Sequel: Diamonds & Coal ›
Something To Talk About
Seven
When I finally pried my eyes open the next day, light was pouring through the windows and the alarm clock on my nightstand informed me that I had achieved my goal of sleeping away the entire morning.
I rolled onto my tummy, reaching for my cell phone and after flipping it open found that I had one new voicemail.
"'Hey, sleepyhead, it's Ryan. I hope you set your phone to silent, and if not, then I hope I didn't disturb your slumber. I wouldn't want you to go all Cave Of Wonders on my ass," I melted back into my warm bed as I listened to him chuckling at his own joke, "I just wanted to let you know, I talked to your soul mate and we're meeting at the Starbucks by our Waffle House, okay? 8:30. See you tonight, beautiful."
As I got ready, the same nerves I was feeling the night before began to creep up on me, but this time, there was something else thrown into the mix, and I was pretty sure Ryan was the cause. Though I had to wonder why I was thinking about him when he was obviously not my type at all, and in a relationship, especially when I was about to be meeting my single and apparently willing soul mate.
I arrived at Starbucks early to have a slight upper hand, yet when I was waiting for my vanilla latte, I realized there was a chance Jon might show up before Ryan, and started to wig out.
Fortunately, my wiggage was soon quelled by the simultaneous arrival of my latte and Ryan.
"Hey!" He beamed, quickly pecking me on the cheek as though we'd known each other for ages and it was something he'd always done, "You look really great."
"Thanks," I smiled, blushing down at my coffee.
"Did you sleep well?" He looked amused.
"Yeah, I was in bed till like, one," I nodded, "So, I wont be going all Cave of Wonders on you."
"Good," He blushed at my mention of his joke.
"So is uh...where's the girlf?" I wondered.
"She's um...she's waiting in the car..." Ryan explained, "I hate to tell you this, but we cant actually stay..."
"Wha-" I stopped and looked out the window at Ryan's BMW and the tanned blonde in the passenger seat, "Oh..well, I guess that's... alright."
I could barely see her and I knew she was the girl who had been stepping on girls like me since the beginning of time, and at this point there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. I could only hope this Jon fellow was looking for something more that a quilted three-ply user.
"I'm sorry," He mumbled and turned to order some drinks, "Could I have a grande nonfat iced peppermint white chocolate mocha, no whip...and a grande vanilla latte? Thanks."
He looked back at me after paying and I made a little pouty/nervous face at him.
"Don't worry Danya," His hand found my hip of its own accord and I froze, though he didn't notice, "Jon is going to love you. You'll be fine."
"I..." I sighed and forced myself to forget that he was touching me, that one of his fingers was touching the tiny bit of exposed skin between the bottom of my t-shirt and the top of my jeans, and that it was sending chills up my spine, "Ryan, I don't even know if I'll recognize him..."
"Alright, here..." He smiled pulling out his phone and snapped a picture of me smirking, "I'm sending this to him right now. So he'll recognize you. Problem solved."
"I hate you," I informed him and he just chuckled, pressing buttons on the phone.
"Don't be nervous, okay?" He smiled sweetly down at me, sliding his arm right around my waist, "Jon is a really great guy, and you are an absolute doll. Just trust me, Danya. He's perfect for you."
"I hate you so bad," I shook my head, still pouting and he was still smiling at me when his phone vibrated in his hand.
"Aw, Jon thinks you're cute." Ryan looked very pleased with himself, showing me the message and sending one back, "...And she can cook."
I smacked him on the arm and he laughed.
"You're going to love him."
"Seriously, really really hate you," I scowled playfully and Ryan's coffees were up.
"Alright," He let me go, to pick up the two drinks, "Have fun, okay? I'll call you later tonight to see how it went."
"Fine," I grumbled and was more prepared for the peck on the cheek he gave me this time.
"Good luck," He smirked, wiggled his eyebrows in a creepy sort of way, and left me standing in the coffee shop where let out a giant sigh at the sight of him getting in the car with her.
"No fat iced peppermint white chocolate mocha with no whip," I muttered, "What's the point?"
The employee closest to me giggled as I walked away and sat down in one of the arm chairs sipping my vanilla latte.
In my mind, I replayed the last two nights I spent hanging out with Ryan and watched the world go by through the streak-free Starbucks windows.
The way Ryan and I had met in the grocery store, it had seemed like he was kind of interested in me, but then he admitted that he had a girlfriend. Although, it wasn't likely that he would have said anything about her if I hadn't asked. So maybe he had been interested. But that still didn't change the fact that he had a girlfriend.
I sat in my big fuzzy green chair fiddling with the lid of my to-go cup, chewing on my lip without noticing anything around me, completely absorbed in my thoughts.
The previous night at dinner, it had felt like he was almost going to kiss me. At least I could have sworn thats what almost happened. Had he really thought I was incapable of wiping alfredo sauce off my own face?
I crossed my legs and rested my chin on my hand, my brow furrowed in concentration as if Ryan was an equation I just couldn't quite solve, and continued my thoughts, wondering who talks about going on a road trip with a girl who isn't their girlfriend? I was pretty sure he wouldn't be asking her to come along because his convertible didn't exactly look like it comfortably seated three.
"I don't think a girl has looked that disappointed to see me since high school," A completely gorgeous man said sitting down in the chair across from me.
He had slightly shaggy brown hair, warm and playful brown eyes and a scruffy beard that an intriguing smirk was evident under. Despite the fact that he was sporting jeans and a hoody, his choice of footwear happened to be a pair of flip flops much like the pair on my own feet.
He let out a hearty chuckle at my surprise and leaned forward across the short and wobbly Starbucks table, a large rough looking hand outstretched as he introduced himself.
"I'm Jon,"
Oh. My. God. I thought, eyes wide. Ryan was right!
