Fragments of Hearts: A Healing Romance

Chapter Seven

Within a few hours the weather changed drastically. What was a sunny day with a clear blue sky became cloudy and rainy.

It's funny how well the weather represents the high school's mood. Most of the people are quite annoyed by the fact that it rains, but I, as I'm waiting for Erik to appear at the front gates, enjoy the fresh smell of rain in combination with the greenery and the way rain drops fall cold on my heated skin. Is a suithing contrast I welcome.

I glance over the crowd of people, which are leaving, spotting Erik talking with some guys before looking over and heading towards me. His dark hair became even darker as the rain absorbed in, his hair falling on his face even more than before. He holds a black umbrella, opening it as he approaches near me. I look at him wondering what he's up to, as I see how he holds the umbrella over me, while he nods his head towards the almost empty parking lot, indicating to walk.

I just continue to watch him as he waits for me to move. 'Why is he acting nice to me?'

He tilts his head to the right side, burrowing his eyebrows down. "Because your clothes are soaking wet and I thought that would help." He looks away, as he starts walking.

I follow him as I feel my cold cheeks getting hotter by the seconds, my breath quickening and my cold body starts moving. I see little to nothing through the harsh rain, but I follow Erik as he obviously knows the way to his car.

I stop breathing for a second, as I realise what I did. "Did I think out loud?" I wonder, as we approach his grey car. He opens the door on my side, letting me enter before he looks down at me and says "Yeah, you did. Don't overthink it though, it's no big deal." He closes the door and goes on the other side.

I lightly scoff as I think about it. 'Of course I'll overthink it.' I didn't mean to say that. Internal questions should stay in my head. I just made a fool of myself in front of the guy I'm supposed to get science lessons from.
I genuinely find it odd the way he acts. He hasn't exchanged a word with me since starting school, not that I expect the opposite, and the next thing I know he's willing to help me with science, takes care of time and place and holds an umbrella for me while raining; all within a day. Those are enough reasons to be confused.

"The coffee shop might be closed due to the heavy rain. We might need to go somewhere else if that's alright with you?" he glances at me as he drives out of the parking lot, interrupting my share of thoughts.

"Sure." I give him a small nod as I look at the road in front of us. I don't miss to notice the way his car looks on the inside. It's definitely an expensive car, and the dark red accents on the board make it look simple yet very fancy. In some way it suits him very well, but I thought that he would choose blue, maybe because of his blue eyes which suit him and his overall look very well.

The silence between us is so loud, I can hear the rain drops harshly hit the top of the car and the front window as he drives. I can sense the awkwardness between us, my nervousness displaying well in combination with my body trembling as I start to feel the sticky clothes becoming extremely cold.

I hold myself back from saying anything about it, but my body deceives me as my jaw starts aggressively shivering, getting extremely loud. I try to stop it by flexing my jaw, failing.

I can feel his sight on me as he probably hears me too, and see from the corner of my eye how he lifts his hand from the gearshift to what seems to be the temperature knob. He rotates it all the way up.

"If you look behind your seat, you can see my jacket. Wear it until you feel warm." He continues driving, not taking his eyes off the road while talking.

"Oh no thank you, I'm actually fine." I continue shivering as I try to sound convincing. If it wouldn't have been him, I would've gladly taken that jacket. I'm getting seriously worried about becoming sick at this rate.

He sighs as he stops the car at the traffic light. He doesn't hesitate as he stretches towards the back of my seat, grabbing his jacket. He looks at me for a quick second as my heart stops beating. He leans slightly towards me as he opens his jacket and lays on me like a blanket.

He backs off as the lights turn green, continuing to drive. "You should learn to just listen to me." He says more to himself than to me.

As he says those words, I'm more than confused, my mind seems like it is not working properly. I hold onto his jacket for the life of me, the warmth of it keeping me in reality. I can feel myself flustered. My cheeks are burning, my chest is rising up and down as if I just ran a marathon and I can't seem to regulate my breaths. Just seconds ago I felt like becoming a cube of ice, but now; now, I feel like I'm in the Sahara while dehydrated.

Not long after, we arrived at the coffee shop he mentioned. It's a small place, looking very cozy, its lights shining through the pouring rain. I open the car's door, and as I exit I see how wet the seat got. I kind of feel bad for it, but he probably doesn't care.

"Keep the jacket on you, your clothes are still wet." He quickly says before getting out of the car himself. I decided to just take his black jacket with me, putting it on my shoulders, protecting me from the strong wind and the cold rain.

We quickly get into the shop, and he tells me to go sit somewhere as he orders something to drink. Finding a nice corner with two chairs across from each other, I sit on the one facing the window. The shop looks even cozier on the inside. Lots of plants are placed around the room, blending in extremely well with the natural wooden furniture and the smell of coffee. Everything made this place feel perfect.

Erik comes to the table not long after ordering, holding a cup of coffee in hand and in the other he holds the cup which he gives me. "I brought you tea. I think it's better for you since you're freezing." he gives me a small smile.

I've never seen him smiling until now, but as cheesy as it sounds, it suits him. It makes his face light up, his eyes becoming warm. His overall appearance and energy seems more light and friendly when he doesn't look like hating everything and everyone.

I smile back, sipping my tea, careful to not get burnt. My tastebuds scream as I feel the taste of herbs mixed with a bit of lemon. This is one of the best teas I've ever tried; ever.

Erik doesn't wait long until he starts talking about science, asking me about my difficulties. I start telling him I pretty much know nothing, making me seem dumb, but he just nods everytime with understandment.

We succeed into making a "schedule" regarding learning together, and this whole time, I've become more comfortable with him, which makes him tutoring me not sound as a bad idea.