Fall fell

FACING THE TRUTH

@Elnisstory
            
                       
                          CHAPTER THREE

Austin had returned from his trip and was eager to meet Coco in person.
He had missed her terribly and couldn't wait to see him again.

Austin walked into Coco's office, expecting to find her sitting at her desk. But instead, he was greeted by her coworker, Emily.

"Hey, Austin! Coco's not here right now," Emily said with a friendly smile. "She just stepped out to grab a coffee.
if you're looking for her, you might be able to catch her at the coffee shop down the street. That's where she usually goes."

"Thanks for the tip, Emily! I'll go check it out."

He quickly made his way to the coffee shop, scanning the room for Coco's familiar face. And then, he spotted her - sitting at a table, sipping a latte and typing away on her laptop.

Austin's heart skipped a beat as he approached her table. "Hey, Co," he said,

"Hey, Austin," she said coolly, not even looking up from her phone.

Austin's face fell. He had expected Coco to be thrilled to see him, to jump into his arms and welcome him back with open arms. But instead, she seemed completely unbothered by his return.

"Long time no see."

Coco shrugged, still not looking up. "Yeah, I guess."

Austin pulled out a chair and sat down across from her, trying to think of something to say. But Coco just kept scrolling through her phone, ignoring him.

It wasn't until Angela walked in and saw Austin sitting with Coco that things started to get interesting. Angela's eyes narrowed, and she walked over to their table, her arms crossed.

"What are you doing here, Austin?" she asked, her voice firm.

Austin held up his hands. "Hey, I just came to catch up with Coco."

But Angela just raised an eyebrow. "Save it, Austin. We're not buying it."

Coco quickly got up from her seat,looked up and startled as their eyes met for a brief moment before leaving the coffee shop "Excuse me."

"Co, wait!" he called out, hurrying to catch up to her.

Coco didn't slow down, her heels clicking on the sidewalk as she walked briskly away from the coffee shop. Austin had to jog to keep up with her.

"Coco, what's going on?" Austin asked, trying to sound genuine. "I thought we were friends, at least. But you're acting like I'm a stranger."

Coco raised an eyebrow, her expression unreadable. "You're not a stranger, Austin. You're just someone who hurt people's feelings. And now you're back, expecting everything to be okay?"

Austin all feeling confused and tired, trying to process what exactly is happening.

"Can we talk about this"?

Coco sighed, her shoulders sagging slightly. "What's there to talk about, Austin?

Coco's eyes widened in surprise as Austin grasped her hand, his touch sending a spark of electricity through her body. She tried to pull away, but Austin held firm, his eyes pleading with her to listen.

"Coco, if I told you I don't know what's going on, would you believe me?" Austin asked, his voice laced with desperation.

"Why should I believe you, Austin?" Coco asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Austin's grip on her hand tightened, his eyes locked intensely on hers. "I don't know what's going on. I don't know why you are upset with me, or why you're treating me like this. Can you at least say something?