Inferno

twenty seven | the swooning

A spray full of Axe, and I leave for Brew hut, not missing Elise 'someone looks pretty' on the way out; her bemused smirk making me blush in turn. I recognise the place by a two storey glass walled structure, the fragrance of coffee grounds dominating your senses as soon as you step inside. The air conditioner's set so high, I regret not carrying a jacket, but a look at Chase sitting by a table in a fitted Rolling Stones T-shirt, and it's heat everywhere. "Tell me you didn't pick up another date while I was gone?" Teasing, I point at the card sitting beneath his glass of water with a number written across the white surface.

"What can I tell you, I was almost leaving with her, then you showed up," sighing, a stifled grin breaks out on his face while I fling my bag at him.

"Not funny," I pout, scanning the menu in front of me.

"I heard their brownie latte shots are really good," he says, slightly pulling the menu down to reveal my squinted eyes. "Come on, we have a long time to play out these fights, skipping ahead isn't fair," pulling a stray lock of hair away from my face, I can't help the smile that replaces the grimace.

"Alright, shots it is."

"Great, I'm sure you'll be impressed," he says with such conviction, I decide it won't be a date as fun if it's all smiles and no flusters.

"Shouldn't I be impressed by you, though? I thought there'd be more to your moves than just dessert." Hands folded, both mine and his, the challenge is accepted. Flag raised and whistle blown, I'm tempted to see how he takes this one on. "So... do you have any moves?"

"Let's see," deep in thought, a smartass of an expression on his face, I concur it goes beyond just any. "Usually back in college, if I saw a girl at a cafe, my go-to move was to buy her a drink. They laughed in my face first, saying this might work better in a bar until I–I fished out a cognac from my jeans," he seemingly cringes over the memories, a sigh conveying it all. "It doesn't sound great now, but back then it was gold."

"Makes sense. 19, broke, hormonal, I can see how it must've worked," I nod, a wry grin on my face. "So what's the gold now, Cameron?"

"You'll see. Nay, you'll be fascinated because I came prepared."

"Is that so?" Tugging me along, our arms interlinked and my chin on his shoulder, he guides me to the trail of wooden stairs going up in a spiral. Up there, I don't cast my eyes away from him until a nudge from his side colours me embarrassed and shocked all at the same time.

"You can judge for yourself."

Surrounding us, there's a maze of book shelves and sunken couches in every corner with a little brushed up table for the reads to stack on and for the round cups to settle near by. "I...I don't know what to say, this is amazing, Chase."

"Really, you like it?"

"Are you kidding me? This is the dream. A room full and fragrant of books and coffee with no one else in sight. No one, but you."

Tiptoeing ahead, he slings an arm round my shoulder. "I'm there too, huh?"

"Only you." I murmur; our lips briefly connecting before we take to the abode by the classics, him on a brown bean bag, me on his lap, and an old edition of Gatsby in my hands. As much as I try concentrating on the flick of the dusty pages, it's too much of a task with Chase's fingers toying with my pulled open hair. Although, that's just the icing, with me positioned in his lap such, it's taking a heroical commitment to not sway and let myself grind into him; Literature foregone in the wake of my laboured breaths and his god forsaken smile before those lips take to tracing my collar nine down to the most sensitive spots.

"Can I ask you something?" He says, distracting my teeming mind off its unscrupulous thoughts. I simply nod, the approval hushed and chest rippling in contrast until I turn, laying a hand on his own thundering heart and noticing his knitted eyebrows.