3. offer them a ride home.

It's the middle of Autumn; the leaves that are left on trees are golden, red, and , but most are on the ground, crunchy and available to be stepped on. It's windy in the large city of Crestbury, and the air smells like the ocean from the large beach on the south side. Needless to say, it's cold. Very cold. It hasn't rained yet, but it's getting darker- the first storm is coming.

❥

Zailynne walks down the torn up sidewalk, slowing occasionally to move her dark hair out of her face. Pulling her knitted jacket together more with one hand and pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose with the other, she glances up and across the road at the top of the tall apartments. Seeing a large corgi in one of the top windows, she smiles softly and waves, then turns her gaze back to the walkway in front of her.

'Yeah?' she answers her phone, glancing up and down the street before she quickly walks across the street. It's Reylyt, probably calling to ask her to do something for him.

'Yeah, Zai baby. Would you mind stopping by my house to feed Mer for me? I'm going out with Zeph tonight, and I'd hate for him to not get his dindins.' Reylyt's voice turns from distracted to mush as his kitten crosses his mind.

'Oh, yeah. I will, don't worry. I'm going to the library now, but I'll go over to feed him before I head home.' she rolls her eyes slightly, wondering just what her friend was up to.

'Alright, thank you!' he laughs slightly, and clicks the phone off. Zailynne exhales through her nose in amusement and slips her phone into her back pocket.

•

Zailynne walks out of the library and quickly shoves her books into her jacket, trying to shield it from the rain that must have arrived while she was in the back. As she starts to walk to the grass, she pauses and turns around, hearing someone whistle.

'Hey, get in! It's wet!' Ceaghan beams at her. He's sitting in the driver's seat of an old, rusty, beat up pickup truck stopped in the parking lot. Zailynne exhales through her nose and rolls her eyes, trying to contain a small smile that pulls at her lips.

'Really? I hadn't noticed!' she calls back, shaking her head. Glancing at the road, then back at the truck she grips her book tighter under her jacket. Sighing slightly, she runs to the truck and quickly scrambles in. She rolls up the window, places her book on the dashboard then buckles herself into the seat.

'Well, Ms. Shy, I can't say I'm not too surprised to see you here.' Ceaghan smiles, pulling out of the parking lot. 'Right way, right?'

'Uhh,' Zailynne pauses. 'yeah, it is. I have to go to Reylyt's house.'

'And what was that, about not being the boyfriend?' Ceaghan jokes and keeps his eyes on the road, his smile fading a tiny bit, but barely enough to notice.

'He's not,' Zailynne sighs. 'I have to stop by his house to feed his cat. He called and told me he wouldn't be back home tonight until way late. So I said I'd feed him- and I didn't think it would rain or I would have postponed my visit to the library.'

'Oh, poor thing. I have an axolotl at home that my little brother and I take care of.' Ceaghan shares, and laughs when Zailynne wrinkles her nose. 'What? Don't like sea creatures?'

'No, actually, I don't. I don't like water much, at all. Let alone the creatures that inhabit it.' she states, wrinkling her nose even more. Her hand finds his forearms and touches it. 'Oh, this way.'

•

'You're going to follow me in?' Zailynne turns her head to her companion as he gets out of the truck right after her. He nods and she sighs, taking her keys out of the pocket of her jacket. After opening the door, she walks in quickly and heads for the kitchen, taking a golden drink out of the fridge. 'Merlin!' she calls, and almost instantly a cat meows from the other room. Soft padding is heard on the hallway floor, and a beautiful young black and white cat jumps onto the counter. 'Mer, baby, get down.'

'Your friend has a nice house,' Ceaghan remarks and glances to Zailynne's newly uncovered wrist, finding the word 'infinite' tattooed there.

'Yeah, he does.' she glances around the kitchen and runs her hand down Merlin's back and around his tail. The cat raises it's bottom as he eats when she repeats the gesture. 'He's never home though; it's a shame. You can, uh, leave, if you'd like. I can wait out the rain here and walk home.' she glances at him though her glasses.

