Day 3 - 6:55 pm
Cole and Charlotte played more arcade games as they wandered around Dave & Buster's. Charlotte was even able to convince him to play a dancing game with her, which she obliterated him at. Cole was able to get Charlotte to play a zombie apocalypse shooting game, and he slaughtered her pathetic score. After all this time, she only thought of him as the mean boy who poured tea over her head. Yet, here he was, playing games and having a blast with her.
Too bad it was all for a lost cause. Cole had almost forgotten what his real motive was a few times that night. He surprisingly had fun with the girl he despised so much, but she wouldn't be his first choice to go on a date with. Every smile, every laugh, every tease was all just a part of his sick little bet.
This date wasn't going as horrible as he thought it would when he first picked up her. She wasn't awful to hang out with, and she certainly wasn't as boring as he once thought she was. It may have been possible, if they had met under different circumstances, that the two of them could have bonded and became friends. Or even more. Deep down, Cole knew it was wrong to lead this girl along, like tempting a mouse to go for the cheese that sat in a trap. But time is money, and he only had twenty seven days left.
"Are you hungry yet?" He asked her, glancing his green eyes down to look at her. Although he was having fun, it annoyed him to have to do this. He knew why his friends chose her. They chose her because they knew they had a sour start, and they knew she was as innocent as a doe.
"Yeah, I'm getting hungry now." She said as she tucked one of her long strands of hair behind her ear. Cole led her out of the arcade, staying close behind her. As Charlotte stepped outside, a gust of wind threatened to push her dress up. He saw her face blush as she sat there with her hands pressing the fabric of her dress down. The scene was like something he'd expect out of a movie. A small smile crept upon his plump lips as he looked down to her.
"Cute dress, but not extremely reliable." He chuckled softly before placing his hand on the small of her back, side stepping so he partially blocked the wind from creeping up her dress from behind.
"I guess this dress met your definition of cute then?" She grinned in response, keeping her hands down to clutch the ends of her dress.
"Yes darling." Cole said as the two of them continued to walk. She didn't even argue with him about his use of that silly little pet name. "It's a waste of gas to drive where I wanted to take you. The place isn't far from here too, and I think you'll enjoy it." His small smirk never left his lips as he led Charlotte down the busy streets of New York.
The city never failed to amaze Charlotte. With the surplus of lights and shops that lined every street. It was a bit overwhelming, but nothing that she couldn't handle. As they walked along the busy streets, they passed by a little boutique on one of the street corners. Charlotte slowed down a bit to gaze at one of the window displays.
The mannequin wore a tight black dress, but that's not what she had her eyes on. She was looking at the cream colored, knit cardigan that hung over the mannequins shoulders. It would have been the perfect accessory to go over any plain shirt or dress.
Cole slowed down as he noticed that Charlotte had practically came to a stop. "What're you looking at?" He asked. She diverted her eyes away from the display and shook her head.
"Nothing, sorry for slowing us down." Charlotte apologized before she continued walking down the street. After a few more minutes of walking, the two of them had finally arrived to their destination. Her mouth gaped slightly as she read "La Bernardin" on the bright, neon sign. "Cole, no way."
"Yes way." He grinned cheekily down at her, leading her into the restaurant. She thought that there was no way he could bring her in here, it had to be a cruel joke. La Bernardin was a fancy French seafood restaurant, and was listed as one of the top one hundred restaurants in New York City. Charlotte had never ate here before because it was way out of her budget.
Little did she know that it was way out of Cole's budget too. He figured if he took her to an insanely fancy restaurant, it would show her how much he cared about her.
Charlotte and Cole walked through the glass doors and reached the podium where a fancily dressed hostess stood. "Reservation for Sprouse." Cole spoke as he gently squeezed her hand before letting it drop. The hostess gave him a small nod before making a small check mark near his name on her sheet. He went out of his way to make a reservation for the two of them, and that made a smile come to Charlotte's lips.
The hostess walked them to a booth that sat next to large, glass windows. Charlotte sat down across from Cole, and the woman passed out their menus before scurrying off.
A young man came up to them a few minutes later. "What can I get you guys to drink?" He asked, glancing between Charlotte and Cole. Although, he let his eyes linger on Charlotte a little too long.
Cole balled his hands up tightly into fists as he shot a look at the waiter, but he didn't say anything. He let Charlotte order first. Charlotte was completely oblivious to the waiters longing stare as she started her drink order, "I'll just have iced tea. Sweetened please."
"And you sir?" The waiter only glanced at him for a moment before his eyes made their way back to Charlotte.
"It's a bit rude to not look at the one who's ordering." Cole said through his teeth. The waiter physically tended as he moved his eyes over towards a falsely infuriated Cole. "I'll just get a water. Now, next time you come over here, do me a favor and keep your eyes away from her." The waiter probably felt like he was looking into the eyes of the devil as Cole spoke. He quickly jotted down his drink before hurrying off in the other direction.
"Cole." Charlotte swung her leg out to kick him lightly from under the table. He moved his attention back over to her. "Behave yourself." She giggled quietly, covering her mouth so it was not as obvious how amused she was at his behavior.
Cole raised a brow as he looked over at Charlotte, a small smirk playing on his lips. "I'm on a date with you, he's not. I don't like other people looking at my date." He shrugged his shoulders before the waiter returned with their drink orders. The man was hardly audible as he asked them for their orders. The waiter didn't stay long after they ordered their food though, he just quickly moved on to the next table.
