Not an average girl

[zydrate]

The coffee house was packed at 7 AM and Nicole should've known better than to come here after a rough night. But she needed to get out of her apartment today after having the worse day of her life yesterday which prolonged into the evening.

With sunglasses covering her eyes, which she didn't bother taking off and that made her surroundings inside the small shop darker than usual. The environment was buzzing with activity but she didn't hear any of it. Instead, she was in her own little world of self pity.

She made her way up the counter and ordered a large coffee with 2 shots of espresso. After receiving her order, she went to the prep bar and drowned it with cream and sugar before heading to the only empty table, which happened to be by the window. She still had 2 hours before she had to get to class and silently wished she didn't have to go in today.

In her mind, Nicole wondered how the hell everything went to shit so quickly. She and Nathan were doing good. Granted, they had a few ups and downs since meeting but what relationship didn't? But now, to find out it was all a lie.

It made her mad all over again.

Nathan had denied the accusation that he and a few friends had a bet going on that he couldn't seduce Nicole Mason, the poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks, so to speak, and get her to like him. It was the classic setting. Nathan's family was very well off. And Nicole's? Well, she was only able to attend this college on a full scholarship and even with that, she was barely scaping by.

She ignored a few other students as they came in, making their presence known by being loud and obnoxious... it was one the sororities.. she wasn't sure which one seeing as how she thought they were all alike. Nicole concentrated on her coffee in front of her.

Of course, this wasn't the end of the world, she wasn't some female so infatuated by the attention of a guy that she was totally heartbroken... no, she was just mad that she hadn't seen it sooner or knew something was wrong with the whole situation.

((ooc: I don't know where exactly I'm going with this, but if you want to write this with me and see where it takes us, then please, let me know via PM. Thanks! Zy.)

 

[RhoEpsilonDelta]

With a sigh Josh scribbled his number on the side of the cup. He'd tried this half a dozen times whenever he'd had the good fortune of serving Nicole in the small coffee shop most of the students from the local college tended to use, but so far she'd never even acknowledged his existence. But perhaps today would be different.

"Here's your coffee, large with double espresso." He said with a smile as he handed the cup over to the most beautiful girl he' ever seen. For a moment their fingers touched and she smiled back at him, but only for a moment.

Josh had seen the films, the lonely guys who obsessed over little details like that, building them up into full blown fantasy relationships until the day they abducted the object of their desires and took them to some run down warehouse to abuse them in every depraved way their twisted minds could conceive, but he was different, he knew what was real and what was just fantasy. Instead he let himself enjoy the moment, savouring it for as long as he could before Nicole turned away and headed over to the window seat.

It wasn't working, his romantic little gesture, just like every other time he'd tried. He needed to do something more than just hand her his phone number, he needed to actually speak with the girl. He was just about ready to finally take the plunge when the next customer stepped up in front of him, blocking his view of the perfect girl as they angrily demanded service.

 

[zydrate]

Nicole didn't know how long she had been sitting in the coffee shop, lost in her own thoughts. She had only downed half of her coffee and it the rest had gotten cold.

She saw the phone number on the cup and smiled. This wasn't the first time she had seen the number and of course, she was flattered. It wasn't that she hadn't noticed it before, it's just she figured the guy who did this probably did this to all the cups of women he saw on a daily basis.

Yes, Nicole knew who it was and glanced quickly at him as he was busy with one of the brewing machines. He was a nice, from what interaction she had with him when getting her coffee. He always had a smile for his customers, and that was a good thing because his smile was nice.

In her head, she wondered why she couldn’t find a guy like that. But then again, she had fallen for Nathan. He seemed nice...until after all that happened last night. Just thinking about that made her mad again and she groaned before pushing her sunglasses up onto her head. She squinted at the morning light as it hit her full force for the first time that morning.

