Stood Up

 I knew I shouldn't have come here, I thought to myself bitterly, my eyes darting around the cafe suspiciously. People had been and gone in the past hour and a half, but I knew that the waitress who kept refilling my coffee thought I was a joke. She even brought me an iced bun. "On the house," she'd said, flashing me a sympathetic smile. I bet she saw a lot of people like me in her line of work.

I glanced sideways at my phone which lay by my elbow, half hoping she might call to say she was running late. Who was I kidding? I knew she'd said yes out of pity. I knew she was out of my league; she was golden-blonde, bright eyed and beautiful and I was just your average Joe. I wasn't a complete loser - I'd had my share of girlfriends, but I was really taking a risk this time. I liked to put on a cool-guy facade but even I had to admit being jilted at the coffee-altar was a bruise to the ego.

I sat back in my chair, exasperated. I swirled the remaining coffee in my cup, watching the milk form patterns on the chocolate-coloured surface. To be honest, I was pretty annoyed. I wasn't asking for much; I just thought we could have coffee and talk. I hadn't even explicitly called it a date! It was her own fault for assuming. My eyebrows furrowed slightly in childish irritation. Girls were so much hassle! I preferred to be single anyway. A lone wolf. I shook my shoulders and felt a smirk creep onto my face. I was always good at giving myself pep talks - I felt much better now. Who needed girls? Not me!

I chugged the last of my lukewarm coffee and took my wallet from my back pocket, laying a ten pound note on the table and sliding my chair back. My spirits somewhat lifted, I stood and stretched casually, giving the impression that I hadn't been expecting company at all and I was quite satisfied with some alone time. I grabbed my jacket from the back of my chair and slung it over my shoulder, walking out of the door coolly, giving a nod to the waitress who had given me the iced bun.

As I stepped out of the door, I collided instantly with someone on their way inside. When I got over my initial shock, I opened my mouth to apologise profusely until I recognised who it was in front of me. Her blonde locks had gone awry in our pile-up and her cheeks were slightly flushed. My irritation returned despite my marvel at how wonderful she looked. Before I could say sorry for knocking into her, she squeaked breathlessly, "I am so sorry," she tucked her hair behind her ears. "You'll never believe what happened to me on the way here." I couldn't stop the smile that spread onto my face. What was that I was saying about being a lone wolf? Yeah, forget that.


(Prompt: write about a man that got stood up on a date. Writing prompts from creativewritingprompts)