"Oh you cheeky ass." Charlotte chuckled as she took a sip of her tea. She was actually enjoying herself on this date. Even if he got her to go on a date with him solely so she could get her book back, she didn't regret coming here at all. She might even say yes if he asked her on a second date. He was actually quite a charmer.
"Anyways, moving on from that jerk of a waiter." Cole folded his hands on the table. "I'd like to get to know you more."
"Twenty questions?" Charlotte asked, which Cole just replied with a laugh before he began his assault of questions upon her. He learned that her favorite animal was a Koala, her favorite color was Baby Blue, and that she was a fan of most every genre of music. Charlotte learned that Cole's favorite animal was a penguin, his favorite color was red, and he listened to mainly alternative and rock genres. She also learned that Cole has a knack for cooking.
Charlotte fell silent as he asked about her home life and family though. She placed her hands in her lap and began fidgeting with her fingers. "I have a mom and a younger sister. We don't see my dad anymore." She shook her head before she took in a deep breath. Her eyes finally came back up to meet his. "What about your family?"
"I have a twin brother named Dylan. My parents split when my brother and I were only five years old. Back then, we didn't understand why we couldn't all live together, but it was for the best. I don't go back and visit them much anymore, and I don't think Dylan does either." He shrugged his shoulders.
The waiter who was now petrified by Cole's behavior earlier brought them their food. He placed the scallops in front of Charlotte and the lobster tails in front of Cole. Charlotte thanked the waiter, but he only gave her a small nod before he quickly moved to the next table.
"You terrified the poor guy." Charlotte rolled her eyes to Cole as she picked up her fork.
"Oh, come on. If I terrified him that much, then his dick must be microscopic." Cole scoffed and crossed his arms, not even thinking twice that he just used profanity in a classy restaurant. Charlotte's hand went to her mouth as she tried to cover her laugh.
"Oh, and yours isn't?" She teased, taking a bite of her scallops. Gosh, they were amazing. Everything she had ever heard about this restaurant was coming true.
"Actually, it's not. I know you'd love to find out though." He playfully winked over at her. It made him internally cringe to say that line to her, but maybe it would spark her interest.
Charlotte almost choked on her food at Cole's witty comment. She kicked his shin once again from under the table before she spoke. "You have a very dirty mouth." She shook her head as she continued to eat.
The next twenty minutes was filled with small talk and food being shoveled into their mouths. Once they finished and the waiter brought the check, Cole stole it immediately so Charlotte couldn't even get a glance at it. Of course, she argued to hell's end about it, but Cole refused to let her pay
His hand laid on the small of her back as he led her out of the restaurant. They had a little bit of a walk back to his car, and the air had grown cold as the sky turned a midnight black. Charlotte shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.
"I told you it'd get cold." Cole commented as he shrugged off his leather jacket. She didn't say a word as he got it off and held it out for her to take.
"Then you'll be cold." She shook her head, continuing to walk next to him. He let out a small sigh before he placed it over her shoulders.
"I'll be fine." He gave her a reassuring smile. Charlotte caved in and finally placed her arms through the leather jacket. The sleeves had to have five inches of excess fabric on her arms, and the jacket was so long that it covered the back of her dress.
Once they made it back to his car, they both got in and he drove off in silence. Charlotte kept her arms wrapped around herself, even in the heat of the car. She let her eyes wander off to the flashing lights of the buildings they passed by. The city may have been full of life during the day, but nothing compared to the gorgeous, shining lights of the city at night.
Soon enough, the two pulled up in front of Charlotte's dormitory building. After the long drive filled of pure silence, Cole had finally broken it. "Did you have fun?" He asked her, taking a moment to take her into full view. The faint light from the street lamps shined against her features, giving her a small glow in the darkness of his car.
Maybe it was a metaphor considering there were no lights shining on Cole. She was the delicate angel who never did anything bad, who always showed up on time, she was the ambiance of innocence. Everything and anything that she came in contact with was filled with light. He was the devil, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right time to ruin a life. She was the light, and he was the dark. In a matter of thirty days, he'd deprive Charlotte of all of her light.
Charlotte turned her head to gaze at Cole, the man she thought's only goal was to pick on her. How could he be so cruel to her one minute, then so charming the next? Her opinion on him was slowly taking a one-eighty, and she actually saw some kindness in him. "I did have fun. You impressed me tonight, Cole." She offered him a small smile.
"Is that a good thing?" He questioned, returning the smile. Cole thought to himself that she almost looked pretty under the dim light the lamp provided. He quickly shook that thought away.
"Yes, extremely good. I still want my book back tomorrow." She said as she opened his car door to step out. The cold air whipped her face and blew her hair behind her. "Oh, you're jacket." She said before she started to shake it off.
"Return it to me when I return your book." He chuckled, waving it off.
"Thank you for a great night. You're not as bad as I thought you were." Charlotte said before she winked and told him goodbye. She turned around, walking back towards the front door of the dorm building.
Cole watched her walk away from him, his jacket still laying on her shoulders as the cool air made her hair fly in different directions. A small smirk came upon his lips as he leaned back in his car seat, his eyes glued upon her. He now had twenty six days left starting tomorrow, yet he's already made amends with her. Cole stayed in front of the building until she was out of sigh, and he thought to himself what he would do with the money he'd received as he drove away into the night.
So... still like Cole? If you said yes, I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND CAUSE I AM AN EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER WRITING THIS.
AND HELLO YOU LOVELY READERS! The Virgin Bet has now broke 230 reads! You guys don't understand how excited I get knowing that people have actually been following along and reading this story. I appreciate every single one of you. Thank you sooooo much for following this story ❤️