꧁ Cʀᴏᴏᴋs: Bᴇᴛʀᴀʏᴇᴅ ʙʏ Bʟᴏᴏᴅ ꧂

Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 11

{One Month Later, September 1977}

I met up with Michael after his morning shift at the coffee shop around 12pm. I didn't tell Mom where I was exactly going, I just said I'd be back and she never questioned it. She doesn't seem to care much where I go, as long as I come back alive at some point.

I waited outside as he finished up his shift, eventually making his way out to meet me. We had originally just planned to walk around and spend some time together, although we didn't plan where we would actually go or do.

He came through the door, weaving his way through the line of people with a strong aroma of fresh coffee lurking on him still. He handed me a cup of, I guess, coffee.

"Nice to see you again, I made this for you. You don't have to like it."

I took the cup from him, it was still fairly warm and smelled sweet. I hesitantly took a sip, and was pleasantly surprised. "Oh, wow, that's actually not bad," I giggled, "what is it?"

"It's a special latte I made just for you, if you get a job at the shop I'll show you how to make it."

I pushed my hair behind my ears, taking a few more sips with a smile spread across my face. I was definitely blushing, I could feel it on my cheeks.

"So, where did you want to go?" He asked.

"What about Central Park?"

I hadn't been there since I was a kid, and honestly, I just wanted to see it again. I always loved going there and it was so mesmerizing. But, to my surprise, Michael shot the idea down immediately, giving me a confused look.

"Oh, I mean, we could. But, are you sure you want to go there?"

"Is it a problem? We don't have to, I was just offering-"

"No, it's no problem," he reassured, "but it's kind of a mess. It's a bit gloomy and it's covered in graffiti, not exactly what I had in mind."

I was fairly shocked to hear that. I guess the crime has really gotten so bad it's ruined my favorite park. Graffiti? Yikes. Maybe not, although I was still curious as to how bad it actually was. I couldn't make it obvious I had been locked up for almost a decade, and I was not doing a good job at hiding it so far.

"Oh, yeah, you're right, erm- do you have any places in mind?"

"I was thinking about Washington Square, if you're okay with that of course."

I nodded, and realized I had already almost finished half of the drink. I was surprised how good it was, and that he made it just for me. Good gracious, he's such a gem.

He checked the time on his watch. "If you're hungry, we can stop and get some food on the way."

"Yeah, sure, you can pick."

I wasn't hungry, Lucy made pancakes before I had left, but I was willing to do anything to get closer to him. I not only needed friends, but I couldn't lose someone like him. I was a little too into him, and I'm not sure if he feels the same way. But, he's been negotiating the plans and he's been awfully friendly. He's even been copying my body language and the way I act, which Lucy said was a good sign. I'm crossing my fingers.

He took me to Joe's Pizza as we were headed there. We both got pepperoni, although, in all honesty, I really only got it so we could have the same thing- I'm not a fan of pepperoni. Now, any New Yorker knows the traditional way of eating a pizza slice; folded. Well, that's what I grew up knowing, living in Manhattan all of my life. So, it didn't take long for me to notice how he was eating it. Something so basic caught my attention. So, of course, I questioned it.