wasn't sure if the woman recognized that they bumped shoulders once, but that was a long time ago. And it was dark out, so most likely, the woman did forget Perrie's face.

"She's new in town," Leigh spoke. Perrie turned her attention from her book to Leigh-Anne who was wiping the table opposite of her. Leigh owns the café. Perrie and her became friends over time since the blonde was a regular in her café.

"What did you say?"

"I've noticed that you've been observing the cute brunette since the day she got here in my café."

"Oh–"

"It's fine. She's pretty. I heard she just moved in town last month."

"Do you know her name?"