~edited~

After an hour and a half, I finally left the suffocating lecture room. It was pleasant getting a breath of fresh air.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and walked up the corridor. When I turned the corner I saw Blue Ey–Oh, Nathan standing there with a guy I didn't know.

He seemed to be waiting for someone.

I just passed, as if I didn't see him. I hoped he would ignore me, too.

"Hey!" His shouting brought a halt in my steps. I turned around and smiled at him. "Hey," I said. I looked at the man standing next to him. He waved at me with a small smile and I returned it.

"Where are you headed?" Nathan asked which made me look back at him. "I was just going to go home now since my next lecture is at 12 o'clock," I replied. 2 hours and a half from now.

At least I'd meet my friends then. It was one of the many lectures we shared, except for the one I had in the morning. "When are you introducing me, dude?" The other guy asked, getting impatient.

Nathan and I chuckled together at him. "Well, Vanessa this is Reese Haven. Reese, this is Vanessa Peerce," he introduced us. "Nice to meet you, Vanessa," Reese said, giving me a look as if he was studying me.

I nodded my head, a little uncomfortable. "Nice to meet you too, Reese," I said it back. Nathan clapped his hand once, turning our attention back to him. "Reese, where are you going?"

Reese shrugged. "I have plans with my girlfriend for the rest of the day," he answered. Nathan nodded, having a thoughtful look. "Okay, so Vanessa do you want to maybe go and grab some coffee?"

I was about to answer with a yes, but Reese's fake coughing interrupted me. Nathan threw a glare his way. "I'm sorry, what? Is Nathan Grove really asking a girl to go grab coffee?"

Well, I didn't understand so I just kept quiet and decided to see where this was going.

"Shut up, Reese," Nathan spoke, scrunching his nose up in annoyance.

Reese ignored him and sighed. "I'll never forget this." I smiled while Nathan continued glaring. Reese gave him a knowing look and shrugged.

"See you later, peeps. I don't want to be late. For my date," He said the last part looking Nathan. He gave us both a wink and left. I shook my head at his departing figure. He seems nice.

"Just ignore him," Nathan said as he walked past me. I decided to follow him. "Already have," I told him, partially lying.

"Good. Now, let's go. There's a coffee shop I know that serves the best coffee and muffins," he told me and I just nodded, keeping quiet.

"Why are you so quiet?" He asked, eyeing me weirdly. I shrugged one shoulder, "I don't know. It's just how I am." He nodded.

We kept walking in silence after that, and reached his car. We got inside and I threw my backpack on the backseat. I put on my seatbelt and rested my head on the comfy leather chair's headrest.

"Want to hear some jokes?" Nathan offered, after a short awkward silence. "Yes please," I whispered with a begging smile.

He first started the car and drove off. I waited in anticipation. "Why are fish so smart?" I've never heard of that one before.

"No idea," I replied. "Because they spend a lot of time hanging out in schools," he finished.

I chuckled at that one.

"Hmm. Not funny enough. I want to hear you laugh so hard your stomach will be in pain."

"Not fair. I laugh at the stupidest of things, you know. It probably won't be hard," I whined, my lips pursed.

Nathan grinned. "Great. That'll make things easy for me then. Okay, next one. Why are football stadiums so cool?"

Because there are fans?

"Because every seat has a fan in it," he finished.

"Hahaha. That one was obvious," I retorted, folding my arms over my chest.

Nathan sighed. "Okay, last one since we've already arrived at our destination. How does a train eat?"

I kept quiet, only arching my eyebrow.

"It chew-chews," he finished. I laughed really hard at that one, my head thrown back and my mouth open wide as I let out the horrific sounds I call my laugh. "Okay, that was really funny...and unexpected," I commented, having finished my laughing fit.

He smiled fondly at me, making me blush. "Let's go."

We got out of the car and started walking towards 'The Greatest Café'.

Hmmm...

It was literally the name of the café. There it was written in big, bold cursive letters on the sign barely hanging on to its hinges. Didn't seem like the greatest café to me.

Nathan reached out for my hand and I slowly put my hand in his with zero hesitation.

