The Virgin Bet

7

Day 3 - 6:55 pm

Cole and Charlotte played more arcade games as they wandered around Dave & Buster's. Charlotte was even able to convince him to play a dancing game with her, which she obliterated him at. Cole was able to get Charlotte to play a zombie apocalypse shooting game, and he slaughtered her pathetic score. After all this time, she only thought of him as the mean boy who poured tea over her head. Yet, here he was, playing games and having a blast with her.

Too bad it was all for a lost cause. Cole had almost forgotten what his real motive was a few times that night. He surprisingly had fun with the girl he despised so much, but she wouldn't be his first choice to go on a date with. Every smile, every laugh, every tease was all just a part of his sick little bet.

This date wasn't going as horrible as he thought it would when he first picked up her. She wasn't awful to hang out with, and she certainly wasn't as boring as he once thought she was. It may have been possible, if they had met under different circumstances, that the two of them could have bonded and became friends. Or even more. Deep down, Cole knew it was wrong to lead this girl along, like tempting a mouse to go for the cheese that sat in a trap. But time is money, and he only had twenty seven days left.

"Are you hungry yet?" He asked her, glancing his green eyes down to look at her. Although he was having fun, it annoyed him to have to do this. He knew why his friends chose her. They chose her because they knew they had a sour start, and they knew she was as innocent as a doe.

"Yeah, I'm getting hungry now." She said as she tucked one of her long strands of hair behind her ear. Cole led her out of the arcade, staying close behind her. As Charlotte stepped outside, a gust of wind threatened to push her dress up. He saw her face blush as she sat there with her hands pressing the fabric of her dress down. The scene was like something he'd expect out of a movie. A small smile crept upon his plump lips as he looked down to her.

"Cute dress, but not extremely reliable." He chuckled softly before placing his hand on the small of her back, side stepping so he partially blocked the wind from creeping up her dress from behind.

"I guess this dress met your definition of cute then?" She grinned in response, keeping her hands down to clutch the ends of her dress.

"Yes darling." Cole said as the two of them continued to walk. She didn't even argue with him about his use of that silly little pet name. "It's a waste of gas to drive where I wanted to take you. The place isn't far from here too, and I think you'll enjoy it." His small smirk never left his lips as he led Charlotte down the busy streets of New York.

The city never failed to amaze Charlotte. With the surplus of lights and shops that lined every street. It was a bit overwhelming, but nothing that she couldn't handle. As they walked along the busy streets, they passed by a little boutique on one of the street corners. Charlotte slowed down a bit to gaze at one of the window displays.

The mannequin wore a tight black dress, but that's not what she had her eyes on. She was looking at the cream colored, knit cardigan that hung over the mannequins shoulders. It would have been the perfect accessory to go over any plain shirt or dress.

Cole slowed down as he noticed that Charlotte had practically came to a stop. "What're you looking at?" He asked. She diverted her eyes away from the display and shook her head.

"Nothing, sorry for slowing us down." Charlotte apologized before she continued walking down the street. After a few more minutes of walking, the two of them had finally arrived to their destination. Her mouth gaped slightly as she read "La Bernardin" on the bright, neon sign. "Cole, no way."

"Yes way." He grinned cheekily down at her, leading her into the restaurant. She thought that there was no way he could bring her in here, it had to be a cruel joke. La Bernardin was a fancy French seafood restaurant, and was listed as one of the top one hundred restaurants in New York City. Charlotte had never ate here before because it was way out of her budget.