My morning began a lot smoother than it did yesterday. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was Friday, my one day off from work during the week. The cheaply made, blue couch dented as I sat down on the cushion, curling one leg under me in the process. I wrapped my hands around my cup of coffee, closing my eyes, inhaling the sweet aroma deeply. Mornings starting out this relaxed were my favorite. If only I could read and warm both hands with my cup at the same time.
An excited little flutter crossed my belly as I thought about my plans today. For once, I was going to be social. My date with Garrett was in about three hours, giving me plenty of time to mentally, and physically prepare. After my date, I was going over to Leena’s for some girl time. I couldn’t recall the last time I had a good old-fashioned time with a girl friend. The thought of it caused a smile to spread across my face, holding back a squeak of excitement.
Rays of sunlight sparkled through the cracks of my curtains and I tilted my head at them. Why were my curtains closed on such a gorgeous day? I sat my cup of coffee on my wooden side table and made my way to the left side of the room, pulling the white, cloth curtains back. A soft sigh sounded into the quiet room when the warmth of the sun hit my face. Normally, I wouldn’t enjoy this feeling. Normally, I would complain like an ancient, cranky vampire about the sun touching me.
But today wasn’t a normal day.
And it wasn’t my normal life.
I dropped my hands to my side, the sleeves of my oversized sweater covering my hands. Even with the beautiful weather, the view outside my window didn’t match. Yes, there was a beautiful, medium sized park with a grassy field children loved to play in covering most of the sight, but it was surrounded by a bunch of run down houses. This was the low income part of town in Bainsfield, everything forgotten by the city, left here to become rubble. It’s not a completely terrible thing though. It allowed those of us who couldn’t afford to spend a lot of money on the larger living spaces downtown.
Bainsfield sounded like some average hick town in the middle of nowhere, but it was a bigger town, located in the mid United States. Last I heard, the population was reaching 90,000 residents. You couldn’t really tell until you get closer to the downtown areas. Here at the edge of the suburbs, there was no telling whatsoever. I enjoyed spending my time downtown next to The Book Nook. That was a cozy area, filled with books, coffee, and bakeries. Near that area was the center of town marked by an impressive concrete angel fountain constantly spewing crystal clear water, outlined with matching concrete benches with intricate designs. The pool of the fountain sparkled with coins people wished upon. A penny or two in there might've been the holders of my wishes. And it seemed that the fountain was granting one of those wishes.
My arms crossed across my chest, the excitement flowing out to the rest of my body. People. I was actually going to be hanging with people today. I glanced at the clock sitting on my entertainment center and nodded slightly. Two and a half hours before I needed to meet Garrett. Perfect.
I sat back down on my spot on the couch and turned the tv on to some reality show. My mug made its way back into my hands as I sipped on my coffee, content. By the end of the episode, my coffee was gone and I was ready for a shower. Pushing myself off the couch with my cup, I worked my way into the kitchen, rinsing my mug before placing it in the dishwasher. A small little dance swayed my hips slightly to an imaginary beat as I sauntered my way to the bathroom, turning the faucet to get the hot water running.
Catching a glance of myself in the mirror, I stopped. In a way, I almost didn’t recognize myself. For once, there was a small glow on my face. I guess it’s true what they say: happiness really shines. My eyes sparkled with hope, a bashful smile taking over my resting face. A date. An actual date. I should be nervous. I hadn't been on a date in close to four years, but I wasn’t. Not in the slightest.
I continued my dance as I stripped from my pajamas, hopping into the steaming shower, humming along to a Taylor Swift song. Shampoo was being lathered into my hair, my hips swaying to the beat playing out in my head.
“I’ve been spending the last eight months, thinking all love ever does is break, and burn, and end… But on a Wednesday, in a café, I watched it begin again,” I bolted out at the top of my lungs as I finished the song, rinsing the shampoo from my head. Ironically enough, this song might've became my reality… just on a Friday instead of a Wednesday. My excited giddiness came rushing back and I squealed happily, refraining from jumping to release the overflowing energy, knowing that wouldn’t end well in the shower.
Once I finished cleaning myself off, I hopped out and wrapped myself in my fluffiest towel. More romance related songs went through my head as I dug through my closet for an outfit to wear. Since it was fall and I didn’t really have much in terms of cute date clothes, I settled for a simple pastel blue sweater and black leggings. Towel in hand, I rubbed it against my head to get rid of the excess water stuck in my hair.
