HAPPY | ✔

01.0 UNCONSCIOUS ATTACHMENTS

She slammed her phone down on the table so hard, I was sure she'd cracked the screen. Her hands delved into her hair. She ripped out the hair tie viciously, as if the small black band had personally offended her, releasing the heavy mass of kinky curls.

Her fingers rubbed her temples hard before they returned to her hair. As if hiding them in her lion's mane could disguise the fact that they were shaking like she was fücking terrified.

Her eyes glistened with tears to the point of overflowing. The second that first saltine drop slipped down her cheek, a force propelled me to her side.

She was so deep in her own head, she didn't recognize my presence until I put a hand on her shoulder and shook it gently. Her head snapped up and wide brown eyes stared up at me in astonishment.

"Are you okay?"

As soon as the words left my mouth I wanted to take them back. Are you okay? A question asked out of duty, instinct. A knee-jerk reaction, spoken without much thought or care.

Of course she wasn't okay. I felt like slapping myself across the face. Of all the dumb things I could of lead with! Great start Daniel, well done.

It took her a minute but she replied, "Fine," short and curt with a humorless smile. A fitting answer to a meaningless question, warranting no genuine response.

"Really?" My hand left her shoulder in favour of her cheek, catching that single tear with my thumb.

She flinched back as if she couldn't believe that a complete stranger had the audacity to touch her so intimately.

Rightly so. My actions were in violation of her personal space. I was standing so close, I was sure she could feel the heat of my skin and smell my cologne. I tried telling my feet to step back, to get out of her bubble, and give her a minute to breathe. They wouldn't listen.

"What's your name beautiful?"

I compelled her to answer with my eyes and smiled when she stammered out a breathy, "J-Joyce".

I pulled a stool closer to hers without taking my eyes off her face. When I sat down I made sure my long legs were caging in hers. I smiled, satisfied that this gorgeous girl couldn't escape me.

"Tell me what's wrong," I grabbed one of her hands in mine and rubbed my thumb across her knuckles.

Her eyes glossed over as if she was intoxicated. But they cleared before I could really start worrying and she responded, "My phone wouldn't connect to the Wi-Fi."

My brain buffered like a scratched CD, "Come again."

She pulled her hand from my hold so she could use both to hide her face from me.

"I know it's dumb," she released something between a sob and a chuckle, "but I swear, this entire day has just been so shitty and this," she gestured to her phone still lying face down on the table, "was just the last straw."

She shook her head sadly, "It's like nothing ever works out for me."

She looked so sad. Not just her face or her voice. The entirety of her, undoubtedly beautiful, but sad nonetheless.

I grabbed her phone. The screen had been saved from an unfortunate end by the tempered glass protector. The latter was now sporting a diagonal crack across the centre. "Open it."

She raised a brow in skepticism but didn't voice a single question as she did as instructed.

The edges of my lips flirted upwards, pleased with her easy compliance. With a few touches I had her connected to my phone's hotspot. "There," I handed it back to her with a self-satisfied smirk, "what's next? Tell me all your problems, maybe I can help with all the rest. "

Her eyes flicked to the cracked screen, "One Sexy MF?" She sounded disbelieving.

"You don't agree?" I enquired with a cheeky wink. "I, personally, thought the name fitting."

Her face split into a grin so wide it took up half of her face. She threw her head back and laughed. The sound was so real and loud and beautiful, I became lost in the music of it. Her eyes lit up and crinkled at the edges and I couldn't do a thing but stare.

My hand reached out without my permission and grasped her own. It had been missing the warmth of her. I warned it not to get attached but it told me to worry about my eyes instead. They were drinking her in, enraptured.

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