Acting On Love

When we got back to Ville's car, we were soaked down to the bone and shivering. Of course it had been worth it, but the experience had been like a sweet with a bad after taste. We sat down in his car, still laughing. He turned up the heating immediately.

"W-what...had you been...thinking?" I stuttered, hugging myself to warm up.

He grinned. "I'm not...entirely sure. Sometimes I just do crazy things when I'm with you. A bit like that night in the theatre. I would never have broken the rules like that for anyone else."

I stopped shivering for a moment as he said these words. For a moment I felt warm. He smiled again.

"So what do you want to do now?" he asked, breathing into his hands to warm them up.

His question caught me off guard. "Something warm." I laughed.

He laughed, too. "Are you thirsty?"

I nodded.

"Then let's get coffee," he smiled, firing up the car.

When we arrived at the small diner which Ville had chosen, a few people who were already there watched our entrance. A couple even laughed at our appearance. I looked down at my shirt, which was still soaking. My hair was still dripping, too. I was half tempted to turn around and go back outside, but Ville placed a hand on my lower back, and lead us through the diner.

He kissed me gently on the cheek as we waited to order. I couldn't help but notice the slightly envious look in one of the girl's eyes who at laughed at my appearance. I suddenly felt a little better.

We sat down with our coffees and sipped them slowly through-out the afternoon. We talked for hours...about music; our families; and everything else in between. I held onto my warm cup - refilling it every now and then. The sky had darkened - and the diner emptied - by the time we were done. When we were given our bill, Ville's eyes light up and his jaw dropped.

"Did we really drink that much coffee?! We'll be up all night!" he laughed, putting it back on the table.

"Is it really that bad?" I asked nervously.

"See for yourself," he said, passing it towards me along the table.

"20 bucks on coffee!" I shouted, louder than I'd meant to. He laughed and pulled out his wallet.

"Do you need help paying for this?" I offered.

"No, it's fine," he assured me. "It would be rude of me to make a student pay for her coffee. Especially when I'm the only one who's earning a proper salary."

I wasn't sure why his last words hurt me so much, but I flinched a little at hearing them. I felt my cheeks go a little red with embarrassment, too. I knew I was poorer than him since the moment we'd met, but the way he put it got to me. I watched as the waitresses chatted behind the counter, looking at me every so often. Were they wondering what someone like me was doing with someone like him? Were the 9 years that separated us that obvious?

"Kristen, are you ok?" Ville asked, as he set the money down on the small table, with a tip for the waitresses to enjoy.

"I'm fine," I mumbled, letting go of the grip I had on the little money I had in my pocket with me.

He was the first to stand up. I stood up slowly after him. One of the two waitresses came to collect the money. She smiled at Ville when she saw the tip he'd left. He fluttered a smile back.

"I never tip too little," he said to her, making her smile even more.

I made my way to the diner door and stepped outside. When I looked back, Ville was still talking to the waitress. After a few moments, he'd followed me outside. When we were back inside his car, I'd almost forgotten about our whole afternoon together. I'd almost forgotten about the happiness I'd felt when we laughed together, sharing embarrassing stories.

I buckled my seatbelt silently. I still didn't really understand what had set me off, but I had an idea. When he'd first suggested to meet up at the weekend - to escape the university - I thought I'd be able to forget the only thing that threatened to stop us being together. I had been wrong.

The outside world seemed to draw out our differences even more. The fact that he earned a proper salary, while I relied on my parents and my savings. The fact that he was nearly thirty, and other people his age were married with children. The fact that I was still learning.

He started up the car.

"So do you want to check in somewhere for the night?" he asked, still smiling; as happy as ever. "I promise we'll have more fun tomorrow. Well, if we manage to get some sleep tonight." His smile faded when he noticed the surprised look on my face. "I mean because of the coffee," he quickly corrected. "Well, unless you'd...want to..." he trailed off, suddenly looking a little unsure. He waited for my answer.

"I think I should probably go back to the halls," I said quietly.

"Oh." He looked disappointed, but continued driving anyway. "Ok," he said, almost talking to himself, as he kept his eyes fixed on the road.

I closed my eyes and sighed. I couldn't keep the memory of the waitresses out of my head, though. The way they looked at me; almost looked down at me. Just like the way Ville viewed my wallet. I knew I was over-reacting as usual, but over-reacting was what I did. It wasn't hard to insult me.