Outlets

Chapter 2

I pick up the white styrofoam cup to my lips and tilt my head back as I let the hot liquid run down my throat and warm up the rest of my body. I sigh at how amazing the warmth feels as the flavor of the hot beverage lingers in my mouth. I tilt my head back to look straight ahead of me to be greeted by Brad with a smug smirk on his face. I roll my eyes before I lower the cup back onto the table.

Brad keeps his eyes on me as he takes another long sip of his coffee and when he catches me staring at him, his obnoxious attitude kicks in. He sends a wink my way and I'm not afriad to glare at him and let out my groan of disgust. I cross my arms as he lowers the cup back down to the table. He places one hand on the table and leans back in his chair with an even more obnoxious look on his face. "Now do you naturally have a douchey attitude or do you have to work at it?"

His smirk widens and he taps his fingers on the table, "It comes naturally when I'm around you thats for sure. I guess you have that effect on me."

I scoff at him and push my hair over my shoulder, "Is this how you try and pick up girls? If so you must not be very successful."

Brad chuckled and leaned slightly closer to the table, "Oh so you think I'm hitting on you? That means you want me to be."

I glare at him and send him a dry laugh before I pick up my coffee again, "Oh you wish." I take another sip of my coffee and keep it in my hand. I tap my finger against the cup as he watches me closely. I internally shiver it's almost like he's trying to be super creepy.

Brad leans closer to the table and finally drops the smirk, "Well sweetie if you ever change your mind about me let me know."

My eyes narrow at him and I send him a death stare, "Don't ever call me that again or I will rip off your finger."

He puts his hands up in surrender and I lean back in my chair as I take another sip. He taps his fingers against the table and looks anywhere but at me, thank god. I look at my sketchbook sticking out of my bag and run my finger over it's spine. I sigh and my head snaps back to look at Brad eyesing me yet again. I roll my eyes and suppress the groan in my throat, "What?" I'm surprised at the tone of annoyance in my voice, but I don't bother to apologize for it.

He shakes his head at me and leans back, "Ok why are you so angry with me?" I glare at him and look away from him as he waits for my reply. "Seriously what did I do?"

I snapped my head in his direction and rolled my eyes, "Of course you don't get it. I'm very closed off from everything and like to be left alone and even though I've been in the same class as you the entire semester, you suddenly have an interest in me. Quite frankly you haven't left me alone most of today."

He leaned closer and the smirk was once again on his face, "Oh so you're mad that I'm showing my interest in you now opposed to the beginning of the semester?"

I narrow my eyes at him again and he laughs at me. Maybe if I throw my hot coffee at him he'll get the message. When he sees the look on my face, his laughter stops and he clears his throat. "Ok I get why you're mad. I can be overbearing when I try and do somethings. You see the reason why I haven't left you alone is because you're a mystery Leah Edwards, a mystery I plan to solve."

I leaned closer to the table with narrow eyes. Who the hell does this guy think he is? " Oh I'm sure you'd love to know everything about me."

He nods his head with a smirk, "You're right I would. Isn't that what I just said? Don't get repetitve now Leah."

I groan in disgust and take another sip of my coffee as he continues to smirk at me. "If that's all you want from me, you might as well get up and walk out the door because you're never going to know everything about me. We don't know each other."

He leans so close to the table that his chest is hunched over the table, "Oh I think I already have. You probably had a bad past, had a serious relationship that ended abruptly for a reason you still don't know and you're so afraid to allow anyone into your life because you don't want to be hurt again."

I scoff at him as if those words didn't affect me at all, "What would you know about a bad past? What you had too many girls chasing after you in high school?"

Now his eyes narrowed at me as his jaw clenched. I shake him off and he scoffs back at me, "Like you said before Leah, we don't know each other. I know nothing about whatever you've been through and you have no idea what I've been through." He grabs his cup and stands up before he grabs his jacket and angrily pushes in his chair. "See you around."

I'm left at my table completely shocked and unable to speak. What the hell just happened? I watch him as he angrily walks out of the coffee shop without looking back at me. He pulls the door closed behind him viciously. I'm surrounded by a completely different warmth now. This is the burning heat of anger that was left by him. I sigh and pick up my bag before I walked back to my dorm room with a huge sense of regret resting on my chest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Wait you said what?" My roommate Gina says completely shocked.

I sigh and roll over in my bed to look at her, "You heard what I said. I don't know it just slipped out."

Gina stands and sticks her hip out with her arms crossed, "Leah come on the guy just wanted to get to know you."

I sit up with wide eyes and a dropped jaw, is she seriouly taking his side in this? "Gina I admit what I said was out of line, but come on he was-"

"Trying to get to know you Leah. I understand you had a lot of things happen to you at once that you still refuse to tell me about but-"

"Exactly Gina. That's all he wants from me. I mean seriously I know nothing about this guy and I go out with him for one cup of coffee and he thinks he's entilted to know every single thing about me! I'm sorry, but that was also out of line."

Gina uncrossed her arms and looked down at me with a sigh, "Leah, I understand why you're mad too, but there are better ways of reacting to it."

I look at her with one eyebrow raised, "Did you miss the many accounts of his douchey attitude?"

Gina laughed and ran a hand through her auburn hair, "No I didn't, but that doesn't mean you were entilted to react the way you did." I sighed and tilted my head to the side. "Now I'm not telling you you have to become best friends with the guy, but you should at least apologize."

I sigh and roll my eyes at her before I roll over in my bed with an annoyed huff, "God I hate it when you're right."

Gina laughed and yelled from the bathroom, "I'm always right."