Good Things

Chapter 22

Dedicated to imperfectsometimes. Thanks for all your love and support and honesty. You make so happy and are so perfect, or imperfect....sometimes.
See what I did there?😂

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Carter leads me to a table at the back, by the window.
Only a handful of people are here, early birders catching the quiet before the full revival of the day begins, with bustling individuals racing around, grabbing quick coffees and heading to work.
Babies screaming, adults quickening, phones ringing and orders being made. Hot chocolates, mochas, croissants.
All the usual segments of a regular day here.
"Don't you work here?" I ask, sitting opposite him at a small, pair table.
"Not today. Besides, I'd give it up, for you" Carter replies with a bad boy smirk.
It's been less than 24 hours, and already I've had two naughty boys opposite me at this same café, delivering cheesy pickup lines.
I feel a pang of guilt, as if I'm cheating on Felix, even though we were never together in the first place.
I can't believe it's all over.
All over in a day.
"You miss him?" Carter asks, reading my mind. How does he do that?
I'm pulled back into the present. "Uh, no. No. I'm just, you know. Reflecting, and stuff"
He sighs. "No lies, remember?"
I narrow my eyes at him in deep inspection. "Why should I trust you anyway? You never really gave me an answer, just said, 'Because you know you want to'. As if"
He just shrugs.
"Look, to the public-" I begin.
"What public," He gestures around us, "Less than ten people at a cafe is 'the public'"
I roll my eyes. "Okay, then, Einstein. To the small public," I rephrase, "We look like a couple or something, and I don't want that. I only just fully met you, and I don't even know why I'm here with you"
I was literally just pulled out of an alleyway and into a cafe by some guy that was checking me out yesterday.
What am I even doing with my life lately?
First, wearing Felix's clothes in his home yesterday. Now, basically going on a date with a stranger. What next? Marrying a forty year old man, just because?
"Hey, I saved you from your misery. Where's my thanks?" Carter states.
"Okay, you're just getting on my nerves now. Let me go or answer my questions" I say, firmly.
I need answers. Now.
I didn't just run a way to be picked up by some random guy who basically called every girl he met 'hot'.
"Don't go. Fine. We'll play a little Q and A game, taking turns. I ask a question, you answer, and vice versa. And I want honesty. And only honesty. The truth. Promise, Freda?"
"It's Freya." I say in a short, clipped, agitated tone.
"Sorry." He props his elbows onto the table and sticks out his pinkie finger towards me. "Promise?"
I nod and take it briefly. "Yeah. Sure"
Should I really be doing this? What if he starts to ask me personal stuff or his interrogation eventually leads to questions about Hannah? What do I say then?
What did I just get myself into?
Shut up, Freya, I scold myself. I'm overreacting. Badly.
He grins. "Okay, ladies first"
"Okay"
Think wisely, Freya. What do you want to know about Carter? Or is his name even really that? Is that his real name? What if he's a devil in disguise?
"Uh...." I stammer, still thinking. "I don't know. Gentlemen first"
He smiles. "Polite -cute. Okay, why were you crying before?" Of course he asked this. Straight to the point, no second thoughts. That's another reason why I hate crying in front of people, they always bring it up a second time.
"Um."
"The truth, Freya"
"I know" I snap. "Okay. Well...Let's just say I had a rocky start with my parents this morning. You know, the usual teenager-parent morning argument. Nothing problematic"
What a complete understatement. Lies of the highest order.
Carter doesn't buy it. "Nothing problematic? A 'teenager-parent argument' doesn't result in the kid running away from home into an alleyway at," he checks his watch -I never noticed he was wearing one, "8 am in the morning, crying. For God's sake, the truth, Freya. Is honesty too much to ask from you?"
A stubborn part of me wants to cleverly reply, "Yes" but I bite my tongue.
"Freya, restart your story. This time, telling me the real thing"
"Fine. Me and my parents-"
"My parents and I" He interjects.
He's cute and annoying. Two characteristics that don't match.
"Okay, so you're the grammar police now?"
"Stop getting grumpy at me. I'm just trying to help"
"With what, exactly?" I retort in irritation. He is on the edge of my last nerve. I don't want to be in this cafe with him any longer. You can't just demand information off someone like that. You're not an FBI agent, mister.
But reasonably speaking, where else do I have to go? I can't go back to my own home. I can't go to Hannah's. And I definitely can't go to Felix's. He hates me now.
I have nowhere.
"With everything. Besides me, you have nothing" Carter states, like some hero who just saved a damsel in distress.
"Excuse me?"
Who does he think he is? God?
"You heard me. I know. You can't go back home, that's obvious. And you can't go to that guy you were with yesterday. Or else, he'd be here with you right now, instead of me. It's obvious something's up between you two"
"So, Einstein, you're no stupid for a smart boy"
He frowns, smiling. "What?"
His smile makes mine appear. "Never mind. Okay, I hate my mum because of some personal things that I'm not going to tell you-"
"Why?" He raises a perfect eyebrow.
"Because there's something called confidentiality, I don't think you've ever heard of it before. Well, it's not sharing secret information, in case you don't understand"
"You need a coffee" He says, standing up.
"I do?" I reply sarcastically.
"Yes. You're snappy and it's ticking me off" He pushes his chair in with a ear-bleeding screech as it's legs scrape across the floor.
"I'm ticking you off? Don't you think it's the other way around?"
"Maybe. You tell me" He shrugs and heads for the counter.
"Hey, wait! I thought you were off today or something. Where are you going?"
"Please be quiet, Frey"
Frey? When did I become Frey to him? We're not even friends enough for nicknames.
What is he to me now? Cart?

He returns a few minutes later with 2 hot cups of coffee.
"You didn't ask me if I wanted a muffin or anything" I say with a smile, taking my coffee from him.
He shrugs. "Maybe next time"
There won't be one.
I sip my coffee and beam, inhaling it's distinct aroma. "Mm..."

After I've downed my coffee, I place the empty cup onto the table before me and watch Carter drink his in silence.
He smiles. "Glad you're not biting my head off anymore"
I shrug. "Sorry. Lack of coffee does something to me sometimes"
"You think?"
I grin. "So, you want answers or not?"
He puts his coffee down and runs his hands through his jet black hair.
I swallow. He looks really good.
"So, Frey, you ready to tell me why you were upset?"
"Why do you care so much? I think you're forgetting that we're still strangers in the logical sense" I say, as a matter of fact.
He leans in, too close. Our hot, coffee stained breaths mingle between us and I lean back.
"Personal bubble, much?" I say.
He smirks. "You better get used to it, sweetheart"
"Sweetheart? So, I'm sweetheart now, huh? Well, hun, I need some answers from you before I tell you a thing"
"Go on then, darling" He leans back, folding his arms as if he's casual with the current situation.
Why is he making this harder?
"Stop with the romantic titles. I can barely deal with 'Frey'. I'm Freya, nothing else. No 'darling'. No 'sweetheart'. No 'sweetie'. No...'Hottie' or whatever," I list off on my fingers, "Nothing. Just Freya. And don't expect me to call you any of those either. You're just Carter to me"
"Okay, Frey" He smirks.
I glare.
"You look even cuter when you're annoyed, sweetheart"
I exhale.
But on the inside, why am I enjoying his teasing stubbornness? Why is he so like Felix?
Why am I suddenly happy with Carter?
"I think you drugged my cup" I blurt out, and slap my hand over my mouth immediately, my eyes bulging in disgust and embarrassment at my previous statement.
Carter coughs. "What?"
"Uh, nothing. I just, uh....nothing" I stammer.
He smiles. "You're weird"
Only around boys like you.