Bre quickly pulled on a pair of jeans, a light purple tank, and a gray sweater before she slipped into her Chucks. She locked her apartment before bounding down the stairs, still uncertain about what the hell she was doing and why she was doing it.

This was a huge mistake. There just wasn’t any other explanation. Why in the world had she agreed to talk to him? No good could come from this. But, even knowing that, she still wanted to see him. She still wanted to be around him. She still wanted to know that he was near her; thinking about her; wanting her. Even if it was a bad idea.

Collin was waiting for her exactly where she’d seen him from her window. Uncertainty tugged his lip into a half-smile that was far more endearing than it should have been.

“Thanks for talking to me,” he said.

“You didn’t give me much of a choice.”

Awkward silence lingered for a moment before he responded.

“I noticed there’s a coffee shop up the street… My treat.”

Bre knew it well, though it wasn’t one of her regular places. She nodded and Collin fell in step next to her as they navigated the Brooklyn sidewalk. Neither of them said anything, which did nothing to relieve the weird tension building between them.

The spring weather was warm but Bre still crossed her arms in front of her, hugging her sweater tight. She didn’t like feeling this uncertain about herself or about the situation she was in. She hated feeling exposed and out of control but, with Collin, there was also a part of her that craved it.

It was a Saturday afternoon and the coffee shop was filled with the sounds of young professionals and new parents socializing. Bre secured them a table while Collin stood in line and ordered. He joined her a few minutes later and they both took advantage of the protection provided by their hot drinks to put off the conversation for just a while longer. The tense feeling in Bre’s chest didn’t get any better, though. She was just going to have to get it over with.

“So? What did you want to talk about?” she asked.

“First, I want to apologize for the whole car show thing.”

Bre waved him off, trying to be dismissive and play it cool.

“It’s not a big deal, I’m over it already,” she said, wondering why he would possibly believe her.

“I should have talked to you about it first.” A little grin spread across his face. “Surprises are kind of my thing. I like doing things for people when I know it will put a smile on their face. Sometimes I let myself get carried away. I know it can be overwhelming so, in the future, I’ll be sure to talk things over with you.”

The future.

After what had happened that morning, she didn’t think the future was going to be a thing they shared, so she just said, “Okay.”

Collin looked mollified for the moment; but it didn’t last.

“So what happened with you this morning?” he asked. “I thought things were going pretty well, and then you freaked out and ran away.”

Bre shifted, uncomfortably.

“I don’t really feel the need to explain anything.”

The look he gave her hardened.

“You said we were done and took off… Something must have triggered that.”

Bre hated that word: triggered. The only thing that triggered her was when others said they were triggered.

“Everything was just moving too fast. We agreed to take things slow and then you went out and got your… surprise.”

“What was all that about us being on a timer?” Collin asked.

“You didn’t think we were going to last forever, did you?”

“I didn’t really have any expectations for us.”

She shrugged.

“So you agree; we were bound to breakup at some point.”

“All I’m saying is that I like spending time with you and I’m not ready for that to end.”

“Oh.” The admission was so straightforward and authentic that it made Bre feel weird. She was torn between wanting to tell him she felt the same way and the nearly overpowering urge to run away as fast as possible. “Well, maybe it doesn’t have to stop…”

She felt crazy for even suggesting it. But she also didn’t know how to handle the situation. She knew she didn’t have a good reason for not being with him other than feeling emotionally overwhelmed anytime he was around.

“What does that mean?” he asked, plainly. “I can’t be just friends with you. I can’t be around you at all without wanting to get my hands all over you.”

A new kind of rush went through her. Collin’s hands could do magical things when they were all over her. They could definitely make her feel better. She bit her lip, nervously, still feeling crazy for what she was about to propose. Her voice lowered as she reached under the table and ran her fingers up his thigh.

“They have single-person restrooms here. And the doors even lock. You can put your hands wherever you’d like…”

Collin didn’t take the offer the way she expected. He removed her hand from his leg without looking even a little tempted.

“We can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

His face hardened in frustration.

“I thought we agreed we didn’t want to do a casual fling.”

Why was he making such a big deal out of this? Couldn’t they just have a little fun and forget about all the serious stuff for a little while? Why did he have to make things so complicated?

“No, I don’t want that,” she admitted.

“What are we doing here, Bre?” he asked after blowing out a sigh. “You tell me you’re done then you tell me you still want me in your life… it’s all very confusing.”

“What do you want from me?”

“I want you to be straight with me: what are you looking for?”

Everything in her came to a standstill. It was a simple question and yet she had no idea what to say. And the fact that she knew she didn’t have a good answer for him made her feel even worse.

Collin shook his head, disbelievingly.

“You don’t even know what you want, do you?”

“I’m not used to any of this.”

“You think I am?”

“You have more experience than I do.”

The laugh he let out surprised her.

“Only in some things,” he said. His tone made it obvious he knew she was far more sexually experienced than him.

“Well, they’re probably the important things,” she said, laughing along with him.

Collin leaned forward and took her hands in his with a confident look on his face.

“Look, neither one of us knows what’s going to happen in the future. Maybe we’ll be together for a long time and maybe we won’t. We can figure it out as we go. Together. I’ll help you, and you can help me.”

That turned her on even more than him talking about getting his hands on her.

“That sounds nice.”

He nodded, the smile on his face widening.

“It does. But you’ll have to trust me.”

“I’m not good at that.”

“I’ve noticed,” he grinned. “But that’s just one of the things we’ll have to work on. Together.”

A new rush of assuredness swirled through her. No man had ever been able to talk her off a ledge like Collin just did. Just an hour earlier she’d been certain they were done and now she felt incredibly stupid for the way she’d acted. She obviously needed to make it up to him, and she knew exactly how.

Bre leaned forward, lowering her voice.

“Does that mean we can have sex in the bathroom now?”

For a brief moment Collin looked like he was going to turn her down for a second time. Then a devious grin flashed across his face.

“You go first, I’ll follow you in…”

Bre was out of her seat and all but sprinting to the restroom before he even finished talking.