2 | caramel and croissants

Light travels faster than sound. Which is why some people appear bright until they speak.

- Steven Wright

________________________

- L I L A -

Lying down on my bed, the covers were tangled by my ankles, the sunlight that streamed through my blinds confirming that it was morning. My mouth emitted a sigh, my head rolling to the side whilst my eyes focused on the figure that stood in front of my door, blocking the light that would seep through under.

"What do you want, Helena?" I groaned, rubbing my eyes as the door silently opened, my younger sister watching me expectantly.

"Mom's gone to work and Dad said you have to make me lunch for school while he's in the shower."

"Who do you take me for?" I asked, throwing the cover to the end of the bed. "You've got hands and I'm sure that you've picked up on how to make a sandwich from your 15 years of living."

"Please, you make the best sandwiches."

"Helena. Go ask Dan."

That was the end to our pointless conversation since I closed the door and locked it. I could hear my sister call for my older brother, a smile making its way onto my face at the sound of annoyance he made as he passed my door.

"I'll get you back for this, Lila!"

---

My friend, Yasmine, slung an arm over my shoulder and steered us into English, an exuberant smile on her face. "So - I heard there's a new guy, I bet he's hot."

Rolling my eyes, I gave a pointed look. "That's all you can think about? His looks?"

"Well, not really, no."

Choosing the front row, I proceeded to sit at the edge seat, the teacher's voice halting me in my movement. "Leave that seat open," he interrupted. "The new kid is going to sit there."

Nodding my head, Yasmine moved down one seat. The chatter began to fill the classroom. Everyone was talking about their holiday whilst I lifted my foot so my heel rested on the rim of the seat, my fingers speedily tying my laces.

"Lila, how was your summer?" Mr. Robertson asked, pulling the cap from the board marker and writing this term's topic.

"It was nice, sir." I smiled, mentally groaning at what I read. Great, what a great book. "How was yours?"

"Enjoyable, I went to Rio - now, everyone, today you'll be introduced to the first chapter of this wonderful Gothic horror written by an excellent author: Robert Louis Stevenson."

Instantly, Yasmine's hand shot up. "Is it the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed, picking up his board marker. He wrote down what my friend had said, his sentence being interrupted as the door opened, the school receptionist entering with someone behind her.

My eyebrows raised at the familiar face, my eyes widening at how good he looked with his hair unruly. "Matthew?" I asked, my mouth slightly agape.

His head moved in the direction of my voice, his eyebrows furrowing. "Lila?"

By now, the class had realised he was blind, his white cane being a dead give away. I noticed he realised all eyes were on him, his beautiful grey eyes being hidden under the glasses. He shifted uncomfortably, the teacher straightening out his back.

"Lila! It would be amazing if you could help him familiarise himself with the school; could you do that for us?" the receptionist asked, leading Matthew to the empty seat after walking towards me and allowing him to follow her voice.

"Y-yeah, sure."

She beamed a bright smile, Matthew smirking as he sat down, taking his bag off his back. "You go to this school?"

I wanted to reply with a sarcastic remark, the innocent smile he gave me hindering my intentions. "Yeah, how did you know it was me?"

He smiled silently. "I recognised your voice."

"I'm Mr. Robertson, nice to meet you Matthew."

Matthew held out his hand, shaking sir's with a firm grip. "Nice to meet you too." He greeted politely, a soft smile plastered on his face.

Opening the cupboard behind him after he returned to his desk, Mr. Robertson took two stacks of books from it, gesturing for Yasmine to hand them out.

He approached Matthew again, placing a book in Braille in front of him.

"Lila," he whispered as Sir began to introduce all the characters. "What does Mr. Robertson look like?"

Tearing my gaze from the board, I studied Matthew for a moment before I leant in closer to tell him. "Short black hair, blue eyes - is that a good enough description?"

He nodded silently, resting his chin on his hand and turning his head slightly to face the teacher.

I scanned my eyes over his glasses. His fingertips rested on the temples of them as he ran his other fingers over the raised dots on the book cover. "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." He whispered to himself, lifting his head from his palm.

Guessing from his facial expression, I gathered that he adored this book, his fingers already skimming the first page. "Lila?"

He turned his head and smirked. "Are you staring at me?"

I fought the blush that attempted to make its way onto my cheeks, averting my gaze to his dark blue flannel. "N-no."