I felt the tingles again. Ignore them, Vanessa. Ignore.

We walked inside and people's heads immediately turned to us. They were eyeing us confused, some skeptically and some just indifferent. I understood them, though. You wouldn't normally see a white guy holding hands with a black girl in my town.

Well, I guess that was why Nathan and I met. To beat the odds.

I started to get uncomfortable with all the eyes and attention on us. It was like they were eyeing our every movement and they were even whispering. I got even more self conscious and my anxiety was starting to rise.

I looked at Nathan and he was so calm as he ordered our stuff. Was he that oblivious to the eyes? Or was he just used to being the centre of attention? I believed it could've been the latter.

"What would you like, Vanessa?" Nathan asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Um...hot chocolate is fine, with two cubes of sugar and three vanilla flavored muffins," I replied. He nodded and told the girl behind the counter.

He paid for our food and we went to sit down on a booth in the far corner. People were still looking at us and the whispers were getting louder.

Couldn't they just mind their own biz?!

I was sitting across from Nathan and eventually had my eyes glued to my lap, feeling very uneasy. Nathan must have noticed, judging by his next words, "What's wrong?" I decided not to say 'nothing'.

Because there was something.

"Everyone is looking at us, Nathan. I'm feeling a little bit too uncomfortable with all the eyes. I'm not used to getting this much attention and it's too overwhelming for me," I replied to him. My voice was starting to get shaky.

I glanced at him and he had a worried and concerned look on his face. "I'm guessing you know why they're looking at us so much?" He asked and I nodded. My eyes were becoming glassy.

He held out his hand and I happily laid my hand on top of his. He wrapped his hand around mine and squeezed it for reassurance. "Just ignore them, okay? Soon enough, you'll get used to it because I'm sure they won't ever stop." That made me widen my eyes.

"It's okay, Vanessa. Let them talk. Let them assume the wrong things. I'm white and you're black and we're going to be friends. Possibly even more than that," he flashed a boyish grin at his last words,"No one is going to be able to change that. I won't stop getting to know you just because of what people are saying."

"We're...going to be...friends?" I asked him unsurely. We only met today. But I guess I did feel comfortable around him and I already thought I trusted him a little. It felt like I knew him for a long time.

He did say he had that much of an effect on people. Cue the snort.

"Yeah, of course. You don't...think so?" Nathan questioned, knitting his eyebrows together.

I instantly shook my head. "No, no. I do think so," I said, a shy smile making it's way to my face. He gave me a little smile back and nodded.

"Thanks, by the way," I thanked him. "It's only a pleasure, Nessa." I blushed at my nickname. It sounds different coming from him. I didn't comment on it, though.

My hand was still held by his softly. I'm not pulling it back. His hands were really soft. I was surprised a guy could have such soft and smooth hands. I lifted our intertwined hands and smiled at them.

I ignored the way the colour of our skins had such a distinct difference. It's finally now the least of my worries.

I looked at Nathan and saw that he was staring at our hands too. His eyebrows were furrowed, as if he was thinking about something.

Right then, his eyes flickered to mine. Those pretty sky blue eyes. It stayed like that for a moment. We were just staring at each other, not one of us daring to look away.

His gaze was super intense and his eyes were a shade darker. His eyebrows were still furrowed, but a little less now. His gaze went down to my lips and just as he was about to say something, a waiter came with our order.

"Coffee, black with no milk and a blueberry muffin," the waiter said and Nathan raised his hand a little. The waiter placed his food carefully on the table in front him.

"Hot chocolate and three vanilla muffins," the waiter said as she placed my things in front of me. I read her name tag and it read: Julie. "Thank you, Julie," I thanked her with a smile and she nodded, before leaving us alone.

I took a sip of my hot chocolate and it tasted good. I then took a small bite of the muffin, just for taste. It was amazing! My face beamed and I couldn't help but moan.

"Don't do that," Nathan basically growled. "Do what?" I asked him, my head tilting to the side. He sighed and sipped his black coffee. "Nevermind," he said. I shrugged and continued eating.

