Penultimate Café was much better than its more popular and older sister café, the Ultimate Café, which was always crowded. Even during happy hour, Penultimate was far less cramped. One of the other perks of Penultimate was the new and up-and-coming artists playing on stage every night.

Ron had gotten to the café before me, so he told me to meet him on the roof. Walking into Penultimate, I noticed a rock band performing tonight. I didn’t have much time to stop and listen, so I just took down their name for later. Then I went upstairs to meet with Ron.

The roof was an awesome chill area with different couches, some tables, and even a bar. I grabbed a drink and walked over to where Ron was sitting. He had been writing on a piece of paper. “Tossing around some ideas?” I said, taking the seat across from him.

“Actually, I’m at a bit of a loss because I want it to be perfect for her, but I have too many ideas, so it’s hard to narrow all of them down,” Ron said, crossing something off his list.

Taking a sip from my drink, I asked, “What did you cross off?” as I tried to peek at the notebook.

“Well, she loves alpacas, so I thought we could get some alpaca decorations,” he said, writing something down.

“Oh! We could rent out some alpacas and bring them up here, maybe get a little petting zoo going. Although it might not work out because we might get scammed. I don’t really know the difference between an alpaca and a llama,” I said.

Ron laughed. “I love the idea, but we’re probably not going to bring animals up here because they serve food and drinks.” Ron started flipping to a new page and jotted down some notes. “Alright, you’re in charge of getting the decorations because I can’t tell the difference between llamas and alpacas either.”

“So, I have to take the downfall?” I laughed.

“I’m 95 percent sure she won’t notice, but I need someone to blame if she does. Don’t worry, the city buses drive slow, so it won’t hurt too much when I throw you under. By the way, how’s that dating app going?” he said, closing his book.

“Well, that profile you made me was something else. You should do all my resumes,” I said. Ron chuckled at the idea. He’d find out later I was serious. Sitting back in my chair, I continued, “After swimming through the matches, I stumbled upon this beautiful girl. Of course, since she is out of my league, I had to enlist the help of Jackie.”

“Oh, right, you work with Jackie. I haven’t seen her in forever. Make sure to invite her and tell that Jose dude to tag along. He was super cool,” Ron said.

“Wait, you didn’t hear they broke up? Hmm, I guess not, because the last time you saw Jackie, they were together.” It was getting windy and cold, so I took my hair out of my ponytail and put on my beanie, trying to warm up.

“Really? They seemed good for each other. What happened between them?”

“Well, I don’t really know the entire story. Maybe I should ask her why. They actually might get back together because she just broke up with her new boyfriend, Glenn. Get this, Glenn was apparently cheating on her with a guy named Terry.”

“Wait, like the ice-cream company Glenn and Terry’s?” Ron chuckled.

“Exactly! They’re so cute! I wish Summer and I stayed friends, so I could still make funny seasonal jokes.”

“When are you going to make amends with her?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I still talk to Vin sometimes, so I guess I’ll ask him how she feels. Anyhow, things are going to change with this new girl Ruth.” A chilly wind kissed my neck, causing me to shiver more. “Can we pick this up next time? I’m going to turn into Winter if I stay out here any longer.”

“Now, that would be a sight to see. Maybe we should stay a little longer.” Ron chuckled. “But anyway, it’s good we’re ending early. I have to go to the mall and get the engagement ring re-sized. I saw it was a little bigger than the one she currently wears. Let’s pick this up Sunday when you’re free,” he said, standing up.

“Let’s do it in the afternoon when it’s warmer,” I said through my chattering teeth. We left the café and drove our separate ways. When I finally arrived home, I noticed I hadn’t checked if Ruth had texted back.

A single text had four laughing emojis and said, “You’re right. Maybe I should stop being so nervous.” Oh, perfect. She has a sense of humor and is just as nervous as me. There’s no way I can mess this up.