Finishing up her drink, she grabbed her bag and stood up. It was time to get going. Perhaps a little walk would do her good

 

[RhoEpsilonDelta]

Really he should've asked her to leave after the first half-hour, but the sight of Nicole's beautiful face as she sat staring out of the window was enough to keep a smile on Josh's face throughout his shift and it wasn't until he was moving back towards the locker room that she finally stood up and made her way to leave.

Quickly hurrying out back, hanging up his apron and punching his time card before bolting out the back door without even saying goodbye to his workmates, Josh darted around to the front of the store as fast as he could. Glancing down the street he spotted Nicole as she made her way down the road.

His first reaction was to run after her, drop to his knees and beg her to go out with him, if only just once. Luckily for him as he took the first step forwards his brain finally kicked in and instead of making a total fool of himself he decided it would be better if he took his time and waited to first make sure she wasn't on her way to meet up with her boyfriend, or even worse husband. Or even even worse wife.

Dropping into step a fair distance behind Nicole he slowly made his way after her, letting her steps guide his as he followed along like a lovesick puppy.

 

[zydrate]

As Nicole made her way to her first class that morning, her phone sounded. Looking down at the display, she saw Nathan's number pop up and she stopped in her tracks, letting out a loud groan.

Hitting 'answer', Nicole didn't even say "hello" as she listened to Nathan he tried to apologize for everything... how he was sorry for everything and that he really did love her. She never once tried to interrupt him because she just didn't care anymore about him and his stupid games.

Hanging up on him, this couldn't happen today. She didn't feel like going to class today. She needed to get away. She shoved her phone into her bag and turned around suddenly, still fuming when she slammed into someone's chest and she was almost knocked onto the ground.

 

[RhoEpsilonDelta]

Josh stumbled backwards as Nicole spun away from him, momentarily off-balance. By reflex his hand shot out to grab something, anything to arrest his fall and he found his fingers wrapping around the beautiful girl's arm. Not that this helped him stay upright, instead it pulled Nicole down on top of him as he pitched backwards onto the pavement with a surprised scream.

For a moment he just lay there, face burning with embarrassment as he felt the natural reaction of having the girl of his dreams pressed against his body swelling between his legs. 'Oh God, please don't let her feel that. Please on't let her feel that.' he chanted silently in his head, turning his gaze away to look at the clouds overhead as he tried desperately to remember what the previous night's sports results had been.

 

[zydrate]

One minute Nicole was upright and started to walk away after a quick, "I'm sorry..." was muttered, only to find herself being grabbed and taken down! The only reason she had was a scream before landing on something under her.

Quickly scrambling up, she turned and saw it wasn't something, but someone! "Oh my God, I am so very sorry!" She said in a rush as she tried to help the man up. "I swear I didn't--"she stopped, realizing she recognized the young man from somewhere..."hey...you're the guy from the coffee shop, right?"

Nicole held out her hand for him to take, and even though he bared much of his own weight as he got up, at least Nicole felt somewhat useful. She flash him a quick smile as she slung her bag back over her shoulder, "are you OK?"

 

[RhoEpsilonDelta]

Taking the offered hand with a lopsided smile Josh rose back up onto his feet unsteadily. His hip had hit the ground hard in the fall and as he put his weight on it he could feel his eyes watering a little. Trying to look casual he leaned against the wall beside him as Nicole looked at him more closely than she'd ever done before.

'Damn she's cute when she worries,' he thought to himself, momentarily lost in thought as he looked into her eyes. As the seconds passed he suddenly realised she'd asked him a question, quickly rewinding the last couple of minutes he quickly stammered out, "Oh yeah, I'm fine. Nothing hurt but my... pride."

As he spoke he rubbed his hand up the side of his leg, feeling a twinge as it slid over the aching joint. Despite the pain he knew this was probably the best opportunity he was going to get with the beautiful woman he'd just pulled into his arms in the middle of the street.

"I'm Josh, by the way. Josh Guy-From-The-Coffee-Shop, but my friends just call me Josh." His inner voice was screaming at him to shut up and Josh could feel the sweat beading on his brow. He was committed now though, his only hope was to plough on through and hope he made it out the other side in one piece. "Hey... I was just gonna grab a drink... umm, I mean something to eat. Just a sandwich or something, not a meal or anything... and I was wondering whether you'd... umm, whether you'd eat?"