"Do you want to play a game?" He asked after a few minutes of silence. "Which game?" I asked back, as I took a bite of my second muffin. "The 20 questions game. I feel like we need to know each other better a little bit," he told me.

I nodded, sipping my hot beverage,"I agree. So, you start." He nodded and squinted his eyes, probably thinking of the first question. I still found this so unbelievable.

Who would've thought me, Vanessa Peerce, would be talking with a handsome white guy? Nobody, of course.

I wonder how Seth would react to this.

"Okay, let's start with...what's your favorite colour? Mine is navy and black, just so you know." I thought about it for a few seconds and finally came to a conclusion,"I don't have it," I answered.

He eyed me curiously. "What do you mean you don't have it? Everybody ha–"

I cut him off, "No, it's just that I love a lot of colours. Let me just say my favorite colours are pink, blue, mustard and black."

"What type of blue?" I ignored the fact he was asking his third question now. I gazed in awe at his eyes and smiled. "Let's just say, I've never loved blue until I saw your eyes," I said and bit my third muffin.

He beamed and laughed a little. I swear I saw a tinge of pink on his cheeks. "I'm taking that as a compliment. Thanks." He was suddenly meek, like a shy little kid who was new to school and had just been unexpectedly greeted by another student.

I winked playfully,"My pleasure."

He bit his lip,"It's your turn now. Ask your question."

"When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grow up?" I asked him. All my muffins were finished now. We were only left with what was in our cups.

"I actually wanted to be a journalist," he replied. I almost spit out the hot chocolate in my mourb because of the laughter. "You? A journalist?!" I whisper yelled and laughed even harder.

He actually laughed with me. "Yeah. I know, right? I just thought it would be really interesting." I shook my head and sighed. "It's so not you," I said. He shrugged and sipped his coffee.

My hot chocolate was starting to get finished. I enjoyed it. "I wanted to be an astronomer. I just found the planet, solar system and our galaxy beautiful. I wanted to study more about them," I told him.

I smiled at the memory of thirteen year old me, researching and downloading pictures of the solar system.

"What stopped you from studying astronomy?" He asked. I sighed, "Physical Sciences. I wasn't really that great at it," I replied. He nodded and pushed his cup away.

I took my last sip and gently placed mine on the table. "What's your most favorite place that you've travelled?" He inquired. I frowned. "I haven't travelled to anywhere." His eyebrows raised in shock.

"You've been stuck here your whole life?!" He exclaimed. I nodded and looked down in embarrassment. My family never went anywhere. My father would say there wasn't enough money.

I didn't know how that was even possible. The guy worked in a bank!

I felt a finger under my chin, lifting my head up. I obliged and looked into those beautiful blue eyes, again. They were sad...for some reason. Or somewhat regretful?

"I'm sorry for saying that. I should've understood that not every family is rich. I'm sorry for embarrassing you," Nathan apologized. He was dangerously close.

As he spoke, his breath fanned my lips. But I was weirdly comfortable with the close proximity. I even felt like I wanted him to just lean in and destroy the distance between us.

And it didn't help that his eyes were literally focused on my lips. I was afraid to even speak. But I had to. I gulped and came up with something,"It's okay. You don't have to apologize, Nathan."

"Hmm," he moaned with a nod. He still didn't take his eyes off my lips. I involuntarily licked them and that was what made Nathan stop controlling himself.

The colour of his eyes turned darker and he slowly leaned in. I closed my eyes, waiting. Wait, wait, wait! What the hell am I doing? I just met this guy literally today in the morning and I'm already going to kiss him?

I don't even know how to kiss, for that matter. I think I should turn my head away...no matter how badly I want to give away my first kiss to Nathan.

Just as his lips started brushing mine I gulped and turned my head to the other side, my eyes tightly closed shut. I was afraid to even open my eyes.

It was suddenly hotter in there and I was starting to sweat. I felt Nathan move back into his seat. He cleared his throat, making me look at him. His jaw was clenched and he was looking at the table.

His face portrayed hurt, regret and confusion. I suddenly felt bad for rejecting him. I mean, it felt right at that moment. Like, it was totally right for me to kiss him. But I still wasn't sure.