My feet shuffled back into the bathroom and I hung the towel back on its designated rack. I turned on my heels and looked at myself in the mirror, tilting my head in consideration. Makeup, or no makeup? A frown formed on my lips and I peered closer to the mirror, looking at every pore on my face. I didn't normally wear makeup, so it almost felt wrong even considering this idea, but it’s my first date in four years. With a cute guy! Could I really be okay going all natural?
Not about to take chances. Yeah, I got that momentary bad vibe from Garrett, but he didn’t seem like the kind of guy that my gut was warning me about. His actions, his words, they all pointed in the opposite direction. I wasn't about to mess up this chance because I decided to be basic me. But I wouldn’t cross the boundary of what isn’t me either. Grabbing my foundation, I brushed on a light layer to hide my minimal blemishes. I glanced through my eyeshadow choices and frowned at the lack of choices that were available. It wasn’t a terrible thing though, I reminded myself. I wasn't going flashy.
Sticking with mainly neutral colors, I grabbed my brown and pink color palettes and their associated brushes and got to work. I dipped the biggest brush in a light tan color, rubbing it all over both of my eyelids. With a smaller brush, I took a darker tan and painted the crease of my eyelids and the outer edge of my eyes. Finally with a more medium sized brush, I finished it all off with a pale blush color in the middle, just to add a little more definition to it. With a little blending, eyeliner, and mascara, my makeup was complete.
I blinked a few times, not really believing what I was seeing at the end result. I actually looked… pretty. The blue color of my sweater brought out my green eyes more with the help of the makeup. They still gleamed with hope, maybe even more so now. My hair was partially out of place, but it was almost representing a sexy, messed up look. My confidence level rose and I stood up straighter in response. I smirked a little at myself and gave a small wink. “Oh hell yeah. Let’s go steal a man’s heart!”
I practically skipped back into my bedroom, grabbing a pair of socks and slipping them on. Doing a time check on my phone, it told me I had thirty minutes to be at the coffee shop. Great timing, considering I did not want to ride my bike and mess up all the effort I put into my looks. Moving over to the front entrance, I slipped on my black, fuzzy, ankle high winter boots, threw my keys and wallet into my pockets and walked out the door. It was beyond tempting to jump all the way down the stairs to the pavement below and run to my date.
But I stayed calm. Collected. Ladylike. While grinning like a mega fool.
There was a slight breeze, making the color changing leaves dance on their branches. Some flew off to another location, not quite alive enough to hang on. People silently moved around me in their quick paces, probably making their way back to work from their lunch breaks. If only people here were a little more relaxed. There was so much beauty that was brought upon by this season and they were missing it. It had to be my favorite in all honesty. The beautiful colors, the perfect temperatures, and my favorite styles of clothing. I was so happy the heat waves were finally over.
I reached the front entrance of the little brick building, breathing in the wonderful smell of the coffee wafting from the cracked wooden door. I looked in through the window to see how busy it was, and I spotted the person I was there to meet. My breath caught in my throat when I saw his beautiful dark hair all mussed, as if he had been running his hands through it repeatedly. He was wearing a red, plaid button up with jeans and sneakers to compliment it.
Garrett.
I released a cough and physically shook myself loose from the trance he put me in. Calm. Collected. Ladylike. I took in a deep breath and put a casual look on my face before I stepped in and walked my way over to him. My heart was trying to pound out of my chest. I was so nervous now. Why was I so nervous?
Garrett turned his head and I caught his eye. He smiled, showing off the slight gap he had between his front teeth. Oh god, why did that little flaw add charm to him? Why was this so difficult? Why was he staring at me like he’s waiting for something?
“Sophie?”
“Huh?” I startled and he let out a chuckle, a playful gleam in his eye.
“I said you look good today. You clean up nice,” he said in a patient tone.
A light blush creeped its way onto my cheeks. Stupid body reactions, why are you ratting me out right now? I mentally kicked myself and cleared my throat awkwardly, placing a hand on my chest. “Mm, sorry. I think I’m coming down with a cold.” I cleared my throat one more time for good measure and nodded once. “Alright, I am good. Uhm, thank you, for the compliments.” I stumbled upon my words, trying to come back from losing myself in his looks.
