Following Mateo's truck to the diner has me on the edge of my seat. I mean he made it seem like he wasn't upset with me, As if he were genuinely happy to see me. But what if he just wants to ask about the party. If that's the case then I will gladly leave the diner. I know it's best to talk about it but I want to tell him everything and that's not going to happen until I'm ready.
Parking next to his truck, my palms are sweaty as I put the car in park. Taking off my seatbelt and turning off the car, I step out and close the door behind me and wait for Mateo to come around. His tall figure comes into view and he has a warm smile on his face. He's wearing a black hoodie, blue jeans, and his black Converse.
"You ready to go in?" He asks as he locks his truck. He makes sure the alarm goes off three times. "Uh yeah." I mutter quietly and start to walk to the door. We walk side by side in silence, it's a comfortable one though but it feels weird. Maybe because every time we come here we joke around with each other and talk our mouths off.
He holds the door for me and lets me walk in first. Muttering a quick thank you, I make my way into our usual booth. I look around for Valencia but I can't seem to find her. She must be off today, which is good because she's always working and she can use time for herself.
We sit down and wait for a waiter to come and attend us. I look out the window next to us not wanting to face him but I can feel his eyes staring at the side of my face. I play with my hands trying to distract myself.
Through the corner of my eye, I see Mateo taking off his hoodie. I turn to face him and when he takes off his hoodie I'm surprised by what I see. There are tattoos littered all over his right arm. From what I'm able to see, there's a small bird on the top of his forearm, what seems to be like a tree branch beneath the bird, and a bunch of other little tattoos that go up to his bicep. I'm assuming he has more but I'm not able to see due to the sleeve of his shirt.
"I didn't know you had tattoos." I break the silence and he looks at me with a smile. "Yeah I don't really show people since I usually wear long sleeves. But now you know." He says with a grin while looking down at the tattoos. "They look good on you." I tell him and he looks up and his cheeks turn a little pink. His eyes seem lighter today, it's like I'm able to read him more.
The waiter comes to our table and asks what we would like to drink and eat. I said a sprite and some fries, I'm not really that hungry. But Mateo always seems hungry so he orders a lot of food. When the waiter leaves, I turn back around to face the window. I have to tell him I'm sorry. It's now or never.
"I'm sorry," I say, still facing the window. "I'm sorry I yelled at you after the party. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my brother. I'm sorry I didn't text you back. And I'm sorry for just leaving like that. I hope you understand I was mad and I didn't know how to react. I'm sorry." Trying not to break down in front of him again, I take a deep breath and turn to look at him. He stares at me with a small smile.
"V I'm not mad. I understand that you were upset and I know you're not ready to tell me what is going on with you and your brother. And I meant what I said that night. I'm sorry for just disappearing on you, I never meant to do that." He says sincerely, and I just send him another smile.
"God I missed you too Mateo. It was strange not talking to you but I just needed time for myself." His small smile turns into a wide grin. It was time to finally tell him how I felt and I truly did miss him. I want him to stay forever, no matter the circumstances.
"Alison would text me letting me know you were okay. I mean I know that you were at home but I just wanted to make sure you were fine." He says while reaching for my hand. His fingers trace lightly over my knuckles and my cheeks heat up at the action. Feeling bold, I intertwine our fingers together. This feels nice. Holding someone's hand, especially Mateo's.
We continued to talk as if we never stopped in the first place. Our hands still intertwined on the table. He told me about how he had to hang out with Adam and Alejandro instead of me and that it wasn't the same. The food eventually comes and I let go of his hand so he can eat his food.
While eating, we talk about random things. We talk about shows we're currently watching, I tell him I'm watching Grey's Anatomy and he told me he's currently watching the 100. This goes on until he's finished eating. It;s nice to see him talk about things he likes to do. His face lights up and his small is one I would love to see everyday if I could. It just makes my heart want to burst into a million little pieces.
"Are you doing anything today? I want to take you somewhere." He tells me as he puts his hoodie back on. "No, I don't think so. Where do you wanna go?" I question and he shakes his head. "That's a surprise sweetheart." He takes my hand and helps me stand up. I missed hearing him call me sweetheart. Mateo pays for the food and we walk hand in hand out the door. He opens the door for me once I'm in my car and I smile brightly at him.
"Okay I'll follow you back to your house and then we can just take my truck yeah?" I nod at him and with that I step into my car and turn it on. I wait until I hear the rumble of his truck so I can start backing out of the lot.
A couple minutes later I pull into my driveway while Mateo parks in front of the house. I quickly get out of my car and look at Mateo. He's looking right at me with a smile. I smile back and pull out my phone. Sending him a quick text telling him to give me a minute, he responds with an okay. I make my way inside the house and run up the stairs. Rummaging through my closet, I try to find some jeans. Once I find a random pair of dark blue ones, I take off my shoes, change from my sweats into the jeans, and slip on my shoes quickly.
Making sure I look fine in the mirror, I pick up my keys from where I threw them on the bed, I leave my room and run back downstairs.
Locking the front door and making sure it's locked, I start to walk towards Mateo's truck. I hop inside the truck and put the seatbelt on. Mateo sends me a smile and starts to drive down the street.
"Sooo you really aren't going to tell me where we're going?" He chuckled at my question and I already knew his response.
"No you're gonna have to wait but trust me it's worth it." He takes a quick glance at me and smirks.
The more we drive the less houses I see. Mmm I'm not really sure where he's taking me but I hope it's somewhere safe. But I do trust him so I'm sure he wouldn't put me in danger. Looking back at him, he looks so attractive. His right hand on the wheel, his other on the center console. His serious face looking straight ahead. Maybe that's why I never tried to talk to him, he looks intimidating but he had a really kind heart.
Fifteen minutes later, we're driving down a dirt road. I squint my eyes trying to see what's at the end but it's no use. Not wanting to ask him anymore I just relax into the seat. Eventually we stop at the end of the road. My eyes widened at the sight. It was a field, one I've never been too. The grass is green and the trees look as if they're swaying with the wind. I'm assuming we spent some time at the diner considering the sun is starting to go down.
"I've never been here." I tell him while I still look at the sight in front of me. "Yeah, it's beautiful isn't it?" He questions and I look back at him. "It is." I smile at him.
"Well," he says, releasing a breath. "What are we waiting for? Lets go." That's all he had to tell me and I got off the truck quickly.
Taking a deep breath of fresh air. I smile at how free I felt.
Maybe it's time to tell him the truth.