"Cil?"
I got up from my sit before I could think and I dropped back into it.. I turned and stared at Jaden with wide eyes. What were the protocols for this? We weren't supposed to meet this soon. Jaden was stared at me with raised brow. He looked a good combination of worried and amused.
I kept waiting. Waiting. But Nate never comes.
Instead my phone vibrates.
waitwithnate: hey
I raised my phone, not sure what to type. I looked back and Nate shakes his phone at me. He taps at his screen and my phone vibrates again.
waitwithnate: we could say hi or we could meet up later or we can pretend this didn't happen. Your choice, angel
He was right here, he was a mere couple of steps away. The man I had been texting and calling and sending pictures of my food or something funny I find online. He was here and he was giving me an option. He was giving me several options.
But I didn't want the last two. I wanted to say hi to him right.
chillwithcil: let's say hi
Once I sent the text and looked back up at Jaden.
"So you know how I've been talking to a guy?" I started and Jaden nods. "That's him and I.. we're going to say hi."
"Are you serious? It's the smile guy? And who's we? I haven't been dating him with you." Jaden said and I snorted, shaking my head fondly at the boy. What the hell was a smile guy?
"Who's smile guy?"
"Its what Arlen, Key and I, call him. You refused to tell us his name but we do know he makes you smile a lot." Jaden said and I laughed. "Okay, keep smiling like that because your man is coming over here." Jaden said and I stilled, my eyes going wide.
"That wasn't what I said you should do but anyway, I have to use the loo." Jaden said and then he was gone, leaving an empty seat in front of me. I didn't have time to panic when the seat was filled. This man, Nate, had dark hair and a jawline that could cut glass, brown eyes. He had on a navy blue hoodie and dark sweatpants.
"Hi." he said and wow, it's the same voice.
"Hey." I said, playing with my thumbs underneath the table.
"I know this wasn't how it was meant to go but I am so happy to see you." Nate said and he smiles. My breath catches at his smile. How can he look so good?
"I am happy to see you too." I said in response, albeit shyly.
"I was right." Nate said and I stared, question clear as day through my expression.
"You do look beautiful. Like an angel." Nate said and my cheeks heat up, his words startled a laugh out of me. I wasn't expecting that at all.
"You are so cheesy." I said, in-between my laughter.
"But you love it though." Nate said and he sounded so sure of himself. He wasn't wrong though. I loved his cheesy lines and quotes, they always make me laugh and feel special. It felt good to put a face to those lines that make me snort on the bus when I'm on my way to work. It felt good to put a face to the voice that had kept me company for days on end.
"Hi. I'm Nathan Irving but my friends call me Nate." he said, putting out a hand.
I bit back a giggle as I reached out and shook his hand. "Hi, I'm Cillian Cohen."
"Beautiful name for a beautiful man." Nate said and I giggled, shaking my head at him.
"Flattery will get you nowhere."
"I beg to differ. It got me you." He said and it seemed like he smiled wider and all of a sudden there was a dimple. Of course he had a dimple. Just when I thought he couldn't be more perfect, he had a dimple. There was a funny feeling in my stomach but I decided not to dwell on it. It would go away.
"You have to stop smiling like that. It's blinding." I teased, smiling shyly at him.
"Why? I've been told my smile is one of my best qualities." Nate said and I giggled, shaking my head at him. Nate doesn't look away from me, he kept staring as I giggled.
"What?"
"I've heard you laugh so many times but seeing it, seeing you laugh is better. So much better." Nate said, his smile was small, sweet and soft as he stared at me. I had the urge to reach across the table and take his hand in mine.
"I was pretty panicked before but... I am really glad we met. It's good to actually see you and hear your voice." I said. I reached up to scratch my ear and Nate's eyes track the movement. He looked like he wanted to say something, there was a tiny furrow to his brows. "What? You look like you want to say something."
"I want to ask you out to dinner." Nate said and I blinked at him.
"Like a date?"
"Yes, a date." Nate said and the funny feeling in my stomach comes back. It felt like butterflies were fluttering around, it felt like my heart had a skipped a beat. Or maybe two. "I was actually working myself up to ask you online and my sister said I should wait for sign."
"And meeting me was the sign."
"The best sign. Meeting you has to be the highlight of my year." Nate said and my cheeks heat up again. I also have been curious about what he looked like, I had thought about how were going to meet but I never imagined it would be like this, I never imagined it would be at a breakfast place.
He had wanted to ask me out for dinner before we met today. Was that how into he was? Did he really like me? I never had to think too much because we were just texting and talking on the phone but now I have seen him and I didn't want him to change his mind later on. It would hurt. But he's here, he's sure and he's as sweet as he was on the phone. I was going to give this a chance and see how it goes.
"I'd love to have dinner with you."
"Really?" Nate asked.
"Really really." I said and Nate answering smile was so big and blinding and the dimple was back.
"I'll send you the details, Cil." he said and I nodded. For the first time since he took a seat in front of me, he looks away from me and over my shoulder. He shoots a glare over my shoulder and I stifled my laugh, my teeth digging into my bottom lip.
"It was lovely seeing you."
I nodded. "But you have to go now." I said, voicing out the words he kept silent.
"Yeah. I have to take my sister home." Nathan said.
I waved him off, placing my hands on the table. "It's okay. We'll talk later." I said and he nodded.
Nathan got up from his seat and made his way around the table. He takes my hand in his and leaned down, pressing a kiss to the back of my hand. I was so glad I was seating or I would have swooned. I wanted to let out a loud squeal. The tingles shooting through my hand.
"Text me when you get home, so I'll know you're safe." Nate said. This wasn't the first time he was saying something like this. Whenever I was going out or whenever I told him I wasn't home, he'd text me those same. My heart lurched when Nate pressed another kiss to the back of my hand. "It was lovely to meet you, Cil." he said and with one last kiss, he was gone.
I was in a daze. I couldn't believe how great he was and he liked me enough to ask me out on a date. Me! I stared at my hand on the table, I couldn't even. I could still feel the tingles. I was still in that daze that I didn't realize Jaden was back.
"You look like a tomato." the teenager said and I looked up at him.
"I so do not." I said, pursing my lip.
"Okay then. You look like a raspberry." Jaden said and I chuckled, shaking my head at him. I looked up when I heard footsteps walking past us, I looked up just in time for Nate to give me a little wave before walking out.
"You have stars in your eyes." Jaden said and I turned back to him because what?
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"I'm saying, your eyes have been sparkling since I sat down. How was the talk between you two? Do the married couple and I have to rough him up or give him our blessing?" Jaden asked and I laughed.
"You are a silly kid."
"I'm just eight years younger than you." Jaden said.
"Younger is the key word in that statement."
"Have I told you, you suck?"
"So many times." I said as I got up from the chair. While I was paying for what we had eaten, Jaden was tapping away on his phone, laughing to himself. Once we stepped outside though, my phone vibrates and I got a message from Arlen.
From Arlen the greatest: [four images attached]
From Arlen the greatest: you're going to tell us everything. Word. For. Word!!!!
Attached to the text were four pictures of myself and Nate, one of us talking, another of me reaching up to scratch my ear, another of Nate smiling and the last one was of Nate kissing my hand.
From Arlen the greatest: EVERYTHING!!
—
I don't know why but I'm excited!!
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