"How old are you?" I tried changing the subject. I don't even want to talk about what just happened. Hopefully, he'd get the hint. His gaze lifted and his eyes met mine for a split second before he looked down, again.

"21. Turning 22 soon. You?"

I sighed at how he answered my question. "21. When is soon?" I asked him, wanting to know when his birthday is.

"22 March," he replied. My eyebrows shot up. "Wow. That's like a month away from now," I commented. He nodded. "Yeah. And I have no idea what my parents have planned for me. It's probably some ball."

"A ball?! Your family is that rich, huh?" I hated rich people. Only because they're stuck up and snobby. At least Nathan wasn't like that.

"Yep," he answered, popping the 'p'. I nodded. Seemed like everything was going back to normal. "You ask," I suggested. "If you could get on a plane tomorrow to anywhere, where would you go?"

I beamed at the question. "I've always wanted to go to an island. Any island," I emphasized. Both his eyebrows rose, probably from surprise. "Really? Then maybe I could take you some time in the future," he offered.

"That would be amazing, Nate!" I squealed. He just smiled. "Are you closer with your mom or your dad and why? " I asked. He suddenly became tense. His face now stoic, showing no emotion whatsoever.

"None of them," he spat, and I gaped at him. I didn't know he felt like that about his parents. I should have never even asked if he was going to get this worked up.

"I'm sorry. I should have never–" He interrupted my whisper, "It's fine, Nessa. Look, can we just talk about something else? The story about my parents is for another day," he said.

Good thing he said another day. I wasn't going to let it go, anyway. I was just a person who was too curious. Curiosity killed the cat? Well, I sure as hell wasn't a cat.

"Okay," I agreed with him. "What about you?" It took a while for me to understand he was reffering to that previous question. "I'm more close with my mom. My father is just too uptight...and likes shouting at me for pointless reasons," I replied.

"Sorry," Nate said, the corners of his lips tugged down.

"You're not the one who's supposed to apologize, Nate. I'm used to the thing, anyways. Next question is, how many children do you want and why?"

Nate laughed. Like really laughed. "I think we're getting too personal now. We're not even in a relationship," he said through his laugh. I smiled, "Nevermind then." He nodded.

"Ask that question again when we're in a relationship. I'll happily answer it," he informed me. When... He said What does that mean? You know what? Let me not read much into it.

"Sure," I said, with a nod. I checked my watch for the time. 11:30. We've been there for two hours. Wow.

"What's the time?" Nate enquired. "Half-past eleven," I answered his enquiry. "We should get going then. We've been here for such a long time," he said and started standing up. I followed suit.

I walked in front of him, as we got out of the café to his car. We reached it and this time he did open the door for me. Good boy. I hopped in after saying 'thank you' to him.

He closed the door, and jogged to the driver's side. He got inside and started the car. He drove off and it was totally silent. I liked it. We had talked enough for today. And it was great to get to know him.

He was driving a little bit slower this time so we arrived at the familiar university building ten minutes later. He parked his car and I reached my hand out at the back to get my backpack.

I grabbed it and opened my door. I decided to say something to Nathan, "Thanks for today, Nathan. It was great spending time with you. You're a cool guy, yo. I guess I'll see you tomorrow now. Probably," I told him, with a small smile.

He didn't look at me but he was smiling as he spoke, "It was amazing spending time with you as well, Vanessa. You're a cool chick too, actually. And yeah, I will see you tomorrow. But before you leave, can I have your number?" Was he nervous?

Gosh, he was nervous! Judging by the way he spoke. I was actually making Nathan nervous! Wow. I deserved an award for that.

I held out my hand, for him to place his phone. He took it out of his pocket and gave it to me. I unlocked it and entered my phone number. I then gave it to him and stepped out of the car.

"Bye, Nate," I said. "Bye, Nessa," he said back and then I closed the door. I walked inside the building and straight to lecture room A5 on the East wing. I walked in and only a few learners were inside.

I was a little early. For once.

It was a good thing my two best friends were already there. They waved at me, as I ascended the small stairs. I sat next to Isabella and finally greeted them, "Hey, guys."