 

[zydrate]

Nicole saw Josh favoring his hip and winched with him when he touched it. She didn't answer him right away about the offer as she bend in front of him and looked at it more closely, "Are you sure you're alright?" She asked before reaching out and pushing on the spot his had touched.

She heard him answer as she stood back up and looked at him, "Again, I'm really sorry about that. I should've have watched what I was doing but..yeah..." she didn't want to go into why she wasn't paying attention.

"And thank you for the offer, but you know, if you don't mind, I'd like to buy seeing as how I almost killed you." She said with a smile.

 

[RhoEpsilonDelta]

'Don'tlookdowndon'tlookdowndon'tlookdown...' Josh recited to himself as Nicole bent forwards in front of him just enough to give a nice clear view down her top. Will all his self-control he managed to keep his eyes trained on hers as his smile beamed.

"I'm fine really, just an old war injury playing me up." She said with a chuckle as he stroked his fingers up his side, sending another jab of pain stabbing into his hip. "And I've got no problem with eating on your dime, although I'd much rather spilt the bill. It'd be only fair since I'm partly to blame here as well."

Glancing around Josh desperately tried to remember the way to anywhere he could actually buy a sandwich, only to realise he didn't recognise the street he was on at all. For the last few minutes he'd simply been following Nicole, trying to buck up the courage to talk to her, and in his singlemindedness hadn't been paying attention to where he was actually walking.

 

[zydrate]

Nicole could only watch the man before her as he talked. His voice was so calm and easy going. She probably should've questioned if he was following her or not. But seriously, he could've been heading home or like he said, he was heating someplace to eat.

"Well, tell you what, I know a small cafe another block or so north, how about go there?" She looked at her watch and sighed, "Wait...damnit...I have class in about 30 minutes.." she looked around and then back at Josh, "How about a rain check for later tonight? Seeing as how my last class ends at 7."

 

[RhoEpsilonDelta]

Josh felt his heart plummet as Nicole tried to brush him off, only for it to soar again a moment later when she invited him to dinner instead. "That sounds great!" He said, maybe a little too loudly. Glancing round bashfully at the passersby staring at his outburst Josh quickly ran a hand through his hair, his fingers working the locks nervously.

"Umm, where should I meet you? At the college?" He asked uncertainly. He knew exactly where she went to school, in fact he even knew which classroom she usually sat in, but he hadn't been to the campus since dropping out the previous year and there were still people there he'd rather avoid if possible.

 

[zydrate]

"Tell you what," Nicole said as she reached into her bag and pulled out a sheet of her notebook paper, "Come to my place and we can order something or perhaps I can experiment on you with my cooking." she said with a smile as she wrote her address down.

Handing him the paper, she wouldn't do this for anyone but she felt really bad for how he hurt himself because of her absentmindedness. "Show up anytime after 7:30... if that's ok?"

 

[RhoEpsilonDelta]

Josh did a double take as he stared down at the scribbled address. Had this beautiful vision really just invited him over to her place for the night? Was this really happening, or had he finally been poisoned by caffeine fumes from one too many double shifts at the coffee shop?

Surreptitiously he reached round and pinched himself on the arm hard, but when he opened his eyes a moment later Nicole was still there, standing in front of him. "Wow... I mean, that'd be great." He stammered though his beaming smile. "Umm, should I bring anything with me, you know like wine or..?" 'don'tsaycondomsdon'tsaycondomsdon'tsaycondoms...'

 

[zydrate]

Nicole couldn't help but notice a bit of his giddiness and that made her giggle a little as she shook her head, "No, no need to bring anything." With that she turned from him and walked away. About 100 feet away, she looked back and noticed he was still staring at her through the crowd so she gave him a little wave before heading toward class.

During the rest of the day, Nicole had to put up with constant calls and texts from Nathan. Finally she just turned off her phone and buried it in her backpack.

