I wake up at eight in the morning, late for my circumstances. I've always been an early bird. There's something so peaceful about being awake before everybody else.
I'm surprised that I was able to sleep after the events of my first day, a sign for pure exhaustion. I even forgot to set an alarm for this morning, and I'm happy that I woke up when I did. My heart starts to race insanely when I remember that I'll have to meet Jace at the café in about an hour, but I try to remain calm.
Today is Saturday and my classes start on Monday. My plan for today was to explore campus, to see where I can find my seminar rooms and the right buildings for them. A very soothing thought for me - when things are planned out and I won't have to worry about being late. I guess I can still do all of that after meeting Jace.
Since it's starting to get a little colder this time of year, I decide to put on some light blue straight jeans with a white sweater and white sneakers. If one would try to describe my style, I think the answer would be average. I don't put too much effort into my clothes, but I still like dressing up for the right occasion.
Maybe that's the reason why I've never really been the popular girl. I felt left out most of high school, because I was never invited into the big girl groups that formed. In the end I don't really mind though, I hate attention and that's all you get in those groups.
Lastly, I grab my phone, my black purse and keys and leave my room behind. I take a big breath and try to calm my anxiety as I walk through the dorm. I notice that the halls are pretty quiet on Saturdays. The fact that no one seems to be up yet sends a little wave of peace through me. Everyone was probably out drinking the night before, having to sleep off all their alcohol or drug intake. There's no hectic rush in the air, and I love every minute of it.
At 8:54 am I reach the little coffee shop right on campus. I didn't have any problem finding this place, since it's right in the center and you can't really miss it.
I fumble around with my hair, making sure it's sitting right, not really knowing why I'm doing it in the first place. With one last big breath, I walk through door. I look to the left, see that this place is as good as empty, and wonder if they're even open yet.
"You came" I hear from a dark voice.
My head snaps to the right and, sure enough, there he is. Jace is sitting at a table in the corner with his dark grey laptop placed in front of him. It looks like he was doing some work just then.
"Like you said, I didn't really have much of a choice" I say quietly, my shyness taking over me again.
"Come sit" he says smirking, while closing his laptop and storing it away in his bag. For some reason I feel lost, so I do as demanded and make my way over.
I have the time to take a closer look at him while doing so. He doesn't look as dark as he did yesterday, with his black jeans and off-white knitted sweater. He stands up, and I'm unsure about what he's planning to do.
"What do you want to drink?" he asks me, pulling his wallet out of his pocket.
"Oh" I say uncomfortably, realizing what he wants. "You don't have to, I'll grab it" I tell him, turning back towards the counter.
"Don't be stupid. I got you" he says, placing one hand on my lower back for a few seconds to walk past me. He looks at me expectantly.
"Decaf vanilla latte, oat milk please" I tell him, a little embarrassed about my seemingly complicated order. At least it's complicated in my eyes.
Pulling my purse over my body to hang it over the chair, I see Jace giving me a quick nod before walking over to the barista to order. I take my jacket off and notice the young girl behind the counter blushing as Jace leans towards her smirking, telling her what drink to make for him. He's a ladies man, I knew it.
I sit down on my chair, still full of anxiety, and focus on the table intensely until Jace returns. My leg starts bouncing up and down slightly without me even really noticing.
"So, a decaffeinated coffee. That only takes the whole purpose of it away" he says, slightly making fun of me as he comes back.
He places the cup in front of me, as well as what I assume is a black coffee on his side of the table. I immediately wrap my hands around the paper cup to warm my hands from the cold fall air.
What he doesn't know is that I can't drink caffein because of my panic disorder. When I drink it I'm fine at first, but in the evening, when it leaves my system, I get so anxious that I've decided to switch to decaf. There's really no need for an already anxious person to feel even more giddy. That's now what I tell Jace, of course.
"Yeah... I love coffee, but can't take caffeine really well" is all the information I give him. I thank him, signaling to the cup.
Jace is quiet, so I take my first sip, wondering what he wants from me. Why does he seem to be so interested in me?
I take a closer look at him and notice his blue eyes, his tall figure and take in the tattoos covering his left arm as well as both of his hands. For some reason I've always liked finger tattoos on guys. He's simply gorgeous.
"Like what you see?" Jace snaps me out of my thoughts, as my cheeks glow up. I tried to be subtle, but I guess it didn't work.
"What? No... I was just looking at your tattoos" I answer, my hands turning a little more sweaty than I'd like to admit.
"Whatever you say" he smirks at me. "Do you have any? Tattoos?"
"No. I've always wanted to get one, but could never really figure out what I want on my body forever" I answer him honestly.
"That's because you're overthinking it" he says and speaks from my soul.
