Chapter 9 Lunch

When I finally clocked out I told Donna I’d be back and grabbed my jacket. I pull it tight to ward off the chill and skipped out the door to find Colt pacing back and forth and running his fingers through his hair. He looks nervous. I wonder when was the last time he’d gone out on a date with a girl… Not that it is any of my business… He just looks adorably flustered.

I giggled and he stopped pacing and froze. He looked stunned before he broke out in a huge smile.

“Hi,” he gulps, walking up to me with a sheepish smile.

“Hi,” I responded blushing. I wonder if we will get past one word sentences?

“You ready to go?” He asked, looking down at me with a soft smile… I really like that smile.

“Yep.” And there I go again with the single word answers.

Then he surprises me and grabs my hand and tugs me down the sidewalk. His hand is nice and warm in the cold autumn afternoon. And somehow it seems to fit perfectly. We actually don’t go very far and we end up at a little cafe.

We go up to the counter and give our orders. A young man smiles at us, “What can I get started for you today?” He asked politely.

“Go ahead, Rory,” Colt tugs on my hand, encouraging me to go first.

“I’d like a turkey club and a Sprite,” I smile.

“All right, and for you sir?” He asks Colt.

I laugh when he actually orders the same as me. I guess we are more alike than I knew… Or we just both have good tastes in food.

We go sit in a little corner booth. It’s nice and cozy in here. The sun tries valiantly to breath through the cloud cover, but it just can’t quite cut through the thick dark shadows in the sky.

I can’t help but peek at Colt as he plays around with his turkey club without taking a bite of it. I wouldn’t think a man with such a strong presence and confidence would be fiddling nervously and unable to meet my eyes.

Then he swallows and looks up at my face, searching for what, I don’t know.

“Uh… Nash um… suggested I uh…” I can’t help but giggle at how nervous he is. His cheeks pink as well as the tips of his ears..

“Well, he told me I should ask you about… you?” He asks, looking sheepish. “I don’t exactly know what he meant, but he seemed to indicate you have a hard backstory…”

My tummy flutters with nerves… What will he do if I tell him the truth? Nash and Anna both know. They both told me it wasn’t my fault and I have no reason to be ashamed or embarrassed by what happened… But I still don’t know…

Well, if he is gonna ditch me I’d better get it over with. If he can’t handle it then that’s what it’s gonna be… The thought makes me sad. But I guess its time for my leap of faith… If Nash asked him to ask me about my past, he must trust this man.

I clear my throat and take a deep breath.

“Well… When I was seventeen my boyfriend raped me,” I whisper, trying to block out the incident in my head. I can still see his satisfied smirk when he finished.

My whole body trembles in revulsion. Colt reaches out across the table and holds my hand. He looks really upset.

“I’m sorry, Rory,” he whispers, squeezing my hand in a comforting gesture. “That doesn’t even cover it. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. That is not your fault,” he asserts.

I give a wobbly smile. I guess Nash was right.

“He told my parents I wanted it… Then I found out I was pregnant,” I bow my head in shame.

He doesn’t even pause before he calls, “Hey. It’s okay,” he promises. “Well, it’s not okay. What he did is despicable, but like I said, it’s okay. This wasn’t your fault.”

I look up at him with tears in my eyes and try to smile, then I shake my head. “I never told him about the baby… But he found me. I was almost four months then… H-he beat me… and I lost my baby,” I can’t stop the words from tumbling out of my lips.

And then I’m in his arms and he is rocking me.

“I’m so sorry Aurora. I know I can’t make that better, but I am so sorry,” he whispers in my ear.

He didn’t leave me after I told him my secret. He was comforting me and shielding me from my swirling thoughts. He is holding me in a way I didn’t know I needed. No one has ever done this before… And I find I enjoy it more than I had expected.

Lunch went by way too fast, and soon we were back at Ma’s. He pulls me over to his Camaro and pops the trunk. He pulls out a pretty bag and shuts the trunk again.

He hands me the bag with a small smile.

“I’ll pick you up at eight and we’ll go to Bell’s Corner,” he smiles at me.

“What is this?” I ask.

“Well, I didn’t know your sizes, so I took a guess,” he admits.

I’m confused as I open up the bag and pull out a blue dress that would match my eyes perfectly! Not only that, he got me heels to match and to my utter shock, he guessed my right sizes. He must have amazing observational skills!

I think my jaw hit the floor. I didn’t know that was a real thing!

“You… I… Thank you!” I squeal and throw my arms around him.

This was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. Not only that, this is the nicest thing I’ve ever had to wear! I’ve never had money for clothes like this.

He walked me back to the entrance with a happy smile as I stuffed the dress and shoes back in the bag.

“You’re welcome. I’m looking forward to our night out, Aurora,” he smiles.

And there I go again, blushing and giggling with happiness.

“Me too! I’m really excited to see you tonight. See ya at eight,” I smile shyly at him before I push open the door to find Becky giving me a look that says I’ve got some gossip to divulge.