Meet me halfway

8. Dating is hard

"I want you home early so that you can eat dinner with us. I don't want you drinking, smoking - whether it is tobacco or pot doesn't make a difference - don't do anything you don't want to do and most importantly, have fun." My dad said, looking serious at first, but then grinning.

"Will be, won't do and I'll try my best." I said, finally getting my hair to be less of a chaotic mess and more of an organized mess. I turned around to see my mom, who squealed slightly while taking my face in her hands.

"Oh, my little boy is growing up! The first date, I can't believe it." she said and I put my hands over hers, slowly pulling them away.

"Mom, calm down. It's just a date." I said and she huffed while Kayla smirked from her spot, leaned against the door frame.

"Just a date with the boy you've been pining over since god knows when." she said and I did the most mature thing ever, and stuck out my tongue.

"Kayla, be nice." mom said before turning back to me. "So handsome." she mumbled.

"I'm going now before you start crying." I said with a chuckle and she rolled her eyes at me. I said bye to them all one last time, before going outside and climbing into the car. While I do have a driver's license, I don't have a car, but managed to convince mom to let me borrow hers.

I put on some music on the radio and made my way to the coffee shop. And yes, that is the very same coffee shop as I ran into him and made him spill coffee all over himself, but it is a nice place so it seemed like a good idea. Most of the details on where to meet, when to meet, and all of that had been decided through texts, which was nice since if we had discussed it vocally, I would embarrass myself in ways only I seem to be able to do.

The ride took like five minutes so I soon pulled up and parked outside of the store. I stepped out of the car and locked it, letting the sun warm my body and help erase the cold nervousness. My very first date and it was with the guy I have liked since I first heard his name.

I walked into the shop, looking around to see if he was early, only to almost run into him as he was waiting for me in line.

"Oh gods, sorry." I said and he chuckled. The sound made me look up and my jaw dropped. He had also taken some time to prepare for today, only that he looked like a god, and yet, it looked completely effortless. He smiled a half-smile at my surprise, closing my wide open mouth with a finger and sending a wink my way before turning to the menu.

"So, what do you want?" he asked and I had to blink a few times because what the hell just happened?

"Uh- I would like some hot chocolate."

>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<

Hazel had been sitting on my bed as I made myself ready for my first date in over a year, commenting on how I was totally overdoing it. And maybe I had, but seeing his reaction had made it worth it.

We sat down in my usual booth once we had gotten our drinks, he got his hot chocolate and I got my usual, black coffee with cream. I took a sip and groaned in relief.

"Coffee, the best thing on earth." I mumbled and Will chuckled.

"I take it you're a regular then?" he asked and I nodded quickly.

"I come here just for coffee, sometimes I do my homework here and sometimes I just come here to draw." I said and he perched up.

"You draw?" he asked and I grimaced.

"If you can call it that when it looks like mashed potatoes." I said and we both laughed. "Any hobbies you have that I should know about?"

"I don't really do much-"

"Except for stalk people." I joked and he blushed.

"Not that it will make things better, but it was only you, not people." he said and I chuckled.

"Then I guess I should feel flattered." I said and he grimaced.

"Stepping away from the subject of me, is there anything interesting about you I should know?" he asked and I thought for a moment, what should be counted as interesting? 

"Well, I'm actually Italian. My family and I lived in Italy until... until my mother died. But my dad isn't from Italy so we moved here instead." I said and he looked interested.

"So, do you speak Italian?" he asked and I nodded. "Can you say something in Italian?" he asked and I focused on his face as I said.

"Hai i baffi al cacao." he seemed in awe at the sound of me speaking the language making me chuckle.

"What does it mean?" he asked and I smiled.

"It means; you have a cocoa mustache." I said and he blushed bright red, bringing up a napkin and rubbing his upper lip quickly. "Don't worry, it made you look... charming." I said and he shot me a half-hearted glare.

"You hesitated." he said and I grinned, leaning forward in my seat to look him in the eyes properly.

"Well, my first thought was to say the full truth, which is that you looked bloody adorable, but I figured that would get you more flustered." I said, not breaking eye contact and his face reddened more. I chuckled silently and leaned back in my seat before a blond caught my eyes... another one, and I froze in my seat, eyes widening.

"What? What's wrong?" Will asked, worry evident in his voice and I blinked a few times before answering.

"I think my ex just walked in."

991 words

Exes, the perfect people to run into while trying to start a new relationship. But don't worry guys, it gets worse... peace out!

- A/N