Wattpad Helpline | ✓

❝i think i would like that❞

The welcome scent of coffee lingered heavily in the cool morning air as the door to the cafe opened, as signalled by the welcome tinkle of a silver bell. Sunlight streamed though the square windows and onto the mahogany floor, bathing the cafe with warm golden beams. 

Will entered cautiously, letting the door close gently behind him. His dark brown eyes darting to and fro, looking for the girl he had been talking to on the phone for the past months -- the girl he had driven one and a half hours from Newport just to meet.

The cafe was half-full. Friendly voices echoed in his ears as he moved forward, looking for Harper, the 'hotline girl'. Louise had texted him after their phone call to tell him to meet them at eleven in the morning. A quick glance at his watch showed that it was already eleven fifteen. He had gotten stuck in a bit of traffic on the way, and had nearly gotten lost trying to find the quaint cafe that Louise had directed him to. Worse of all, he didn't know what either girl looked like, nor their last names.

He walked forward, past a laughing couple and an old man sipping a cup of tea. He turned a left, hesitating slightly at the sight of a woman with flaming red hair in front of him. Will wondered if he should ask for her name, but decided against it. Louise had told him and she would be tagging along with Harper, and the redhead was sitting alone.

He continued, heart pounding. What if they had gone? What if this whole thing was a setup? What if Harper was nothing more than a catfish? What if -- 

"Will? Is that you?"

He turned, his thoughts cut off by a voice that was all too familiar to his ears. A girl was standing by a table near the window, her golden locks glimmering in the sunlight. She had fair skin and bright blue eyes that seemed to bore into his skull. 

"Harper?" Will asked, but even as the question left his lips he already knew the answer.

Harper's face broke out into a grin as she walked over and engulfed him in an embrace. He stiffened, not expecting the physical contact, but his body soon relaxed as he hugged her back. She smelled like coffee and flowers, and he smiled.

"Oh my god," she said, as they took a seat at the table. "I can't believe you're actually here."

"Me neither," he chuckled, looking around. "This is a nice place. I've never been to Boston before."

"I've never scheduled a coffee date with someone I've never met before," she grinned, taking a sip from her cup. Her eyes, however, remained trained on him.

"So you do admit it is a date?" Will found himself relaxing, arms folded on the wooden table. It was almost as if they were talking on the phone again.

Harper rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "Oh, shut up, pizza boy. You're still as irritating as always."

"I thought you liked my snark?"

"When have I ever said that? Geez!" She waved her hand around as if swatting a fly. "Look at you. Putting words in my mouth again."

Will shrugged, grinning. "Hey, I thought that was one of my traits?"

"It is! Doesn't necessarily mean it's a good thing, though." 

They shared a laugh, just as a girl with raven hair suddenly materialised behind Harper. She didn't even have to say a word -- Will already knew who she was.

"Hello, Louise," he stood and extended a hand for a handshake, which Louise took. "Nice to finally meet you."

"Wow, so formal. Never pegged you for a gentleman." She pushed up the rims of her glasses and took a seat beside Harper. 

Will clutched his chest dramatically, getting an eyeroll from Harper and a snort from Louise. "I feel attacked," he said, tilting his head to one side. "I thought I was very gentlemanly on the phone."

"You said I sounded like a Walmart employee!" Louise protested.

"Wait, you did?" Harper was laughing again, burying her head in her hands. "That's actually...really accurate."

Louise elbowed her jokingly. "Oi!"

From then on, the conversation continued to flow. Louise ordered a cappuccino for Will and a mocha for herself. The three of them sat there, basking in the warmth of the sun, drinking their coffee for what felt like mere minutes, but in fact were hours. It was like talking on the phone, but better. 

Because here, right now, Will was finally able to look into Harper's eyes and see the girl he had been so intrigued by. 

And she was beautiful.

"Remember, this wasn't a date." Harper reminded him as they were leaving. The wind felt refreshingly cool on his cheeks as they stepped out of the cafe and onto the street. 

"Of course not," he confirmed, sticking his hands into his pockets. "Otherwise why would Louise be here?"

"Hey! Rude!" Louise softly punched him on the shoulder in a way of protest. "I could've been the third wheel!"

"That's...not a good thing, Louise." Harper replied, shaking her head. She looked down at her feet, her long blonde hair swaying in the wind, before looking up at Will. "Seriously, though, it's been amazing to meet you, Will." She stepped forward so that they were nearly touching, and Will was suddenly aware of how hard his heart was pounding.

"It's been amazing to meet you too, Harper," he replied softly, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't think that talking to you could be any better, but somehow, today, it is."

"Yeah," Harper said, glancing down at her feet again, almost as if she were...shy. "Will, I want to be honest. This has honestly been one of the best days I've had in a long, long time. The past few months...with the college rejection, with my Mom being sick -- it's been kind of rough. But talking to you," she lifted her head so that their eyes met, "has really helped me through that. And I want to say thank you."

He froze, trying to seem calm and nonchalant, but his heart was swelling and he didn't know what to do. This was the first time in a long time that anyone had told him that he mattered -- much less a girl. So in an attempt to play it cool he panicked and said the first thing that came to mind: "Tell me -- do you actually write Backstreet Boys fanfiction?"

Harper grinned, her smile stretching from ear to ear, and suddenly Will found himself grinning too. 

"That, pizza boy, is a secret I'll take to the grave." 

Will winked, and before he knew what he was doing he was saying, "Or will you be willing to share it over a few slices of a certain Italian dish consisting of flattened dough topped with cheese and various other ingredients and then baked in an oven?"

Harper paused briefly, staring into Will's eyes. "Are you...asking me on a date, pizza boy?"

"Maybe, hotline girl. Would you want to?"

Everything around them seemed to disappear. The chirping of the birds in the skies ceased. The voices of children and of the people around them became nothing but background noise in Will's ears. All he could focus on was the sound of his beating heart, the warm afternoon sun on his skin, and the soft blue eyes of Harper, staring straight at him.

"Yes, pizza boy," she said, and she took a hold of his hand. Their fingers fit together like pieces in a puzzle. "I think I would like that."

ミ

A/N:

This, by far, was my favourite scene in the book to write. Ahhhh my heart. Will and Harper are so cute. Thank you for everyone's love on this story of mine since the start -- my characters have been my babies and people's support has been so helpful when it came to motivation to write. Thank you!!

And no, this isn't the end. There's one more chapter left, don't worry ;)

Please leave a vote and a comment if you enjoyed! I'd really love to hear your opinions on this particular scene :)

- Evie