Overthinker could very well be my middle name.
"You're right" I half-smile at him, and look down to the hot coffee cup in my hands. "What are you doing up so early anyway? I would've taken you for the partier that's still sleeping off his rush" I say and try to steer our conversation in the opposite direction of my problems.
I don't want to have to explain, there's no way I want to scare him off when I just met him yesterday.
"I don't drink. So there's not really anything for me to sleep off" he answers, surprising me in the process. "What about you?"
"Yesterday was my first day here, so..." I add, not sure how to end that sentence.
Of course I don't really know anyone yet who'd even think about inviting me out.
"A first semester, I should've guessed. I would've remembered you if I had seen you before" he smirks at me again.
My natural reaction is to blush once more.
"I'm guessing you are not a first semester then?" I ignore his comment, since I don't know if he's being sincere or just joking around.
"No, third. I can't wait to graduate and get the hell out of here" he says, almost scoffing at me.
"Why? Is this place so bad?"
"I guess that depends on who you ask" Jace says smirking after thinking about it a few seconds. He's clearly avoiding the real answer. "What are you majoring in?"
"Media and communication" I answer, feeling like I sound pretty boring.
"Interesting" he says, seeming deep in thought. "What do you want to be then, after college?" he asks again, almost interviewing me, while still sounding like he actually cares about the answers.
"Not sure yet. I've always had this dream about being an event manager for concerts. But I also like writing and even marketing. Wherever life takes me I guess" I answer honestly, once again wrapping my hands around my coffee cup.
I accidentally touch Jace's hand while doing so. I didn't notice how close he is.
"Sorry" I say quietly, somehow feeling embarrassed.
"You touched my hand, that's unforgivable" he answers in an ironic voice, making me laugh.
He laughs along with me and for the first time I don't see the dark, mysterious person, but a genuine, nice guy. Maybe he's not so scary or dangerous after all.
"You shouldn't see it that way. Obviously we don't have control over everything that happens in our lives, but you're free to pursue the job you love. It won't be handed to you" he adds, answering to my previous statement.
"Yeah, you're right" I agree with him.
It's Jace that touches my knees with his after I've done so, probably by accident. He just leaves his knees where they are and his touch feels nice. Him being so close to me makes my stomach burn up, but in a good way. He makes me feel comfortable.
We continue talking for a while, about the most random things. When I take the last sip of my now cold coffee, I notice that it's already eleven. The café is starting to fill up with people.
"I should probably get going, I still have to get a lot of things done today" I say and start to stand up. I don't want to leave, but my anxiety will rise if I don't follow my original plan.
"Thanks for this, this was really nice" I add, half-smiling at him.
"You sound surprised" he says, raising one eyebrow at me.
"Maybe I am" I reply, throwing my empty cup away.
Without answering to what I just said, he answers "I'm picking you up at 8 tonight" as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"What?" I say, almost a little shocked.
"There's a party tonight, you're coming with me. You can be the organized nerd on Monday, but you have to have the real college experience first" he smiles cockily, proud of his remark.
"What makes you think I'd go to a party with a complete stranger?" I tease him a little.
"Come on, we're not strangers. I think I've proven that I can take care of you" he smirks, probably not knowing the effect he's having on me with his comment.
His choice of words makes butterflies erupt in my stomach.
Going to a party with him sounds intriguing but scary at the same time. I want to go, but the thought of a full room of people with loud music playing makes me shiver slightly. What kind of people will be there? Even worse, what if I'm going to have a panic attack? There's no way I would be able to explain that to him, and frankly, I don't want to be in a situation where I have to do just that.
"It's funny that you think you have a choice" he says with charm in his eyes. "Stop thinking about it. You're coming" he adds and I'm kind of glad he took the decision from me once again.
"Fine. I'll see you at eight" I finally give in, heading towards the door.
Jace is right behind me. "I knew you wouldn't be able to resist" he grins with spark in his beautiful eyes.
"I can still change my mind, you know?" I tease him back.
"You really can't" he answers, as I give him one last look and turn to leave. "I'll see you tonight, Mila" and with that I finally head out of the coffee shop.
The first thing I do, is take a huge breath. So, that happened. The hottest guy on campus invited me to a café, and now he wants to take me to a party tonight. This is absolutely crazy.
I'm usually the shy girl that avoids talking to boys, because I get awkward and weird. The anxiety doesn't really help with that. I often have problems to sit in one space for a while, when I feel like I can't just get up and leave. With Jace, it was easy and time flew by. Not once did I even think about panicking.
Despite my fears, I'm eager to go to my first college party tonight. The thought of going with him makes it even more exciting.
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Oooooo, what will happen at the party?
Please remember to vote :)