It had almost been over a month since Tessa came face to face with Daniel, and she did her level best to forget about it. Forget about him. But that constant gaping hole in her chest never allowed her the opportunity to do just that. No matter what she did, where she spent her time, or how many hours she spent with Ryle, they didn't help her forget about him. She was even tempted to ask Charlotte for his number, knowing that the woman would give it with a word of warning at most.

She needed time away. From everyone.

So for that very reason, on this particular Saturday, Tessa found herself roaming the streets of Brooklyn, getting on random subways and sporadic buses before getting off at a random stop and walking.

The longer she roamed about, the more she noticed the sky to darken, humming to herself quietly and wondering if it would start raining or if it was nothing.

Shrugging to herself she resumed her trek around Brooklyn, halting when something wet fell on her cheek, wiping at it, she looked up and watched the sky break in gentle drizzles.

"It's just a little water," Tessa chuckled to herself before going on her way.

She regretted it within the hour, the drizzle had turned into a full downpour. Running down the sidewalk, she searched for shelter, finding an open coffee shop and halting beneath its shed before shaking off the water from her jacket, relieved to know that her clothes underneath were still safe.

Turning towards the glass and wood door, she pushed it open and stepped inside, momentarily taken aback by how the staff's eyes fell on her and then the other part which surprised her was the fact that there was just a handful of people.

The wall before her was red bricks with the rest painted white. Round tables with chairs stood around the room with cushioned benches in the window niche with tables before it. The red brick wall housed the counter which consisted of a glass display showing off all the delicacies and black chalkboards mounted up, displaying the menu. Much to her surprise, the base of the counters were bookshelves stacked with novels and magazines. Something to do, she thought to herself before making her way over to the register.

"Welcome to Caffeinated," The teenaged boy behind the register gave her a polite – but forced - smile. "How may I help you today?"

"Well..." Tessa sighed as she removed her jacket, holding it over her arms and looking up at the assortment on the chalkboard. "What's good here?" She inquired, realizing that given the limited amount of people, she could take her time to order.

"Well, what do you want?"

"Something warm," She stated. 

"Okay, our Americano's are pretty good-"

"-Oh, I don't drink coffee,"

"Tea?"

"Hmm...do you guys have hot chocolate?"

"We do," He nodded. "We have hot chocolate,"

"Okay, so I'll have your hot chocolate with your..." She trailed, her eyes roaming over the writing. "Lemon cream tart,"

"Alright," The boy punched in the order before nodding. "Please take a seat and we'll get it to you,"

"Thank you," She smiled at the boy, brushing back her hair as he was momentarily taken aback and blushed lightly. Taking a step to the side, she found herself looking at the various books on the shelf, her head tilted to read the writing on the spine.

"You into mystery?" The girl asked by the coffee machine, Tessa looking up at the voice.

"Yeah, sure,"

"The Lighthouse by PD James," She nodded. "Third shelf to your right,"

Going to the shelf directed, she looked at the assorted books, finding the book she had suggested before taking it in her hand and smiling in appreciation to the girl. Turning it over, Tessa read the summary before going to sit down at one of the seats in the corner, draping her wet jacket behind one of the chairs before settling down.

Putting the book and her bag before her, she looked around herself at the cozy interior and enjoyed the pleasant warmth of the place, realizing that soft music was playing and she could hardly hear any chatter. There were about 5 people beside her, but all of them were doing their own thing or talking quietly, seemingly not wanting to disturb the ambiance of their surroundings.

"Here you go," One of the staff people put down her order as she thanked him before picking up the drink, taking a tentative sip of the beverage before smacking her lips together and humming at the warmth that spread through her.

Letting out a content sigh, she picked up the book, leafing through the initial pages before finally arriving at the first page of the story.

"The Lighthouse by PD James," She muttered to herself before taking hold of her mug and began reading while taking a sip.

Tessa read while taking a sip from her hot chocolate and nibbling at the tart occasionally, mesmerized by the story and the crafting of the plot, enjoying herself. She had no idea how long she had sat there or how many people had come and gone while she read, soon having finished her order, and was momentarily taken aback to see that her drink was finished and put it away.

She allowed the calm of the coffee shop to surround her as she read with the lingering taste of chocolate and lemon on her tongue and her mind creating the image of the words she read.

The girl had been so engrossed in the novel that she gave a startled jump when her phone rang in her purse. She had noticed the staff smirk to each other before she pulled it out, seeing Ryle's contact picture on her screen before attending the call.

"Hey," She quietly called into the phone. "What's up?"

"Where are you?" He asked in response.

"At a coffee shop, why?"

"Because I've been standing at your place and ringing the bell for the past 10 minutes, you had an appointment today,"

"I went," Tessa told him. "Ryle, I went to my appointment,"

"Oh," He spoke quietly. "Sorry,"

"That's okay,"

"How's your 'me day' going?"

"Pretty well actually," She leaned back in her seat, running a hand through her hair. "I found a new coffee shop and am currently sitting here,"

"That's great," She could hear the smile in his voice. "Just get back soon, it's getting dark out,"

Looking behind her, Tessa noticed that the sun was in fact setting and that she should get going if she wanted to reach home before dark and in order to do that, she had to first figure out how to get there.

"Yeah, I guess I'll head out now,"

"You should. Call me when you get home safe,"

"Will do," She chuckled at his concern and declined the call, putting her phone back before standing up to pull on her jacket and grabbed her back.

Returning to the counter with the book, she paid for her order before asking if she could take the book home with her.

"No, sorry ma'am, we have a no-lending policy," The person behind the register smiled sheepishly. "But we can note down the page for you for the next time you come,"

"Uh...Page 203," Tessa informed, watching the girl open up a big register to a page before noting down the number.

"Name?"

"Tessa Forbes,"

"Book?"

"The Lighthouse by PD James,"

The girl noted it down before nodding.

"Alright, it will be right here for you the next time you decide to drop by,"

"Thank you," She smiled before turning around while putting her wallet back into her purse, slowly walking towards the door before momentarily glancing up and zipping her back, her movement halting.

Inhaling deeply, she looked up again, blinking twice before reassuring herself that she wasn't seeing things.

On the cushioned window niche sat a man with his back to the wall and his feet perched up, dressed in dark wash denim jeans and a black full sleeved shirt he had rolled back to his elbows. His dark brown hair pushed to the side with his eyes roaming over the text.

She watched as one of the waiters made their way over to him, leaning against the wall and looking at him.

"Want anything more?" He asked with a teasing smile as the man looked up, Tessa's breath halting in her throat to see his face. "Another donut perhaps?"

"Piss off," He chuckled and made a shooing gesture.

"Ouch," The waiter grinned before leaving, Tessa watching the man look up to watch him walk away before his gaze fell to her.

She watched his warm brown eyes regard her impassively and blinked at her once before turning back to his book. Tessa forcing herself to exhale to know that the man before her was none other than Daniel James Robertson.

Letting out a shaky breath, she reminded herself she had a boyfriend before coiling her fingers and unfurling them, making her way out of the coffee shop.