John stood there for a moment, his eyebrows lowered as he stared at the place Sophia had once occupied. He had been acting without thinking and it seemed she was responding to him, or so he thought.
He believed he had her for a moment. His disappointment was immeasurable that he realized he didn't.
Before he could check on Sophia, the bell on the door of the bakery rang as someone entered the building.
Entering the bakery was a short woman with long, curly black hair and brown eyes. She looked young - even younger than Sophia who John found was 23.
It was Rosa, Sophia's part-timer, but John had no way of knowing that.
Noticing that there was someone unusual behind the counter, Rosa widened her eyes.
It wasn't unusual for Sophia to occasionally seek help from various college students in the area looking for part-time work. What was unusual was the simple fact that a man with the face of a celebrity was standing behind the counter, staring at her with concern and acting like he was going to take her order. Her heart practically stopped at the sight of him.
Sophia had heard the door and when she went to the front with a tray of fresh cinnamon rolls she needed to put behind the glass so people knew they were for sale. She was relieved to see her part-timer. She would be a good third party to help Sophia behave herself.
Despite Rosa only being able to give half days through the week, Sophia cherished her part-timer like a younger sister. When Rosa wasn't at the local university, she was helping Sophia with her bakery. She had a natural talent for pastries and the perfect personality to deal with customers. Sophia didn't know what she would do when her part-timer graduated and moved on to other endeavors.
"Rosa," Sophia greeted. "I'm so happy to see you. How was school today?"
"Good, Soph," Rosa said, nervously tucking a bit of her black hair behind her ear. "But, um…"
She widened her eyes and glanced at the man, silently begging for an explanation.
"Ah…" Sophia laughed nervously, unsure how to explain the situation. "He's one of my, uh, friends. This is John. John, meet my part-timer Rosa."
"I thought I was your fiance," he said, his deep voice quiet.
His sarcastic expression made Sophia know he was simply irritated from the moment before and taking it out on her. However, Rosa had no way of knowing that was the case.
Sophia's green eyes widened and she glanced at Rosa who jumped the moment he started speaking. Not only was the man attractive, but he also had a deep voice that could pull anyone in.
"He's kidding!" Sophia quickly corrected. "He loves to joke. Just… start your shift."
Rosa could cut the strange tension with a knife and she escaped the situation before she could be dragged into it further. She knew that Sophia was on the rocks after her boyfriend cheated on her. Maybe this new guy was helping her move on. If anyone could make someone move on from a years-long relationship, it was certainly someone who looked like that.
When Rosa was out of the way, Sophia slumped and rested her forehead in her hands. It was an impossible situation to explain and she was realizing that, perhaps she had trusted John too much to start bringing him around people in her life.
After much contemplation, she decided to straighten out and try to move on. There were still customers to deal with. She had a few hours before they would shut down the shop.
"I was originally coming out here to ask if you could go pick up food for us," Sophia explained, trying to forget his comment. "I put in an order for the shop at the end of the street towards the bay called Olympia's. You just have to walk in and say it's for Sophia. We've been working hard."
Since Sophia looked overwhelmed, John decided he wouldn't press further about the matter regarding what had just transpired.
"I'll be right back," he promised, taking off his apron and handing it to Sophia because he didn't know where else to put it.
"Be careful, please," Sophia requested, hanging the grey apron over her arm. "Don't leave 6th Street. Remember, you're my responsibility."
"Of course," John said gently, walking to the other side of the counter and exiting the bakery.
The moment he left, it was the same as before. He felt eyes on him but at that time he didn't see anyone around to bother him. Considering it was the middle of the day, he felt there wasn't any real threat to his safety, nor did he look vulnerable considering the staples on his head were well hidden in his thick, dark hair.
As he got to the end of 6th Street, he saw the beginnings of the bay that New Vista sat nestled inside of. It got windier as he made it to the end.
Considering it was bright out, John held up a hand to block the sunlight and he found the sign that said Olympia's in a gold font.
He went inside the store and did as Sophia asked him to.
"Ah, for Sophia?" the worker asked, an accent that John couldn't place. "You're her boyfriend?"
John couldn't help himself, he simply nodded and thanked the man for the food in a large paper bag.
On his way back to the bakery which was a couple of blocks away, John heard a car in the road and he turned his head with a scowl on his face to see who was driving so slowly next to him.
Before he realized what was happening, a black car stopped and from the back seat, he saw a flash as if someone had taken a picture of him.
The environment suddenly felt threatening. His senses didn't agree with the environment.
Even without his memories, fight or flight was a hell of an instinct.
John took off a split second after he saw the flash, deciding it was best to return to the bakery. Fortunately, the car was going in the opposite direction.
However, he didn't know that the trouble for him was only just starting.