Page 62 of Espresso Your Love

She’s like a cup of coffee. At first, you savor the taste, but then it’s impossible to resist. The more time I spend with her, the more time I want to spend with her.

She starts to move away from me so I can get up.

“Cassie?”

“Hmm?”

“Regarding the ten seconds of accidental blurting that didn’t happen earlier…”

She covers her face with her hands. I grab them, lower them, and keep them in my hands.

“I’ll follow your lead. You’re in charge of when, where, and how. As much as I want to kiss you,” her cheeks start to turn pink, “I will wait until you make a move.”

“Thank you, Ryan,” she says softly.

“I will see you tomorrow for our day date?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

I walk down the stairs, and just before I exit the shop, I look up at her. She is already waiting for me. I wave and walk out the door. I have a date to plan.

19

Cassie

“What was going on up here?” Ashley comes up the loft stairs with a plate of pastries.

“Oh, nothing.” I nonchalantly shrug but can’t hide my smile. “Just Ryan explaining why he was distant after the festival incident and then I blurted the never-been-kissed thing and now, we’re going on a day date tomorrow.”

She squeals. “Cassie! I’m so excited for you! You have a boyfriend!”

“I mean, not technically. It’ll be our second date tomorrow.”

“Well, we’ll see what happens tomorrow.” She sits on the couch and nudges me. “How did he react to the news?”

“He left it up to me. Basically, he won’t push me or do anything until I make the move. Which is almost even more nerve-wracking.”

Her lip purses out. “I knew he would be considerate about it. He’s a good one!”

“Yeah, but it’s one thing if he leans in and then I lean in too but now…it’s all on me.”

“And you’re nervous you’ll mess it up?”

“Yes.”

“You’re going to be fine. Just focus on the two of you, and you’ll figure out when the moment is right, and it will be amazing.”

I smile at her and know she’s right. I need to enjoy the date and not focus on the logistics of it. It’s like an instinct, right? I’ll just know.

After a long but productive day working, I’m looking forward to crawling in my bed. I got more work done today so I can take all of tomorrow off and enjoy the time with Ryan. When I walk onto my porch, there’s an envelope taped to the door. I go in and open the envelope to see a note from Ryan.

Cassie,

Can’t wait for our date tomorrow. I’ll pick you up at 6:30 am.

Attire: Wear jeans and closed-toed shoes.

-Ryan

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