As soon as lunch period arrived, I walked to Matthew's class, placing my hand over my mouth to mask the yawn once I saw him leaning against the wall, the end of his white cane resting on the floor.

"Oh, the irony," he smiled rakishly, pushing himself off the wall as I stopped in front of him. "Have you got a car?"

Smiling, I nodded, reprimanding myself for my blatant stupidity soon after. "Yes, yes I do."

At that moment, Yasmine approached us with a sway in her step, her eyebrows raised in a joyful manner. "Guess who's eating lunch with Greg," she sung, patting my shoulder. "I guess you have to eat with Matthew today."

I smiled in her direction, Matthew raising his hand to wave. "Hello, Yasmine."

"Hello, Matthew." She grinned, zipping up her jacket. "I'm going to go now, have fun."

Once she left us, Matthew took a step forward, raising his shoulders slightly. "I'm new to this area, why don't you show me a place that's good to eat at? I'll pay." He suggested, beginning to walk with me.

"I know a place that sells great buffalo wings?" I responded sheepishly, feeling oddly at ease when he chuckled softly, nodding his head.

"Buffalo wings are my favourite."

He continued to walk in front of me, getting into my car easily once I unlocked it, also taking a seat. Feeling around for the buckle, he held it in place and reached for the strap, securing it seconds after. Making sure I had my seat belt on, I started the car, pulling out of the school's parking lot. "Matthew?" I called out, holding the steering wheel loosely. "You said you were new to the area; when did you move here?"

"The day before I first met you."

I took his answer into account, my stomach growling loudly at the thought of buffalo wings with barbecue sauce all over it. My eyes flitted to Matthew's shaking frame many times, his boisterous laughter overtaking the silence. My cheeks burned scarlet, my grip tightening on the steering wheel.

"I'm hungry." I mumbled embarrassedly, biting the inside of my cheeks as he cleared his throat, nodding whilst he attempted to cover his laughter.

"I could hear that," he laughed, running his hand through the front strands of his brown hair. "Could we stop by my house to get my guide dog? If we're near it. What street are we on?"

Ducking my head lower, I read out the street, glancing at him once he sighed in relief.  "Just tell me where you live."

Stopping in front of his house, I noted the plethora of moving boxes. Matthew held his cane in his hand, opening the car door. "Mom!" he shouted, a woman coming from inside the house, her clothes splattered with different colour paints.

"What are you doing back?" she asked, a trace of a smile on her face.

"Can you get Toby for me? I don't want to use my cane anymore."

On cue, a dog ran out onto the front lawn and stopped right in front of Matthew. His dog brushed his leg, Matthew bending down and petting him lovingly. "Hi, Toby," he chuckled, stroking him around the ears. "I missed you."

His mother's eyes fell on me, a curious smile adorning her face. "Are you Matthew's new friend?"

The window on his side was rolled down, both of them having clear view of me in the car. I racked my brain for an answer. I had only met him yesterday, would he be classified as my friend?

"Yeah, this is Lila." He responded, flashing a smirk. "She works at the bakery a couple of streets down. She's also in my English class."

His mum beamed a smile, her grey eyes lighting up. So he got his eye colour from her. I thought, seeing the distinct difference in both their eye colours. Matthew had a darker shade, almost like a stormy sky whereas his mom had a lighter shade, like shiny metal. "Nice to meet you, Lila. I'm Katherine."

After I responded, Matthew retrieved a dog seat from his mother, Toby placing himself in it. I smiled once I noticed he was a golden retriever. Matthew sat back in the passenger seat, taking off his glasses for the first time today. He grinned charmingly, rubbing his shoulder. "Sorry. I enjoy using Toby most of the time."

"Bye, Matthew! Bye, Lila!"

___

"He's not going to hurt you," Matthew chuckled as a person stopped on their way to a seat, a scared expression plastered on their face. "He isn't going to move unless I tell him to." He said, reassuring the guy before he tiptoed to his seat.

I learnt that I had two classes with Matthew, the second one being Spanish. "Lila?" he questioned, smiling a small smile when I yawned during my response. "What's your hair colour?"

My lips twitched into a smile. It was odd, I never once met a blind person and never got asked that sort of question before. "I've got red hair."

"I've got dark brown hair." He added in a goofy manner, grinning boyishly.

"Well, no shit."

He shook his head softly, biting his thumb nail. "I detect sarcasm, Lila."

"Well, sarcasm was present, Matthew." I smiled sweetly, clicking my pen.