Coffee And Confessions

Chapter 4

Joe's POV

The girl I saw on the street had become a mystery I needed to solve. Ever since that night, she hadn't left my thoughts. She was stuck in my head, like an unsolved puzzle. Why her? What was it about her that made me question everything? I had my rules, no serious relationships, but they felt fragile now. She had me second guessing things, even my growing relationship with Blair. It had reached the point where I had to lie to Blair whenever she asked me to hang out.

Since that day, I started noticing her more. Every time we crossed paths, she would glance my way, sometimes smile. Sometimes she'll come to the cafe to hang around with her friends. Should I approach her? I thought many times but then I didn't want to reveal my identity. I will sneak back. There was something about her smile that touched me deeply. It felt familiar, like I already knew her somehow. But I couldn't ignore that the first time I approached her, she was a bit rude. Still, when she smiled, it was like everything else faded away. There was a connection, a spark, and I couldn't explain it.

I'm starting to feel like a teenage boy with a crush, except with less acne and hopefully better game.

My nights had become restless. All I could think about was her. I even tried chatting with other girls, hoping it would distract me, but somehow she always found a way back into my thoughts. I was losing sleep over her, tossing and turning, unable to focus. My eyes burned from exhaustion, and after what felt like an eternity, I managed to get a few hours of sleep.

At this point, my sleep schedule was like a ghost. Occasionally present but mostly haunting me.

Today, I had plans to meet up with Tamara to discuss my upcoming birthday party. It was still two months away, but Tamara insisted on planning early, claiming that perfection took time. She even messaged me early morning, saying she and Jia would come over to talk about the menu and decorations. I had told them multiple times to do whatever they wanted, but they wouldn't leave me alone.

Tamara and I had been friends since childhood, practically raised together. She lived just across the street, and our moms had always been close. Tamara was currently training at a fashion company and like Calvin, would be graduating next year.

When I finally got dressed and went downstairs, Tamara and Jia were already waiting. They had been impatiently checking the time, eager to get my approval on their plans.

"What took you so long?" Jia asked, clearly annoyed. Despite all her meditation and yoga, she still had a short temper.

Jia always had this aura of Zen... until someone took more than two seconds to answer her. Then the yoga instructor vanished, and the drill sergeant showed up.

I smirked. "You know me, always gotta look my best," I replied sarcastically, which only made Jia glare at me.

Tamara, more focused on the party than my teasing, pulled out a whiteboard from the corner, already prepared with a seating arrangement. Jia had a notebook full of guest lists and decoration ideas. They spent a good half hour running through their plans, and I just nodded along, agreeing with everything.

"Can I invite some of my friends?" I asked, curious how they'd react.

Tamara and Jia exchanged a knowing look, then smiled. "We've already added them to the guest list," Tamara said.

I swear, Tamara was planning my birthday like it was the royal wedding. Next thing I know, she'll be asking for a guest list written in calligraphy

"Yeah, but I have some friends from university you don't know yet, and I'd like to invite them too," I added. I almost mentioned the girl I couldn't stop thinking about but decided against it. Tamara was always protective when it came to girls, especially after everything I went through with Erine.

Isn't it wild how love can go from butterflies in your stomach to 'Wow, maybe I should've just ordered pizza that night instead.

"Alright, you can invite a few more friends. We'll figure it out," Jia conceded.

Happy with their approval, I excused myself to the kitchen for a coffee. It was the weekend, which meant I had to check in at the café. Luckily, that girl didn't usually come by on weekends, so I wouldn't have to worry about seeing her. I wasn't ready to let anyone from university know my family owned Love & Latte, except for Usher and Noah.

I felt like I was living in some kind of movie, except without the witty banter and perfect lighting. Just a lot of awkward avoidance and caffeine.

When I arrived at the café, it was quiet, thankfully. I went straight to the office, where Mom was already deep into paperwork.

"Morning," I greeted her.

