Chapter 176 Coffee Date
But now, she's here! My dad can go to hell. I'm not letting him ruin my life because of his stupid rules. Dad likes rules. He's a cop. Good for him. He should learn that not everyone is a bad person because of their family circumstance!
I swear it was fate that brought us together.
I tried to focus on the lecture, I swear I did. I even took notes... sort of. They ended up as doodles. Maybe I'll have to borrow Charlie's notes! That thought cheers me up. Maybe I should take really horrible notes in this class and see if she'll let me over to her place so I can copy hers?
The second our professor dismisses us, I stuff my bag with my laptop and mostly useless notebook and stand, waiting for Charlie.
She gives me that soft blush that I adore.
"Do you have class right away?" I ask, preying like hell she's free right now. I really don't want to walk away from her just yet. I swear just sitting next to her had my heart drumming in my chest.
"No. I don't have to be back until 2 for math," she responds shyly, sliding her bag over her shoulder.
Perfect! Now I just need to know the rest of her schedule and I'll be set!
"Awesome! C'mon, let's go get some coffee then," I suggest, trying to play it cool, and yet I feel so damn giddy right now. None of the girls I've dated have ever made me feel this way. Then again, none of them were anything like Charlie.
I'm itching to take her hand, but I know she's really skittish around guys, so I shove my free hand deep in my pocket to avoid the temptation.
She gives me that sweet smile that is rarely seen, and I suddenly become aware of those gorgeous lips. I wonder how they would taste... "Yeah, okay," she agrees.
And I feel like I'm on top of the world.
I lead her to the little cafe on campus.
"So, I've been curious, what's it like living with the son of Dean Kingston?" I ask after we order our coffees... Well, she ordered tea.
Charlie gives me that radiant smile. "Rick is actually really great. Dean is an ass, and I'm glad he's rotting away behind bars," she states before biting her lip, and covering her mouth with her hand.
"Rotting away?" I've been hearing rumors, of course, but I never knew the full story.
"He kidnapped my sister, Josie... She... lost her memory. I don't know what happened, and Rick refused to talk about it, scared that it might trigger something," she admits quietly before blowing on her tea and taking a small sip.
"Is your sister okay?" I ask, suddenly worried.
"She is now. Rick has been so sweet to her," she sighs wistfully.
"You like Rick?" I ask, a little uncomfortable.
She blinks at me and then laughs. "As a big brother, yes! He's great! He's the reason I could afford to come here. But in any other way, no!" she chuckles.
I sigh in relief. I didn't know why I even asked that. It was a stupid question. The dudes like 6 or 7 years older than her.
"So, he's a good guy?" Why the hell am I asking stupid questions about her brother-in-law? I really don't give a shit about him. I want to learn more about Charlie!
"Yeah, and right now he's being silly. He's kinda freaking out because Sophie is due in a couple weeks, and he's stressing more than Josie," she giggles.
"Sophie, so they are having a girl?" I smile at the new bit of information. This seems to make her very happy, and that's a good thing to note.
"Yeah. I told Liv to let me know the second Jos is going into labor. I won't be able to make it back in time, I'm sure. But I still want to be there for her, ya know?" she asks, looking up at me.
"Well, yeah," I shrug my shoulders and leaning over the table just a little. "Not that I'd actually know. I'm an only child," I tease her with a smirk.
Charlie is adorably flustered, placing her hands on her cheeks, looking up with those gorgeous eyes, totally embarrassed.
"Yeah, sorry. I actually did know that! I don't know why-" she starts to ramble like she said something wrong. I need to stop her.
I reach out and take one of her soft hands in mine, pulling it away from her flushed face.
"Hey, Charlie, its fine! I think if I were you, I'd want to be with my sister when she has her baby too," I smile softly at her. "You wanted to be a pediatrician after all, right?"
She giggles at me and nods her head slowly. Damn! Does she even know how perfect she is?
And then her eyes land on our twined hands and I suddenly pull back, like I was caught with my hand in the cookie jar. But her hands were so soft, I really didn't want to let go.
Shit! I really didn't mean to do that.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine, Trent. It just... surprised me," she smiles, and then almost to herself she whispers, "And I didn't even flinch!"
Something about that statement has my heart pounding in my chest. I want to ask why she would flinch at my touch, but the fact she was surprised she didn't means something.
Something about Charlie Turner makes me thinks she's hiding secrets, and I want to be the one to unlock them.