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“Let’s not blow it out of proportion. It’s a casual night out enjoying coffee together, not a full course meal at a top Michelin rated restaurant followed by the opera.”
“Do you think I’m someone who’d want to go on the date you just described?” She watches me closely, as if this is some kind of test and continuing our date will depend on my answer.
“No, I don’t. Like I said, I don’t know you well. I’m hoping that will change over time. From what I’ve observed so far, you seem to enjoy getting out but you don’t like to stay out for more than a couple of hours. I’m assuming that’s because you have Tillie to get home to.”
“That’s a fairly accurate observation. Are you sure you’re not a detective or a psychologist?”
I shrug one shoulder. “You can learn a lot if you care enough to listen.”
Jane, the barista, appears beside the table and places a tray of drinks down between us. “There are five iced coffees for you to enjoy. There’s a card listing what’s in each one. There’s also a large cup of hot coffee for you.” She tips her chin toward me. I’m not an iced coffee drinker, so I made sure there’d be something for me. “Cream, sugar, and straws are all there. If you need anything else, please give me a shout.”
“Thank you,” I call out as she returns to the counter area.
Evie’s lips stretch into a grimace. “Jeez, I don’t think I can drink all these.” She adds a straw to one of the tall cups.
“You don’t have to,” I reassure her. “Try them out and see how they compare to your venti iced coffee with extra ice, skim milk, white chocolate mocha, caramel drizzle on the inside of the cup, and vanilla cold foam.”
“I can’t believe you still remember my order.” She looks impressed.
“Like I said, you can learn a lot if you care enough to listen.”
“I better be careful, you might learn too much.” Her pink lips wrap around the straw, transfixing my attention. She sucks the foamy mixture into her mouth. Her eyes close when she swallows and then snap open. “This is amazing.” She picks up the small card. “It’s a pumpkin latte, one pump of maple pecan sauce, seven pumps of pumpkin sauce, light caramel drizzle, light foam, autumn sugar topping, extra vanilla powder, light whip, and extra pumpkin topping.”
“I should’ve brought a bandana to cover your eyes and made you guess what they are.”
She laughs. “I don’t think you’ve earned enough of my trust yet to blindfold me.”
“How long does that take?” I wink.
“More time than most guys can deal with,” she retorts.
“I’m not most guys. And you’re not being timed by me. Our relationship will progress at the pace you’re comfortable with.”
She raises an eyebrow. “We’re in a relationship?”
“You know what I mean.”
“I really don’t. But I’d like to hear it from your own lips.”
“I like you… a lot. The time we spend together always seems so natural and easy. In some ways, it feels like I’ve known you for years.”
“I feel that way too. You’re comfortable for me to be around.”
“But at the same time, I find you insanely attractive,” I say. I don’t want her to get some silly notion in her head that I don’t physically want her. I fucking do.
She tucks her chin to her chest and looks down, as if she’s embarrassed by my candidness. But then her blue eyes flick upward once more. “I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you how strikingly good looking you are. Obviously, I’m also attracted to you. I mean, I don’t make out with just anyone.”
“Just so you’re aware, I don’t either. You might want to get drinking those coffees so we can make out again before you need to go home.”
Smiling, she adds a straw to the second cup. “Point taken.” Raising the cup, she takes a long sip. When she places it back on the table, she doesn’t say anything at first. She licks her lips. “This one is also really good, but the first one is better.”
She continues the process until she’s tried them all. I’m sitting back, sipping on my black coffee, and enjoying watching her. Her lively facial expressions tell me her opinion on each drink before she verbalizes it. She’s so animated in general, I don’t think she could hide how she’s feeling if she tried.
“Do you play poker?” I ask.
She wrinkles her nose. “That’s a weird question.”
“Do you?”
