Cedric Girnwood (sonofmaia) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2010-02-02 22:09:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-07-02, kiley |
I stood at a distance to feel who you are
Who: Cedric and Kiley
Where: Starbucks
When: Late morning
What: Catching up. Again.
He had a big day planned. Calista was going to be meeting his sister. Ravyn was also on his case about meeting more of his friends and had convinced him to throw a barbecue for the Fourth of July. The irony of a Brit throwing a party for the American Independence Day was not lost on him. But it was something that his sister wanted and he was a sucker for doing things for her. So there was that to plan as well. He wasn't sure what was going on with Calista. He enjoyed her company and yet he didn't hear from her often. After what happened with Peyton, he didn't want to end up pushing something too far again. Especially when he wasn't sure. He did care about her. The question was, how much?
After running a few errands, Cedric headed to the coffee shop to get himself something to re-energize himself. And a nice iced latte sounded like heaven. So he found himself standing in line and he caught a glimpse of red hair behind the counter. Grinning, he waved at Kiley, seeing her making his day a little better. He always liked to see a friendly face.
Kiley was getting ready to punch out from work when she saw the familiar Brit in line, waiting for his daily coffee. Maybe they'd just been working opposite shifts, or she'd been really out of it while she was at work, but it felt like she hadn't seen him in forever. Likely it was the latter, a lot of things had happened to Kiley in the last few weeks.
"Cedric, hey!" She flashed him a grin, waving at him. "How are you? Are you getting your usual?"
"Kiley, go home," her co-worker said next to her, "we can make his drink just as well as you can."
She rolled her eyes before looking back over at him. "Guess I'm being thrown out of here," she said, good-naturedly. "Can you hold on for a minute? I just need to grab my things." Punching out, she disappeared into the back for a second to put her apron away and get her things - her purse and a well-worn copy of The Courtship of Princess Leia. When she emerged, Kiley was taking her hair down, shaking out her red hair.
While she disappeared, he ordered his drink and it was being handed to him when she was walking out. Cedric put the straw in and turned to her. It wasn't often that he saw her hair down, but it was nice. He liked women with nice hair. "How are you?" he asked, stepped off to the side so they were out of the way. "I feel like it has been ages since I've seen you at work." His tone was a little concerned but he knew he was partly to blame. Everything at the hospital had been crazy and he hadn't seen many people. Working hard earned him several days off in a row and he was looking forward to spending time with his sister.
"Oh, before I forget, my sister is forcing me to have a barbecue for the Fourth. Mostly I think it's just an excuse so she can prove that I know people outside of the hospital. The fact that two Brits are hosting a party for the Fourth amuses me, but I was hoping you might come by. You can bring a friend if you'd like." It occurred to him then that he didn't know if she had a boyfriend or not. Huh.
"It's been a rough couple of weeks," Kiley admitted, tucking her hair behind her ear as she ordered a drink for the road. Iced grande americano with vanilla syrup and extra room. She'd been here at 7 o'clock in the morning, her earliest shift of the week; she was allowed to have a little caffeine to get her through until she got home. "I've been here, but it's possible I've just worked different shifts than you or something. It's good to see you now, though." She flashed Cedric a smile.
"Oh! Your sister's here, then? In Scarlet Oak?" The last time she'd seen Cedric, she was fairly certain he'd mentioned that the girl was still in England, so that was a big change. No wonder why she hadn't seen Cedric, boy looked to have a busy life. And with the demon attacks and working in a hospital... suppose it was a good thing Kiley never told Cedric that she really couldn't set foot in his workplace, ever. "A barbeque sounds lovely, though, and I don't have any plans for the Fourth yet, so I think I can swing by. Likely it'll be just me, though, unless I can talk Darcy or someone into going." She had no idea it was Cedric's roundabout way of asking if she had a boyfriend... which was kind of silly, because she was Kiley and she was holding a damn Star Wars book in her hand. Of course she didn't have a boyfriend.
