Never Let Go

Chapter 21: Table For Two?

The smell of coffee, mixed with the smell of chocolate and cake hangs in the air. People are engaged in their own conversations and the sound of their voices talk over the faint music that's playing in the background. Every now and then the loud noise of the coffee machine interrupts my nervous thoughts, making me look around the room at the vintage photographs that are hanging on the walls.

I jog my leg nervously and check the time on my phone for the 5th time already. I take a deep breath and run my hand through my hair. I can't believe how nervous I am, but I'm really excited too.

"Hi, how are you?"

A cheerful voice snaps me out of my thoughts and I look up from my phone, seeing a smiling waitress.

"Hi, I'm good, thank you." I smile.

"Can I get you anything to drink, or something to eat?"

If I order something, I should order Maya a drink too, but I'm not sure what she would like? I don't know if she drinks coffee or tea. I glance at the menu on the wall behind the waitress and quickly scan over the drinks.

"Um... can I get two hot chocolates please?"

That's probably a safe option. Most people like hot chocolate, right?

"Of course." She smiles and walks away.

I place my phone down and play with my hands as I look around the room. It's strange because it feels like this is the first time we're meeting, even though I got to know her over a couple of months. I guess I'm nervous because I haven't seen her in so long, and seeing her this time will feel different because she isn't a patient anymore, and we aren't sneaking around - we're meeting up as friends and we're free to do what we want. And of course the fact that I like her adds to my nervousness.

I bite my lip and try to slow my breathing down. My heart is thumping so hard. Just calm down, Mike. You don't have to get so worked up.

"Two hot chocolates." The waitress smiles and carefully places down the drinks.

"Thank you." I smile.

"You're welcome. Can I get you anything else?"

"No, thanks."

She nods and smiles.

"Enjoy."

I hope Maya's hot chocolate stays warm for when she gets here. I pick up my phone and check the time again. Ugh, stop checking it! I sigh and put my phone away, but as I look up, my heart stops. Maya has just walked in. Fuck. She's here, and now I'm even more nervous.

The door closes behind her as she fixes her curls and looks around the room. She's wearing a denim jacket over a white top, a black skirt and tights, and a pair of black boots. She looks amazing. Seeing her look around the room reminds me of the way she looked when she first came to the mental health facility - she looks nervous.

I stand up, so she can see me. Her pretty eyes finally land on me, and seeing her smile makes my heart skip a beat. I show a big smile and watch her walk over to me.

Her top is showing off a little bit of skin, and I can see she has a belly button piercing. As she gets closer her beautiful face becomes clearer, and I see she's wearing some makeup. She has on winged eyeliner which makes her green eyes pop out even more, and she's wearing a soft pink rose coloured lipstick.

"Hey." She shows a little smile, and let's out a small nervous laugh.

I step around the table and without thinking my natural instinct is to give her a hug. I'm so happy to see her, so I act on impulse.