Beautiful Mess(16)

“Okay,” he began again. “I have a lot of casual… acquaintances that happen to be girls. Most of which I wouldn’t really even call friends. The few girls I do consider friends, I’m still not really close to. We talk, but not about anything really important. Do you know what I mean?” Bri nodded. “Good. Well, of all my girl friends, there are only maybe a handful that I would call real, close friends, where we know each other well enough to talk about the important stuff.” Cole let out a breath. “That’s what I meant.”

“Got it,” Bri chuckled, and thankfully the waitress came over then to take their order, and derailed the awkwardness. Something Cole had said triggered another question in Bri’s mind. After the waitress, who didn’t even try to be subtle as she fawned over Cole, left, Bri decided to broach the subject.

“So, what about girlfriends? As in relationships?”

“Just one,” Cole smiled, a bit uncomfortably.

“Currently, or in the past?” Bri realized this was probably something she should’ve found out before agreeing to go out with him.

“In the past,” he quickly clarified. “Last year. Well, last school year anyway.”

“So, what happened?” As soon as she spoke the words, she wished she could take them back. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that. It’s not any of my business, and I didn’t mean to pry,” she apologized quickly.

“Don’t worry about it,” he assured her. “Things just didn’t work out. Let’s leave it at that.” Bri smiled and nodded. “How about you? How many boyfriends do you have stashed in the closet?” he grinned.

“Just one. It ended earlier this year.”

“And, what happened?”

“Apparently, things between us weren’t as wonderful as I thought, and it just didn’t work out. Let’s leave it at that,” she smiled sadly.

“I’ll drink to that,” Cole lifted his Mountain Dew. Bri lifted her Dr. Pepper, they clinked glasses. “Alright, back to you, and you spilling every last detail about yourself,” Cole rubbed his hands together hungrily.

“Hey, that’s not fair,” she protested with a smile. “I want to know about you, too. If you want me to spill, you have to, also.”

“Alright, but I get to start.” Cole got a wicked gleam in his eye that made Bri a bit nervous. “There is something I’ve been dying to know since the day we met. Where is this tattoo of yours, and what is it?”

Bri laughed and pulled her hair back from her right ear. Right below her earlobe was a small, white calla lily. She usually kept it hidden under her hair. It didn’t surprise her that he had never spotted it.

Cole stared at her neck, mesmerized for a moment.

“Wow,” he said, seemingly to himself. “That is the sexiest thing I think I’ve ever seen.” Snapping out of his trance, Cole’s eyes quickly darted up to Bri’s and he smiled, embarrassed. He cleared his throat. “Okay, then, moving on. What about your family?”

Bri let her hair fall back into place. “Dad, stepmom, twin three year old brothers. How about you?”

“It’s just me and my dad.”

“Where did you grow up? Have you always lived here?”

“Born and raised right here in L.A. My dad and I have moved around the area a bit, but we’ve been here in Santa Monica for a little over three years now. Alright, something a little tougher… Favorite movie, TV show, and book.”

“Hmm. Shakespeare in Love, The Vampire Diaries, and Pride and Prejudice. Yours?”

“Well, I’m not much into books, but The Matrix, and Top Gear, British version.”

“Get out!” Bri exclaimed. “I love Top Gear! They have the coolest cars on that show. And Clarkson is freaking hilarious! If I ever get famous, I’m so going on that show.”

“Wow, I wouldn’t have pegged you for a car girl,” Cole looked impressed. “That just made you even hotter!” he winked.

"Yeah, thanks,” she shook her head. “So, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

“Ah, getting to the meaty stuff already. Well, if I could be anything I wanted, I think I’d be an artist. But, as my dad likes to remind me, a starving artist can’t support himself, or anyone else. So, to be honest, I’m not really sure yet. Something will come to me, eventually,” he gave a lopsided smile.

“Your dad doesn’t support your art?” Bri couldn’t believe it. “Has he seen your work? You’re very talented.”

“No, it’s not that. He’s totally supportive. He just knows it’s hard to make a living in the art world, and wants to make sure I have a backup plan.”