It really had been forever. "Yes. She's trying to get used to it. I can tell she misses home. Hoping she'll make friends but it's hard since the school year is out." He sipped his latte. It was cold and sweet, perfect as usual. There was a reason this was his favorite coffee spot. Well, there were a few reasons. "I'd like that. And you can bring Darcy if you'd like. Or your brother if he doesn't have plans?" Of course, he really had no idea who Darcy was and he figured that was a boyfriend. Or at least a potential one. "How long have you been seeing Darcy?"
He glanced at the book she was reading, trying to figure out what it was. Not being able to see it properly, he looked up at her. "What are you reading?" Cedric wished he had more time for books. Sadly, working so much, occasionally he got a book on tape he listened to on the drive on while on break, but it wasn't enough to tide him over really.
"You can't really blame the girl - thank you," she said as her co-worker passed off her drink. Kiley carried it over to the condiment bar so she could add some cream and a packet of sugar in the raw. She liked the taste better than the liquid sugar Starbucks usually used to sweeten drinks. "Oh, likely Corwin's already got something or other up his sleeve. It's hard to keep track of everything he has going on, sometimes it feels like I hardly see him." As the meaning of Cedric's words sank in, Kiley's face turned almost as red as her hair, "Oh my god, no, no," she said, shaking her head. "Darcy's a friend of mine, I've known her for a while. I'm not - I'm not seeing anyone." Because hello, she got turned into a werewolf and hid away for most of the last year, on top of being a nerd kid.
Replacing her lid, Kiley swirled her drink together and then grabbed a straw. "Oh, this?" She turned the book over to show him the cover. "It's a Star Wars book, I've read it a bunch of times. It was the first one I owned, actually." Yeah, it really wasn't helping the flush in her cheeks go away, but there wasn't much she could do about that. The last thing Kiley had expected Cedric to ask about was her book.
Her friend. A female friend. Well, didn't he feel sheepish. Rubbing the back of his neck a little, he followed her to the condiment bar. "Sorry, I just assumed." Cedric didn't want to say anymore, lest that be a sore subject for her. He knew it was hard for him to still be single at his age, especially given who he was. He felt like he needed to be a husband and a father already. But he pushed those thoughts aside and smiled at her. She was kind of cute when she blushed. But then again, she was his friend. He shouldn't be thinking those thoughts.
Ced took a look at the book. Of course he'd seen the movies. In college, but he had enjoyed them. What he hadn't known was that there were books that went along with them. "Is it good?" She was still blushing and he knew that liking Star Wars was supposed to make someone 'nerdy' but then again, he didn't really follow that. He was different enough as it was. Who was he to judge?
"It's okay." Really, why was she getting so flustered? It was just Cedric, someone she'd talked to on how many mornings while she was making his coffee. But maybe it was different now, that he was talking to her off the clock and on the other side of the counter. Not just as casual small talk one might make, but like friends. And he had invited her to his Fourth of July get together. That had to mean something, right? Kiley had to be honest, she was clueless when it came to guys. There wasn't much she could do to convince herself otherwise.
Did he like Star Wars, or was he just making polite conversation? Either way, asking her about it was akin to letting the floodgates open and everything just came out at once. "It's one of my favorites, I won't lie. It's about how Han and Leia finally get together." She often described it to her nerd friends as the perfect "starter book" - not so far advanced in the plotline where you needed to read the other books first, it focused on the characters everyone already knew, and it had a kickass story to boot.
He smiled at her. "I always liked Han Solo." The character wasn't someone he could relate to by any means, but he was beyond cool. Everyone movie should have a character like him in it. "Are there a lot of books?" Clearly, the Brit meant Star Wars books, having been a bookstore and realizing that, yes, there were quite a lot of books in the world. He just never really ventured into the science fiction section very often.
"Do you have time to sit a moment?" he offered. Cedric had a little time to kill and he wouldn't mind spending it with her. He knew she'd just gotten off work and he didn't want to force her to stay around longer if she didn't want to, but it would be nice to talk.