'No, I'd like to give you a ride home. There's no reason to make you walk. How far away do you live?'

'Not too far.'

'Really now.'

'Really. Do you think I'm lying to you?'

'Accttually,' he smiles and leans against a counter, stretching the word out. 'yes, Ms. Shy, I do think you're lying to me.' Zailynne squats on the floor to take Merlin from his food and gives him a kiss. After releasing him, he walks back to him food. Glancing at him through the corner of her eye, Zailynne walks towards the front door.

'You coming?'

•

'Hah! You said you lived nearby. Why didn't you let me give you a ride home when you left the coffee shop?' Ceaghan glances over to the quite woman, and laughs lightly, seeing her shrug. 'Hey,' he lowers his voice. She glances over to him and raises an eyebrow. 'Will you ease up, please? I'd honestly like to be your friend.'

'You can be.'

'Then why don't you smile?'

'Because; I need a reason to. I've smiled before, you've seen me.'

'I've told you, and you've heard me. You need to smile more.' he stresses.

'I don't see why. I'm happy now. Smiling doesn't mean you're happy.'

'It's an indicator, though.' he smiles as he notices Zailynne cross her legs and turn away from him. 'And you're very pretty, smiling or not. Which way?'

'Left,' she sighs lightly, seeing her large apartment building come into view.

'In there?'

'Alll the way up there.' she points with her head towards the top as the truck pulls to a stop.

'I'll walk you up.'

'What if I don't want you to know where I live?' she glances at Ceaghan, raising an eyebrow. He tilts his head to the side and forward a bit, his sandy blonde hair almost covering an eye, and gives her a blank stare. 'What?' she asks, smiling a tiny bit.

'Awe, look at that smile,' Ceaghan says softly, smiling back. Zailynne rolls her eyes and opens her door, grabbing her book and running to the covered sidewalk.

•

'Uhm, so, this is my apartment.' Zailynne nods to herself and takes off her jacket and throws it on a chair. Ceaghan nods and pushes out his bottom lip, looking down at the barking corgi in front of him. 'This thing yours?' he laughs and smiles.

'Yes, that thing is mine, thank you. It's name is Hermes.' Zailynne gives her guest a harsh glance. 'Come here, Hermy,' she coos. The short dog stops barking and turns around, running to his owner. She pets his head and rubs his jaw, then motions for Ceaghan.

'I'd really rather not. Contrary to popular belief, I don't like getting bit.'

'Oh, if Herm wanted to bite you you'd be bit by now. Just come here,' she squats down, and takes Ceaghan's hand that he holds out to her. She holds his hand with one of hers letting the other hold Hermes' jaw. 'Herm, butt, he's not going to hurt you, I promise,'

'Right. You can only hurt me, and please don't do that,' he laughs quietly at himself.

'You're full of jokes,' she comments and moves his hand, that's so much larger than hers, over her dog's head and around his jaw, then moves her hand away and sits against the wall. Ceaghan smiles and coos to the dog a little, rubbing along his jaws and the top of his head.

'You know, corgi's aren't so bad,' he laughs, standing up. 'I better be going, though. I told my brother we'd let Spike out if it was wet outside.'

'Spike?' Zailynne repeats.

'Yeahh, Spike. The axolotl; our pet,' he smiles. Zailynne makes a sound and he laughs at her. She sticks her tongue out at him, and Hermes barks once and pants, pawing at Ceaghan's leg. 'Hey, Hermes, I'll talk to you latter, bud.' he smiles more and rubs his head once again, turning to Zailynne. 'I really think you should see him, though. He's pretty cute, and really nice to people.'

'Uhhuhh, yeah. I'll stay away from water and the animals in it for now, thanks though, Ceaghan.' she wrinkles her nose again. Ceaghan turns around, going towards the door. With his hand on the knob, he looks back.

'I'll see you around, right?'

'Yeah, of course.'