Under the Bridge

chapter nine- "pinky promise"

THE WALK TO THE CAFE is short. Normally, I wouldn't go to some hipster place.  I'm more of a Starbucks girl myself. It's mostly because actual coffee tastes like ass, so I get whatever I can that's loaded with sugar. I'm meeting Alec here in five minutes, he's taking a taxi from the airport, and then picking up his rental car that he's taking to California in the evening. 

I take a look around and observe my surroundings. The shop is lit in yellow, with hardwood floors and bright walls the color of clementines. There's paintings everywhere, from the mural just outside to the portraits on the walls. My personal favorite is an abstract piece of a cat, made only out of black triangles. It's warm in here, I'm almost compelled to take my jacket off, but then I think I'll look to casual. It smells like chocolate and baked goods, which is mouthwatering on its own. I'd order a pastry, but I figured I'd wait to get anything until Alec got here. 

I'm waiting at a table by the window. There's no rain, like yesterday, but it's cloudy, making the city streets look dim outside. 

I see a familiar figure walk through the entrance. It's not Alec, but rather, Liam, whose taken off his black leather jacket so now he's only in a white tee shirt and dark pants. I notice there are tattoos on his arms, several actually, but I haven't seen any before since he's always wearing a jacket. 

He doesn't notice me. 

I see him smile at the barista, which is an interesting sight. He's not smirking, or scowling, he's genuinely grinning. From that, I conclude that the two know each other. It's weird, since the guy behind the counter is about thirty. I'd assume that Liam is a regular. Call me Sherlock Holmes. 

I stop staring when another familiar face enter the door. My lips curl up, my heart begins to race, and my palms are certainly sweating. Alec looks different when he's not in clothes that could survive the wilderness. He's in a red jumper with "University of Maryland" on it and light wash jeans. His hair is untidy, still, but he still looks cleaned up and polished. A  small black bag hangs loosely on his back. His chocolate eyes are looking around, so I stand up and meet his gaze. 

In a second, he's wrapped me in a hug, and everyone in the shop, including Liam, has noticed. His arms feel warm and familiar and all the memories we had together start rushing back. I linger there for a second, smelling pine on his chest as my head lays there. 

I break away and look at him, noticing a little bit of stubble on his cheeks that I hadn't seen before. His smile is white as ever, and he takes a seat across from me, expression cheery just as it always has been. "God, it's good to see your face somewhere other than Instagram photos." He says, voice still smooth. Everything about him, even though he was different, felt the same. 

"You too." I reply, quietly. 

To be honest, I'm in shock that he's actually here and that this is real. I take a mental snapshot. I'm thinking about the sharpness of his jaw and the plumpness of his lips. I look at how the light makes his olive skin look glowy, how the shadows on his face from the overhead lamp make his cheekbones look sharper and lips look plumper. 

Behind him, I see Liam, and for a second, our eyes meet. He looks at me in suspicion, and I look down, seeing that he's leaving the cafe with two cups. I raise my eyebrows, and he winks, leaving me slightly confused. 

"Are you okay?" Alec asks.

I smile. "I'm great." 

We got our drinks, Alec with real black coffee, and I with an overpriced hot chocolate, lathered in whipped cream. He pulled out his wallet, and I narrowed my eyes. "What do you think you're doing, Young?"