"It's hard not to like Han. I mean, he's that badass. Girls want to be with him and guys want to be him." Not that Kiley had put a lot of thought into that theory or anything, she'd only believed in it since she was a little girl and found her parents' copy of The Empire Strikes Back, taped on VHS god knows how long ago. "Um, yes, lots, actually. I collect them, I think I have... 120 of them? Something like that? It's been a little while since I counted them."
She was babbling about Star Wars and he still wanted her to sit for a spell with him? Had she just never realized Cedric was interested in it, or was he just humoring her? "Sure," she said, a little shy now, though she'd sat with him on her breaks before. "You can tell me about how your sister ended up coming here from England, since I'm totally a lousy friend and didn't know that."
Definitely more than he expected existed. But he nodded in agreement with her comment about Han. Cedric really needed to watch it again. Han got the girl in the end. Maybe he could take a lesson or two because his last three encounters didn't turn out so well. He kept telling himself it was because he hadn't set his sights on the right one. That the Goddess hadn't shown him the one he was meant to be with. One day, he'd find her.
Or maybe, he thought, as he led her over to a table and pulled out a chair for her, he had and he just didn't realize it. Kiley was a sweet woman, pretty, shy, but she was kind. He had always thought so. But he had settled on the fact that they were friends long ago. Maybe that could change. At this point, anything was possible. Hell, his sister was living with him again. Anything was possible. "You could never be a lousy friend. I have been so busy that I've been in and out when I'm here and I've been trying to get her settled." Cedric smiled at her. He knew he had never given her his full life story nor had he explained why he had been worried about her.
"Turns out I had been right to worry. When I left home, she was living with my father and our brothers. Turns out one of our brothers, well, he's not..." He trailed off, unsure of how to continue. "He's not really a good person. I think he scared her. So she ran away, came here. I'm glad I can keep an eye on her."
He didn't roll his eyes or looking at her like she was acting like a 13-year-old instead of almost 26, so Kiley supposed that was a good sign. She hadn't expected him to pull out her chair for her, so she smiled a little and sat down, biting her bottom lip as she said thanks. Okay, so maybe she should have talked to Cedric outside of work long before now. Who didn't like a sweet British gentleman showing them the time of day, at least for a few minutes?
Kiley leaned forward a little, listening to him talk about his sister. It was obvious just by listening to him to tell that he loved the girl and wanted to take care of her, above everything else. "She's all right, isn't she?" Kiley asked, hoping that the girl - Ravyn? was that her name? - hadn't been hurt or anything, and that was why she came to Scarlet Oak. She couldn't imagine what would be enough to possess someone to run that far away from home. "And of course you'd have to take care of her, make sure she's settled. I'd do the same if Corwin ever needed my help."
He nodded. "She is now. I remember how scared she was when she got here." Personally, he felt a lot calmer knowing she was with him now. Westley wasn't someone he wanted anyone he cared about near. He didn't know what he would do if his brother showed up in town, invading the only safe haven he had left. There were people here, people like Kiley, would he never wanted to meet the man that was his brother. The man that had cost him everything.
But he glanced over at her, watching the way she leaned in and he smiled softly at her. "I think she's starting to like it here. Of course, she's still after me to meet my friends. Hence the barbecue." He didn't realize that he was leaning in a little too.
"That's good. Of course she'd be scared, it's a big adjustment, being so far from home. I'm sure you must have felt like that, too, when you first got here." Come to think of it Kiley wasn't sure how or why Cedric had moved to Michigan in the first place, it was a story he'd never told her. But then again, there were a lot of things Kiley had never told him either, like why she always wore long-sleeved shirts, or what she turned into every full moon.
She toyed with her straw, mostly out of nervous habit than anything else. "Call me biased, but I grew up here, Scarlet Oak's a nice place, even with everything that's gone on lately." Like demon attacks. Kiley paused, "She's been here how long and she hasn't met any of your friends?"