He grinned and gave me a wink. “From your reaction, I think it’s safe to assume you find me looking good as well?”
I scoffed and rolled my eyes, his arrogance bringing me back. “Yeah, right. Whatever you wanna tell yourself.” This earned a laugh.
“Come on, let me buy you something.”
Garrett took my arm in his, leading me to the line. Inside, I was totally freaking out over his willingness to be this close to me and offering to buy me something. On the outside, I continued playing my newly found sass role. Sarcastically, I patted his hand and removed my arm from his once we got into our place in line.
“Silly you, thinking it’s okay to touch me,” I expressed in a playfully snotty way. "Not to mention the condition we had put on this date that I got to pay for everything." Garrett raised a brow in amusement and rested his arm on my shoulder, using me as an armrest.
“Whatever you say, shorty. I only agreed to the condition so you wouldn't say no to the date. I wouldn't allow a beautiful woman such as yourself to pay on a first date,” he grinned.
I gasped in slight offense and shrugged him off, crossing my arms over my chest. Turning my back toward him, I huffed even louder. I could almost feel him trying to follow my act and failing miserably from his amusement. Of course. I should've realized that a true gentleman would never allow me to pay for a first date. I looked back at him, trying to hide the pout from my lips and gave in. "Smart. I'm not happy about it, but I give you credit." His grin turned into a smirk, which he embellished with a wink. My cheeks flushed, betraying the grumpy mood I was trying to make a statement with.
The people in front of us finished their order and we stepped up to the register. As difficult as it was, I ignored Garrett and pushed him over with a hip bump, finding the nervousness and excitement once again writhing around in my core. I looked up at the barista and offered a smile to prepare my order, but she wasn’t looking at me. Her full attention was on the man beside me, a wide grin plastered on her face.
“Well my oh my, Garrett is that you?” She asked in a squeaky, high pitched voice, laced with a thick southern accent.
Garrett returned her grin and gave her a wink. “Hey, May. It’s good to see you again.”
The barista, May, squealed and slapped her hands on the counter. I cringed, my confidence wearing thin. “By golly, it is you! I didn’t think I’d see ya ‘gain when you came up here from Texas!”
Garrett gave me a sheepish, apologetic smile as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Yeah, me neither. Guess you can never get away from the big state,” he replied, his apologetic nature covered.
All the excited nerves that were flying around settled, that bad feeling nagging me once again. Was this jealousy that my gut was showing me? No, it couldn’t be. I had no reason to be jealous yesterday and I still got this feeling. But maybe it was jealousy, thinking he was hot and would never be interested in me. That’s what it had to be. There was no other explanation.
May giggled and shook her head. “No sir, you cannot. What can I get you two cuties today?”
Garrett turned to me, waiting for me to order. I suddenly wasn’t in the mood for coffee or any kind of food. I couldn’t let him discover my sudden discomfort though. That would ruin everything further.
“I’ll just have a 16 ounce chai latte please,” I said with my trained professional smile. She gave me a playful wink in return.
“Good choice. How ‘bout you, Gare Bear?” She turned her attention back to the handsome man at my side.
I had to stop myself from scrunching my nose at the nickname. Gare Bear? Really? I glanced at Garrett who almost seemed to share my discomfort over the name. Odd.
“I’m good, May, thank you. Just the latte for the lady.” He offered a polite smile and handed her some cash. “Keep the change.”
“Oh, thank you! Your latte will be right out, sweet pea.” She grinned at me and we walked away from the cashier counter to wait for my latte. The silence was awkward as we stood there and Garrett cleared his throat.
“Don’t mind May. We used to work together for years before I moved up here. We were very close.”
I looked at him. “Like, dating close or just friends close?”
I resisted the urge to slap myself in the face. Why did I ask that question? Now he’s going to assume I was jealous and I really didn’t want that. I was still trying to sort out how I felt about him. Yeah, he made me excited and giddy, but I barely knew him. Who knew how that’s going to change as we start to open up to each other.
Garrett shook his head. “No, we were never romantically involved. We worked at a shitty café down in Texas and we only had each other to get through it. She might’ve gained some feelings for me during that time, but they were never reciprocated.”
