Just Another Pretty Face in the Crowd

Chapter Thirteen – I’m Unique

I scrambled off the couch and into the kitchen, where my ringing cell phone was accidentally abandoned. The ringtone Shake Me Down by Cage the Elephant began playing, letting me know that it was Sadie that was calling me.

“Hello?” I said, breathing heavily.

“Hey,” she said. “Why you out of breathe? It sounds like you just ran a marathon.”

“No, just had a heart attack while rushing to get my phone,” I replied, trying to gain control over my breathing. “What do you want, darling?”

“I was wondering if you want to hang out a little.”

“Sure, I don’t have anything to do today anyway.”

“Not even studying?”

“Who needs studying?” I retorted.

Sadie laughed a little, “Okay. I get off work in a little bit, just decided to call on my smoke break.”

I cringed slightly in disgust when she mentioned her smoking habit. I don’t mind that she smoked, but I minded the smell of it. I hated the smell of cigarettes.

“I’ll see you soon. Meet at the coffee shop?” she asked, after a momentary pause, probably for a drag or two off her cancer stick.

“Sure,” I answered. I glanced at the microwave clock and realized it was twelve thirty. “You get off at two, right?”

“Yes ma'am,” she replied.

“See you soon, then.” I hung up my cell and pocketed it, making sure that I didn’t make the same mistake twice. I strolled back into the living room and looked at Caesar, who was previously lying on my lap before I pushed him off. He was now peering at me with his puppy dog eyes. “Sorry Caes. Do you forgive me?” I asked, kneeling down to his level.

He leaned into my hand as I scratched his weak spot behind his ear. Anyone could find that spot on him and he'd be their best friend.

I sat back down on the couch and continued to watch the marathon of Law and Order: SVU that was on the USA channel. Caesar jumped up on the couch and laid back down on my lap, going back to that peaceful sleeping state of his.

*****

“Hey, babe,” Sadie said as I walked into the coffee shop. She was sitting down in one of the high tables along the wall, drinking a French Vanilla latte.

“Hey honey,” I said, smiling and sat down in the chair across from her. “How are you?”

“Okay, I had a boring day at the bookstore,” she replied. I glanced at her shirt and realized that she was still wearing the bookstore work shirt.

“That sucks,” I said.

“Yea, it does. How are you?”

“Good,” I said with a smile. “Thankful that you called or else I would be lying at home on the couch watching the Law and Order: SVU marathon.”

“That sounds like fun,” she said, taking a sip from her latte.

“Oh, believe me, it was.”

“So, how is Sidney?” she asked, smirking at me.

I just raised my eyebrow at her, “And how would I know that?”

“You hung out with him yesterday and the day before that." Sadie replied. "Plus you hang out with the guys all the time.”

"I do not!" I answered back, defensively. “I guess he’s good. He was good yesterday at least.”

“How was your date with him?” Sadie continued to push the subject.

“It wasn’t a date." I denied. "We didn't argue or sit in awkward silence, if that's what you're asking.” I answered while staring at the menu, looking for something to order.

“Anything exciting happen?” she asked, trying hard to dig information out of me.

“Nothing that you should know,” I said, trying hard not to smile bigger than I was. The thought of him kissing me was still burned in my memory and I couldn't help but smile at it.

“OH MY GOD! SOMETHING TOTALLY HAPPENED!” Sadie squealed at me, making me jump a little.

“What did I just say? Nothing happened that you should know about,” I repeated.

“You guys kissed, didn’t you!” She excitedly guessed.

I didn't reply not that I needed to with my damned smile giving me away. I hated when someone could see through my poker face.

“I KNEW IT!” she shouted again. “YOU AND SIDNEY KISSED!”

“Would you keep it down, please? I don’t want the whole world to know,” I said a little shy about that fact that someone as great as Sidney Crosby kissed me.

“How was it?” she asked.

‘Well, since the cat is out of the bag.’ I looked down at the table. “It was nearly perfect.”

“That’s it. Nearly perfect." Sadie gave a look of unbelieving. "It wasn't mind-blowing or take-your-breath-away?”

“Trust me, it was both of those things,” I said with a smile coyly playing on my lips.

“Then why is it nearly perfect?” she asked, clearly confused.

“It was too short,” I said, simply. I got up from my seat, finally deciding on what I wanted off of the coffee shop’s menu. I stood behind a younger girl who was ordering an iced Mocha Latte and was chatting on her cell phone with someone. Finally, I reached the front of the line. “Can I please have an iced coffee with a blueberry muffin?”

