Learning to Live

He walked into the coffee shop as if everyone needed to know he was entering the coffee shop. He was wearing a red and black plaid, flannel shirt, and the sleeves were rolled up to his mid-forearm. He had a small amount of scruff, enough to say that he didn't care, but not so much he looked homeless. His jeans clung to him in all the right places, and he was wearing some well-worn vans. He had dark brown hair that had that sexy, messy look. This guy could be hot enough to be confused as a god. I was sitting so far back in the coffee shop I couldn't really make out the details of his face, but from what I could see, he was hot. Like, unnaturally beautiful.

I watched him as he made his order up at the register, but then made myself focus on my essay I was writing on my laptop.

I tried my hardest to focus on my essay, but the temptation to watch the hot guy was a much stronger force. I glanced back up, only to see him much closer. He was walking towards me, two cups in hand. I started mentally having a panic attack, thinking 'what do I do?! WHAT DO I FUCKING DO?!' But on the outside I was cool as a cucumber.

"Hey, I'm Tyler." He greeted, taking the seat across from me. He put the cups onto the table, sliding one towards me. "I asked the guy at the counter what you ordered, and got you another." He flashed a winning smile, one that made me melt. I nodded in response.

We sat in a comfortable silence for a minute, then I realized I hadn't said anything at all yet. Yeah, I'm totally cool.

"Thanks for the coffee, by the way."

"No problem." He glanced at my laptop, and then piped, "So you go to St. Julianne's?" I wondered how he figured that out, but then remembered I had a St. Julianne's sticker on the back of my computer.

"Oh, yeah. Where do you go?" I inquired.

"I graduated back in May," he took a sip of his coffee, "graduated from Milton High a few towns over. I'm currently working at my dad's auto shop here in town, though."

"Oh that's cool." Was all I could manage to say. I took a sip of the coffee he got me. I bet he does this all the time. Buys a girl a coffee, sits down, swoons her over with his charm, then leaves her to forever wonder what could've been. He is probably a dick. I began to power off my laptop, and slide my notebooks into my bag.

"So since you go to St. Julianne's, you must be catholic." He said. It was more of a question, but he worded it as a statement.

"No." Was all I replied with. I was beginning to get hostile with him, suddenly annoyed at his evident confidence. I folded my laptop and put it away. While I was leaned over, he began talking again.

"Sorry. I just assumed if you attend school that surrounds all of its teaching around a religion, a student would follow that religion," he laughed, "my mistake."

From below the table, because I was still fidgeting with my bag's zipper, I replied, "yes. Your mistake."

"So what is your religion?" He asked, oblivious to my lack of interest in anything he had to say. This question took me by surprise. I shot up, slamming my shoulder into the edge of the table. This caused the table to shake, so Tyler steadied it.

"Deep conversation topic, huh?" I said. He smiled, and in response I rolled my eyes. I dug in my pocket, and pulled out a couple of wadded ones. "Here's something to cover the coffee." I grabbed my bag.

"Answer me," he demanded. He didn't sound angry or annoyed.

"Why do you care?" I retorted. I slung my bag over my shoulder.

"Because. Why don't you want to tell me? Do you have an embarrassing religion? Are you like, Jedi?" He teased.

"That's not a religion," I replied.