Falling For Mr. Sundae | ✔

37. Ready Or Not

It was six hour drive Julian was prepared for. He had set up the perfect playlist, which surprisingly didn't include any jazz, and bought a ton of snacks. He also had some of those battery operated fans that came in handy while in traffic. 

About halfway there we stopped at a park for a quick picnic under a shady tree. It was nice to be able to stretch my legs and regain feeling in my ass, but I was growing impatient. I had no idea where we were going and he didn't even offer me a hint.

When we got back on the road after lunch I took a nap, sleeping through the last leg of the journey. I was awaken by Julian's voice, his breath tickling my ear as he whispered for me to wake up.

When my eyes adjusted to the afternoon sunlight coming in through the windshield, I noticed we were parked in front a cafe. The Last Drop Cafe. It was a cute little white building, with a chalkboard with the day's specials written in typography sitting by the entrance, a couple of bistro tables sat out front with wide umbrellas to protect people from the sun. It was like something it was like something you'd find in the background of someone's Instagram photo.

As aesthetically pleasing as the Last Drop was, I was confused. I glanced at Julian, brows threaded together. "We drove six hours for coffee?" The words came off a lot more annoyed out loud than they did in my head.

If Julian noticed he didn't let on. A chuckle escaped him as he took his phone from the center console. "No, not exactly," he said, pulling up a map on the phone. "This is where we are now." I leaned in, looking at the highlighted cafe on the virtual map. He zoomed out, making more of the map visible. "Over here is UC Davis and on this side is Berkeley." He pointed to either side of the cafe.

"This place is right in the middle," I observed, a smile stretching across my face. He really put some thought into this.

"Exactly," he said, excitement taking over his face. "Once school starts we can meet up here, like, once a week. If we can swing it."

"I think we can pull that off."

His brow raised. "Think?"

The teasing in his voice was unmistakable. "Know," I corrected, laughing. "We can definitely pull this off." I wasn't letting him slip away from me.

He leaned over, placing a soft kiss on my lips. When he pulled away he had that look again, the one I couldn't quite place, but threatened to turn me into a puddle a mush.

"So," I said, turning away before his eyes made good on that promise and peering up at the cafe. "Have you been here before?"

"No," he admitted, looking out at the building.

"This place could have shit coffee," I pointed out. "And shit food."

He laughed. "Only one way to find out."

When we were inside the building I immediately fell in love with it. The place had a raw industrial theme, with exposed brick on the walls and visible pipes trailing along the ceiling and walls. I hoped the menu was good because I could picture Julian and I at a booth near the window, sipping coffee and telling each other about our week so clearly I had to remind myself it was only my imagination.

We order two iced coffees and a couple of brownies before finding a booth near a window with the view of the main street. I tried the brownie first, which was gooey and delicious.

"Does this place get your seal of approval?" Julian asked, taking a sip of his own drink.

I nodded, letting another piece of chocolate brownie melt in my mouth. "This was worth the six hour drive."