Under A Paper Moon |N.H|

6

Mollee taps on the counter repeatedly with excitement, the smile on her face being strong enough to tear it in half. "How was it?"

You would think by the look on her face that this was her date, not mine.

"You were there," I nod my head at her, smiling at her excitement for me while trying to hold back from spilling every possible detail from just twelve hours ago.

It's nice to see this, honestly. It sucks to think about the few friends I have had in the past that have been rude or expressed jealousy towards some of the dates I had been on. I have told stories about what we had talked about, the nice comments he may have said to me, and they would twist it and try to convince me that he was probably lying to me, or telling me he didn't seem interested after all.

It's nice to know that Mollee had agreed that Niall is very attractive, and she is truly and genuinely excited for me, especially because this is the first date I have been on since moving to New York, but also the first date I have been on in a few years.

"Yes, I was," she nods, turning around to grab a cup to make me my usual coffee without me even needing to request it. "And I saw lots of laughing and smiling, but what happened when you left those doors, huh? Was he good at more than just conversation... if you know what I'm–"

"Nothing happened when we left," I interrupt, cutting her suggestion short before she can really get anything out at all. "He walked me to my apartment, and that was all."

This was true, a simple walk home and a comment saying that he would be texting me soon, and even a text two minutes after I said goodbye to make sure I got upstairs to my apartment safely.

She had bent down to scoop up some ice for my drink, the sound of the ice clashing against the cup filling the area between us before she stood up abruptly. "What? Not even a kiss goodnight?"

I shake my head, smiling at her. "Nope."

She looks at me over her shoulder as she brews the espresso. "Why are you smiling? I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news, but kissing at the end of a date is usually a really good sign," she says, reaching for a bottle of caramel sauce to drizzle into the cup.

The classic, end of first date first kiss. A staple in romantic movies, the scenes that most girls my age would dream of experiencing first hand.

Yet, for some reason, I hadn't even thought about the idea of a first kiss happening last night. Not before, not during, and not after. The idea had only been brought up just now.

I wonder if Niall had been thinking about it at all, or if he is in the same boat as me.

I watch as Mollee moves quickly behind the counter, mixing in ingredients with ease. I'm sure if I had timed her, she would have clocked it at thirty seconds, had she not needed to wait for the espresso.

She slides the drink to me across the counter after popping a lid on and sticking a straw inside. I trade my card for the cup, letting her complete my transaction. "I don't know. I'm kind of glad he didn't kiss me."

"Why?" she asks. She hands my card back to me, tossing her head back with a groan. "Ugh, you should have kissed him, that would have been such a power move."

"A power move?" I ask, laughing a bit at her suggestion that a simple kiss from my end would have made this such a big moment for me especially. "Mollee, that would have been a reckless move. We went on one date, a very casual date at a coffee shop. That is about as casual as it gets. We talked, and it went really well, and I liked how it went. A kiss at the end of a coffee shop date seems a bit too much."