Ced took a moment to sip his latte. "I did a little. And I tried to make friends. Didn't really happen right away. I ended up throwing myself into work when I first got here. Friends came later." He could still remember the first time he'd come to this Starbucks, when he'd met the redhead across from him. It had taken a while for them to be friends and he really liked having her in his life. And he was glad she was thinking about the barbecue.
He grinned a little wider. "Don't get me wrong, I love this town. It was a little different, something I had to get used to in the beginning. But the people have been wonderful." He tipped his cup at her. Demon attacks where happening all over the world. That really couldn't tarnish the place he called home now. "Um, she's been in town, nearly a month actually. And she's met one. Sort of. Suppose we're not really friends. I can see why she was worrying about me then," he admitted sheepishly.
"Trust me, I understand that feeling. I used to be working so much and going to school that it was hard to find time for anything else." Despite the fact that Kiley was Kiley, with the interests of a teenage boy and not really ashamed of it either, friends werent' always easy to make. But she had a few and she kept them close - Darcy, Ian, Alanna, and Cedric too. It was a good feeling to know she was at a point in her life where she could reach out to them again, without worrying about whether or not she'd hurt them, being what she was.
Kiley's face flushed again as he tipped his cup towards her, and half a second she wished she was the kind of person who didn't have every emotion flicker across her face. "We do try to be welcoming," she said. "And a month? Good lord, where have I been?" She shook her head, the red of her hair contrasting against the all-black outfit she was wearing, still dressed in proper Starbucks attire. "She's your sister, she'll probably worry about you regardless."
It could be hard, but he needed to do a better job of balancing his professional life and his personal life. Having Ravyn around certainly helped with that. He was less likely to take an extra shift and more likely to spend time with her. It felt good to have someone to go home to every night, even if it was his sister. Cedric had no idea what she'd been through, but he remembered another time when he didn't see her much. Personally, he was always glad to see her smiling face, even if for a moment. She was just one of those people who brightened a day.
He grinned. "Busy, same as me. But we managed to catch a little time together, so that's a start, right?" Reaching out, he brushed his finger tips over her arm for a moment, meant to be reassuring. "And yes, I would imagine she would. She gets to be a little more in my face about being concerned about me now that there isn't an ocean between us."
In comparison to how busy Kiley's life had been before, it kind of seemed like she was hardly doing anything now. Before she'd been subbing at the high school, working at Starbucks, taking her grad classes whenever she could fit them in. Taking a year off, after the attack, Kiley was just starting to get back to her regular routine. In the back of her mind, she wondered if Cedric realized that the family in the paper, the one had been attacked, was hers. Or if he even realized she hadn't been at work for all that time.
"A good start, yes." His fingers brushed over her arm and she was so grateful he touched the right instead of the left, much less of a chance of him feeling the scars underneath the thin long-sleeved shirt she wore that way. It still made her shiver a little, something she'd totally blame on the iced americano if he said anything about it. "I think that's a rule with siblings. Corwin always knows when to confront me about something and when to let it go."
He had read about so many things since he moved to Scarlet Oaks. If he'd known or even suspected that the family had been hers, he would have talked to her about it, done something to show her that he was there for her. After all, that's what friends do, right? But, being that he had no idea, Cedric simply smiled at her. "I'm glad you agree."
Though he noticed the slight shiver, he didn't say anything, merely dropped his hand back to the table. Cedric wasn't going to push. After everything he'd been through with Peyton, he didn't want that to happen again. And he liked Kiley, thought she was sweet, pretty. But he didn't want to jump to any conclusions or push for something. It was the same thing with Calista, only he felt something a little different towards the redhead across from him. "My sister doesn't mind calling me out when she needs to and she's been doing that a lot lately," he said with a light chuckle.
Kiley, however, still blushed a little and took a sip of her americano. This was her drink of choice in the summertime, and it beat the hell out of any iced coffee she'd had anywhere, period. Likely she would feel the effects of the caffeine soon enough, but she'd get some food on the way home and then she'd sleep, so the shakes would be held at bay. "One of the perks of living with younger siblings," she said jokingly, "though much younger, in your case. Mine found himself with a job and friends and all that, sometimes it feels like I never see him." Cedric's hand fell away and she wasn't sure what to make of that, choosing instead to look down at her drink, drawing invisible patterns in the condensation on the side of the cup.
