Chapitre 18: Hang Out, Date Out

She stands up in front of the glass door and takes a deep breath, still pissed off.

Grand stood up from the table to meet her and pray to god that the store clerk isn't playing him when he said that he should get a cup of latte and a blueberry muffin if she's meeting her.

He asked the clerk on the counter, showing Dana's picture just asking by chance if he knows Dana and what she ordered last time. Apparently Dana is a regular at the coffee shop and the barista remembers her because she always orders the same thing.

He's still watching Dana hesitating to enter the shop, which he finds so adorable. He decided to go get her.

Dana is taking a deep breath in front of the door, trying to calm her nerves. Telling her brain that it's nothing but coffee and .... Grand! For heaven's sake! She exhales a deep breath before finally pushing the door, and gets startled with Grand standing smiling widely looking at her. Did he see her doing her prep on the door? How embarrassing! she's cringing inside.

"Thank you for accepting my invitation, you might have found it unexpected," he said with a shy smile on his boyish face.

Dana fell in the trap of that boyish smile a long time ago, that face that looks like it's hiding a secret and asking to be found.

"It's fine. My curiosity brings me here," she told him frankly.

Grand smiles like he doesn't get offended with her answer.

"I already got us a table," he said motioning her to follow him.

She let him lead the way and got rewarded with a glorious backside view. He is wearing faded ripped jeans, a white shirt with the word VLOVE printed across, and a black and white varsity jacket.

When they reached their table, Grand pulled up the chair for her, and she can't help but smile inside and get excited being treated nicely with this rude guy.

Sitting down she had a sniff of his cologne. Smells clean, citrusy, like just stepping out of the shower.... in the woods. She giggles with the thought of it.

Grand gives her a questioning gaze when he caught her chuckling by herself.

"What is it?"

"Oh, nothing. Just realized we look like we are wearing a couple outfits," she said absentmindedly.

Grinning, Grand asked,... "Are we?"

When Dana realized what she said, she turned crimson red.

"Uhm... I, ... not really..." she stammered panicking in embarrassment. "I mean because we are both wearing black and white," she explained in a rush, trying to save herself.

"I don't mind really," Grand said, watching her squirm on her seat while tapping his index finger on the table.

Before Dana could reply, the server approaches their table and puts a cup of warm latte and a blueberry muffin in front of her, and a steaming cup of americano for Grand.

Looking at what the waiter put in front of her she looked up at Grand's face baffled.

"I ordered ahead, I hope you don't mind," he said.

That darn smile of him again, Dana thought, smiling widely on her latte and muffin. She's extremely giddy with the thought that he ordered it for her, not knowing they are her most favorite.

"No, I don't mind. These are my favorite! I was just surprised.... Pleasantly I'd say." her whole mood just lights up, that she's smiling too much she could feel her facial muscle being pulled tightly.

Grand sips his americano while watching Dana enjoy her blueberry muffin.

"Can I get another one? She said after finishing the blueberry muffin in a flash.

Grand chuckled in amusement and raised his hand to ask for more blueberry muffins.

"Sorry, I was really hungry. I fell asleep around noon and forgot to eat," she said timidly.

"No need to say sorry, Muffin," he said teasingly. "So when I called, you just woke up?"

Dana grinned to hide her embarrassment.

When the fresh muffins arrived she nibbled them slowly, like she could erase the fact that she gobbled the previous muffin.

Grand found it hilarious he almost spit his coffee.

"Stop laughing at me!" she said pouting.

But he just laughed some more.

Dana put down the muffin to sip her coffee. As she watches Grand laugh heartily, a warm feeling enclosed her heart.

When he finally stopped laughing, she asked him the questions she really wanted to ask.

"Why did you block me in WeChat?"

Grand was surprised that Dana is more interested to know about the reason why he blocked her than finding why he unblocked her and was suddenly invited to hang out.

"I,... was in the middle of the competition and I feel like you're a distraction."

Dana's hands shook when she heard his reason. She slowly put down her cup of coffee and asked again.

"Do I bother you that much?" her voice hurt.

Grand lay his arms on the table towards Dana, and in a quiet voice, said, "You bothered me so much, I can't concentrate in the game, .... the first time I saw you, you have shaken my resolve not to get involved. You… make me so angry, I don't know why… seeing you with Bobby pissed me off so much, … I ended up punching my best friend."

Dana was stunned with those words from Grand, I mean she just wanted to see him. She's not expecting anything as a confession. She felt light-headed. She averted her eyes from Grand's intense gaze.

She watches the foam of her latte thin out. Her hands holding the cup like a lifeline. How should she react?, she thought.

Her cold hands become warm when Grand lay his own hands on hers. She watches how her pair of hands unexpectedly turn smaller when laid with his.

Dana didn't dare raise her head. She knows her cheeks are burning red.

Grand watching a flustered Dana, slowly retract his hands. He reclined in his chairs and casually sip his coffee, his eyes never leaving Dana's face.

He blinked his eyes and swallowed the tightening of his throat when a memory of a girl laughing while trying to gather her hair that was being blown by the wind flashed on his mind. He gulped down his coffee to chase the memory away.

"Ugh! Hot!..." he said grabbing a handful of tissue to spit the coffee that burnt his tongue.

"Are you okay?" Dana asked in concern.

Grand grinned at her, saying, "You finally look at me."

Dana's eyebrows furrowed, eyes deadly serious. "I'm asking if you're hurt."

"I forgot the coffee was hot and burned my tongue," he said, holding a handful of tissue on his mouth.

"Kiss my booboo away," he playfully stuck out his tongue for her to see.

Dana's face burned up, and in exasperation said, "Stop it!"

Grand cracked up at her reddened face. He flicked her forehead and said, "It's just a small burn, nothing to worry."

Dana scowled at Grand's laughing face. She isn't happy to be the cause of his amusement.

Grand seeing that Dana was irate, turned serious.

"Sorry, Muffin." he tilted his face and gave her a puppy look. "Forgive me, hmm…."

She was about to give him her piece of mind when her phone rang. She opened her purse to see who's calling. When she saw the name on the screen, she stiffened.

She stood up and asked to be excused to answer the call. And before Grand could answer Dana already left the table.

"Hello," she said on the phone walking away from their table.