open / DRINKING STRAWBERRY WINE

days off, even for a woman who was more terrified of human interaction than anything, were cherished moments when harriet would venture into the public world for her own reasons, and not because she had to. it wasn't every day off that she was in the mood to visit carmel's main park, but when she was, she never went without her book, and a tea from starbucks. it was hard not to enjoy the american breeze, and the heat that came along with it was more desirable than her usual rocky weather back home across seas, but there was still an uncertainty that clung to harriet's mood.

the park wasn't very busy today, not that she could see or hear, but she still had the constant need to glance over her shoulder, or to study the people walking around her picked out spot, nestled comfortably on a bench by herself. no one paid any mind to her for the most part, and she had started to become a little more relaxed. being outside of her apartment wasn't an easy task for her, especially when she was in public. of course, being in her boss' villa was normal to her now, almost like a second home, but it was more so because they had a few similarities in their habits and fears. her social anxiety was a lot higher than daniel's, at least in her mind anyway, so she tried to maintain a safe distance from strangers or people she was already weary of, regardless if she knew them. but, positioning herself in the park was almost like an invitation to be disturbed, and she refused to be caught by surprise, and make a pathetic fool of herself for being startled so easily.

on the other hand, when she paid attention to the horror novel she currently had within her right hand, she grew more and more relaxed as the minutes and pages flew by. whenever she raised her tea up to her lips in order to take a sip, she'd lick off a bit of whipped topping, just to add more flavor to her mouthful, and to prevent herself from getting it on her nose. and it was completely unaware to her that she'd taken an extra slow lick off the whipped cream at the exact moment a stranger had approached her to ask if she had a lighter they could borrow to ignite their smoke. harriet slowly looked up over the rim of her glasses to the tall male, and she blinked a bit nervously. it took her a moment, but she shook her head at him, trying her best to be polite. "i don't smoke," she started, lowering her tea to try and play it off as though she hadn't just done what she had. "apparently it kills you." the male smirked, though she could see a twitch of annoyance in his eyes that frightened her.

swallowing thickly, she slid her bookmark carelessly into her spot and shut her book, slipping it back into her messenger bag. lifting the strap, she pulled it over her shoulder, keeping her opposite hand firmly grasping around her tea. "well, if you'll excuse me." without giving him anymore time of hers to waste, she stood up and started to walk away. at first, she didn't know where she was going, but as long as it was away from tall, dark, and scary, she didn't mind. unfortunately, most of the benches were taken, and the farther she walked, the more crowded everything seemed to be getting.

after narrowly escaping what could've been a very bad run in with someone's dog, harriet came to the edge of the park. there was only two benches here, one of which holding a couple, the other just a singular person. sighing, she bit her lower lip in an attempt to decide on what to do. she still wanted to enjoy the weather outside while she enjoyed her book and beverage, but she still didn't want to be around that many people. after a bit of debating, she started towards the bench with only one person on it, trying her best to offer a smile from the corners of her lips if they looked at her. "is this spot taken?" she asked in a bit of a timid tone, glancing towards the empty side of the bench. after all, it was better than stealing someone's spot, right?