Ghosted: Pastries And Old Superstitions (Part II)

Ghosted: Pastries And Old Superstitions (Part II)
“The pleasure is all mine,” Robert muttered just loud enough for her to hear. 

“If that’s the case, then would you’d like to join me for a cup of coffee?” For the second time his body stiffened, but he finally turned around, and she noted that when he was upright, he was actually pretty tall. As if he could hear her thoughts, he pointed to the table.

“Are you sure there’s enough room for me? I’m not the smallest guy you know.”

“I can see that,” she replied with a coy smile and he choked on his spit. 

“That came out wrong.”

“Maybe, maybe not. Here, at the risk of you running away, I’ll straighten up so you have some room.” She closed her laptop and cleaned up her mess of papers, and called out the waitress to make her one coffee two.

“Are you in school or something?” Robert asked as he sat opposite her.

“Or something. I’m actually an elementary school teacher. I teach second grade.”

Robert’s lips parted for a moment. “Wow. That’s really cool. I wish I had teachers like you when I was in elementary school. I probably wouldn’t be so socially awkward.”

She waved him off as the waitress brought their coffee . “You’re being too hard on yourself. A lot of people are a bit socially awkward, including me. I’m also naturally wired, so that’s where a lot of my confidence comes from.”

“Hm, you don’t seem socially awkward. I mean you invited me over for a coffee date.”

Molly placed her elbow on the table and her fist over her mouth to hide her oncoming smirk. “So this is a date?”

Robert cleared his throat. “I’d like it to be. If that’s okay.”

She smiled. “You surprised me, Robert. I was expecting you to lose your shit just now.”

He matched her smile with a shy one of his own. “Oh, trust me I’m losing my shit on the inside.”

She belted a laugh, and he realized that it was even more beautiful than her smile. Raising her coffee cup, she waited for him to pick his up as well. “Here’s to first dates with cute guys with adorable laughs,” she said.

“Nope. Here’s to first dates with cute girls with adorable laughs,” he replied, his eyes gleaming.

The more Molly looked at Robert, the more she wanted to know about him. While at first glance he may not have been her usual type, perhaps that was what intrigued her so much. He wasn’t a pet project, or someone that she felt sorry for. She genuinely found herself attracted to the way his smile lit up his entire face. He had an innocent charm about him that left room for surprises. Like the fact that his skin was almost translucent, and for a moment she swore she could see right through him to the other side of the coffee shop. His hazel eyes held every expression and words that he couldn’t say, and in just a few minutes he made her feel less like an object, and more like a person who intrigued him as well. 

Approaching the table, the waitress intertwined her fingers. “Sorry guys, we need to close up early. Old superstition that has our manager in a tizzy.”

Molly scrunched her lips. “Superstition?”

“Yeah. It’s a stupid story about ghosts. Once a month around this time, ghosts in Hayward are allowed to come back and interact with the living. They look so normal that you would never know who is one and who isn’t. It’s said that if you’re out late, you might just meet one, and they will attach to you forever.”

Dropping money on the table, Molly rolled her eyes. “I don’t believe in that type of nonsense, do you Robert?” Hearing nothing, she looked up and gasped at the sight of Robert’s ashened face. His eyes, a thousand miles away, he abruptly stood up from the table.

“I-I have to go,” he stammered. “Thank you so much for the coffee!” Bustling out the door, he ignored Molly calling after him. 

“Wait!” she shouted, catching up with him. She grabbed his arm. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen…well a ghost. You know it’s just a story, right?”

He sighed. “I really need to leave Molly. I’m sorry.” Her face crumbled right in front of him, and he immediately missed the happiness that had been there seconds before.

“Oh, okay. I understand. Well, it was very nice meeting you Robert.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” he responded, his heart beating in his ears. “You know, I don’t know if this is too forward but I guess I don’t have to leave so early. Maybe we could hang out a little more?”

“I’d really like that. I don’t know if this is too forward, but would you like to come over? I live right around the corner, and since clearly that ghost story spooked you, maybe inside would be a lot better.” She could see his hesitation, and he nodded. “If you don’t want to, it’s really o–”

“No! I want to!” Robert blurted. “Sorry, you just kind of caught me off guard. I haven’t had much interaction with people lately so responses aren’t really my forte anymore.”

“I’m learning,” she replied as she wrapped her arm into his. “No pressure. Let’s just see how the night goes.” Pulling him along, Molly and Robert quickly made their way to her apartment.