Love In Unexpected Places ✓

Chapter Thirteen

Another two weeks have passed since I last spoke with Max. It was bittersweet to realize that may be the last conversation we ever had. He was on the other side of the country now, living his dream, just as I was living mine in New York. My heart was heavy; Max had been my best friend for a long time. But I was also at peace, knowing that this was ultimately the best decision for us both. It was finally time for me to be happy.

Realizing that I couldn't mope about my failed relationship forever, the following Saturday, I decided to return to the coffee shop. Though I didn't want to admit it, I knew that I was hoping to see Jean-Paul again. A part of me would always belong to Max, but another, more dominant part was ready to move on; I hoped that I could do that with Jean-Paul.

So I grabbed my keys...

I had this nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. I worried that if I did run into Jean-Paul again, I would be met with cold indifference. Would he want to talk to me, to hear what I had to say?

I pulled out of the parking lot of my apartment complex and sped toward the coffee shop. In my haste, I arrived twenty minutes before my normal time.

Knowing that I had time to kill, I ordered an iced coffee and sat down.

I sat down at one of the tables and pulled my phone out of my pocket. I decided to create an Instagram account, the one form of social media I never used. For the username, I used blakely_evans in hopes that maybe if Jean-Paul wanted to find me on social media it would be the easiest way to find me.

I stared out of the coffee shop window for a while, watching customers come and go. I was disappointed each time a car arrived and Jean-Paul wasn't in it. After watching the parking lot obsessively for ten minutes, I let out a sigh, resigning that I may never see Jean-Paul again.

Before I gave up and walked out the door, I went to the counter and ordered a fruit infused tea and a dessert croissant.

My name was called at the pickup counter, and I grabbed my order. As I was walking back to my table to grab my jacket, I heard the doorbell ring. In walked Jean-Paul. My heart skipped a beat as Jean-Paul walked inside, looking even more handsome than I remembered, sporting a pair of jeans and a light blue buttoned-up shirt.

His eyes met mine and he looked away, heading to the counter in the opposite direction without a word.

By the look on his face, I knew he was upset with me. He had a reason to be; I had broken his heart by denying him a kiss. I had given him mixed signals, flirting with him one minute and acting interested in him, and then rebuking his advance the next. I had gotten into my own head, had let my emotions control my real feelings, but my heart yearned for him.

He didn't know the way my stomach filled with butterflies when he looked at me. He didn't know that I smiled just thinking of him. He didn't know that I had fallen for him, hard, and that he had been on my mind since the moment that we'd met. He didn't know the truth because I kept it hidden, and now, it was too late. He would never know how I felt.

After he ordered, Jean-Paul took a seat at another table across the room from where I was seated. I could see the hurt in his eyes as he gazed in my direction. I wanted to make this right. I had to do something to fix this mess.

I took a deep breath to brace myself, then got up from my seat with my tea and croissant in tow and walked across the room to the table he occupied.

"Can we talk?" I asked him, my voice cracked from the nervousness that had taken over my body.

"About what?" he asked, indifferent. He ran his finger along the lid of his coffee cup, staring out the window to avoid my eyes.