The ride to the cafe was silent. In the talking sense anyway. Country music that I hadn't really developed a taste for yet filled the air around us and I was glad when he finally pulled into a parking space and we got out.

It surprised me when Duke held the door open for me. I'm starting to be able to finally picture why girls are so in love with him. He's gorgeous AND a gentleman. He was raised right. Or mostly, anyway.

In this place you get to choose where you sit, so he led me over to a table in a corner of the building that was surrounded with a lot of windows, displaying the beautiful view outside. I was still caught up in the scenery when the waitress came over to take our orders.

"I will have a vanilla latte, cinnamon bun bites, and the chicken salad wrap with the onion rings." I close my menu and look at Duke. "What about you?"

"Uh, I'll just have a coffee. Black." He hands the waitress our menus.

I make a face. "Really? That's so boring."

"Well, I wasn't expecting to eat a full on meal when I walked in here. You really mean business when it comes to food." He chuckles.

"Always. Especially in new places, there were sooo many things that looked good. I would've gotten more, but I figured I shouldn't." I patted my stomach.

He just shakes his head. "I don't understand where it all goes."

"I think as soon as I eat it, it immediately converts into energy to compensate for everything my mouth uses when I talk." I shrug my shoulders when he smiles.

We sat in silence while waiting for our coffees. I stared outside while he texted someone. Probably telling his parents what he's doing. I started to get uncomfortable, but by that time our coffees came in all their glory. Well, mine more than his. Who drinks black coffee anyway? It's so not worth it.

I started to swirl the whipped cream around when the silence finally broke.

"So, when did you and your family move here anyway?" Duke dumps sugar into his coffee then stirs it, waiting for an answer.

"About a month ago now. Two weeks before school started." I sip my latte. It is a complete understatement to say it tastes amazing. It's literally the best coffee I've ever had.

Duke just nods his head. "So, have you lived here all your life?" I venture.

"For most of it. I was born in Texas, actually. My family and I moved here when I was seven," he stares at his coffee.

"Oh, cool. Do you have any siblings?" I ask innocently. If he's this gorgeous for a guy, I can't even imagine what his sister looks like if he has one.

"No, I don't." His mood immediately darkened and he didn't give any more information.

Okaaaay, then.

I'm able to continue casual conversation by asking him about his match tomorrow, but the mood doesn't really go back to what it was. What could cause him to become so cold because of my question? It was completely harmless. Unless his family is like mine and nobody seems to like you.

He explained to me a lot of the same things Tyrone had said to me earlier, but I pretended it was news to me. We can't both be grumpy, even given my circumstances.

By the time two hours had rolled by, I was surprised by how late it had gotten. It was now about seven and I summoned the waitress to pay my check.

"I've got it." Duke whips out his card and hands it to the woman before I even have the chance to unzip my wallet.

"No, it's okay, I'm the one who ordered all the food anyway." And my parents have more money than I can wrap my head around.

But Duke wouldn't let the woman accept my card and shooed her away to process the payment. I cross my arms. "You really didn't have to do that, you know."

"Didn't have to, but that doesnt mean I didn't want to." He gives a small smile, giving me hope about his mood. "Besides, I'm the one who invited you out here and I enjoyed your company. So it's good."

Huh? He enjoyed MY company? Now that's a lie if I ever heard one. But that's not what I said. "It was fun. But when do you actually want to work on our project?"

"If I had a choice, never, but that's not the case. Schoolwork sucks." He takes his card back from our waitress and we stand to leave. "Well, I have my match tomorrow so I'll be busy, but what are you doing Sunday?"

Umm, binging Netflix and eating a whole bunch of crap?

"Uh, practically nothing. My parents will be at work and only God knows what my sister will be doing." I open the truck door as he gets in on the other side.

"Okay, so would you want to get together then? We could do your house or come here again." He suggests as he starts the truck and the engine roars to life.

"Why not your house?" I quirk one of my eyebrows at him out of curiosity.

"Nothing exciting at my house. Way out of the way, too." Is the only explanation he gives as he keeps his eyes on the road ahead of him. Evasive about homelife, okay, got it.

"Well, I vote we meet here again. The food was AMAZING let alone the coffee! it should be our 'place', no pun intended." I laugh at my own words. This only causes a smile to play on his lips and the next moment we come to a stop in front of my car.

I get out and pop my head back in through the window. "I'll see you tomorrow! Thanks for the food." I hope my blush isn't as bad as it feels.

"It's not a problem." He just smirks at me, obviously spotting the barely there tinge in my cheeks. You can only detect my blush if you're ever really looking.

I slowly start to walk away when I hear, "I'll see you tomorrow, Blue."

And just like that, he's gone.