Relocating

Cole Samson

I just got back from hanging posters for Creative Writing Night. Now, I had my date with Cole. I ran past his door and into the elevator. I wanted to get slightly dressed up for our date. I dug through my closet. Putting on a sapphire sun dress I found, I walked to my mirror. It looked nice on me. I stood there and stared. I was thinking. Ashton is not here, so a date shouldn't matter. I know I still feel for him, but I have to move on. Maybe Cole is what I need. Maybe he is who I need.

I walk downstairs and he is outside his door. He's leaning on it casually. I get a better view of him. He has flat brown hair, brown eyes, a semi-wide nose, and his body shape in general is average. He's not bad looking, but he's no Prince Charming. He's more of a sorta nice to look at friendly guy. I keep walking toward him. He hasn't seen me yet. I tap his shoulder and he jumps, causing me to smile a bit.

"You look beautiful." He says and I smile at him.

"Thanks." I say.

"Ready to go?" He asks and I nod.

We head out to a polish restaurant that I had never been to. We decide to order a plate of pierogis. While we wait he asks me questions and I do the same to him.

"So, where are you from?" He asks.

"Connecticut." I answer.

"Oh cool! I lived in the lovely Boston, Massachusetts until I was 15. Then my dad moved out here. That's when he made our apartment building and started renting it out."

"So you aren't the landlord?" I ask confused.

"He died three years ago." He says.

"Oh. I'm sorry. No mom?" I ask.

"She still lives in Boston, I think. She and my dad got a divorce and he had full custody."

"Oh."

"Yeah. How about your family?" He asks. I figure I should just tell him now.

"My mom and dad died in a car accident around six months ago. My aunt Mary is my family. She's in a nursing home because she has lung cancer." I say and his eyes widen.

"Uh, I'm, well, I'm sorry." He says and looks down.

"It's not your fault. That's just life sometimes." I say and he nods.

"So how long have you lived in California?" He asks.

"Four months."

"Where did you live before Glenswood Apartments?"

"In a hotel and then with my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" He asks and I realize what I said.

"Sorry. Not my boyfriend anymore."

"Oh. What happened?"

"He wanted me to leave my job for as long as two months so we could stay with his mom. His dad was away on business and his sister had just died, so his mom wanted him there. But, he had just left me for three weeks before that, after kind of shutting me out. I hated that. When I refused to leave, I told him that maybe I should stay with my friend for awhile and he walked out and let me leave. I was a mess. It still hurts, but it won't. What's really strange is that he had made me a picture and I found out a lady was saving it for him until he got back from his mom's. I went that store the other day and apparently he had taken it back and the lady said it was a surprise for me! Then she changed her words and said it was a surprise for his cousin. And that's where we left off. I was so confused. Ya know?" I finish and he stares at me like I have seven eyes. I realize I said a lot.

"Um." He says.

"Oh. Sorry." I say and Cole shakes his head.

"It's alright."

"It's a lot to take in. Sorry."

"I said it's alright."

"It was just hard."

"Maybe we should just be friends. I think you're still in love with that boy and he probably still loves you." He says.

"He never said he loved me." I say aggravated.

"He does."

"Cole,"

"I can tell and I barely know the two of you! Your eyes shine when you talk about him. Even when you said all of the bad stuff, they still shined." He says as the waiter sets the food down.

"Let's just eat." I say and begin.

After we finish eating, we head out for ice cream. The place has almost no line, which is odd for a very hot San Francisco night, but I'm definitely not complaining. We take a seat on the hood of the his car and eat our ice cream cones.

"So, what are you doing Friday?" I ask.

"I'm not going on another date with you. You're in love with that boy." He says and chuckles a little.

"Shut up. And I wasn't going to ask you on a date. There's a creative writing night at the coffee house I work at on Friday and I want all my friends to go. I set it up." I say an he shrugs.

"I'm not your friend. You're weird." He says and smirks.

"So you'll be there?" I ask.

"Yeah, I'll be there."