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“You look cute. Where are you headed so early?” Maisie asks as I walk out of my room, shutting the door behind me.
She’s sitting cross legged on the coach with a warm cup of coffee nestled in her hands. Gilmore Girls is playing on the TV, which she claims is the best show of all time. When I told her I’d never seen it, she made me promise we would binge it together.
After my unexpected run in with Knox, I rushed home to shower and get ready for breakfast. The only downside of being an avid beach goer is finding sand in every crevice of your body. I immediately feel the need to shower as soon as I get home, even if I didn't get in the water.
“Colin asked if I wanted to grab breakfast with him before class. I couldn’t say no, especially after what he did for me,” I answer, referring to how he changed my tire in the Florida heat. Smoothing my hands down my sundress, my eyes quickly sweep down my body, taking in my outfit.
I chose a thigh-length, yellow sundress that accentuates my tan skin, paired with white converse. Strands of blonde hair wisp around my face, escaping from my loose braid.I love this outfit.I honestly wasn't trying to dress up for Colin; this dress is just so comfortable.
“Ooooo, Colin,” Maisie croons. “It’s only the first week of classes, and you already have a date. Teach me your ways,” she jokes.
“Trust me, after the week I’ve had, I’m thelastperson you should take advice from,” I chuckle. Maisie’s playful demeanor shifts at my comment, her brows pinching together in concern.
“You scared the shit out of me yesterday, Pheebs,” she says, suddenly serious, a frown marring her features. “I hope you know that I tried to stay with you. I told Coach I would drive you home, but he insisted that the team leave. I think he was worried about you waking up to a swarm of people, which is understandable, but I hated leaving you like that. Then last night, you came home and went straight to your room. I knew you were exhausted and probably didn't want to talk. I just… I’m sorry, Phoebe,” Maisie adds.
Of course, Maisie would try to apologize when she didn’t do anything wrong.
“Awe, Maisie, that’s really kind of you to say, but you have nothing to apologize for,” I reply with a soft smile. “I’m sorry I scared you. I was just stressed out and forgot to eat. My body was exhausted, and I knew I needed to stop, but I didn’t want to let him win. I was careless and stupid. If anyone’s to blame, it’s me.”
“Yeah, well, don’teverdo that shit again. He’s not worth it,” Maisie replies, pointing a stern finger at me. “Coach made me promise, as your roommate, to make sure you’re taking care of yourself. He never left your side; he even rushed your ass inside, carrying you like precious china,” she quips. “I honestly think he felt like shit for pushing you to that point,” she adds. “Anyways, how was the ride home with him?”
I shrug, not willing to divulge every detail to my roommate, as harmless as she may be. “It wasn't bad. He took me to get food before he dropped me off. He wasverypersistent that I eat,” I scoff. “But he was really nice to me. It’s probably just because he felt bad.” I decide to leave out the part where he texted me at midnight. Not that Maisie would care, but I feel like it’s our little secret; a special moment between me and Knox.
“Maybe he’ll decide to get off your ass now. Dude really ran you to the point of passing out because you were late to practice,” she sneers, shaking her head. “Hopefully, this is the end of an era.”
“The era of the arsehole,” I reply in a posh British accent, causing Maisie to throw back her head in laughter.
“Anyhoo, I better scurry off to tea with my dear Colin. Cheerio.” I keep up the charade; I’ll take every bit of comedic relief I can get in this conversation.
“I’m so done with you,” Maisie manages to comment between giggles. “Get out of here. I can’t deal with you anymore.”
I throw her a playful wink and head for the door.
* * *
Thirty minutes later,Colin and I sit across from each other at Sunset Café. I didn’t want to go into detail on why I needed a ride, so I just said my car’s at the shop.
Colin’s handsome as ever, in a casual gray button down and tan shorts. His bronzed hair is styled perfectly, and his pearly whites seem to glisten every time he smiles.He really is beautiful.After the waiter delivers our coffee, Colin orders a bacon and egg breakfast burrito, and I decide on a bowl of maple oatmeal.
“Enjoy! Let me know if you need anything else,” the waiter says with an overly cheery smile after placing our breakfast on the table.
“Smells delicious,” Colin hums before taking a bite of his burrito. “How’s yours?”
“It’s perfect. Not too sweet; exactly how I like it,” I reply, wiping the corner of my mouth with my napkin. “Thanks for asking me to breakfast, and thank you again for your help the other day. I honestly don’t know what I would've done without you.”
“I was happy to help. I would hope my friends would do the same for me,” he says with a gentle smile. “So, was your coach okay with you being late?”
“No, not at all,” I scoff, crossing my arms. “I would rather not talk about it, if that’s okay with you. It kind of consumed my entire week. I’m just ready to move on from it at this point,” I exhale.
“Absolutely.” he taps his finger on his chin as he thinks. “When’s your birthday? I feel like that’s the first thing you should know about a friend.”
“Wow, things are getting personal real fast,” I quip with a laugh, arching my brows. “It’s October 2nd; Libra season, baby,” I say with a wink.
He smiles wide. “Hey, Libras are compatible with Geminis. Did I mention I’m a Gemini?” he responds, waggling his eyebrows.
“Someonereallyneeds to teach you how to flirt,” I chuckle, rolling my eyes.
“Hey, I convinced you to come to breakfast with me. Seems like I’m doing just fine,” he smirks, taking another bite of his burrito. “So, your birthday’s almost a month away. How old will you be?” he continues.
