Her Miracle

CHAPTER 15

 The talk of Willoughby was Calyx the entire day. It was getting annoying. People ogled him and stared at him like he was their food for lunch. Even the entire lunchtime, students entertained him and offered a seat at their table. He denied it in a cute way.

With how confident he looked and smirked at the rest of the people in the cafeteria. A lot of murmurs filled the air, as we ate our lunch. Kai excused himself because he was called by the coach. It was his time to shine. Crossed fingers on that one.

Castle Rock did attract people this time. Titus and now Calyx? There must be so much adjustment to it. Either way, with no doubt, they’ll fit in right away. Like how everyone was welcoming Calyx with open arms. It was a good thing too. People finally diverted their attention away from me. They had someone new to feast about.

He was more interesting to talk about than me. I was the old news. He was the brand new one. He was the game-changer. He looked less interesting than Titus though. I could stare and listen to Titus’s laugh and feel butterflies in my stomach. It was music to my ears.  Calyx's face is this unusual and fishy. To top it off, his laugh is annoying and noise to my ears. I haven’t seen him since the moment I woke up from his house. He deserves to give me an explanation. 

I turned away from the thoughts of Calyx. He didn’t matter. He wasn’t my business to focus on. I still had to save more. A Monday so eventful. Always filled with surprises. I focused on making the coffee Chester has tasked me to do. The aroma invaded my nose again. The smell of comfort. 

“We’ve run out of paper cups. Could you run some from the grocery?” Chester faced me as he assisted me in making the coffee. He gave me the chance to finally make the coffee.

“Yeah, No problem,” I answered him.

“Here… Buy 6 packs that contain 50 pieces. It's 16 oz. sized.”

I grabbed the money and nodded. I took off my apron and got out of the back door, only to run over by someone. My head collided with his hard chest.

I yelped in pain. “Ow!”

“I’m sorry.”

I placed my hand on my forehead. Titus towered over me. His voice came out soft. Speaking of the devil. After a day or so of not showing up and not explaining. I thought he already took advantage of my situation. I hope not. I still looked at the positivity in him since he's the one who did give me the reason. He's my only hope.

“What are you doing here?” My eyebrows creased on why he was here at the back exit. “Why didn’t you just stay at your usual spot near the window?” I steady my breathing. This was unexpected.

“I came here as fast as I could when Chester asked you to do something. I saw you made your way here. So I’m to confront you. And personally apologize… I was on my way to the entrance. But you went the opposite way. Here I am.” He explained.

That caught me off guard. He's really guilty of leaving? I'm puzzled for a second. There was a pause between us, not knowing what to say. I stared at him who also starred back at me. His gentle eyes and his sweet smile is really something. Something I couldn't get a hang of. If we spend the time together, I think it's worth remembering how he does those little things.

“I’m not leaving for work yet. I have a grocery run to do. Wanna come with?”

“If it makes you feel better and if that’s your way of accepting my apology. It’s also not so bad to get inside a grocery store. “

“Come on, time’s running. Just explain as we walk to the grocery shop.”

He agreed. He wore his green jacket again. I could really say that jacket is his favorite among his jackets. He looked like he had barely slept. Like Kai, he had dark bags under his eyes. It wasn’t me who had them, he had them too.

We stepped out of the exit. The grocery shop was a block away, making it one of the shops that surrounded Castle Rock Park. It was a short walk. Eleanor’s was really accessible by everyone who worked in town.

“Where were you last Sunday morning? You better have an explanation for leaving me alone in your house. That’s not a gentlemanly move...” I shook my head.

We walked side by side. It was cloudy today but I didn’t realize that he brought with him an umbrella. He always does bring an umbrella, silly.

“I’m sorry for bumping into you. I didn’t leave you, actually. The moment I got back home, you weren’t there already. I went out to grab some breakfast for us. And I also realized that you might be in a hurry since you slept over. I wanted to really check if you got home safely. And I found you arguing with your mom in your driveway. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop or what. You were screaming your guts out at each other.” He replied.