She looked up, acknowledged me with a nod, and went back to her papers.

"Can you check if we've received these orders? And call your dad to make sure he's arrived too. Same for Raj," she instructed. Raj was in charge of our third café, the one I would take over once I graduated.

I grabbed the list from her. "Mom, it's your day off. Go home. I've got this," I insisted. She rolled her eyes but grabbed her purse and left, reminding me one last time about the orders.

I admired her for a moment as she walked out. She was a powerhouse, balancing family and business effortlessly. After Dad's accident, she had taken charge without a single complaint. I couldn't wait to graduate and take some of the load off her shoulders.

After making a few calls and checking the orders, I realized there wasn't much left to do. Mom had already handled most of it. I stepped out to the front, but the café was still slow. I went back to the office, slumped in my chair, and stared at the ceiling.

I thought about Erin, how I had been so in love with her. Back then, I couldn't imagine my life without her. It's funny how things change, yet somehow, they also stay the same. The feelings, the emotions, they linger. Was love really the only emotion that could stir me like this? I didn't know. But when I saw her, the girl from the street, my heart beat differently.

Tina's POV

As usual, Trisha, Veronica, and I were making our way from the university toward the café where we always hung out after classes. It was our favorite spot, Love & Latte. The lattes there? Chef's kiss.

We were deep in our usual gossip session when we heard a voice behind us.

"Excuse me," someone called.

We turned around, confused. Was he talking to us? There he was that guy, with a smile that could probably melt glaciers. He was wearing black jeans and a navy blue T-shirt, and his hair had that perfect messy look like he'd just rolled out of bed but still looked like a Calvin Klein ad. Since the day he smiled at me, I'd become more cautious around him. My heart always did this little jump whenever we crossed paths, even though I tried so hard not to pay attention. He reminded me of my ex, my walking nightmare.

So yeah, I wasn't exactly rushing to get involved.

He took a few steps toward us and reached into his bag. My heart started pounding. What was he taking out? Was this one of those cheesy movie moments where a guy suddenly pulls out a rose? Or a teddy bear?

Is he going to propose right here?!

But nope. Instead, he handed me... notes.

"Thanks for these" he said.

I blinked, trying to figure out how to react.

Notes? I finally get to hear his voice, and it's to return some old class notes?

My brain was processing this at the speed of a dial-up modem. I remembered lending those notes to a guy who sat in the back row. But why was he returning them?

He cleared his throat. "Uh, Jerold asked me to give them back to you after I was done with them. I kinda borrowed them to catch up."

Wait. What? How could he need notes? He was always in class, paying full attention! I should know I've..uh..noticed him a few times.

Then, out of nowhere, he asked if we could talk.

Talk? To me?!

Trisha had found out his name a few days ago, Joe. That's all we knew, but now he wanted to chat?

I was frozen. Heart pounding, brain in panic mode.

Abort mission, abort!

Veronica pinched me to snap me out of it, and I glanced at Trisha, who was in the same boat, staring at him like a deer in headlights. Oh, did I mention Trisha had a crush on him too? Yeah. This just got real complicated, real fast.

He cleared his throat again.

"Would you like to grab a coffee with me?"

Did he just ask me out? A coffee date? Oh no. No, no, no. I wasn't ready for this! It felt like my life had just been thrown into fast-forward.

"It's just to, you know, to say thanks. Your notes really helped me out. Plus, there's something I'd like to talk about" he babbled.

Now I was stuck between him and Trisha. I didn't want to break her heart, but I also didn't want to reject him, especially not after I'd already managed to upset him once. I glanced at Trisha, and surprisingly, she was smiling. Was it genuine? Is she actually rooting for me here? Maybe he wanted to talk about Trisha!

Yes! That had to be it.

"Yeah, sure" I said, not really sure how I ended up saying yes.

Veronica and Trisha were still staring at me like I'd just agreed to go to the moon. Thanks, guys, way to swoop in and save me.

