Halfway There | COMPLETE ✔ + Sequel

Chapter 08 - Casual Conversation

"Do you want to grab a coffee or something?" It took every ounce of courage I had to ask that question after a couple of moments of awkward silence. Luckily there was a small food cart just a few feet down the path we were already walking.

"I mean I was going to grab some while I read, you can join me if you want." I explained further when his expression hesitated.

"Uh, yeah sure. I mean I have to pick up my sister in a bit but I can join you for a sec." He finally said, scratching the back of his head. I tried to conceal the smile from the excitement that stirred inside me. He said yes.

"You drink black coffee?" I asked with a grin when we got to the coffee cart and he ordered a plain black coffee.

He raised his eyebrow at me and smirked as he paid for his coffee. "A lot of people do. It's not that surprising." He blew into his cup to relieve some of the heat.

"I don't know, I just don't really ever meet people my age that are into black coffee." I shrugged.

"Well, when you work a full time job and you're in your third year of being a full time student, black coffee is kind of a must." I checked that off in my mind as something to remember about him. It was another piece of the puzzle to who Nova Ryder really is.

I sipped my coffee quietly after I paid for my cup and we walked away from the cart. It felt strange as we walked back to the tree I had been eyeing earlier but I completely knew how he felt. Even though at the time I was doing full time online school it was still exhausting to not only do that but also basically be my mothers unofficial full time caretaker. I never realized that just so happened to be when I had started drinking my coffee black. It was nice how we had two different things that we had in common. It made him feel like he was more of a real person instead of this legend that so many other people thought of him as.

"You're in your third year?" I asked to keep my mind away from any wandering thoughts.

He nodded as he took another sip of his coffee. "So how old does that make you?" I asked.

"21." He said as he followed my lead to sit down in the grass under a large shaded tree.

He placed his coffee on a flat spot on the ground and sat down with his legs stretched out and his arms extended backwards to keep him up right. I sat just off to the side with my legs crossed and my back up against the tree.

"What's your major?" I asked to keep the conversation going.

He smiled, "Business."

"Do you have a business idea in mind?"

"No." He shook his head, "Not really. It'll just look really good one day if I ever get a job that isn't waitering. A big boy job"

I was over the moon with how easy it was to talk to him. Right now he didn't seem like the type of person who would snap and spit spiteful things at you. I was taking advantage of every second of this moment, who knew how long this would last.

"A big boy job?"

He nodded, "I don't plan on being a waiter forever. I mean it pays the bills but I have to find myself something that will really provide for me and my sister someday."

"So it's just you and your sister then?"

He nodded again, obviously a man of few words, and stared out onto the grassy campus, people watching those who walked by. I frowned when I quietly realized that I was getting excited over nothing. Everything he was telling me now were things that anyone could find out about him. I needed to get over myself. He wasn't sharing deep, personal secrets. We were having a casual conversation. I almost wanted to kick myself for being so ridiculous again.