Classes were all the same... assignments and homework to get done. Only to start all over again tomorrow.

Finally, she was able to finish classes early and made it back to her small apartment just before 7. With that, she hurried to shower and change into a pair of shorts and a tshirt. Nothing special, just something be comfortable in while making dinner.

Then, at 7:30 on the dot, there was a knock at the door. For some reason, she knew Josh would be right on time.

 

[RhoEpsilonDelta]

Josh arrived at the address an hour early, in equal parts excited and anxious for what might come of the evening. Despite what Nicole had said he cradled a bottle of wine in each arm, one white and one red, and in his back pocket a roll of condoms pressed against his buttock, which still felt a little sore from the morning's fall.

He'd spent half the day at the hospital, in agony as stretchers and wheelchairs were rolled passed him through the waiting area. Eventually a cute young nurse had gotten him to drop pants for her to examine the injury, smiling to herself over the bulge she saw nestled in his boxers, before prescribing him some powerful painkillers and telling him to keep his weight off his hip for the next couple of days and not to do any strenuous activities.

Hopefully what he was picturing for the evening wasn't the kind of strenuous activities she'd had in mind, and with his head swimming from the mixture of hormones and medication bubbling through his brain Josh finally made his way up the stairs towards Nicole's apartment.

Standing on the doorstep he was momentarily flummoxed, his hands busy with the bottles and the doorbell too small to get at any other way. After a couple of failed attempts to trigger it with his tongue Josh gave up and instead bashed at the door with his foot, hoping Nicole wouldn't find the noise too intrusive.

 

[zydrate]

Nicole opened the door and saw the precarious position Josh was in and she giggled. "Need help?" She asked and reached out, taking the bottles from him, "You know, you didn't have to bring anything...besides, what I made doesn't really go with wine.."

"Come on in," she told him and turned from him before heading to the small kitchen and placing the bottles on the bar that separated the kitchen from the living room. "I wasn't sure you were coming or not, I mean, after all, I almost killed you I'm sure."

 

[RhoEpsilonDelta]

Just as Josh was about to greet Nicole she turned away from him and began walking over towards the kitchen area of her apartment. As soon as he caught sight of her firm ass wrapped in a pair of tight shorts the words died in his throat, the only sound he seemed capable of making a strange grumbling, burbling noise which for some reason reminded him of a drowning frog.

Quickly raising a hand to his mouth Josh quickly covered his embarrassment with a fake cough, averting his gaze from Nicole's killer hot body to instead glance around her apartment.

"No harm done," He said, replying to her query about his health, "In fact I feel better than ever." Which was the truth, the drugs given to him at the hospital had not only shooed away the pain but had also left him feeling lightheaded and almost euphotic. Right now he felt like he could take on the world.

Stepping up behind Nicole he reached out for her arm, his fingers closing around it gently but firmly as he pulled her around to face him. "Here, let me show you what I mean," he said as he stepped closer to the beautiful angel and bent forwards to bring his mouth into contact with hers.

 

[zydrate]

To say Nicole was surprised by the kiss was an understatement. She was down right shocked! She placed her hands on Josh's shoulders and tried to push him away but it was no use. She felt him shove his tongue into her mouth and that's when she tried to scream and push harder.

Finally able to push him away, Nicole was backed into the kitchen, "What the hell Josh?!"

 

[RhoEpsilonDelta]

As she broke away from him Josh reached out and once more grabbed her arm with his strong, gentle grip. "Nicole?" He asked, confused at her reaction, "I thought... I mean, I wanted..." He stuttered, suddenly completely unsure of himself. The signals had all been there, hadn't they, and now suddenly she didn't want to play.

He could feel his anger growing inside himself, the heat which took over whenever the bullies had kicked and beaten him. She was just like them, pretending to like him just so she could slap him down and laugh in his face.