"Maybe that's it. I think she just needs to find her place in this town. I did." His hand hadn't fallen far from hers, just resting near by. "I've been spending most of my nights at home with her." Granted, they were working on her magic, trying to help her learn more. "Maybe I should find someone else to spend a night with." Tonight, he had dinner plans with Calista. It was going to be the first night he'd gone out in a while. It was going to be fun, or so he hoped. But he was having fun with Kiley too, the honest, simple kind of fun. He missed that.
"You almost sound like me," she teased softly, "spending all the time at home. Likely for different reasons, I'm sure, but I've been trying to get out more." Because apparently staying home and replaying the same Final Fantasy games she loved or watching movies didn't count. Whoops. At first she'd been convinced it was because she didn't want to hurt anyone she cared about on accident, if she shifted for some reason, but she knew better now. She couldn't let that hold her back - she'd given Morgan her word that it wouldn't.
He smiled around his straw as he took another sip. "Well maybe we should get out more together?" It would be nice to have company. Especially company of a friend like her. "I'm sure both our siblings would appreciate us getting out of the house." His thumb brushed against her elbow naturally. It wasn't that he was trying something, but he'd felt comfortable about her. Maybe a little more so now. "What do you say?"
Did Cedric really just ask her what Kiley thought he did? She wasn't sure how to take it, if he was asking her out or just asking her to hang out - it was always, always the latter with her. Every time she'd get her hopes up only to be disappointed when the boy didn't try to put an arm around her shoulder or be romantic at all. "I think - I think that could be fun," she said, trying hard not to let him see how much it perplexed her. "What do you propose we do?"
"Well," he offered, "I propose I stop by your house, pick you up. Is there a movie you want to see? We could get something to eat? We could even go into Ann Arbor." In that moment, he realized that's how a date was supposed to be. The man picks up the woman, takes her out. It was tradition. So, his spending time with Calista probably wasn't really a date. Sure, society had changed a little, but he liked the idea of taking a woman out. Would she except that from him, his taking her out? Was this something he wanted to do to a perfectly good friendship?
Oh. Oh. That really did sound like a date and Kiley was completely confused now. She did not get asked out on dates. She got asked to come over for Guitar Hero marathons and to please bring something to eat because the boys forgot to buy anything besides the beer. "A movie sounds like it could be fun," she managed to say, still in disbelief that something like this could happen to her. Cedric was a good looking British guy, why wouldn't he have someone in his life to take out already? "We don't have to go as far as Ann Arbor, I mean, not if you don't want to."
Cedric might have been good looking and there might have been a few women at the hospital who happened to think so as well. But the big difference was that he wasn't interested in them. Waking up alone in bed after what he'd been through, after seeing the look Amelia had given him when she thought he tried to kill her, it had been something that stuck with him, like he wasn't worthy of finding love. Peyton hadn't been someone who was genuinely interested in him. It was something he had to deal with. But Kiley, she had always been there and there had been a part of him that always found her to be a wonderful person.
"A movie then. What would you like to see?" His mind was a jumble of confusion and he had some thinking to do. But he did know that he wanted to spend more time with her. Why shouldn't they enjoy themselves? "And I don't mind. I haven't been to Ann Arbor for more than work in a while. Could be fun. We could find some food to go with our movie?" he offered.
"I don't even know what's playing besides Transformers." At this Kiley's face flushed red, "And I already saw it. It wasn't that great." At one point she'd almost fallen asleep waiting for Optimus Prime to come back. Yeah, it was that bad. But, being the nerd kid that she was, she couldn't not go see the movie anyway. Optimus did, after all, get that one badass fight scene about halfway through. She tried to hide it with another sip of her drink, "So maybe we could choose when we got there?" Cedric probably didn't realize, she wasn't a fancy girl. She'd be just as happy going to a diner and getting too-greasy fries and milkshakes as she would a five-star restaurant.
