Enough Courage

☆Chapter 6

The North Main Cafe is a small hole in wall. But it's a brilliant place, and it's almost always packed full of people. Except for tonight, there is a young couple in one corner of the cafe, and an older man on his laptop by the cash register. Then us, a perfectly adventurous guy on a date with a perfectly basic girl.

Collins swiftly reaches down and swoops my hand up in his, making my whole right side explode in tingles. He leads me through rows of tables until we reach a window seat. The fact that he picks a window seat makes my heart smile.

He gestures for me to take a seat, "You know Ellis, the fact that you know a place like this makes me happy."

"When you only know one place your whole life, you get to know all the tiny, but best little spots."

"You make a good point, Ellis." He looks into my eyes.

I look away, flustered. I could listen to him say my name a thousand times over again.

Just then a waiter comes to our table and asks us what we want to drink. I order an iced tea, and Collins orders a water.

I put my book on the table and open it to our assignment.

Collins reaches over and closes my book with a smile on his face. Its then I notice he doesn't have his assignment with him.

"Tell me something about yourself, Ellis."

I look at my closed book and smile.

This is a date, I think to myself. As if it weren't already so obvious.

"What do you wanna know?"

He looks at me intrigued. "Just something that tells me more about you. Anything really. I just wanna know what makes small town Ellis tick."

You. I wanna say but keep it internal. I hesitate because nothing about me is unique.

"I'm from a big family." I say slowly. "Six kids total to be exact. Two sisters, three brothers. They're all a pain in my ass, but I love them." I laugh, and Collins smiles.

"Tell me more." He says.

"I've lived in Maine my whole life. Which you already know. Fall is my favorite season, I like the colors and I like I get to hide in sweaters. I like fireflies, and cottonseed in June. It reminds me of snow. Apple pie is my favorite thing on earth. Poppies are my favorite flower, and I like the sound of rushing rivers. I like school, but I don't really like the people. I feel like I don't really fit in..." I trail off feeling embarrassed because maybe I went too far or shared too many irrelevant things about my tiny self.

But when I look up Collins is still smiling at me, and I smile back.

"Sorry." I say quietly. "I'm not that interesting."

He shakes his head. I think for a moment he's going to disagree with me.  Instead he says, "Ellis, people at school aren't people we should fit in with. In fifteen years they'll be divorced with 4 kids living paycheck to paycheck with their nine to five jobs."

I nod, pretending I know where he's going with that one.

"Also, I think you're pretty interesting." He says nonchalantly.

"Tell me something about you." I say quickly so I won't back out of asking.

"I'm the one thats not that interesting." He laughs. "I'm an only child. My parents are lawyers living in Florida. Wealthy enough to hire a nanny to raise me, and send me off to any college I wanted."

My heart breaks a little when he tells me this, even though he doesn't seem bothered by it.

"I'm sorry." I say even though I know he's not looking for sympathy.

"Don't be sorry. I was a spoiled ass kid that got whatever he desired." He shrugs, but I can see beneath his wall. I can see that he holds a little pain from his childhood.

"Why did you pick Muskingum College since you could pick any." I ask to change the subject. But it doesn't work.

"I only picked Muskingum because I got a baseball scholarship, a full ride. I didn't want to use my parents money to go to college. For some reason I wanted to do it on my own."

It's then I notice a baseball on his sweatshirt and Muskingum in tiny letters underneath.

"You must be really good." I say with a smile.

"I like to think so." He smiles.

"Maybe I can watch you play sometime?"

"Definitely."

Collins takes out a small note pad from his jeans pocket, and then a pen. He looks at me and smirks. Then he starts sketching away on his notepad.

I lean forward a little, trying to see what he's writing. But instead I see lines, actually, it's more like a frame of a face. Then I remember the portrait of myself he gave me.

"What are you doing?" I ask even though its obvious.

"Drawing you." He says matter of factly.

"You're really great at drawing, Collins." I say.

He stops drawing when I say his name, and looks at me with a smile turns his head to one side then continues drawing.

About a half hour later our food arrives to our table and we dig in. Collins takes a bite of his cheeseburger. "Oh my God, you were not joking about how good the food is here."

"I told you." I say proudly.

He smiles, like he was expecting me to say something like that.

"So can I see it?"

"What?" he asks even though I know he knows.

"The picture you drew of me."

"Someday," he says nonchalantly.

"What? Why?" 

"You'll see." He smirks. "It has to be a surprise."

I wipe my face with a napkin, I'm clumsy. But I'm an even messier eater.

"You missed a little," he says and reaches across the table with a napkin.

I laugh with embarassment as I feel my face turn red.

"I'm not ready to go," I say. "But we do have class tomorrow." I frown.

"You're right, we need to get you home."

We leave the diner and he takes me home.

Tonight went too fast, and I don't want him to leave just yet.

"Thanks for tonight." I say and reach for the door handle.

As if he read my mind he reaches for my hand. Electricity jolts through my body again.

"Ellis," he starts softly. "I never told you how pretty you look tonight."

I blush a thousand shades of pink immediately.

"I mean you always look pretty." He says again.

"Thanks." I say just as quiet. "You don't look so bad yourself." I lightly punch his arm. Immediately regretting it.

He still laughs though. I want him to kiss me, but he doesn't and I can't help feeling disappointed.

I momentarily think about going in for one myself but don't work up enough courage to do it.

"See you tomorrow." I say instead, internally face palming.

"See you tomorrow."