"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry," I said to the girl behind me as coffee dripped down her grey cardigan, sage green mini skirt, and black tights onto her Doc Martins.
Her mouth was wide open. I looked up at her glossy, strawberry-colored lips and electric blue eyes.
She took her free hand and brushed her straight, long, golden blonde hair that had fallen in front of her face. We made eye contact for a split second before I quickly looked away, reaching over for some napkins.
I handed some of them over to her and started to clean the coffee off the floor. As I apologized again, she looked down at me and let out a small laugh. I looked up at her, meeting her blue eyes again. She smiled, and I tilted my head out of confusion. "Jade," she said, smiling, "uh-I-." I blanked out for a second and forgot my own name: "I'm gay. I mean, um, I am, but my name is Ava." She looked at me for a few seconds before laughing. "I'm Bi." I smiled at her softly, staring into her eyes.
She cleared her throat, which caused me to come back to reality and realize the mess that I had made.
"I'm so sorry again," I said as I stood there with coffee-filled napkins in my hand. "Can I buy you another coffee?" I said.
"Nah, I've gotta get going. But hey what's your number?" she said flirtatiously.
I felt my cheeks begin to become warm. "Oh," I said, surprised.
She handed me her phone, which was open to the contacts app, to add my number. I added my number and handed her phone back over.
I felt my phone buzz in the pocket of my denim shorts.
I pulled it out of my pocket and saw a text from her that said "Jade." I looked up at her and smiled.
She winked and turned away. Her blonde hair fell gracefully onto her back as she walked out the door onto the busy sidewalks of Pittsburgh. I stood there with the coffee-infused napkins in my hands until a barista came up behind me and said, "Excuse me." I quickly turned around, my brown collarbone-length hair falling into my face and getting stuck on my lip gloss. "You forgot your coffee," they said. "Thanks," I said before throwing the napkins away and walking out of the coffee shop in shame.
With my coffee in hand, I walked home; thankfully, it was a short walk, just a block or two before I was home.
I walked through the door of my apartment. Alone. Just like every other day.
I'd get a pet if I could, but my landlord won't allow it.
(Yes. (I've even tried to get a fish.)
I sat down on the couch with a fluffy white blanket and my comfort book, "Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh, which was coincidentally very suiting for the city I live in. I've loved the book since it came out, and I've read it more times than I could count.
I opened the book and resumed to chapter 32 when I got a text. It was from Jade. It said, "Primanti brothers at 9?" My heart skipped a beat. Then a second message came through that said, "Oh, and try not to spill anything on me this time." I snickered at the message. "Let's do it! And I'll try not to." I said it with the winking emoji.
"Great. See you there." She said.
The sun was just going down when she texted. I put my book back on the table next to me and walked into my bedroom, throwing my phone on my bed and spinning around my bedroom with socks on. I slid across the tile floor to my closet, peeking my head in to see what I had to wear tonight.
I pulled out a taupe knit sweater, then walked over to my drawer and pulled out a black mini skirt.
I laid the outfit on my bed and took a shower. I got out and dried myself off, then brushed my hair and threw the outfit on. Finally, I put some mascara and lip gloss on before grabbing a pair of socks and converse. I didn't want to be too dressy, so I thought adding the converse would be the perfect way to pull the outfit together.