He wasn't sure what made her blush this time, but it was still cute. "I didn't see the first one," he admitted. It wasn't that it was nerdy, but rather, he'd been busy working and he didn't really like to go to the movies alone. To him, it was sad because he wanted to have someone there with him. "But we could figure it out. And if we don't find a movie, we can figure something else out." Cedric smiled at her. He was more of a planner, but he didn't really know what was playing either. So that didn't help much.
Kiley too was the kind who liked to plan things out a bit if she could, but nothing about this seemed like it was plannable - if that was even a word. Maybe for once she should just let go, let Cedric take her out and see where it ended up. It couldn't be so bad, right? The nervous/excited feeling in her stomach just wouldn't calm down. She was going to have so much to tell Darcy and Alanna. She didn't mind going to the movies alone, not really, but it was something she'd hadn't done in a while. Corwin had gone to see Transformers with her, because she'd asked nicely, and bribed him with dinner. "The first one's better anyway," she said. "When were you planning this big escape to Ann Arbor?"
When was a very good question. He was off every day until the 5th but then he had an early shift. "Well, I suppose tomorrow would be too soon?" he offered, figuring she already had plans. But then again, maybe she didn't. "Or sometime early next week. I'm pretty flexible." Cedric would have gone that night if he didn't already have plans. But then again, he also needed to think about this, about her, about the feelings that were stirring. There was so much going on in his head. And he needed to sort that out before the next time they hung out.
"Tomorrow? I told a friend I'd stop by and see him DJ tomorrow night." Ian had, after all, left it as an open invite and Kiley had been trying to get the courage for weeks to go. Not because she was nervous to see Ian, far from it, but because he worked at Heme. The bar didn't scare her, the fact that Vol had been killed by vampires did. Morgan would freak out if he knew she was even thinking of setting foot in the vampire bar, but if Ian was fine there, she would be too. Kiley had to believe that. "Maybe Sunday or Monday? I work during the day on Sunday, but I'm free at night, and off on Monday." If the party on the Fourth went well, then everything would be set for something a little more intimate, more date-like.
He smiled again. "Sounds like fun. I hope you have a good time." "Well, I'm working late Monday night, so Sunday? Unless you wanted to push it back a little further into the week?" Cedric would rather not. But, then again, he was remembering his vow to not push. Kiley wasn't someone he wanted to push, afraid to some degree that he would push her away. And that was the absolute last thing he wanted to do.
"Sunday, then? I think I'm off at... 5." She grabbed her phone really quick to double-check her schedule - it wasn't a fancy phone by any means, but at least she could save her schedule in its calendar function. "Yeah, 5. I can give you directions to my house at the barbeque." They could go out and do something with the evening and see how it went - no pressure, no expectations. The barbeque would tell a lot, too, and Kiley couldn't lie - she did want to know more about the British gentleman who was in her Starbucks almost every day.
He nodded and pulled out his own phone. "I'm out at the same time. Maybe I could pick you up around seven? Give me time to get home and all." Cedric was sure a shower would be in order. But the barbecue came first. A moment later, their plans to meet up were in his phone. His was a little fancier, being something he used for work. That wasn't his focus. No, he was watching the woman across from him. He would take his time getting to know her this weekend. And he was really looking forward to it.
She nodded, "Seven works perfect. Gives me some time to go home and shower." Because, regardless of whatever she did at the coffee shop that day, Kiley still came home smelling like coffee and it drove the wolf in her crazy. The smell seemed to seep into all of her clothes so it was routine for her to come home, shower and change. Then there would be the catastrophe of deciding what she'd wear, maybe Alanna or Darcy could help her with that. God knew Kiley's fashion sense was borderline non-existent, so maybe it was a blessing she spent a good chunk of her time in Starbucks black. "Sounds like a plan, then."