I rolled onto my tummy, reaching for my cell phone and after flipping it open found that I had one new voicemail.
"'Hey, sleepyhead, it's Ryan. I hope you set your phone to silent, and if not, then I hope I didn't disturb your slumber. I wouldn't want you to go all Cave Of Wonders on my ass," I melted back into my warm bed as I listened to him chuckling at his own joke, "I just wanted to let you know, I talked to your soul mate and we're meeting at the Starbucks by our Waffle House, okay? 8:30. See you tonight, beautiful."
As I got ready, the same nerves I was feeling the night before began to creep up on me, but this time, there was something else thrown into the mix, and I was pretty sure Ryan was the cause. Though I had to wonder why I was thinking about him when he was obviously not my type at all, and in a relationship, especially when I was about to be meeting my single and apparently willing soul mate.
I arrived at Starbucks early to have a slight upper hand, yet when I was waiting for my vanilla latte, I realized there was a chance Jon might show up before Ryan, and started to wig out.
Fortunately, my wiggage was soon quelled by the simultaneous arrival of my latte and Ryan.
"Hey!" He beamed, quickly pecking me on the cheek as though we'd known each other for ages and it was something he'd always done, "You look really great."
"Thanks," I smiled, blushing down at my coffee.
"Did you sleep well?" He looked amused.
"Yeah, I was in bed till like, one," I nodded, "So, I wont be going all Cave of Wonders on you."
"Good," He blushed at my mention of his joke.
"So is uh...where's the girlf?" I wondered.
"She's um...she's waiting in the car..." Ryan explained, "I hate to tell you this, but we cant actually stay..."
"Wha-" I stopped and looked out the window at Ryan's BMW and the tanned blonde in the passenger seat, "Oh..well, I guess that's... alright."
I could barely see her and I knew she was the girl who had been stepping on girls like me since the beginning of time, and at this point there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. I could only hope this Jon fellow was looking for something more that a quilted three-ply user.
"I'm sorry," He mumbled and turned to order some drinks, "Could I have a grande nonfat iced peppermint white chocolate mocha, no whip...and a grande vanilla latte? Thanks."
He looked back at me after paying and I made a little pouty/nervous face at him.
"Don't worry Danya," His hand found my hip of its own accord and I froze, though he didn't notice, "Jon is going to love you. You'll be fine."
"I..." I sighed and forced myself to forget that he was touching me, that one of his fingers was touching the tiny bit of exposed skin between the bottom of my t-shirt and the top of my jeans, and that it was sending chills up my spine, "Ryan, I don't even know if I'll recognize him..."
"Alright, here..." He smiled pulling out his phone and snapped a picture of me smirking, "I'm sending this to him right now. So he'll recognize you. Problem solved."
"I hate you," I informed him and he just chuckled, pressing buttons on the phone.
"Don't be nervous, okay?" He smiled sweetly down at me, sliding his arm right around my waist, "Jon is a really great guy, and you are an absolute doll. Just trust me, Danya. He's perfect for you."
"I hate you so bad," I shook my head, still pouting and he was still smiling at me when his phone vibrated in his hand.
"Aw, Jon thinks you're cute." Ryan looked very pleased with himself, showing me the message and sending one back, "...And she can cook."
I smacked him on the arm and he laughed.
"You're going to love him."
"Seriously, really really hate you," I scowled playfully and Ryan's coffees were up.
"Alright," He let me go, to pick up the two drinks, "Have fun, okay? I'll call you later tonight to see how it went."
"Fine," I grumbled and was more prepared for the peck on the cheek he gave me this time.
"Good luck," He smirked, wiggled his eyebrows in a creepy sort of way, and left me standing in the coffee shop where let out a giant sigh at the sight of him getting in the car with her.
"No fat iced peppermint white chocolate mocha with no whip," I muttered, "What's the point?"
The employee closest to me giggled as I walked away and sat down in one of the arm chairs sipping my vanilla latte.
In my mind, I replayed the last two nights I spent hanging out with Ryan and watched the world go by through the streak-free Starbucks windows.
The way Ryan and I had met in the grocery store, it had seemed like he was kind of interested in me, but then he admitted that he had a girlfriend. Although, it wasn't likely that he would have said anything about her if I hadn't asked. So maybe he had been interested. But that still didn't change the fact that he had a girlfriend.
I sat in my big fuzzy green chair fiddling with the lid of my to-go cup, chewing on my lip without noticing anything around me, completely absorbed in my thoughts.
The previous night at dinner, it had felt like he was almost going to kiss me. At least I could have sworn thats what almost happened. Had he really thought I was incapable of wiping alfredo sauce off my own face?
I crossed my legs and rested my chin on my hand, my brow furrowed in concentration as if Ryan was an equation I just couldn't quite solve, and continued my thoughts, wondering who talks about going on a road trip with a girl who isn't their girlfriend? I was pretty sure he wouldn't be asking her to come along because his convertible didn't exactly look like it comfortably seated three.
"I don't think a girl has looked that disappointed to see me since high school," A completely gorgeous man said sitting down in the chair across from me.
He had slightly shaggy brown hair, warm and playful brown eyes and a scruffy beard that an intriguing smirk was evident under. Despite the fact that he was sporting jeans and a hoody, his choice of footwear happened to be a pair of flip flops much like the pair on my own feet.
He let out a hearty chuckle at my surprise and leaned forward across the short and wobbly Starbucks table, a large rough looking hand outstretched as he introduced himself.
"I'm Jon,"
Oh. My. God. I thought, eyes wide. Ryan was right!
♠ ♠ ♠
So, just so we are all clear, I do not dislike Keltie at all. I actually like her a lot. I only make her out to be a psycho hose beast in this story because I might have a little crush on her boyfriend. I think she would understand.