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“Good morning.” One side of his mouth pulls up, he looks amused. Obviously entertained by my lack of parking skills.

I feel flustered by his closeness; I wasn’t expecting him to open my door. “Hey. Sorry it took me so long to park.”

He chuckles and points to a shiny red sports car across the street. “I didn’t do any better.”

His car is parked just as poorly as mine. I breathe a sigh of relief. I don’t know why I even care. I just didn’t want to look like a fool to him… again.

We start walking toward the cafe and he pulls a ball cap out of his worn jeans. He pulls it down over his shaggy blonde locks, then slides large sunglasses on over his eyes. I can’t help but be a little disappointed that he's obstructing my view of his handsomeness.

He must have noticed the look on my face and explains, “I tend to be recognized… I don’t want our conversation to be interrupted by people asking for photos.”

I cross my arms. “A little cocky are we?”

Before he can answer, two girls who look to be in their teens approach us. “Excuse me,” one of them says. “are you Weston Kershaw?”

His shoulders slump just enough for me to notice but he quickly disguises his annoyance and smiles at them. “Let’s make a deal: You guys take a selfie with me, but don’t tell anyone. I’m trying to stay incognito.” He slides his sunglasses down and winks, making them giggle.

The girls take several selfies with West, then whisper their thanks. The girls titter off down the sidewalk, giggling and glancing over their shoulders at him.

West slides his sunglasses back up his nose and pops up the collar of his jacket, like covering his beard-covered chin will make him unrecognizable.

“Does that happen a lot?” I ask as we reach the cafe.

He holds the door open with one hand and places the other at the small of my back. Even through my jacket, the feel of his large hand sends warmth and a shiver of delight through my body.

Play it cool, hormones.

“Yeah, it does. Sorry about that. I reserved a table in the back corner of the cafe so people won’t notice me. I know how ridiculous that sounds.” He tilts his head down and we get in line.

I look around the cafe. It’s bustling with people. No one seems to notice West though, as they’re either glued to their phones or enjoying conversations with friends. We manage to order and he guides me back to the corner table. The from of the cafe is mostly glass, so you can see the busy street. But toward the back it’s darker, with taupe colored walls and brown accents, which gives it a warm and cozy vibe. The brown leather armchairs around the small round tables give the cafe an opulent look.

The table West requested is behind a short wall in the back, blocking us from the rest of the cafe. I understand why he requested this table, but being alone with him makes me nervous. He pulls my chair out for me then sits across from me.

“This place is so pretty, I haven’t been here before.”

“It’s close to the Eagle’s arena we use for practice, so me and the guys come here quite a bit.” He places his forearms on the table and laces his fingers together.

There’s a beat of silence between us, neither sure what to say next. The waitress stops by our table with our with West’s black coffee and my chai tea. I’m grateful for the interruption so I can gather my wits.

“So, how do you like D.C. so far?” I ask once the waitress leaves.

He blows on his coffee to cool it down. “I really like it, actually. Canada’s winters are so long. That was always something I hated about Minnesota too.” He smirks and takes a sip of coffee.

“Really? I never realized the cold bothered you. I miss Minnesota winters.” I smile to myself and pick up my mug. I can still remember the days spent bundled up playing in the snow. Usually with Harrison and West.

My eyes meet his over my mug. “There were definitely things I loved about Minnesota,” He says without looking away, his eyes searing into mine.

The way he said it sounded almost flirtatious, but why would West be flirting with me after all these years?

I look down at my mug and take another sip. “Like hanging out with Harrison?”

His face falls briefly before he smiles, but it looks forced. “Yeah, sure.”

We stare at each other for a moment. I feel like I need to re-familiarize myself with this adult version of the boy I used to know. His face has lost some of its youthful chub, making his jaw and cheekbones more defined. Even his well-trimmed beard can’t hide that jaw line. His hair is still shaggy but shorter than he had it in high school. And there’s a tuft of light brown chest hair peeking out the top of his v-neck tee.

He smirks at my obvious perusal. “So, you’re still a Directioner, huh?” His eyes glance down at my T-shirt.

I close my eyes, feeling embarrassed. I completely forgot to button up my jacket. “Ha. I mean, they’re timeless.” I attempt a casual shrug.