Sparkling charm? 

What the hell was he thinking, talking like that? He only knew someone had described him that way because of an article Bryan had shoved in his face. The author had also included something about a 'seductive smile'. That was a tidbit he would keep to himself.

For now, he had Elise laughing as he helped her down the sidewalk. Luckily, his sore side was the same one she had injured, so she wasn't adding to his pain at all. Aaron wouldn't have said anything even if she had been. He liked having her on his arm like this, out in public where they could be seen.

As much as he liked it, his heart was racing now they were off the ice. Why was he this nervous? They were only going to get a cup of coffee together. 

Would he have been this nervous if she hadn't called it a date? Did this being a date make them officially boyfriend and girlfriend?

Maybe that was going a bit fast, but now the labels were bouncing around his mind.

"You look grumpier than you should for grabbing a cup of coffee," Elise observed, bumping playfully into his side. "That looks like your brooding face. Like when you've missed all your jumps and hate life, and completely hide that sparkling charm behind your glares. Are you rethinking this? Should I call an Uber and go home?"

"No! No, don't go home, Elise," Aaron said, the words tumbling out before he thought about what he was saying. "I'm not rethinking this. I just haven't had a first date for a while."

"Really? That is not what Bryan made it sound like last night," Elise said, no longer looking so amused. In fact, she almost looked angry again. "He almost made it sound like the ladies are just hanging all over."

Aaron immediately stopped walking, cheeks flushing a bright red at the insinuation. "I'm going to kill him."

"No you aren't," she pointed out, looking even angrier than before. "You like him too much, and Gerald seems to like him too. He went so far as to call Bryan a good influence for you."

"Oh did he? Then why do you look like you want to kill Bryan?" Aaron asked, becoming more curious about what had happened than anything else.

"He didn't tell you anything?"

"No."

"Then you should ask him why he was such an asshole last night," Elise said, sounding overly sweet. "I would much rather talk about something else. Otherwise we might as well not have our coffee, I'll just head home and keep our relationship professional."

Aaron was taken aback. It seemed that if he didn't do what she asked, he was going to be next on her hit list, right after Bryan. He reached out to take both her hands in his. Reaching out to her like this was something he had never done. They had held hands before on the ice, but he didn't usually welcome someone into his personal space like this in public. 

"Then we'll talk about something else," he said, voice as gentle as the grip he had on her hands. This was the only way he knew to prove to Elise that he was ready to let her through his walls. He was going to try. "But my conversations tend to either be about skating or involve Bryan, so you might have to choose the topics."

"You can talk about him, just not about our dinner last night," Elise said, seeming to calm down a bit. She tugged a hand away to pull him toward the coffee shop. "I understand the both of you are close. If you weren't, he wouldn't try to be your wingman even when you aren't there. You should tell him to knock it off."

If Bryan had been there, Aaron would have strangled his roommate. An early morning anatomy class might be a fitting punishment for now. Maybe he would find some itching powder or hair dye he could slip in his shampoo later. "I think he doesn't understand that I am a person that can think on my own and speak to women on my own without him interfering."

"Tell him that," Elise suggested, back to looking amused now. "And tell him that you don't need a wingman anymore because you and I, we are dating and he has no say in the matter."

All Aaron could do in response to the sudden declaration was smile. That had been what he was hoping for, but it didn't mean he had been ready for her to declare it so openly so soon.

She returned his smile as she stepped into the warmth of the coffee shop. "I mean, you've used that sparkling charm, so who knows what could happen. I might even be swooning in your strong embrace before there is a foam heart on top of my latte." 

Aaron couldn't help but laugh at the image her words evoked, and he followed her right into the shop. "Whatever you do, don't have Linn try to do the heart. Her work always ends up looking like a penis."

"That's just a different form of foam art." An impish smile crossed her lips. "Besides, when did I ever say I wasn't a fan of a dick? I certainly like you well enough."

Aaron choked on his own breath, and he turned bright red when he heard Linn laughing behind the counter. 

"I can't say I blame you," Linn said, offering Elise her customer service smile. "Let me guess, he was warning you against asking me for a heart on a latte?"

"Yes," Elise said sweetly, holding out her hand. "You must be Linn, and you can do whatever you'd like on my latte."

Linn laughed harder as she took the offered hand before leaning on the counter. She looked at Aaron for a long moment, making him squirm before looking back at Elise. "I like you. What can I get you this morning? It's on the house for anyone that can get him to turn that red in public."

"I just have a real talent when it comes to these things," Elise bragged as she glanced at the menu. "I'll take a caramel macchiato latte please. For here, unless Aaron has any complaints about that."

"Having it here is what I was thinking. The warmth will be good for you knee after all that time in the cold."

"And you'll want your normal black coffee, right Aaron?" Linn said as she started making Elise's latte. 

"You do know what I like," he said with a charming smile, pulling out his card without waiting for his total. He then led the way to a table by the windows.

He felt awkward as they sat, because it felt like Linn was watching them from the counter, just waiting for Elise to embarrass him again.

"It's shaping up to be the day I learn that I can't take you anywhere," he groused as she played with a stirrer that she had picked up at the counter. "Is it your goal to show everyone just how red you can make me turn?"

"That would be a noble cause, but no, that's not what I'm doing. I'm just being myself Aaron, if that embarrasses you, I'm sorry. You've just forgotten how blunt I can when you leave the door open like that."

"I was just trying to warn you about her latte art skills," he protested. "In case you wanted to take a picture or something."

"I don't tend to take pictures of my coffee for social media. It's pretty dedicated to just my training and recovery, sometimes scenery. I don't like that social media being filled with food vibe. It's not who I am."

"I don't have an account of my own to look at yours, so I wouldn't know, Elise," Aaron said as the two cups of coffee were delivered to them at the table. "But I do want to know you better. It's been a long time. I won't even pretend to know how you've changed in that time, and I hope you realize that I've changed too. But I want the chance to reconnect, and to be even closer than we were."

"I don't think we have changed nearly as much as you do, but I like you, Aaron," Elise said with a smile, taking a sip of her coffee while reaching out to take his hand. "I always have."

Aaron's heart stuttered as he squeezed her hand gently. She had left him without saying goodbye. How could she say that she'd always liked him?