Quickly he got ahold of himself, breathing in through his nose deeply and holding the breath for a second before blowing it out of his mouth. When he was finally in control of himself again he looked over at Nicole, his hand still holding her arm. "I'm sorry, Nicole. I obviously got mixed up over why you invited me over. Just say the word and I'll leave."

 

[zydrate]

"Yes! Please leave..." with all that happened with Nathan and now Josh, Nicole couldn't believe her luck lately. "I-I..I just think this was all a mistake..." she jerked her arm away from him and moved around him, heading to the door.

When she got to the door, Nicole jerked it open and didn't bother to look at Josh as she waited for him to leave her place.

 

[RhoEpsilonDelta]

As soon as Nicole started to pull her arm away Josh let his fingers spread wide, offering no resistance. It broke his heart to come so close to the girl of his dreams only to be brushed aside, but he knew it was for the best. In the long run it would never have worked. She'd have just played him along until time for the punchline and then would've laughed him down just like all the others.

He didn't bother to look at her as he turned and made his way out of the apartment an it wasn't until he heard the door close behind him that the first tear began to roll down his cheek. He'd been stupid, again, oh so stupid. Got what felt like hours he simply stood there, fist clenched and body shaking as he tried to keep himself together.

Finally he burst, the scream of rage bursting from his throat as he leapt forwards, slamming his fist into the wall hard enough to shatter the plasterboard, revealing the pipes buried underneath. His fist burned with pain, but in a way that made him feel better. At least it wa a pain he could do something about.

Cradling his hand with his arm as blood dropped onto the carpet Josh fished in his pockets for the pain meds he'd been given. Quickly snapping off the cap he clutched the bottle to his mouth, swallowing down several of the pills before stumbling off towards the stairwell.

 

[zydrate]

Once Josh was out of her apartment, Nicole quickly locked the door and rested her head against it.

She gasped when she heard the scream in the hall which was followed by a loud thud. Leaning back against the door, Nicole slid down to the floor and buried her head in her hands and felt so defeated. What the hell was wrong with her? How did she manage to attract the losers?!

"Ughh!" She said out loud and stood up. There was no use to wallow in self pity. She was partly to blame. She was one to think everyone was nice. That wasn't the case she was starting to find that out the hard way.

 

[RhoEpsilonDelta]

The next day Josh had to call in sick at work, not that Sandy cared much. As far as she was concerned Josh could rot in hell and she wouldn't bat an eyelash. Gail on the other hand had him on the phone for twenty minutes before finally accepting that a barista with a broken hand was of little use to anyone.

The nurse at the hospital almost seemed a little too pleased to see him, as if she remembered just how impressed she'd been with him the day before, and rather than waiting for what seemed like forever she ushered Josh straight into one of the cubicles and lifted the packet of frozen peas off of his swollen fingers.

"Oh my," She exclaimed as she carefully sprayed the black and purple mass of battered skin and bone with an antiseptic spray and reached over for some bandages, her eyes wandering down to Josh's crotch for a moment as she did. "Didn't I tell you not to exert yourself."

Josh simply shrugged, "Don't worry, it was just a wall." He said, his tone still and lifeless. Inside his heart was still aching from the way Nicole had treated him, and he still couldn't get the image of her in those shorts out of his mind. As the nurse carefully padded and wrapped his fingers she slipped her thigh up between his, anxious to get some kind of response out of him, but Josh's mind was on only one thing.

After she finished her treatment Josh thanked her politely and picking up a fresh prescription for some stronger meds he set off towards the college.

 

[zydrate]

Nicole slept in.

Actually, she was hungover from the previous night after finishing off one of the bottles of wine Josh had brought over last night...

"Oh God.." she said, thinking about the disaster from last night. The entire thought of the past few days made her sick to her stomach...or was that because she sick?

Yeah, she wasn't going to make it class today. Which was fine, most of it was just lectures this morning where she was sure she would just fall asleep in class. So, instead of going to embarrass herself, she decided to skip today and stay home. A session of self pity was in order.

Grabbing her comforter and a pillow, she padded to the living room and crashed on the couch.