Behind These Bruises...

Behind These Bruises...[Part 14]

"We kissed," I said, holding my head in my hands.

"Shut up!" Alisha exclaimed.

We were in a coffee shop, about 30 minutes from town, that was known to attract hipsters. When we had discovered it, we would go to it all the time decked out in plaid, fake boxy glasses, and chucks, trying to act like hipsters. It was hilarious. Today, though, we were dressed normal. I wanted to get away from town for a bit after the events of the previous night. So we escaped to The Cup.

"Oh. My. God. Tell me the details," Alisha said, leaning in.

"What details?! He leaned in, I leaned in. And then it happened. And then I freaked and ran away," I said.

"Milaaaa!!!! No!!! You ran away because of Derek, didn't you?" Alisha groaned, crumpling up her napkin.

"I honestly don't know why I ran. I just....I feel like we were moving too fast. It wasn't even a legit first date. We were just hanging out," I said.

"But you said he basically asked you out on a "second" date," Alisha pointed out.

"I would consider it more as a first date. I don't think last night counted as a date," I said.

"He obviously did," Alisha replied. I nodded.

"I know! That's the problem. I feel so bad! I'm giving him mixed signals. Sometimes I'll act like I like him and sometimes I do something stupid like run away," I mumbled.

"This is all Derek's fault," Alisha said.

"STOP SAYING HIS NAME!" I cried out, a little too loudly. The man in the next table looked over at us.

"You've got whipped cream in your beard," Alisha sneered. The man touched the thin beard on his face and I kicked Alisha under the table. "What? He should mind his own business," Alisha hissed, rubbing her shins. We sat quietly for a moment. "Well, what are you going to do now?" she asked.

"I need to forget about him. I'm going to apologize to Kyle on Monday," I said. Alisha smiled at me.

"Good! I'm glad," Alisha said.

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"Kyle!" I called. It was Monday morning and I had just pulled into the parking lot. I saw Kyle get out of his car, too. He looked weary when he heard me call his name, but stopped nonetheless. I walked up to him and took a deep breath. "I-I wanted to apologize. I just-I guess I freaked Friday night. I mean, I saw it coming, but I guess I wasn't ready for it, even though I thought I was," I explained. I hoped he knew that I was talking about the kiss, because I didn't want to have to say it.

"I figured. I guess it's partially my fault. I should've waited," Kyle said, putting his hands in his pockets.

"So we're good?" I asked. He smiled and nodded at me. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Are we still on for next Friday?" he asked. I gave him a questioning look.

"What's next Friday?" I asked.

"Our first official date," he replied, smirking at me. I looked at him, and then understood.

"Ah, I see what you did there," I said. He nodded, and then looked at me, still waiting for an answer. I saw Derek's car pull in from my peripheral. "Yeah, sure. Just name the place and time," I said. He beamed at me.

"I'll let you know within the week," he said. I mustered up a smile.

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