Being a dork is a full occupation.

The Nashville airport wasn't the best place to be the night before Christmas Eve. It was overly crowded with obnoxious christmas decor and screaming children. It didn't help that there was a heavy snowstorm outside either. I was lucky enough to find a cab driver willing to drive me to where my grandmother lived, Franklin. I at least hoped to reach a hotel to rest for the night. It had been an emotionally draining few days. I put my suitcase in the trunk and got into the cab as fast as I could to get out of the snow. "You don't look like you're from around these parts." The cab driver commented in a heavy southern accent. He was bundled up in a thick camoflauge coat with a matching beanie. I guess he liked hunting.

"I'm from New York." I said simply, shrugging my shoulders as I tried to peer through the windows in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the scenery through the thick snowfall. I finally gave up and exhaled loudly.

"You don't sound like you're a New Yorker. Aren't y'all supposed to have some sorta accent or somethin'?" he asked curiously.

"It depends on what part of New York you're in. Does everyone here have an accent like yours?" I countered.

"What accent?"

"Nevermind." I muttered underneath my breath. I kept trying to see something out of the window, avoiding the awkward silence surrounding us. I didn't know how much time had gone by when he stopped the cab and muttered something underneath his breath. "What's wrong?" I asked, my heart rate starting to speed up. "Did we break down?"

He shook his head. "Nah, the roads just closed. I can't get you to the hotel. I can take you back to Nashville if you want, you could stay in a hotel there." he suggested politely.

I shook my head. I barely had enough money as it is to pay for a room. By the time we got back to Nashville, I would be out of money and would have to sleep on a bench in the airport; and I did not want to do that at all. Walking through the heavy snow to find a restaurant or at least a place with heat seemed like a better option. Heck, I'm from New York. I could handle anything, right? "I think I'll just get out here. I think we past a restaurant or something. I'l go back there."

"You want me to drop you off here?" He asked, incredulous.

"Yes!" I said, a little flustered.

He shook his head and muttered something else I couldn't make out. "Good luck kid." he said as I gave him what I owed.

"Thanks." I said as I clutched the handle of my suitcase and managed attempted to wrap my coat tighter around my tiny frame. I opened the cab door and a gust of icy wind blew snow in my face. I got out of the cab and shut the door. He waved good bye as he turned around and drove off into the darkness.

I don't know why I was stupid enough to decide to walk through a blizzard, but I guess desperate times called for desperate measures. God, I sounded like I belonged in some angsty teen chick flick. Another thing that I hated about walking alone in the heavy snow was that it left me to face my own thoughts, the cold snow stung my cheeks.

Then, as if it were a miracle, I was able to make out a lit sign and quickened my pace, hoping they would be open. As I got closer I was able to read the sign and breathe a sigh of relief when I saw it was an italian restaurant, still open for another two hours. I couldn't feel my fingers as I grasped the door handle and opened it, enjoying the feeling of warm, dry air as I managed to get inside safely, not even caring to brush the snow off of my shoulders. The restaurant was fairly large, but had the feeling of being small and intimate. There were two other people sitting at separate tables, one watching whatever was on the television, the other drinking from their coffee mug.

I lugged my suitcase over to an empty barstool at the counter and let out a breath, glad to be out of the snow. I looked at all the photos hanging on the red walls, it was obvious that this was a family owned restaurant, with a lot of good looking kids.

"Hi." A voice suddenly said, causing me to jump. "Didn't mean to scare you." a young, handsome-looking man chuckled, walking over to my side of the counter.  "What can I get for you?" he asked kindly, his warm smile reached his brown eyes.

"Coffee." I said bluntly, trying not to make my teeth chatter.

He chuckled again and grabbed a coffee mug and set it in front of me, then walking over to grab the coffee pot and poured it into my cup. "Thanks." I said with a small smile, wrapped my hands around the mug to try to regain feeling.

He leaned against the counter, resting his elbow on the countertop. "Are you okay?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. He either was truly concerned or he had nothing better to do than bug me.

"I think I just walked 2 miles through the snow." I said quietly, finally taking a sip of the coffee. I wasn't fond of coffee, but it was hot and it did me justice.

His eyebrows raised. "Why did you do that?" he asked curiously.

"Because the cab driver said the road was closed and I didn't want to spend more money and have to go back to Nashville and sleep in that cold infested airport.." i started to vent.

"So you would rather walk in a blizzard, then stay at the airport for the night?" He said with a sly smile. He was obviously entertained by my situation.

"If I did, I wouldn't have any money to get back here! It would've been silly!" I said a little louder than I intended.

"Why'd you come to Franklin anyways? I haven't seen you around here before."He said, slightly changing the subject.

I took another sip of the coffee and started to regain feeling in my hands. "I came here to find my Grandma. I didn't expect for it to be such short notice, but I couldn't stay in New York any longer." I sighed. "She doesn't even know I'm coming."

"You picked bad timing to travel right before Christmas Eve. If you don't mind me asking, why'd you leave New York?" he asked as he grabbed the coffee pot again and refilled my cup and gave me a chocolate chip cookie.

"Really bad break-up." I said quietly.

He nodded, his face became slightly grim. "I'm sorry. I guess thats why you left so quick, huh?"

I nodded. "He lied and he couldn't give up his addictions for me. I had to do what was best for me you know?"

He nodded. "I understand." he said before perking up a little. "Well, I'm Josh." He stuck out his hand.

I shook it. "Hayley." I said,  giving him a smile that wasn't fake."Now, how much do I owe you?" I asked, eating the last bite of the cookie.

"On the house." He smiled.

I smiled back. It felt weird to be taken care of for once. I looked at my watch. It was a quarter till midnight. "Crap. Do you know of any hotels that are still open?" I asked, biting my bottom lip.

"Well, I don't know about hotels, but I have a couch and a blanket available. Lincoln continental breakfast included." He added with a smirk.

"Sounds like a deal to me."

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For starters, sorry that I didn't post yesterday! I was running on 3 hours of sleep and I didn't get home till ten. Anyways, tell me what you think about the situation in a comment below! Please comment buzz if you liked it!

annndddd I get my braces off Monday! :)