Chapter 6: New Person

I walked for a little while, weaving in between the masses thinking of how fast I was going to walk if I wanted to arrive quickly at the lab and continue my unfinished work, which was obviously as fast as my legs, could carry me. Leaving that thought aside I tried coming up with an excuse I would give Jane if she asked about Anne and key word there is *tried* unfortunately for me I couldn't come up with any excuse so I continued thinking, not realizing I was around a corner and I should probably pay attention to where I was going.

It was too late because the next thing I knew I collided with someone with an "ouch" and the other fellow an "oof".

I fell to the floor and immediately shot up muttering a sorry to the person under my breath. I was about to look up and apologize properly when I noticed brown stains on the cuff of my shirt. Coffee? However, I was not holding any coffee, so I looked to the floor and saw a plastic cup with just little coffee spilling out of it to the ground. I guessed the owner was almost through with it and I was just unlucky to get some of on my shirt when I fell to the ground.

I then remembered that I had not apologized properly to the person I collided with, who was now on his feet. I looked up properly and I shrank back into myself in shock,

Maybe the person just started drink the coffee.

Because on the shirt of the person I collided with, was the rest of the coffee that was on the floor and the sprinkles that was on my shirt.

My shock expired and I sprang into action,

Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, really sorry,"

I rambled increasing the intensity and speed of my apology.

I reached into my purse for some tissues to offer him when I noticed he had not said anything, I was kind of expecting him to shout at something or me. Therefore, I looked up to see what was delaying him. I found him staring at me rather intently. I touched my face as a reflex wondering if there was something there.

"Punch Me," he said suddenly. I looked at him,

"Excuse me,"

"Punch Me," he repeated.

"Why?" I returned, perplexed

"I want to know if you are real or not."

What? Is he okay.

Of course I'm real. I don't look like a ghost now, do I?"

"You are too pretty to be real,"

"Pardon?" This person is definitely nuts

"Is that supposed to be a pick up line or what?" I continued.

"Why?" He asked

"Because if it's, then you are not succeeding in picking me up at all, you are only making me want to punch your face." I said hotly, getting annoyed.

And he suddenly started laughing; he calmed down, looked at me and started laughing again, maniacally if I might add. Thus, he was attracting attention to us, I turned away from him and closed my eyes praying no one in the passing crowd, looking at us knows me, or else that would be stupidly embarrassing. I imagined looking at myself from a distance, me standing near a guy with coffee stained all over his shirt and was laughing like he was crazy, yep, definitely something I don't want anyone to see.

Thankfully he piped down after a while and was just smirking at me,

"So, can you enlighten me on this joke you think I shared?" I asked, mouth set in disapproval at his actions,

"Your face," he said.

I raised an eyebrow at him, telling him to explain more

"You looked angry and confused at the same time. And it looked funny," he explained. I just kept looking at him blankly for a while because I did not really understand what he said, and so, I ignored it.

He folded his arms over his shirt, tilting his head to the side, about to say something when I interrupted him,

"You remember you have coffee all over your shirt right?"

"Oh crap," he quickly unfolded his arms looking down at his very soiled shirt, with is mouth down turned meaning he was upset.

I immediately remembered my apology

"I'm so sorry I spilled coffee on you, I should have paid attention to where I was going, I'm so sorry again." He shrugged,

"It's okay; we are both equally at fault here. I'm just upset because it's one of my favorite shirts."

I realized at that moment that shirt was still soiled,

"Oh crap, your shirt is soiled, what are we going to do, it's just noon," I said exasperated, looking at the shirt with pleading eyes, willing it to wash and dry itself in a second. Alas, I did not have superpowers and the shirt could not just wash and dry in a second.

"Oh calm down, I have an extra shirt,"

"Okay. But are you going to go back to your office to take your extra shirt with that soiled shirt?" I said waving my hands in front of his shirt.

"Oh, I would just change it now"

"What do you mean?" I ask confused

"Oh I will just-" and he proceeded to show me by taking off his shirt right there, in front of me, on the sidewalk.

I froze; my eyes wide open. When I snapped back to myself, he was very shirtless on the sidewalk, in public, in broad daylight, with people looking at him and in extension me.

"Oh my God, what the heck are you doing?" I shrieked, attracting more attention to us

"Relax cupcake," he chuckled, completely oblivious to the looks we were getting from various people: annoyance from the men, and looks of appreciation from the women.

"How can you tell me to relax? In case you haven't noticed, you are half naked in public; someone could call the cops on you, on us!" I exclaimed running my hands through my hair.

He laughed again not replying, put his soiled shirt in my hands and bent down. I looked down to see him unzipping a bag I did not notice before and take out a shirt from it.

Oh. Wait, what is a shirt doing in his bag, okay that did not sound correct: I rephrase, why does he have a spare shirt in his bag?

By the time, I was done with my thinking he had put on the shirt and was doing the last of the buttons. I just stared at him. When he was done, he motioned for me to hand over his soiled shirt he had given to me earlier. I did, and he squeezed it into his already heavy looking bag. I wrinkled my nose at that

"Won't it stain what's inside your bag?" I asked

"Nah, it's already dried up, so I'll just have to throw it away when I get home, since there's no saving it again." I felt bad,

"Once again I'm so sorry for ruining your shirt." I apologized.

"Nah, its cool, since your actions made my day." He smirked. And in turn, I frowned remembering the events of earlier.

I was about to say something when I felt a drop of a liquid on my head only to be followed by several other drops. I panicked realizing it was rain, but then relaxed because it was still drizzling. I turned to the guy I was talking to, to say my goodbyes when I found him looking like he was about to cry.

"What happened?" I asked him

"The rain would drench this shirt that would make me use one of the shirts I kept specially, in my office". Shirts?

"How many shirts do you have I'm your office?" I blurted out even though it had nothing to do with the current problem.

"About seven." he replied nonchalantly.

My jaw went slack. What the heck, why would he have that much shirts in his office? I questioned, in my mind if course. I, personally, only have two change of clothes in the lab and I am a woman not that I am stereotyping or anything, just saying.

My confusion and shock must have shown through because he opened his mouth to say something when he shut up, due to the increasing rain. I put my hand over my head to shield myself from the rain, which was useless as my shirt was getting drenched anyway. I looked the guy, who was now looking dejected. I laughed a little, the rain blocking out the sound and shouted at him,

"You still have seven more shirts, remember?" he shrugged not looking elevated

"I guess."

Then remembering I had to be at the lab, I shouted,

"I have to go; it was good to know you."

I did not give him a chance to talk before I ran in the direction of the lab.