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Okay, point taken.
Slightly red from embarrassment, I got up and moved over to the counter.
"Can I get a skinny cappuccino, please?" I tried to smile, but it felt more like a grimace.
"Of course." He grinned at me, as though trying to pretend he hadn't been pissed off a minute ago. "I'll bring it over. Would you like a chocolate chip cookie with that?"
Absolutely, I thought.I totally ordered a lower fat coffee just so I could have extra calories from a cookie.
"Yes, please. That sounds good," I said.
"Great." He grinned again."Won't be long."
"Thanks." I tapped my phone to pay and went to sit back down.
Chase was now fourteen minutes late.
I checked my messages. Nothing from him. Or anyone else.
I checked my social media, to pass the time. The story about Chase and Brandi's tragic breakup was still all over the place. Apparently she'd told Harvey, and anyone who would listen, that Chase broke her heart. She'd been attentive, and made an ever-growing list of sacrifices for him. He was loving and kind and sweet at first, then he grew cold and distant. She'd tried to keep it going, but he ended it without warning.
It would be sad if I bought a word of it. Except the part about him being sweet. That, I could imagine. If he got distant, it was because she shared her bed with someone that wasn't him.
That would put a dent in any relationship.
Thankfully, my name hadn't turned up in any of the articles I read. Not yet anyway.
I checked Kris' profile, but he hadn't updated it in days. His status still said he was in a relationship with me. It was filled with photos of us both. I scrolled through them and sighed.
Some, I felt as if they were taken only days ago. Others… They seemed like they were photos of someone else's life. The woman looked like me, but she didn't feel like me anymore. The look in her eyes wasn't even familiar. She was happy enough, but life was one, long, repetitive routine. At the time, I liked it like that. Now, it felt dull, predictable and boring. To be fair, the only time Kris surprised me, I found him in bed with another woman, so maybe boring wasn't so bad.
"Here you go." The barista set my coffee and cookie on the table in front of me. "Are you expecting anyone else?"
"Thank you." I checked the time. Chase was twenty minutes late. "I'm supposed to meet a friend here. I'm sure he got stuck in traffic."
"Happens all the time," the barista said. "Traffic in the city is getting worse and worse."
"It really is," I agreed. It seemed to be the case in every city, everywhere. Chase's plan of living in the country someday made more and more sense.
"Anyway, enjoy your coffee." The barista stepped away to serve someone else.
"I will." I dipped the corner of my cookie in the coffee, then nibbled on it.
Chase was now twenty-five minutes late.
I checked my phone again. Still nothing. I started to worry he got hurt on the way. I listened for sirens outside the open door, but heard only city traffic and people talking as they walked by. A couple of women argued over who was better, Wolf Venom or Blazing Violet. Personally, I loved both bands.
I sipped and ate slowly. I didn't want to be finished before he came. I mean, arrived. The idea of meeting for coffee was that we drank it together. The coffee wasn't the point. Okay, it was, but the togetherness was therealpoint.
By the time I finished, forty minutes had passed. I realised two things. Firstly, I'd have to head back to work.
Secondly, Chase wasn't coming.
I glanced at the message I sent him with the name of the cafe, and the address. Everything was right. He couldn't say I sent him to the wrong place.
The cookie sat heavy in my stomach. Had he even intended to come? Was setting up this meeting some kind of game for him? He got what he wanted, now he didn't want to see me again? Maybe he thought I wanted to be something more than friends. He hadn't even given me the chance to tell him that.
A flare of anger made me want to throw my phone across the room. Common sense stopped me. Just.
