The Prince and the Bookworm

Chapter 37

About an hour later I found myself sitting in my old truck, in the parking lot of Mimi's Cafe. The cafe was just a couple blocks away from my apartment, which I was glad for. I tried to tell myself to be thankful that Cole had picked a place that was convenient for me, but I wasn't exactly feeling a flow of appreciation. 

As much as I wanted to let my annoyance and frustration with him be bygones, I couldn't bring myself to do it. He ignored me, the girl who was supposedly his girlfriend, for weeks. Didn't I have a right to be irritated? 

I sat for a couple of moments behind my wheel, taking deep breaths and collecting my thoughts. I knew Cole had to be inside waiting for me. I tried to will myself out of my car to join him, but it was like I couldn't bring my legs to move. 

I had this really weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. Normally, I would have dismissed it as me just being nervous. But this time it was different. It was like I knew deep down something not good was going to happen. I considered blowing him off and going home for a quick second, but my conscience quickly shot it down. 

I agreed to meet Cole here. I couldn't just stand him up and leave him waiting for God knows how long. I was going to pull on my big girl pants and just go talk to him. Before I gave the odd feeling in my stomach a chance to change my mind, I stepped out of my car, and shut my door shut with a corresponding thud. 

Ready or not, I said in my mind, here I come. 

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As soon as I stepped into the cafe, my eyes fell on Cole. He was sitting at a small table in the corner, looking confident and comfortable as he lounged in his chair. As soon as I saw him, I felt my heart beat pick up as it pounded in my chest. 

And if I was being honest, I couldn't tell whether it was out of nervousness or excitement. I watched as Cole lifted his head, his eyes surfing the crowd. After what seemed like forever, his gaze finally locked with mine. A friendly smile crossed over his lips as he lifted a hand and waved me over. I returned the smile, dodging people and tables until I finally made my way to him. 

When I finally joined up with him, I didn't know what I was expecting. In the back of my mind, I thought he would at least give me a quick hug of greeting. But instead, he stayed where he was seated, and gestured to the chair across from him.

"Go ahead and grab a seat." He ordered, not even bothering to say hello. If it hadn't have been for the twinkling smile on his face and the friendly tone to his voice, I would have assumed that he was mad with me for some reason. 

"Nice to see you too." I muttered as I sat down. He was clearly trying to keep his distance from me, and it had kinda stung. 

"Sorry." He apologized with a nervous laugh, shaking his head slightly. "I would have been nicer, but I was afraid you would just shoot me down cause-" He suddenly cut off, not finishing his sentence. It was obvious he was going to say something that might have offended me, but decided against it. 

"Cause I'm still mad that you were a total jerk?" I suggested innocently, shrugging my shoulders. 

"Yeah...." Cole muttered, rubbing his palm against that back of his neck. "That." An awkward silence ensued over our table. When I finally realized that Cole wasn't going to say anything to break it, I sighed heavily. 

"Look, I won't lie and say that I'm not kinda frustrated. But, I decided that I was going to come in here and give you a fair chance." My words sounded almost solemn, and that was not the way I wanted this conversation to go.  "So, you better get talking or I'm out of here." I joked, keeping my tone playful and my smile intact in an attempt to lighten the mood.