Emma
“You’vegot a pickup line?”I don’t believe it. Heck, I don’t believe I’m walking across campus with the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen. Not only that,heaskedmeto grab a coffee. It’s surreal. I’m tempted to send Carley a text just to hear what she’s got to say on the matter, but that’d be rude.
“I’ve got one or two, yeah.”
I stop walking because I need to focus on this for a second. “Oh, yeah? Let’s hear one.”Where the heck did this courage come from?
Eli stops walking too. When he turns to face me, I’ve got to look up to see his pretty face. “All right. How ’bout this one.” He clears his throat like he’s gearing up for something big. “Are you a computer keyboard? Because you’re just my type.”
Okay. That one is hilarious. To prove it, I throw my head back and crack up. I guess my laughter is contagious because Eli does the same. It goes on for several minutes, long enough to draw attention to ourselves as other students pass by. I don’t care though. Because this feels good. Cathartic. Sure, Carley and I laugh at stuff, especially at each other, but I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time. Heck, laughing tears are coming out of my eyes so I wipe them away. “That was awful,” I finally say.
“Really?” He turns to continue our stroll to the coffee shop that’s just across the street from campus. “That’s the best one in my arsenal.”
“Well, that’s a shame.” I start to giggle again. “I heard a computer nerd one before. What was it?” I tap my chin, then reach out and place my hand on his forearm. A zinging sensation spreads from my fingertips up my arm. Ignoring that feeling, I quickly pull my hand back and say, “Oh, I remember.” I look over at him and smirk. “Is your name wi-fi? Because I’m really feeling a connection.”
He groans. “That’s terrible.”
Snickering, I say, “I think it has the makings of being a pickup line classic.”
“No way.”
I shrug because I don’t have a rebuttal. I will in an hour when I’m alone and on my way back home. That’s always when I think of witty comebacks. Not on the spot. No. Not me.
“Here we are.” Eli grabs the door handle of Brewster’s and holds it open for me. “After you.”
I step inside and breathe in the aroma of freshly ground coffee, plus the scent of baked goods. This place is known for its fancy coffees but more so for their pastries.
From behind me, Eli places his hand on my shoulder, which causes me to jump a little. “Smells damn good in here.”
“It does.” I wish I was one of those people, those women, who can just flirt and talk to guys, but I’m not.
We walk side by side until we’re in line. The place is kind of busy for this time of day. Apparently, everyone else on campus decided it was coffee time. “Get anything you want.” This time his voice is soft and close, like he’s bent down to say something private, just to me.
“Oh.” I read the board. “I’ll just have a small, black coffee.”
“No.” He’s still close. “I had a feeling you’d do that.” Drawing himself up to his full height, he says, “If I had to guess, I’d say you were more of a frappe kind of girl.”
That couldn’t be further from the truth, but I’m curious why he thinks that. “What kind of girl likes frappes?”
“Oh.” He turns fully to face me. “It depends on the flavor, I guess, but a frappe girl is someone who’s pretty, creative, spontaneous—”
I snort at that last word. Well, all of it is pretty far off from the truth.
“What? You’re not spontaneous?”
“I’m none of those things.”
Eli’s mouth morphs from a smile to a frown instantly. “You’reverypretty.” We look at each other then. “I don’t know about the other things, but I know that for sure.”
I’m blushing like a fool. My face is suddenly hot as can be. So it’s time to change the topic. “Well, I don’t care for iced coffees as a rule.”
“Well, then… tell me, Emma…” He blinks. “What’s your last name?”
“Perkins.”
He nods. “Well, tell me, Emma Perkins, what’s your absolute favorite coffee drink?”
“It varies.” It really does. “Today the Foggy London Town Tea sounds really good.”