It was sweet of him to grab breakfast for us. There were just Aiden and the apples on the counter. He did care about me. I might’ve missed it but he did. I melted at the gesture I failed to see. But there’s still so much time. I still have time before I leave. Let me cherish the time left here.

“I’m sorry you had to hear that. My mom’s really frustrated with me.”

“I’m sorry you have to go through that. Your mom and clean your brothers’ mess.” He said in a sad tone.

“You don’t have to say sorry. Don’t pity me anymore. I’ve accepted how things are and it’s about time… I get to save up and leave soon.” I answered emotionlessly as my muscles relax. 

As he said, I should change my approach towards people. Let's change it then. But he still wouldn't change my mind. 

We enter the entrance of the grocery shop that blew warm air. They had the heater at the entrance. And went to the container aisle that had disposable plates and cups. I turned around to find Titus, dragging with him a cart with a huge grin on his face. 

I laughed at him, “We do need a cart?”

“Yes, we need a cart. Hop in! I’ll be the driver. But first, find the things you need to buy.”  He squeals like a little kid. Just like how Zach is when he's excited about things.

We took the time to search for the cups. Since it wasn't in the container portion. The grocery was not my thing since Aiden did it. It was uniquely sorted. The food down to the laundry stuff and tools. I did go grocery shopping a couple of times before the accident. After, I haven’t done any of these mundane things.

The things about groceries were they smelled like detergent. In a good way. It did smell clean. We passed by the different racks with their respective signages. The size of this grocery could pass as a warehouse. Was it just me or I just really felt different about this. There were minimal people buying their necessities which made this more exciting. The aisles were empty and it made him run for more fun. 

Titus was swaying the empty shopping cart with the beat of the music, making me laugh boisterously. I gained people’s attention but I didn’t care. Titus did make me live. I felt alive. I existed. I had a purpose.

“Seriously, Titus?” I glared at him.

“What? Let’s enjoy the music for once. I don’t know the title of it but it’s really nice.” Amusement was evident in his voice. 

The music was nice. It seemed like a piece of country music.  “It is. We’ve been turning around this aisle already. Where are the coffee cups?”

“Hop in! I got you!” He shrieked again attracting the attention of the shoppers who are peacefully shopping. Flawless and problem-free.

I fit inside the shopping cart. I didn’t expect I would but I did. He drove the cart around searching for the right aisle. It took us a couple of minutes to figure out that it was in the party supplies.

He beamed like he found treasure. “There it is!”

This Titus was different. I am not complaining. I was supposed to get out of the cart but he stopped me. “Ooops, Stay there! I’ll fill the cart with the paper cups. How many do you need?”

I recollected what Chester said. “6 packs of 50 pieces of 16 oz. ones. Choose the brown ones... Those are the same as the shop's.”

He walked the aisle surveying the kinds of paper cups that were displayed. He nodded at himself after distinguishing. He filled the cart with the cups, covering me in it. I was drowning with all the cups in the cart.   

“Here they go…” He positioned himself as he pushed the cart. “Let’s goooooo!!”

I held on to the cart together with a bunch of paper cups that might fly everywhere if he stops in his tracks. I enjoyed this as much as he did. We were young and free. He ran pushing me forward and when he was able to get the speed, he rode with the cart. There were moments he sped up and drifted the cart like it was almost skidding to the side. 

"Hey! Watch out!" I called out and gave a burst of boisterous laughter.

The grocery with how huge it is could be a playground. He giggled like no tomorrow. He continued pushing the cart forward. With how the cart weighed, it felt like we were a paperweight. We're supposed to get back as soon as we can and here we are, laughing out asses of with how fickle-minded we were. 

I couldn't stop myself from laughing. 

"Why are we doing this?" I say trying to catch up with my breath.

"I'm letting you experience the things you've missed. Also, giving you more reasons to stay." He mumbles under his breath.