Closing Time

Anticipating her arrival, I sat nervously in my chair at a table for two with another cup of fresh coffee in between my hands. It was nearing nine o'clock in the evening and worry began to get the best of me, thinking she'd never show up. I gazed out of Starbucks' window, looking left and right and hoping I'd catch sight of her but so far, no such luck.

What was I even going to say to her? The last time we talked was only to set up this meeting because I just had to see her so I begged the guys to drop by again. And the time before that was the one phone call nearly two months ago when I set up a surprise concert here in Dallas, hoping I'd bump into her again. Even then we didn't talk about much other than what we had been up to lately and how we couldn't forget the day we met.

Lost in my own thoughts, I didn't notice the pretty lady that had taken a seat to my right until I felt a warm hand rest on my right wrist, startling me out of my deep thinking. I turned my head, smiling big when my eyes landed on her. "Colby."

She smiled back, a blush creeping up to her cheeks. Probably because of the way I was staring at her. "Hi, John."

Though she had changed a little since I last saw her, she was still recognizable and just as beautiful as ever. Her shoulder-length wavy dirty blonde hair was now longer and perfectly straight and up in a high ponytail with her bangs still set in the same way; she had these cute black framed, square cut glasses over those cerulean eyes I could never forget and she was dressed in a "Heart and Soul" black and white Plaid Dress with "SO's" Taurus ankle boots instead of her usual jeans and a fitted tee.

"Sorry, I'm late," she started, her blush darkening. "I couldn't leave until my dad left for work and I would've called but I'm grounded."

I chuckled at how nervous she was; a complete 180 since that day. "It's fine. I was starting to think you might have forgotten about me." My gaze that had been glued to the coffee in my hands slowly adjusted itself onto her.

"I'd never forget about you," she said with a head shake before lowering it so her eyes were set on her lap. "I think about you everyday actually."

My smile grew. "Really?" She nodded, refusing to look up. Wanting her to look at me, I brought a finger to her chin and lifted her head upward so our eyes met again. "I think about you too."

A half-smile was occupying her lips; I always wondered what she tasted like. "Really?"

"Really."

"Everyday?"

I nodded, causing her smile to bloom to its full length. "I could never stop."

Her blush returned as she immediately took a piece of her hair and buried the bottom half of her face in it; I chuckled again but this time, at how adorable she was. "So how have you been since the last time we talked?"

Her eyes stared at the wooden table as she simply shrugged. "Good? I don't know...happy, I guess. I mean, I finally graduated just last week."

"Oh, that's right," I solemnly said, dropping my head slightly and thinking back to the mall. After high school, she was leaving for New York for fashion school and where she would end up with some guy who wouldn't be me. I knew this was too good to be true. She could have any guy she wanted. Why would she pick me?

"John?"

I shook my head and looked back up with a feigned smile. "Sorry. But uh yeah, that's great. So that means New York's coming up, right?"

Her expression faltered, her eyes moving back down to the table as she struggled to form words. "W-well...no, actually. Um, I can't go."

My eyebrows creased as my head tilted a little to the right. "Why's that?"

"My dad," she timidly answered while using her right hand to rub her left arm up and down. "He won't let me go because it's too far away, that New York City's too dangerous to be living in, and..." she trailed off, biting down hard on her bottom lip.

"And what?"

She shrugged again, tracing invisible circles on the table with her index finger. "He doesn't think I can make it in the fashion industry."

"What?" I asked out of disbelief. "Your dad said that to you?"

"Well, not in so many words b-"

"Doesn't matter," I cut in with an anger-fueled scoff. "I mean, a father who doesn't believe in his own daughter? Colby, you should go. Do it regardless of what your dad says. It's your dream, not his. His opinion shouldn't matter. He doesn't even have a right to say it."

"He's my dad, John," she argued with little annoyance evident in her tone. "He's only protecting me from how cruel the world is. Everyone knows just how vicious the fashion industry can be."

"But shouldn't you at least try?" I urged, moving my chair closer to hers; our knees ended up touching, sending a thrilling shiver up my spine. "I mean, what if I hadn't gotten over my stage awkwardness? I didn't want to spend my life wondering what would've happened if I hadn't face my fears and I don't want you to either. What's the worse that could happen?"

"My dad could end up hating me and not talking to me for the rest of my life if I go," she said quietly. "He's all I have, John. I can't do it."

"That's not true," I replied in the same tone, placing my finger back under her chin and moving my face towards hers. "You have me."

Her mouth slightly dropped and a soft gasp emitted from her lips as her sky-blue eyes illuminated with a mixture of shock, doubt, and content. I couldn't stop myself from moving in any closer but it wasn't until our lips touched when I realized what I was doing. I began to pull away but her hands grabbed a hold of my tousled hair and kept me in place.

Sweet as sin is how I thought her lips tasted like because I swear I was going to straight hell for an average guy like me kissing a girl as flawless as Colby. I licked her bottom lip, hoping she'd let me in and when she did, I wasted no time in making aggressive contact with her tongue. I titled my head a bit to the right while slightly pushing my face forward to deepen the kiss. This complete blissful feeling was something I never experienced before and yet, I wasn't scared. I was the exact opposite with wanting more.

"Ahem." Colby and I abruptly pulled away from each other, the both of us blushing madly before turning our heads to find a young girl around Colby's age with a Starbucks uniform and a warm smile. "It's closing time, folks."

I gave her a half-smile and a small head nod before she turned her heel and left. I looked back at Colby who had gotten up and was waiting for me to do the same. After throwing away the cup of coffee I never touched not once during the entire conversation, Colby and I slowly walked side by side until we were completely outside of Starbucks.

"I guess...this is good-bye?" I skeptically said after a while of silence as I tried fighting the urge of wanting to kiss her again. If I did, I didn't think I'd be able to let go even if I wanted to.

She intensely stared back up at me with sad eyes as she took a small step forward and slipped her small hand into mine. "Take me home, John," she whispered softly with a small quiver in her voice.

I meekly nodded with a heavy sigh, not wanting to depart just yet. "Which way's your house?" Still waiting for an answer, I began to walk and pull her along with me but her hand jerked me back. I studied her with eyebrows narrowed and feeling slightly confused at her action.

"Not here," she explained, still as quiet as ever and her hand still in mine. She took a hold of the hem of my white v neck and lessened the space between us. "Home is wherever you are."

My eyes blinked at her sweet-sounding statement but I didn't have to think twice about her words as I placed a brief kiss atop her head before sliding my arm around her petite frame and quietly leading us into our new beginning.