"You can walk with me if that's okay?" Joe asked. "Or we can sit somewhere and chat."

"Walking is fine" I blurted out before I could think.

Great. Smooth.

As we walked, our hands brushed together, sending a weird spark through me.

Why does his touch make me feel like that?

I pushed the feeling away and asked

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

He held out his hand for a proper introduction. "I'm Joe, and you are?"

I panicked. My hand was suddenly a sweaty mess, so I wiped it on my jeans before shaking his. Please don't notice. Please don't notice.

"I'm Tina."

"Thanks for coming with me. I think we could become good friends" he said with a shy smile.

Good friends? My heart skipped a beat. One minute he's asking me for coffee, the next he's talking about friendship. What just happened? Everything was moving faster than a car chase scene in Fast & Furious.

"Uh, I'm not sure that's a good idea" I mumbled, trying not to sound too rude. "Maybe some other time?"

"It's just coffee. Nothing more, nothing less," he reassured me.

"You can leave anytime if you feel uncomfortable."

"It's not about the coffee," I said, halting.

I took a deep breath. Not everyone is bad, I reminded myself. I'd gotten better at spotting red flags, and Joe didn't seem like a walking billboard for emotional damage. So, I said yes.

"Great," he said, smiling like a kid who just won a prize.

"So... when and where?" I asked.

"How about now? At Love & Latte? You were already heading there, right?" He chuckled. "I mean, it's just coffee, and we can get to know each other a bit."

Too fast, too fast! And wait, how does he know I was heading to Love & Latte?

Can he read minds? Or is he... stalking me? I needed to get to the bottom of this.

"Okay, just coffee. We can talk about 'getting to know each other' later"

I suggested, trying to slow things down.

"Deal. Coffee now, personal stuff when you're ready" he teased.

When we arrived at the café, we took our seats, and Joe went to order. He came back with two chai lattes.

"Do you like chai lattes too?" I asked.

"Depends on who I'm drinking it with," he teased again.

Oh boy, is he flirting?

Now I was nervous. First, the potential stalking, now the flirting? What's next? Secret agent?

To avoid the awkwardness, I picked up a book from a nearby shelf. I was trying to look busy, but I had no clue what I was even reading. Joe, on the other hand, seemed amused.

"If you want, I can summarize it for you," he offered.

"You know this book?" I asked, surprised.

"Yep. I love reading. It's kind of a secret hobby," he chuckled.

"Really? What's your genre?"

"Romance and horror. Mostly horror. I read romance when I need a break from all the terror," he said with a grin.

"Are we good as friends", Joe asked.

I stared at him blankly.

"Confused as you were that day," Joe replied, his voice softening. "But I meant what I said just friends. For now, at least."

For now? My heart did a little flip, but I tried to play it cool. What did he mean by that? I wanted to ask but decided against it. My mind was already tangled enough.

The conversation flowed effortlessly after that. We talked about university, our favorite books, even childhood memories. Joe had this way of making me feel at ease, like I could be myself without any walls. It was strange, comforting but terrifying at the same time.

I noticed Trisha and Veronica sitting a few tables away, pretending not to watch us. Trisha gave me a thumbs up when she thought Joe wasn't looking, and I had to suppress a laugh. Was she really okay with this? I'd have to talk to her later, make sure there were no hard feelings.

When we finally wrapped up the conversation, Joe walked me to the door. "Thanks for giving me a chance," he said, his eyes meeting mine.

I smiled, feeling a little lighter. "Thanks for the coffee. And... for being patient."

He chuckled. "Anytime, Tina. See you around?"

"Yeah. See you around."

As I walked away, I could still feel his eyes on me, and my mind raced with a thousand thoughts. Was this the beginning of something new? Or was I just setting myself up for another heartbreak?

Only time would tell.

__________________________________

"A first date isn't just a meeting. It's the spark of possibility, where every glance holds a question and every smile hints at something more."