and we scored

Scene 23

CADEN

We're sitting at a café now, Nessie and I at the table while Nini orders our food. I wanted to remain with Nini, yet she insisted she wants to be the one ordering. I gave up, which lead me to sitting at the table with her best friend now, who didn't stop smiling ever since she walked out of the bookstore with two tote bags filled with new reading material.

I am focused on Nini, who is now speaking with the lady at the counter. She's ordering something and keeps playing with a strand of her hair, probably nervous. I let myself forget about the world for a while and see her as the sun of my universe.

"You really seem to love her", Nessie's voice pulls me out of my thoughts and back to the world.

I look at her once and don't know how to answer. So I only nod.

"You're a lucky guy. Nini is an amazing girl. And I haven't seen her look at any other guy like she looks at you before."

"What do you mean?" I ask, now interested in the conversation.

"I mean," she begins, a bit more nervous, "she has had boyfriends before. Guys she was seeing. Yet none of them managed to make her look at them like that."

"Like what?"

"Like looking away is the last thing she would want to do."

I swallow hard and look again at Nini, who meanwhile is coming with our order. As she sees the frozen look on my face and the way Nessie looks at me like she has just said something forbidden, Nini immediately panics.

"What were you talking about?" she asks a bit skeptical, trying to hide the worries in her voice. Nessie smiles guilty and answers through a lie: "Books."

Nini bites it and chuckles: "If this is the face Caden makes when talking about books, I don't know."

She sits down on the only chair that is free, which is too far away from me. I instinctively bend over her to kiss her, then drag her chair closer to mine. The noise has caught the attention of the rest of the people in the café, who now look at us smiling. Nini blushes. I kiss her cheeks, who are now redder than her hair.

When she recovers from her shock, she returns to our order.

"So, Nessie, a tea and cheesecake for you." Nini says, handing her friend her food. Nessie smiles at her and takes a first sip from her drink.

Nini then turns to me and has a mischievous smile on. "I also got you something", she adds. I chuckle.

"I told you I didn't want anything." I whisper, since that's exactly what I've told her. She only laughs and hands me a very dark coffee and a protein bar. I start laughing.

"I got you right, didn't I?" she asks and I look smirking at her. She did. That's exactly the order I would have asked for.

Pleased, she returns to her cup filled with the same orange like drink I always see in her hands.

"You honestly bought yourself a pumpkin spice latte?" I ask, although I already know the answer.

"Obviously", she replies, taking a sip. "Best drink ever."

"But it tastes so fake", I try to protest. She cuts me off with a death stare.

"You haven't even tried it..."

"I have."

"When? Ten years ago."

"No, I wasn't allowed to drink coffee with ten."

"Then when?"

"Nine years ago."

She grins. "You little..."

"What? Handsome amazing guy?" I finish that phrase for her with a smirk on. She chuckles, which makes my heart smile.

"Try it", she says, moving the cup closer to me.

"What?! No way." I try to avoid it. Yet she's in her feisty mood. Probably won't let me go away from this café til I try her drink.

"Want me to take a straw or something for you?" She asks and I clearly don't get it.

"What do you mean?" I ask. 

She explains: "Well, in case you don't find it hygienic to touch with your lips where my lips were."

"Oh, I have no problem touching your lips with my lips, Broadway." I reply smirking. She blushes again, which makes me chuckle.

To end this awkward situation for her, I take a sip from her drink. Without a straw. With my lips. She looks at me waiting for a reaction. I try to hide my disgust. That drink is so sweet, it should be forbidden. I mean it. However, I don't want to ruin Nini's hopeful look on her face right now, so I lie.

"It's good."

"I knew you'd like it. It's delicious."

No, it isn't. "It is."

Nessie; and to be fair, I almost forgot she was also there; must have seen through my lie and says: "Yeah, I'm sure it is."

I throw her a death stare and she takes another sip from her tea. Smirking.

"This means you won't ask me more stupid questions about pumpkin spice latte from now on?" Nini asks, which makes me smile.

"No", I reply chuckling. The two girls also join in with a laughter.

"Was worth a try." She mumbles more to herself, yet I still heard her. I bend closer to her ear, til her red strands of hair tingle my nose.

"Want to hear another stupid question?" I ask her, trying to play it cool since I am really nervous about what follows.

"Sure", she whispers back to me, sensing that something is up.

"I'm not allowed to be with you", I whisper and I can see her tense. She tries to hide it, yet I started to know her better. And it breaks my heart to see her like this. However, I continue: "I am in a pretty messed up situation right now, and I can't. But I need you to trust me. I want to keep seeing you, even though we wouldn't be together together. Not an official couple. But I really like you, Nini. Like I really really like you. And I promise to act like a nice boyfriend, although we wouldn't be official. What do you say, Broadway? Do you agree?"

My voice started shaking at the end. Nini stands like frozen next to me. Her eyes are set to the floor, hiding themselves from me. She's playing with the sleeve of her sweater, not knowing what to do. I take her hand and curl our fingers. She look at me confused.

"Alright, lovebirds", Nessie says to break the awkward silence. She begins to say something else, but that's not what I hear. What I hear is the whispered "yes" Nini said. So quiet, I think I might have imagined it. I look over at her to make sure I heard it right, and she nods. That's when I lose it. I don't give a shit about what Nessie is talking, I just lean closer to Nini, wrapping my hands around her neck and kiss her. Hungry. She wraps her hands around my neck and kisses me back with the same passion.

And by the time Nessie stops talking and laughs, I tuned out completely and focus just on the one I'm holding, hoping I will never have to let go.