"Perfect." Cedric went back to his drink only to discover that it was almost finished in the time he was talking to Kiley. He'd been, naturally, distracted. Personally, though he wanted to look good for her, he didn't care about what she wore. Heck, he thought she was cute in her Starbucks uniform. His thumb brushed against her arm. "Is it bad to say that I'm looking forward to this?" he asked softly.
Kiley's drink wasn't finished, but likely that was a good thing. She did want to take a nap when she got home and the caffeine wouldn't help much with that. Besides, with the way the butterflies in her stomach were going haywire, adding more caffeine to the mix would likely be a bad idea. "No, because I am too," she admitted, biting her bottom lip as she glanced up at him. Had she ever noticed what color Cedric's eyes were before?
He grinned at her. It was obvious he was pleased to hear that, to know that it wasn't just him. Her green eyes were on his and he felt something flutter against his abdomen. His hand moved a little closer to her arm, resting against her elbow. Unconsciously, he was leaning in towards her a little. Not too much, but enough that their soft words were heard in the coffee house. "And you'll come to the barbecue?" he confirmed gently, smiling still.
His smile was infectious and Kiley giggled. This was either awesome or she was in way over her head, and she didn't know which it was yet. Hopefully something good, she'd be crushed if this, too, didn't work out in her favor. "I'll come to the barbeque," she assured him, her smile turning a little shy. "You'll have to let me know where you live, so I can find out how to get there."
Taking a pen from his pocket, he grabbed a clean napkin and wrote down the address and directions to Camelot Place. He realized that her giggle was rather adorable. "I'm looking forward to it, especially now. And you can feel free to bring your friend Darcy." She smiled and he slid the napkin across the table. "You have my number, right? If you have any problem find the place or something." It was a lame excuse, but he did want to make sure. They hadn't really hung out outside of the walls of Starbucks before and he wanted to, was looking forward to it.
"I will ask her if she'll be around." After all, if this wasn't a date, she'd need someone there to console her, more than likely. And to give her some back up in case Cedric's little sister didn't take much of a liking to her, which could also happen. "I'm... actually not sure." She grabbed her cell phone again, double checking. "Actually, I don't. Here's mine." Kiley grabbed a napkin and wrote her number down before passing to him. When was the last time she'd gotten a number from a guy? Far too long, as it were.
Taking back the napkin, he added his number to his address. "And now you have mine. Can't believe we hadn't done this earlier." Cedric smiled at her. He put her number in his phone, saving it for later. "And, even if your friend can't come, I'll be very happy to see you there." He glanced at the time on the phone as he turned off the screen. "But I do have to get going. This was lovely, Kiley. Thank you."
"There's a first time for everything, right?" Taking the napkin, Kiley folded it up and put it into her book, where she was sure she wouldn't lose it. She was forever finding things tucked in her books, some from several years before. This, she knew, she'd hang on to for a while. "I should do the same, I have a hot date with my bed and a good book." And a long nap, if she'd be able to sleep after this. "And you're welcome, I think. Thanks for sitting with me."
He chuckled. "Lucky book." Standing, he held out a hand to her, to help her up. Not that he thought she needed it, but he liked the idea that he had an excuse to touch her. "But let me know if anything happens, that you can't come." Cedric would have been really disappointed at that idea and he hoped it wouldn't happen. "And we're on for Sunday night, right?"
That earned him a genuine laugh and a bright smile. "Says you." Kiley bit her lip again before taking his hand, unsurprised at how good his manners were, but still touched that he offered anyway. "I will. Though I can tell you that I'm 95 percent sure I'll be there." Unless she freaked out last minute, in which case she had Darcy to fall back on. "And yes, we're on for Sunday." She grabbed her bag and pulled it over one shoulder. "So I suppose I'll see you then?"
"Sounds good to me." Leaning in, he brushed his lips quickly over her cheek. "Have a good evening with your book. Still very jealous of it." Grinning, he tipped an imaginary hat to her and tossed his cup away. "I'll see you later!" With a wave, he headed out, grinning still. Cedric was happier than he'd realized, knowing that she would be coming to the barbecue. And that they had a date. There was still a lot of things for him to do, but he didn't stop smiling.