“Yes, you may,” the cashier girl said with a smile.

I handed over my cash. She gave me my change and then started on my order. Minutes later she handed me my iced coffee and got a blueberry muffin from one of the shelves in the glass case.

“Thank you.”

The girl nodded at me and I walked back to the table where Sadie was sitting still in awe about my answer. She just stared at me and then smirked a little, “So... You liked it then?”

“No, I hated it and never want to see him again,” I said in a very sarcastic voice, then took a sip out of my iced coffee.

“Hey! Don’t give me attitude!” she said sternly before she started laughing, giving up on her serious façade. “I can’t help but ask. You haven’t been with anyone after since Tony. I seriously don’t see how you can still be friends with him.”

I just shrugged. Sadie never understood why I was still friends with him. Yes, he was my ex-boyfriend and yes, I had my heart broken. We were better off friends in the end. I would have hurt worse if he had just walked away. He was there when I needed to talk to someone and that's what really mattered.

“Do you think that Sidney could be 'the one'?” Sadie asked. Of course she would ask that kind of question.

I rolled my eyes at it. “I don’t know, Sadie. Frankly, I could care less right now. It is far too early to tell,” I answered. I've only known the guy for a week and I already was developing feelings for him. I wasn’t ready to say if he was 'the one' or not.

“You better tell me when you figure it all out,” she said, taking another sip of her French Vanilla latte.

“I will, I promise.” I answered back, not bothering to look at her. 'Like that will ever happen!'

“You better!” she said in a mock stern voice, attempting to threaten me. Too bad it didn’t work.

I just glanced at her before I tore off the top of my muffin. I took a bite off the bottom part of it, saving the best part for last.

“Why the hell do you do that?” Sadie asked, looking at me like I was an alien from another planet.

“That’s the best part of the muffin! I’m saving it for last! You should know that by now,” I said, wiping some crumbs off my shirt.

“Well, you’re weird.”

"I'm unique. Get it right!"

“Yes, only a unique person would claim that they weren’t flirting with Sidney Crosby, say that is obviously amazing kiss was near perfect, and eat a muffin without the top on it,” she answered back.

“Be quiet. You’re just jealous.”

“Oh yes, I'm so jealous,” she said with a smirk. “What are you doing after work tomorrow?”

“I promised Nolan that I would work out at the gym," I cringed a little.

“You need to burn off the calories of this iced coffee and blueberry muffin. You are so fat,” Sadie joked.

“I know, right?” I said, putting my hands on my stomach, trying to emphasize ‘my gut.’

She giggled a little at my attempt. “As much fun as this has been, I got to get going. I promised Mom that I would be home soon.”

“Tell her I said hi,” I said with a smile.

“Okay, I will,” Sadie said then left me sitting at the high table by myself with the top of my muffin and half of my iced coffee. ‘Now what am I supposed to do?’

It was at that moment that my phone decided to go off, warning me that someone was texting me. I dung in my pocket hurriedly, hoping it was the person that I thought it was. Sidney.

I opened my phone and glanced at the screen: Hey :)

Even at this seemly simple text message I couldn’t help but smile brightly at it: Hello Mr. Crosby.

My cell started beeping at me a few moments later, letting me know that Sid wasn't just saying "Hi" and checking out for the day. I knew better than to think that he would. What r u doin

I rolled my eyes at the thought of this being one of those cliché conversations: Eating the top of my muffin :) You?

I placed my phone back on the table and drank a little bit of my iced coffee to wash down the blueberry muffin top. I jumped off the high chair, throwing the muffin wrapper in the trash as I walked out the door. I carried my iced coffee out the door with me.

My phone started signaling that once again I had a new message: Sittin @ practice. Just the top?

I furrowed my brow together. Surely, I’m not the only person that eats food freakishly weird. I already ate the other parts. The muffin top is the best part!

I pocketed my phone in my coat pocket and walked down to the sidewalk to my apartment. The weather was surprisingly warm today, the only bad thing about it was the wind tunnel that the office buildings were creating, making it feel like it was ten degrees colder than what it really was.

His reply to my statement: You’re weird.

I was quick to reply: I’m unique. Get it right! :P

We continuously flirted back and forth for the rest of the day. I couldn’t help but wonder if I was one of those rebound girls that would end up being just a “puck bunny.”