The day moved on pretty quickly and Kennedy proved to be a normal girl after all. She wanted to go shopping for books and clothes and after that, she took me to her campus so she could pick up some group project from ‘A bunch of morons’ and that's how we ended up at Grind Me Up with Kennedy on her laptop and me sitting across from her sipping some weird frothy coffee she had ordered for me. 

Kennedy and I sat in the corner a couple of tables away from the counter and despite Kennedy looking innocent I couldn't help but feel like I got duped again. I groaned internally regretting the day Killian had seen me talk to Baring because it was starting to feel like Killian and Kennedy were trying to play matchmakers and there was no chance for me.  Everyone who knew Baring knew his type i.e, not me.  Baring's type was always supermodels with flashy personalities. Girls and boys the school knew about not the random silent kid that passed under the radar.   

I picked up my cup and shook it lightly. I was scraping the barrel of the frothy coffee drink but I didn't want to go to the counter and stare at Baring after averting my eyes every time they met his. I didn't know what to do if I walked over to him and it was now too awkward to just stop ignoring him and smile.  I looked over at Kennedy and rolled my eyes. She was pretending that this was not her intention all along and because we were in a crowded place she was taking advantage of the fact that I couldn't verbally confront her. 

I placed my almost empty cup against my lips and let my gaze stray. The coffee shop had a few people haphazardly seated in awkward positions, counting Kennedy and I the place had about 8 people. With the way, Baring was relaxed; it seemed like it was a normal thing. 

I watched the light-skinned boy wipe the counter for the third time in five minutes. The place was clean enough to eat off of and yet he still wiped it again. A small huff escaped my lips as I curled my fingers into my palms. I wanted to draw him. I was mustering a lot of restraint not to pull out my pencil and sketchbook. 

I wanted to sketch out his two frown lines, the small frown that was pulling down his bottom lip and the coffee stain that had missed his apron and was now forming a weird jigsaw shape on the sleeve of his shirt. I watched him smile for a new customer that had just arrived and he spoke to the woman like he knew her. She laughed at something he said and he laughed too as he entered some keys into the register. The lady smiled at him and made a show of tipping him a hundred dollar bill. I wasn't a minimum wage worker but that seemed like a lot of money to me. Baring's radiant smile finally made an appearance as he reached into the jar and pocketed the money. He smiled to himself and looked up in time to catch my eye. 

I froze in my seat. 

His smile wavered and he gave me a small nod. 

I raised my hand and waved to him. The wave was a few seconds short but that was enough time for me to regret waving because what sort of idiot waved at the barista in a semi-crowded coffee shop. I felt my cheeks heat up and I quickly averted my eyes. 

"You could go over there you know," Kennedy said without looking up from her laptop. 

Yeah, Kennedy. What a great idea, have the silent guy with crippling social anxiety stand up in a quiet coffee shop and draw attention by standing at the counter silently staring at the hottest guy in my school. I rolled my eyes at my sister's unhelpful suggestion of course Kennedy Queen of West Kinsley University would think that was easy. What did she know about being an awkward person? 

I tore the corner of my serviette and threw it at her face. 

Kennedy smiled and threw the small tissue back at me, "Now I know where Jessica learnt that from." 

I rolled my eyes, lifted up my cup and shook it. It was really empty now. I glanced over at Kennedy's and contemplated stealing hers but knowing Kennedy she would probably have an order worse than mine. I slumped in my seat and looked back at the counter. 

Baring was staring at me expectantly. The moment our eyes met his face brightened and he signed at me, ‘Come Over’

I looked behind me trying to figure out who else he was signing to. Kennedy groaned in annoyance. I looked over at her and narrowed my eyes. ‘Not all of us were born superstars Kennedy.’ I thought to myself as I looked back at Baring. 

He smiled and signed something else, ‘You.’

I pointed at my chest and Baring nodded his head. With my heart hammering away in my chest I lifted the shopping bag in my lap and dumped it onto Kenndey's laptop. Kennedy rolled her eyes and pushed everything aside. 

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." She said looking through the bag I had dumped on her laptop, "And if you feel an attack coming let me know immediately."