Letters For Him

5// Then

Then

Leonardo

First date

Walking up the high rises steps to the apartment building, I could feel my heart beat increasing by the second. Brushing back the whispy bits of hair that had managed to escape, I come to a halt at the top of the stairs and breath in trying to calm my nerves.

I feel like I'm back in high school.

Before I ring the bell to her apartment I catch myself grinning, thanking the high heavens that she had agreed to go out with me. It wasn't easy but I had succeeded.

It had been the 2nd week I had visited the collinsons coffee shop, now having my own 'the usual' and sitting at the exact same spot to get the clearest view of Sophia. When the coffee shop was practically empty, I would watch on as she went by her daily routine and I sometimes looked up from my laptop and caught her looking my way, a sudden flush of red would tint her cheeks and she would carry on what she was doing.

I would try and make small conversations when she would pass and sometimes she would sit on the table with me on her break, her head stuffed into her book, her dark green eyes scanning the pages and I found myself watching her intently.

So when I eventually got the guts to ask her out, it didn't seem to work partly as I would have hoped.

"So Sophia." I started when she took her usual place opposite me. Sophia looked over and grinned, nodding her head for me to proceed.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to maybe- you don't have to but we could- go get coffee together sometime?" I shut my eyes for a moment, cringing at my choice of words and waiting for the redness in my cheeks to diminish before I looked back at her.

I tried to read her reaction but all I could notice was her smile had disappeared into a thin line and it looked like she was biting her lip to stop herself from laughing.

How embarrassing.

"You do realise I work in a coffee shop?" I didn't know if it was the relief of not being turned down, or the fact I didn't think of it but I suddenly burst out into laughter when eventually she followed and we sat laughing for several seconds.

"I'm so bad at this, I feel like such a teenager." I say, getting my breathing to regulate from the laughing fit.

"Hey, teenager present." Sophia held her hand up and pointed at her self, a grin plastered over her face. "10 out of 10 for effort though DiCaprio."

"Let me start again, Sophia Collinson would you like to go on a date with me. No coffee included." I noticed the tugging of her lips and the tint of red in her cheeks as I waited for her to reply, my own heart beating 10 times faster than it should. The dimple was making an appearance when her cheeks lifted to form a wide smile, nodding her head and it took me a while to realise she was saying yes.

"Of course Leonardo."

So here I was, glancing at my watch patiently waiting for Sophia to make her appearance and was aware of the racing of my heart as I heard the front door open.

It was weird to see her not dressed in an apron that covered the front of her body and her hair scraped back into a tight bun but Sophia looked so different today I was speechless and I thanked God that she had agreed to go out with me.

"Sophia you look beautiful." I stuttered not able to take my eyes off of her. Although she was dressed in casual jeans and a soft black blouse, there was a hint of the mixed fruit familiar smell that captured me.

"Not so bad yourself Leonardo." Her ruby red lips pulled into a heartwarming grin.

***

"So you really played basketball in high school?" Sophia laughed, scooping small amounts of ice-cream from her glass opposite me.

"Is it so hard to believe?" I muttered, a grin tugging on my lips as I watched her eat her dessert.

We were situated in the middle of Central Park at a ice-cream parlour surrounded by families and other couples who were enjoying the weather and there days.

"You just don't look like the basketball type." Sophia commented, her eyes landing on me in a more observing way and I felt myself stiffen.

"So you are trying to say I'm not tall, muscular or capable of hand eye co ordination? I have to say I'm quite hurt." I replied laughing a little when her eyes shot up to mine in a apologetic way.

"You tick two of those boxes, the third I have yet to witness."

"Well let's just see about that." I said before scrunching the napkin in front of me into a small ball and tossing it into the nearest bin in which Sophia eyes followed my actions, clapping when it hit the bin and slid in. I fist bumped the air in victory.

She was smiling from ear to ear but was trying to hide her reaction towards me and I felt my heart skip.

"I'm impressed Dicaprio."

After another scoop of icecream each, we began walking around the park admiring our surroundings in silence until I talked first.

"So you're still in college or are you planning on taking over the family coffee shop in the future?" I asked cautiously, we came to a halt on the small bridge overlooking the pond and sat side by side on the bench.

"In my 2nd year actually, studying psychology." Sophia announced.

"Wow. That's great." I wasn't surprised that she was intellectual as well as beautiful and I couldn't believe that I was sat with such a great girl.
"So when did you start working in the coffee shop?"

"Since I was 14, I always helped my grandmother but only with small chores until I grew up a little and could take on the cash register."

"What about you?" She asked looking over at me with curiosity in her eyes. I lean forward a little, adjusting my position so I'm looking directly at Sophia.

"I just graduated actually, I'm an intern at an Interior Design company. I have to say, I'm not your typical business or CEO type of guy." I catch a smirk from her lips.

"So do you live on your own?" She asks suddenly intrigued, the afternoon bouncing off of her face making her glow.

"I have my own apartment on the outskirts of town. I catch the subway everyday to work." I inform and she raises her eyebrows.

"I'd say lets go have a drink but seen as though your only 19 and I'm suppose to be the more mature adult, how about a coffee?" We both laugh in unison and I find myself mesmerised at her features.

"Coffee sounds great, as long as it it's not where you've been coming for the past 2 weeks."