START OF SOMETHING NEW

she didn't want to come off as freaked out as she really was but he was a cop, she was sure that he could see right through her. her ex husband always could. being in a police station made an uneasy feeling settle in her stomach. for all she knew, they could be in kahoots with her ex. then again, she was so far away from home that she knew that she was just being dramatic at this point. she shifted on her feet. could she really trust him enough to tell her what it was that was bothering her? she didn't think so. cleo couldn't tell him the full truth. "i guess i just went through some things back home and i'm not wanting anything to ruin the life i have here. are you sure these break ins are harmless?" she had a hard time believing that any crime was really harmless.

cleo was thankful that she managed to meet someone who she really felt as though she could lean on. "you're welcome." she replied, and her face further lit up at the sound of the little girl's squeal. it made her realize how badly she wanted to be a mom but she assumed that wasn't in the cards for her after everything she'd been through. "i hope so." pausing, she lifted her shoulders up in a shrug, "it's going pretty good. i don't have any complaints. what about you? how're you and cutie pie doing this morning?"

Irza reached for his morning coffee, only to find himself in an awkward dance of hands with a woman at the counter. The timing couldn't have been worse—he'd been running late for a meeting at City Hall and desperately needed his caffeine fix. Her uncertain tone made him pause and check the name on the cup. "Oh, you're right—this one says 'Cleo.' My bad," he said, withdrawing his hand. The whole situation struck him as rather amusing, especially since he'd been so caught up in his thoughts about the upcoming budget meeting that he hadn't even bothered to check the name. "I'm Irza, by the way. Sorry for almost stealing your coffee. I guess my caffeine desperation got the better of me."

cleo didn't mean to make things awkward but he seemed just as apologetic as she was, which was ultimately reassuring. she really hadn't encountered anyone too mean and she was thankful for the fact that she seemed to have settled in a good place. "it's okay." she reassured and took the hot coffee in her hand. "i get it. it's monday, so everyone needs their fix. it's nice to meet you, irza - hey, isn't the mayor's name irza? are you the mayor?" she asked, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

Shivani had been taking a much needed break at the coffee shop for lunch and had whipped out her book because she didn't want to waste her time scrolling away on her phone and not feeling like she did anything productive. This was a better option for sure. She heard someone speaking in her direction and gave them a smile as she put her bookmark in the book and shut it so the other could have her full attention. "I actually don't do a lot of reading, but whenever my time allows it--I try to pick up something new to read," she admitted with a smile before gesturing for the other to join her. "But I've heard of a book club I think in town--but I'm also game to talk books with, I'd love to have someone actually hold me accountable," Shivani grimaced with a laugh, "because so far--only my Goodreads account is trying to do that and it just doesn't do it for me." With another smile, she introduced herself, "I'm Shivani by the way."

cleo knew exactly what the other was talking about. she had a ton of books on her to be read book but not one of them had been started. "that makes two of us. i would love nothing more than to have someone hold me accountable too. i mean, my library's getting bigger but my to be read list isn't getting any smaller." she paused, giving her a small smile. shivani seemed nice enough and so this all seemed promising. "i'm cleo. it's nice to meet you." she nodded at the seat across from her, "do you mind if i join you?"

Axel recognized her right away—the nurse who'd patched him up last month. Her awkward rambling made him smile. He wasn’t sure why she was so nervous, when he was the one who should be feeling like an idiot. "Of course I remember you. Hard to forget someone who kept me from passing out during those stitches," he said, thinking back to how she'd made that whole mess of a night suck way less. "I'm doing much better now, thanks to you. Though I should probably avoid any more encounters with the wall while I’m drunk. Actually, I never got to properly thank you for taking such good care of me that night. Thank you and I’d like to know your name if you don’t mind sharing."

cleo wasn't so much nervous when it came to talking to him but more about making a fool out of herself and the rambling that she was doing made her feel like an absolute idiot. she smiled at the man front of her, "of course. it's my job." she reassured, her eyes landing on where the stitches once were. they were gone now and he was healed up really well, "sure," she paused, holding her hand out for the other to shake, "i'm cleo." she introduced. she was trying to act as normal as possible since she knew she could come off a bit paranoid, especially since running from her ex.

CLOSED STARTER

the break ins were making her unnecessarily paranoid. what if these supposed break ins were her ex husband's attempt at trying to find her? she couldn't help but attempt to find out what this was all about and so after a shift of thinking about it entirely too much, she made her way to the police station and up toward the front desk to see if maybe she could find some sort of reassurance that she was just being too much. she looked over at the man who approached her, "i, well…i don't really know who or what i'm looking for. i'm just…a little curious to know about those weird break ins. are there any leads or…i mean, i know you probably can't tell me. i just- is there anything we, the public, should worry about?"