chapter one : enchanting

Ayla had lost her place in her book once again, for her mind wandered to other things. Better things. Something that was less boring than sitting at a coffee shop, hidden in a booth. However, at least she made it out of bed today.

The baristas kept hustling around, trying to get through the orders as quickly as possible. It was more busy than usual, at least Ayla thought so. She took another bite of her bagel, and then went back to her book.

Although, something couldn't keep her captivated in it. Once again, she set it aside and gazed outside. Everybody was enjoying the sunshine, chatting with friends and family. But after the incident, Ayla lost connection with her only best friend and most of her family, especially her brother. She shuddered at the memory, and attempted to direct her mind to something else.

Her phone lit up, and for a second, a glittering feeling of hope settled in Ayla's heart, but it soon disappeared. It was only a mail notification, and even then, it was just useless junk.

She shifted from her position, trying to make herself more comfortable, but failed. Changing how she sat didn't make her boredom go away. It still remained, if not, increased. The background noise that was once muted and ignored alerted her suddenly, when a family of four came up to Ayla.

"Sorry, miss, but could we– Charlie! Don't touch that, no, stop!–" The mother spoke, interrupting her own sentence when a child, Charlie, began looking at the book Ayla had pushed away multiple times.

Ayla smiled, trying to be polite as possible. "Yes, you can have this booth. I was just about to leave anyway." The mother flashed her an apologetic smile.

As Ayla was gathering her things, a young voice spoke up. "I like your hair. It's very pretty," The other child said. She had big brown eyes, that were staring right at Ayla.

Ayla was caught off guard, and she forced out a friendly chuckle. "Thank you. Your hair is quite enchanting as well."

"Enchanting?" The young girl questioned, curiously.

"Delightfully charming or attractive," Ayla smiled.

"Oh!" She giggled, waltzing around her family, repeatedly saying the word 'enchanting.'

Ayla felt a real genuine grin spread softly on her face. She took one last look at the family before leaving. It reminded her much of her own. Slightly dysfunctional, one child that would touch anything and everything, another that was fascinated with learning and knowledge, an over-working mother, and a somewhat absent, ghost-like father. Hopefully they'll be better.

She wandered away from the coffee shop, only to realize why she went in anyway. It was blazing outside and the sun was treacherous. The merciless heat was awful.

Ayla looked desperately for a place that wasn't totally packed with people, shade, or cover of some sort from the high temperatures. She eventually found sanctuary under a large oak. The wind blew, which felt miraculous.

It was peaceful and relaxing under the tree. It felt like a home, comforting at the very least. Since it was a little bit away from the bustle of humans, it was more quiet (which Ayla relished in.)

Her phone lit up for a second time, but she was not filled with joy or hope. She opened it and a phone called "Charming" wished to airdrop something. She accepted, hesitantly.

Ayla studied it and looked down at her phone confused and weirded out.

I saw you at the Coffee Shop and you looked lonely. I swear I'm not this creepy, but I thought you could use a friend. Here's my number if you ever want to talk.

By the way,

You look enchanting.

| ❖ |

hi everyone! this is the first chapter of Daffodils, Lemonade, and The World. i'm honestly really excited for it. there's gonna be a lot of text message dialogue but still story stuff too :)

feedback is encouraged! anyway, i hope you guys have a good day/night/other time period lol