Cole reappeared at that moment and wrapped one arm around my waist. I pretended not to notice the phones pointed in our direction, most likely taking pictures to share online or text to friends.
“There are a lot of students here.” I wondered if he had known how full this place would be and how many people would see us together in public.
“I know,” he said matter-of-factly. “Does that make you nervous?”
“I’m not nervous,” I said. “Just surprised, I think.”
“Surprised by what?”
“I guess I just didn’t think you’d want to be so public on our first outing together,” I said, hating how unsure I sounded and that I’d used the word outing.
“Date. It’s our first date. And hell yes, I want to be in public with you. I want everyone to know that you’re here with me. I want to show you off.”
I laughed, feeling a little embarrassed and excited at the same time. “You want to show me off?”
He turned my body, so I was facing him straight on as he looked down at me. “You told me once that I never took you out in public. You felt like I kept you in the dark. And you weren’t wrong about that. All I want to do now is put you in the light, where everyone can see us together.”
I swallowed hard, that ball back in my throat. “Really?”
“Really,” he said as he leaned down to kiss me, tentatively at first, as if he was testing the waters and making sure it was okay.
I deepened the kiss, forgetting that we were surrounded by people, and focused on my legs, which felt like they might give out at any second. I was convinced that Cole’s kisses could cause knees to buckle across the globe.
We slowly pulled away from each other, my eyes still closed but shielded behind my sunglasses.
“Cole, party of two?” was being shouted from somewhere behind us.
“Already?” I said. I looked around at all the people still waiting as I reached for my glasses and dropped them into my purse.
He shrugged. “What can I say? It’s my favorite place. They kinda love me here.”
He reached for my hand, and I let him this time, our fingers locking together as he pulled me through a group of snarling girls who grumbled under their breath. I swore I’d heard one of them call me a name, and it took everything in me to keep walking and not cause a scene. They weren’t worth it.
As we maneuvered through the large space, I couldn’t help but smile at how it was decorated. It felt like we had legitimately stepped back into the 1970s. And even though you could tell the interior was dated, the restaurant still beamed with bright light, the immaculate white flooring giving off a glow as you moved across it. The dark wood paneling was accented with a plethora of puffy-looking orange booths and multicolored barstools. I actually appreciated the fact that they hadn’t reupholstered everything to make it look brand-new. It would have lost some of its charm if they had.
“This place is so cool,” I whispered toward Cole as the hostess pointed at a small two-person table, and we moved to sit in it.
She handed us each a menu before walking away.
“I bet I know why you’ve never heard of this place!” He sounded so excited and sure of himself that I decided to play along.
“Why?” I asked as I bounced in my seat, surprised at how springy and cushy it still was. I figured that after years of use, it might have been worn out, but I was wrong.
“They probably don’t have any social media. How can they expect the queen to find them if their online presence isn’t any good?”
I looked around again, noting how every single seat was filled with happy eaters. “Word of mouth is better than anything online. How have I never even heard of this place before though? How has no one told me?”
He only shrugged. “Obviously, you have bad friends. Time to trade Lauren in.”
“If the food is as good as you say it is, I’ll consider it,” I said as I unfolded my menu, and Cole reached for it, taking it out of my hands.
“We’re ordering brunch. No menu needed,” he said, and I decided not to argue and actually be a good listener instead. “And to be fair, I did tell you about it once before.”
That day where he’d mentioned his mom. “You’re right. But you never told me the name, I don’t think.”
“Probably not,” he said as a waitress appeared, bringing us two waters and asking if we were ready to order. Cole ordered for us both, and I knew I shouldn’t have enjoyed it as much as I did.
She pointed us toward the brunch station, and once again, I found myself shocked at how state of the art and trendy it all was. They had an unlimited mimosa station paired with a freshly squeezed juice bar, featuring ten types of juices. Ten! The waffles were made to order, not stacked and waiting for you to take one, like they were at other places. They featured eggs made five different ways, or you could order an omelet with whatever you wanted on it. The fruit was all farmed locally. And they even had a tea corner that showcased honey from all local beehives.
“This place is heaven, and I’m going to eat here every day until I die,” I said to Cole as we walked back to our table, balancing our too-full plates in our hands.
He laughed out loud. People stared. “You haven’t even tasted anything yet,” he said with a smirk once we sat down.
I spread butter across my hot waffle and watched it melt into the deep squares. Cutting a small piece off, I took a bite and moaned. “Holy crap,” I said around whatever blissful ingredients were currently melting in my mouth.
“Told you.”
“But why? Like, I don’t understand why it’s so good. What’s it made of, rainbows and puppy breath?” I asked seriously because I really didn’t understand how a waffle could be so superior tasting to other waffles. Don’t they all have the same ingredients?
“Honestly? I think it has something to do with the flour they use. They don’t buy it in the grocery store. It doesn’t have any of the extra crap in it to make it last on a shelf. At least, that’s what they told me after I came in here, asking once,” Cole explained, but I was too busy chewing and living in food ecstasy to pay attention. Cole laughed as he watched me, and I knew that he’d realized he’d lost me to the waffle. “Tell me what’s going on with work,” he asked, knowing exactly how to bring me back to him.
“Work?” I scrunched up my face as I swallowed. I wasn’t sure what he wanted to hear.
“Yeah. I know you took on Jason’s band. How’s that going?”
I smiled. “It’s going so good. I’ve made a few changes and improvements to their accounts. I’ve already seen their follower numbers double on one platform, and their video views have tripled on another.”
“I love watching you talk about this,” he said, staring at me like I fascinated him somehow, but it was a little embarrassing. He was so focused on me, so mesmerized, that it was unnerving.
And suddenly, the last thing I wanted to do was shovel more food down my throat.
“What? Why?” I looked away, but Cole wasn’t having any of it.
“Look at me,” he insisted, and I slowly looked back up. “You light up when you talk about this. That’s how I know you’ll be great at it. I mean, you already are.”