'Frisco.

Chapter Eight

It was the next morning and I had woken up earlier than usual. I needed to write. My fingers were itching to do something. I tried playing the piano but it wasn't working. I hadn't written in ages and I was eager to start again. Still moping around in my pyjamas, I decided enough is enough and that I need to do something productive today. What's more productive than writing a book? In my eyes, the answer was nothing.

I showered for the first time in 3 days, dressed in my loose, black and white shorts and a baggy shirt that hung off both of my shoulders. I decided against using my hairdryer because it would take hours to go through my long blonde hair and dry it completely. Instead, I threw it up into a bun, grabbed my sunglasses, purse and laptop, said goodbye to my parents and started towards Café Destino.

Café Destino was surprisingly empty. It was a Saturday morning; usually all of the hungover teenagers and young adults were swarming this place looking for a bit of caffeine that might rid of their headaches. Apparently there was no major party the previous night. That, or the event was still going strong.

Jonah didn't work on weekends. I'd learnt that from what I had observed since I had moved. I also managed to pick up on how he was constantly being given phone numbers by other girls my age.

Ha! I thought to myself, I've already got his number.

Sighing at how stupid I was being, I sat in the back corner of the library and booted up my laptop. Whilst I waited for it to load, I decided to look through the books that surrounded me. I picked up one that my dad used to read to me. I flipped through the pages, speaking the words quietly to myself and enjoying how it made me feel close to him again.

"I think you're a little bit too old for that." a voice startled me, causing me to drop the book. The loud thud cut through the silence in the library.

I didn't look at who had scared me because I was too busy checking to see if the binding or pages had been damaged. I dropped to my knees and picked up the book, checking it over and over. I don't know what I would have done if it had broken- maybe cry?

"Oh shit," the voice chuckled deeply, "I didn't know you would react like that."

They almost sounded like they were mocking me. How dare they? I looked up to the source of the words ready to give them a piece of Kate Green when everything I was about to unleash was ripped away from me.

Jonah's perfect white smile made me forget completely about the acidity that was on the tip of my tongue. His brow furrowed with concern when he noted the anger that was seeping out of me. I quickly relaxed my face and his did consequently. Awkward silence filled the air. The only noise that could be heard was the clinking of the plates in the restaurant and the heavy breaths leaving both him and me. In that moment, I was lost for words- I think I always will be around Jonah. There's just something about his presence that makes me feel inferior and weak.

"I-I..." I began. Shit. I needed to say something; the silence was surprisingly deafening.

"You what, Kate?" he teased, leaning against the bookcase. The book that had previously been on the floor was being held limply by my side. I looked down at it, scared to be in his stare for a moment longer.

"I thought you didn't work today?" I weakly stated. My eyes grew wide as I realised that what I said may have sounded a little bit creepy.

He must have picked up on that because he joked, "Have you been stalking me, Kate? I didn't tell you my work schedule. How did you know?"

"I can be observant too." I tried to make my voice sound stronger even though, inside, I felt weak and intimidated.

"Oh Kate," he began, putting emphasis on my name, "if you were an observant person," he leant in close enough that I had to almost cross my eyes in order to look into his, "you would have observed me watching you for about ten minutes before I finally approached you. Even then, you were still shocked."

"You watched me?" I asked. This time I put on a fake voice that made me sound scared and subdued. He nodded so I replied much more firmly, "Now who's the stalker?"

Jonah threw his head back and let out a deep laugh. I tried to hide my smile by looking back down towards the book in my hand. Whilst he was bent over trying to catch his breath, I put the book away and turned back around the corner to where I had left my laptop. What was displayed on it made my breath hitch. Hannah.

I forgot that I hadn't changed my wallpaper. It was still a picture or her and me under the tree in her back garden. Her mum, Lucy, had taken the picture from the kitchen window. You wouldn't be able to tell that it was us if you had never seen us before. However, the people that were familiar with us, the people that mattered, were able to identify that this picture framed a perfect moment between two best friends. The way the sun and the camera were angled made it so that half our bodies were illuminated by the soft orange glow of the sunset and the other half was cast under a dark shadow.

When Hannah had shown me what her mum had done, she told me something that summarised our friendship completely, "This is us, Kate. Sometimes we feel drowned by darkness and under a blanket of black without the hope of escaping; these types of days are hard on both of us. Other times, we are highlighted and feel as great as this picture makes our relationship look. The sun is a representation of me and you, Kate. It both spotlights the good in people but is also key in casting shadows. But, it's always there, always shining; eternal – just like my love for you."

I had cried for a while after she finished her speech. Hannah wasn't one to be sappy, so the fact that she used an analogy and words that obviously meant so much to her made me tear up with happiness. Now that she's gone, that joy had been replaced with sorrow.

"Kate? Are you okay?" a hand rested against my cheek as a thumb wiped away what I assumed was a tear. I hadn't noticed that I had been crying, in fact I hadn't noticed the world existed at all in that moment. All I could feel was Hannah's arm around me and the only sounds playing in my mind was that of both of us laughing at how dopey we were being. I looked around; assessing the situation I was in.

I was now on the floor. Kneeling next to me was a very concerned looking Jonah with two coffee cups in hand. To my right lay my laptop, the screen now dim.

Fading away, I thought, just like her.

I shouldn't have analysed my automatic screensaver because it just caused the flood gates to reopen. A single tear leaked out of my eye and landed on my hands that were folded on my lap. I looked down, seeing how it ran down the back of my wrist.

Jonah hooked a finger under my chin, obviously after placing down the drinks; he lifted my chin up and stared straight at me. His deep brown eyes showed immense concern and it made me feel vulnerable.

The power behind his eyes would be enough to knock me over- luckily I was already on the floor.