Tainted Red (Red Lips series #1) *slow updates*

Chapter 8

What am I doing? I'm walking down the street to the café. That's what I'm doing. Why? I have no flipping clue. I'm going to embark on something way past my barriers, aren't I? I'm going to be sitting down and having coffee with my crush that I have had for so long. I am a nervous wreck.

​ I look down to my hands, and yes you guessed it, they are shaking. They are shaking because I'm nervous to go in there. What if his friends don't like me or think I'm too young to hang out with them? I don't want to embarrass myself in front of them. If I do, then Ace will think I'm really weird and I can't be that, could I? I already embarrassed myself earlier. I mean, he didn't say anything to me about it, but it was still embarrassing.

​To a standby observer, they would have thought I was crazy, no matter who the person is. I mean, who has dance parties in the hallways by themselves? I even call myself crazy.

​ Finally, after making it across the street, I'm in front of the little mini café. The café is one of those coffee houses you may see in Paris where there are tables on the outside along the shop, but the shop doors itself are open. The frame of the shop was all wood but with large glass windows, so anyone could see inside or out. It is the perfect place to read a book actually...Now I wonder why I've never come here to read a book.

The sign above the door is wood, but the paint over it was all white. The little sign above the door read Café Coda. I take a deep breath before walking in. I open my eyes to a pleasant sight. There are bookshelves along the walls, and then tables. There is even a place where there were couches and multicolored beanbags sitting on the floor. If I didn't know this was a café, I would think this is like some type of library, well minus the people serving coffee.

​I look around and see the many shapes and faces of the people inside the café. A little group of people catch my attention. They all have their noses stuck in books, and I can't help but smile. Their reading isn't the reason for my focus landing on them; it's the boy sitting with them that made me notice them in the first place.

​Ace is sitting with the other group of people that look like they are in their early twenties. I head their way. Just before I get there, Ace looks up and smiles. I smile back and finish walking the leftover distance. One moment, Ace is sitting, and then the next he is taking me into his embrace. I gladly take him in my arms as well, and then we both turn to his friends, but not without his arm still dangling around my waist.

​I blush a little, but I mask it with a smile toward Ace's peeps. "I'm glad you can join us CeCe," Ace says beside me.

​"Yeah, we're glad you can join us," a girl says. I don't know her. I look at her and see that she has jet black hair and a nose ring. I don't want to judge, but the nose ring doesn't suit her very well.

​"CeCe, these are the people I hang out with in my classes. All of them are into law and stuff."

​ I look over at Ace and then at each of the people. That's new. I don't see Ace as someone who would be into law, but apparently he is, and so were the people in his posse. They don't look like they were into law either, but who am I to judge?

​"That's really cool," I say to all of them.

​"Here, take a seat and we can talk about it with you," a guy says to me, who was just at my right. I look him over and if I weren't so into Ace, I would jump on the opportunity of the guy that says that to me. He was fine. Oh and I'm not just saying that. He is scrumptious. He has kiss golden hair which matches his perfect California tan, but he's not too tan, just enough. His hair probably blows in the breeze. His hair is slightly golden at the end. He's just Cali material.