A scoff slipped through my lips before I could stop it and I resisted the urge to apologize for it. “Didn’t really seem like it back there. You guys were awfully flirty.” I paused for a moment, thinking about what’s been said. “Years? How old are you? And if you’re from Texas, why don’t you have an accent like she does?”
Garrett chuckled. “That’s just how I am with people I’m comfortable with, or want to be comfortable with.” He widened his stance and crossed his arms in a non-intimidating way. “I’m a fairly easy going person and my actions reflect that.” He paused for a few seconds. “The southern personalities and accents also tend to come across as flirty to those who live outside of the south. As for my age, I just turned 25 last month. And the accent? I am not originally from Texas. I moved around a lot, never really having a place to call home until I came here.” He looked at me, a serious glint in his eyes. It was hard to hold my gaze with his and the lack of emotion it held. “This place is the closest I’ve gotten to calling home.”
I remained silent, trying to find the words to reply with.
“Here ya go sweet pea, one chai latte!” May ruined the tense silence between us, holding my drink out toward me. I offered her a smile and my thanks, grabbing it from her hand and holding it in both of mine. I stared at my cup while I finished collecting my thoughts and locked my gaze back with Garrett’s.
“What do you say about getting out of here?” I offered quietly.
Garrett nodded, a little light shining back in his eyes. “I’d like that.”
~
We found ourselves taking a seat on a bench along the perimeter of the angel fountain, the sound of the water gracefully falling into its pond mixing in with the songs of the birds flitting around in the trees. I took a sip of my latte as we got settled. I watched the birds with a small smile on my face, feeling relaxed for the first time since this date started. I could sense Garrett watching me, but I wasn’t quite ready to revisit the conversation from the coffee shop.
I took another sip of my latte and sighed, crossing my legs on the bench. Garrett stared at me in silence a moment longer before mocking my sigh in a loud manner. The glare I shot toward him was instantaneous. He released a full on belly laugh. “Oh my god! That look is absolutely – absolutely hilarious!” He struggled to get the last part of his sentence out while he laughed harder.
The peace was gone, and I couldn’t help but fume at him for it. I gripped my coffee cup harder causing some of it to spill out on me. I yelped in surprise and loosened my grip, setting it aside. Thank god it landed on my leggings instead of my sweater. I did not want to fight that stain. Some of the coffee ended up on my hand and an idea presented itself.
I wiped my coffee covered hand on the sleeve of his shirt and smirked in silent victory. A flash of something dark crossed in Garrett’s eyes, but it was literally that. A flash. Gone as soon as it appeared. My smirk faded as I tried to process what I might have seen, that bad feeling occurring in my gut again. Garrett quickly faked shock as he gaped down at the coffee that now sat on his sleeve.
“So mature, Sophie! Dirtying my nicest shirt.” He clicked his tongue at me in feigned disappointment. I rolled my eyes and offered a small, genuine smile. The bad feeling suddenly became a whisper deep down.
“My bad, didn't want to be the only one smelling of chai.”
Garrett chuckled and gave me a little nudge with his body. “What a date this has been, huh? I haven’t gotten to know anything new about you this whole time, besides the fact that you enjoy chai lattes.”
I grabbed my latte and took a long sip, nodding slightly in response. “Well, what else are you wanting to know?” I asked curiously.
He took a minute to think about it. “How old are you? And are you in school?” He paused, holding up a finger, signaling for me to hold off on answering. “And how long have you been working at the book shop?” His finger dropped back into his lap.
I waited a few seconds before I answered. “I am 21, and yes I’m in school. I just started my fourth year of college at the local university.” My gaze averted to my hands in my lap, my fingers twisting with each other. “I’ve been working at The Book Nook for about three years. I grew up around Todd and he offered me a job there when I complained about wanting more money.” I chuckled at the memory, creating a small smile on Garrett’s face.
“That sounds like a great memory,” he said. “Todd seems like a great guy.”
I nodded with a smile and took a deep breath. “Yeah, he’s been the father I’ve never had.”
Garrett seemed to notice he hit a sensitive spot and dropped the subject, clearing his throat somewhat awkwardly. “So what are you studying and how did you get interested in it?”
