“Cool. Are you going?”
“Well, no. Not a real date. I decided we would just get coffee.”
“Coffee dates are boring. Why not go out on an actual date?” Kodi asked, and Jalen sighed. “It couldn’t hurt to actually go out and have a bit of adult fun.” The seventeen-year-old wiggled her eyebrows.
“Kodi, no. Just stop.”
The last thing Jalen wanted to hear was her little sister essentially telling her to go out and have sex. However, she would think of maybe going on a real date...eventually.
????????????
Rohan sat at his desk finishing up a marketing campaign. It was Thursday morning, and he glanced at his phone again. It had been three days since he’d gotten Jalen’s number. He hadn’t called her yet, wanting to give her time to text him first, but honestly, he wasn’t the most patient person when it came to something he wanted.
Deciding that he couldn’t wait any longer, he picked up his phone to call her, but figured she might be at work, and texted her instead.
Rohan:Hey, it’s Rohan.
He placed his phone back down and went back to making sure the campaign was up to par. He was in the middle of replying to an email when his phone notified him of a text message. Picking it up, he saw a response from Jalen.
Jalen:Hey, how are you?
Rohan:I’m good. How are you? Are you working today?
Jalen:I’m fine. Yes, I am.
Rohan:So, about that coffee date?
Jalen:Right. I’ve been meaning to call you. Um, would today work for you? Around one o’clock?
Rohan pulled up the schedule on his computer to look it over for a moment. He would be free at one, and he didn’t have a meeting until two-thirty. So, that would give him plenty of time.
Rohan:That works for me.
Jalen:Okay. There’s a coffee shop down the street from the hospital. Sterling’s.
Rohan:I know the place. I’ll meet you there.
Rohan put his phone back down and went back to responding to the email. Once he finished his response, he sent it, then looked at the other few projects that his mother had asked him and his team to work on.
There was a startup company that was looking for a catchy marketing campaign and slogan. They weren’t launching for another four months, but Rohan had experience with new companies. They often couldn’t decide what they wanted and required several options. He and his team would start on it the following week.
Rohan found a parking spot and walked into the coffee shop, and sat at an empty table by the window when he didn’t see Jalen. He didn’t have to wait long before she walked in. He stood up, and she turned in his direction, heading over.
“Hey, sorry to keep you waiting.”
“It’s not a problem,” he responded, pulling her chair out for her before taking his own.
“So, how is work?”
“It’s good. I don’t have many kids assigned to me. What about you? What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a marketing manager, and business has been going well.” She nodded. “I’ll go place our order. What would you like?”
“I’ll come with you.”
Rohan stood, held his hand out for her, and she took it. He led the way to the counter. When it was their turn, he allowed her to order first, then placed his order, paid, and they headed back to their table.
He leaned back in his seat, looking her over. She was wearing purple scrubs, her hair pulled into a bun on top of her head, and even in her work attire, she looked gorgeous.
