I hadn't had the chance to tell Tessa that Caroline called and wanted to meet up. I also failed to tell her that I was meeting Line for coffee just to hear her out, but I had no intention of it being anything other than talking. Tess was with Sephine tonight while Hayes goes to another fundraiser to broker a new deal with a supplier wanting to increase the amount of the cut they get.
Line was already there by the time I got there, and had what I was presuming to be a chai latte for her and an espresso with one shot of vanilla for me. She looks the same except her hair is pulled back in a low pony and instead of her contacts, she's wearing glasses that dim the clarity of her brown eyes.
"Hey," I greet, hesitantly sitting down across from her as she smiles at me.
"I'm sorry if this is weird? I just wanted to check in with you and see how you've been doing. I got you an espresso with a shot of vanilla cause that was your old order, and I didn't know if it had changed."
I scratch the back of my neck, "It hasn't, I just wanted to clarify something Ma messed up when she ran into you but I'm seeing someone and it is serious. I'm sorry if it mislead you or something-"
Caroline's head angles back slightly as she laughs, "No Gray, I promise I'm not here to get back together. I truly just want to talk."
A sigh of relief escapes from me, and my hands close around the cup of coffee. "So how have you been?"
"I've been good. I got my nursing degree a few months after we broke up, and I got a job at a local hospital in New Jersey," She continues to ramble and I chuckle lightly. Everything's always been easy with her. Even after the shitty way things ended, I feel like I'm slipping back into our old routine of banter.
"Line, I wasn't asking about what you've been doing, I asked how you've been. Stop overthinking and just relax," I tease, taking a sip of my coffee as her cheeks flush.
She curls her hands around her own cup of coffee as the smile on her face falls, "I'm sorry. I just don't know how we're supposed to do this. I don't know what I was thinking asking you to meet me."
I reach across the booth to rest my hand on hers, "We never actually talked about everything. There was a lot left up in the air."
Caroline looks down at my hand resting on hers, and I pull it back to my side. "I'm sorry about what I did; giving you that ultimatum was the biggest mistake, and I wish I could tell you how sorry I am."
"You shouldn't be sorry. I always thought that I'd propose eventually, but the truth is that we were fighting all the time. It was only a matter of time before we would have broken up."
She takes a sip of her latte, "I know, it's just always been a what if I hadn't said it."
"I've had the same thought over the years but-" And then we're interrupted by the last person I thought I'd see in this coffeeshop. "Hayes?"
His eyes widen with shock as he recognizes Caroline, "Is this what you've been hiding? You and Caroline are getting back together? I saw you on the street, and I came to get Tessa and Sephine's coffee orders. I thought I'd say hi."
"No," I pause shortly looking at Caroline, "We're not getting back together. We're just talking." He looks a little better than he did a few days ago, more relaxed and just better.
"Yeah, I ran into Mrs. Taylor at the grocery story last week, and I just wanted to catch up with Gray since it's been a while... I'm really sorry about what happened to your wife, I saw it on the news." And with the mention of what happened to Sephine, his face falls, but he manages to keep a slight smile.
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What A Secret Looks Like | ✓
Teen FictionGrayson Taylor. A lawyer that can't commit to anything more than a one night stand. But then there's the one night stand that changed his perspective. The only thing is that he never got her name. And the catch? She's his best friend's high school...