My face lit up at the excitement of getting to nerd out. “Geology. I absolutely adore it, it’s probably the most fascinating thing ever.” I continued talking about my fascination with the subject, using my hands to gesture about how things worked with the Earth and how Earth's formations are created. I also dove a bit into how geologists find the information I was presenting. Garrett seemed to pay attention to every word I said, asking questions about things he found interesting. The date took a great turn. The bad feeling disappeared altogether as we got sucked in talking about my goals and dreams within the profession of geology.
What felt like minutes was actually hours. The sun started to get low in the sky, causing me to blink. “Wow, it’s getting dark already. How long have we been here?”
Garrett looked at his watch and chuckled. “We’ve been sitting on this bench for about three hours now. It’s four in the afternoon now.”
I blushed at the realization that we got lost talking this entire time. “Wow. I think this is the longest conversation I’ve had in a while.”
He shook his head. “No way. A girl as beautiful as you?” My blush deepened and I swatted my hand in his direction. He laughed. “Oh, feisty are we?”
“Shut up, Garrett!” I laughed and threw my now empty cup at him. He dodged, further pushing my annoyance.
We both pushed ourselves off the bench and I grabbed my coffee cup, throwing it in a nearby trash can. We started walking back to the coffee shop and I looked at him, a sad feeling tugging at my heart.
“You okay, Soph?” He tilted his head in concern as he returned my look.
I offered him a smile and nodded. “Yeah, just kind of sad to have to end this time together. I was really enjoying myself.” Garrett nodded in understanding.
“I get that. I was enjoying our time together too.” He cupped my cheek with his hand, brushing his thumb across it slowly. “I guess that means we have to plan another date, huh?” He said quietly, a flirty smirk playing at the edge of his lips. My blush returned tenfold.
“I guess so,” I managed to squeak out. Garrett dropped his gaze to my lips, flitting back to my eyes.
“May I?”
My breath hitched in my chest as I barely forced my head to nod once. The smirk crossed his lips fully at my reaction, moving his hand from my cheek to the back of my neck, bringing his face closer to mine. His lips lingered just above mine and I squeaked quietly in anticipation. He let out a deep, sexy chuckle from his chest and pressed his lips against mine.
The kiss was light, but full of desire. At first, I wasn’t able to react. I was frozen in my own body as he closed the extra distance from our bodies. My mind finally registered what was happening and I kissed him back, my arms wrapping around his waist loosely. Our lips moved in sync together and I swore I heard a quiet groan come from Garrett. It knocked me back to my senses and I pulled back, panting and blushing intensely.
Garrett ran his fingers through his hair, giving me a sheepish grin. His cheeks seemed to match mine, red and heated. “Well that was…”
“Nice,” I finished the sentence for him. He nodded, his eyes full of light.
“So… next time?” His shyness wore off fast as he finished his sentence with a wink. I couldn’t stop the giggle that came out in response.
“Next time. Here, give me your phone.” I held out my hand and he placed his phone in it. I went into his contacts and put my information in there. “Text me, let’s plan something.”
He took his phone back from my extended hand. “You got it, sweet cheeks,” he expressed with a full toothed grin.
I scrunched my nose in disgust. “Don’t call me that again.” He laughed and gave me a small wave.
“Will do, beautiful. Until next time.”
I watched him as he walked away, casting a final glance over his shoulder and my heart jumped from the look on his gorgeous face. He was having a difficult time leaving. I was having a difficult time watching him leave. But I had another “date” tonight.
I took off in the direction of my apartments, a slight prance in my walk as I made my way down the streets. I wondered if Leena would be willing to let me talk about my date tonight. Maybe she could give me advice on the next one. And that kiss… Maybe I could get another kiss too. I almost needed another kiss.
After a good fifteen minute walk, I approached the front door of apartment 8B and knocked on it in a unique rhythm. Soon after, the sound of footsteps came from the other side and the door swung open, revealing a curly haired Leena. She grinned as her eyes laid upon me.
“Hey girl! It’s so good to see you again. You seem a lot happier today… Did you find a man?” She joked and I laughed, a blush creeping up my neck onto my face for the millionth time today. Leena's eyes widened as she gasped. “Oh my goodness, tell me everything!”
She hurried me inside and closed the door. I had a good feeling that after tonight, I was going to have my very first, true best friend.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
