Hey, Celia? | ✔️

Chapter Twenty Four

"May, do you think I should wear my fake glasses?" Cecelia asked, turning to look at her sister, holding up a hideous pair of glasses.

"Why the hell would you do that?" May asked, furrowing her eyebrows as she looked at the item in question.

Cecelia smiled sheepishly. "To stand in solidarity with Jamie because he wears glasses?"

"No, Cecelia. Don't wear your fake glasses," May said, biting back a smile at her little sister being so worked up over meeting her Romeo-over-text.

While May was simply amused, Cecelia was nervous and ineffably excited. Right after Cecelia sent the text asking to meet, James called her. They'd worked out all the details, deciding to meet at Camille's, a cafe they discovered they both loved. It was odd. To consider the fact that each of them had been to the cafe at different times, possibly just missing each other. That wouldn't be a problem anymore, though, as they were going to meet very soon. That is, if Cecelia could figure out what she wanted to wear.

"May, do you think I should wear my Queen shirt or do you think he'd think I was making fun of his friend, Freddie?" Cecelia asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Wear whatever makes you comfortable, Cece," May said, paying more attention to her phone than her sister.

"Yeah, but what if what makes me comfortable, makes him uncomfortable?" she pointed out to her blue and pink haired sister.

"You're overthinking it, Cece."

"Do you think I should bring him flowers?"

"If you want to, why not?"

"Do you think I should bring him thirteen flowers, because that's 4, 3, and 6 added together and I messaged him for the first time at 4:36, or no?"

"It's up to you, Cece."

"But what if he's allergic?"

May didn't humor Cecelia with a reply, knowing there was no winning against her overthinking.

"May, what should I wear?" Cecelia asked, but it came out more as a whine.

"Whatever you want to, Cece."

"This is hard. Should I just go in my birthday suit?"

"Simple and effective... but as your older sister, I must say incline you to not do that. Plus, I hear public nudity is frowned upon. Can't imagine why that is," May said, finishing off her statement with a dramatic sigh.

"May, do you think I should bring him chocolate?"

May sighed, putting her phone in her pocket before sliding off her little sister's bed. She stood in front of Cecelia, placing her hands on her shoulders and staring into her sister's eyes.

"Cecelia, snap out of it."

"But-" Cecelia was cut off by May violently shaking her shoulders.

"Snap out of it!"

"I'm just nervous."

May's facial expression softened. "I know you are, Cecelia, but you've been talking to this James guy for a couple months now. You know he won't care what you do or don't wear and what you do or don't bring. He'll just care that he's finally meeting the girl behind the messages, you know?"

"You're right."

"I know," May said, winking.

"But I still don't know what to wear."

"Leave that to me," May said, smirking.

**

The November air had made Cecelia's hands numb, but as she sat in the cafe, her hands comfortably wrapped around a mug of warm coffee, feeling started to return to her fingers.

Camille's smelled of coffee, first and foremost, but it also smelled like vanilla. The mixture of the two warm scents helped calm her nerves just a bit as she waited for Jamie to arrive.

She was always early and this time was no different, it was just a bit more surprising considering how long she stood in front of her mirror, trying to figure out what to wear. May helped her with that dilemma, picking out her entire outfit.

Cecelia ended up in a cozy, cream-colored sweater tucked into a black skirt. Her sister tried to stuff her into a pair of boots, but Cecelia refused, settling on a pair of maroon converse that matched the scarf around her neck.

The quiet buzz of couples chatting and the rhythmic clicks of fingers against keyboards were drowned out as Cecelia focused on the small, loose thread poking out of her sweater. She was so distracted by it she almost didn't notice the distinct chime of someone entering the cafe. Almost.

Her head quickly snapped up, her gaze shifting from the cream thread to the figure standing in the doorway of the cafe. There was no question about it, now that she'd seen a picture of him. She found her Jamie... and just a moment later, his surveying eyes stopped on her. He found her too.

Cecelia had no control over her facial muscles as she grinned so brightly it rivaled the shine of the sun. It seemed Jamie had the same predicament, as he returned her smile with an even brighter one.

As James began walking towards her, with slow, yet deliberate steps, she stood up from the chair she previously sat on. The closer he got, the more she felt overwhelmed. The photo simply didn't do him justice. Even with his nose red and his lips slightly chapped from the harsh, wintry air, he was still so much more handsome in real life.

Once Jamie was standing right in front of her, she became even more overwhelmed, especially with nerves. She was unsure of what to do. Handshake? Hug? Say hi?

All the nervousness left her body as soon as James wrapped his arms around her in a warm, comforting hug, burying his face in her neck. The sensations she felt at that moment were unreal. The moment itself was surreal. His nose was cool against her neck, presumably from the cold weather, and his lean, yet strong arms were wrapped around her tightly enough to make her feel safe, but not too tightly.

As her arms slowly came up around him to return the hug, bringing him even closer, realization hit her at full force. She was finally meeting her sweetums. The thought elicited a quiet, yet still audible giggle, which caused Jamie to pull back from the hug, though he didn't let her go entirely.

Jamie's glasses were slightly fogged, but nothing could dull the obvious shine in his eyes. That shine, though, was nothing compared to the shine of his smile. He opened his mouth, speaking the two small words that she'd grown incredibly fond of. The two words that were just the beginning. They were the simplest of words, really, but they would be the first of many.

"Hey, Celia."

**

And that's a wrap, folks! I know it seems like a rather unsatisfying end and I almost continued the story, but I deleted it, because I love the idea of ending my story at the point where theirs is only just beginning, oop.

Also, I really didn't plan this story out before I started writing it, so it's imperfect-

BUT I STILL LIKE IT, OKAY?

THAT'S ALL. BYEE.