5. Coffee

He stopped at the place where Kara indicated. He jumped out and ran around the car. He opened the door, and helped them out.

"Do you want to come up for coffee?" Kara asked him.

"Aren't you tired?" he looked at her, hoping in his heart that she also didn't want the night to end.

"No. But if you are, I understand."

"Coffee would be great." He was trying not to smile or to sound overly eager.

He followed the girls. They stopped at the second to last door and Kara took out her keys and unlocked the door. Robert was surprised when he saw Sam unlocking the other door.

"It was nice meeting you, Robert. Thanks for the ride home. Night, guys. I'm off to bed." And she disappeared into her apartment before he could say anything.

"I thought you were flat mates. "

Kara saw the confusion on his face. "Oh, she is my flat mate, meaning that we live in the same block of flats, not the same flat. I know we confuse a lot of people."

He followed her inside. She stayed in a beautiful open-plan flat. The colour scheme was earth tones. A brown leather couch and two single chairs were arranged around a dark wooden coffee table, in front of a dark wooden wall unit on the far side of the room. The off-white curtains and shatter cushions on the couch made the room look light. A small, dark, wooden table with four chairs filled up the space in front of the kitchen.

"Have a seat. I just want to put the kettle on."

Robert took a seat at the small dining table and watched Kara as she filled the kettle and took out two cups. She was humming a tune while preparing the coffee. She looked up.

"How do you like your coffee? "

"Just milk, please."

She handed him his coffee and joined him at the table.

"Thank you."

He noticed the awkwardness in her voice when she spoke.

"I hope I haven't given you the wrong impression when I invited you for coffee."

"I thought it was to make me a cup of coffee."

She laughed. "Not only handsome, but funny too."

"Well, Jason might disagree with you there. He doesn't think I have a sense of humour at all."

He looked at her and saw her face become serious.

"I must apologise for my friends tonight. They were very rude to you and Jason. They mean well, but sometimes they can be a little over protective."

"I didn't even notice."

"I'm serious." She looked up with a frown. He smiled.

"I understand. If I was in their position, I might have done the same. It really doesn't matter."

"Jason seems like a good friend."

"Yeah, he is." He took a sip of coffee. "So tell me more about yourself."

"Like what?"

"How long have you been staying here?"

"I only recently moved in here. Sam told me about the flat and my dad bought it for me. Sam and I grew up together."

"What do you do for a living?"

"I'm studying music. What about you?"

"Well, I was born here and I've lived here my whole life. I met Jason at school. He helped me get out of a sticky situation once and we've been friends ever since."

She smiled

"Ok that sounds interesting. Tell me what sticky situation."

Robert laughed

"O, well, it's actually a bit embarrassing."

He saw that she seemed even more intrigued now. He took a sip of his coffee.

"Ok, you asked for it…. Well I was never one of the popular kids at school. I always kept to myself and stayed out of trouble. So one day I walked into the gym and found the school bullies busy harassing a young boy. I tried to get them to stop but they where five huge guys. They didn't want to listen to reason. I was just a skinny geek with glasses. I don't know what I was thinking standing up to the bad five." He laughed as he recalled the memories. "So I got tied up to the flag pole in my boxers ten minutes before the last bell rang. Jason showed up, he beat up the two guys tying me up, the others just took off.

We ran back in to the school to get my clothes and I ran into the principal."

"O, no!" her hands flew to her mouth to hide the smile but her eyes could not hide the humour he saw in her minds eye.

"The two of us got sent to detention."

"Why?" she looked shocked.

"He didn't see what happened outside and didn't want to listen to my explanation. He knew Jason was always in trouble and assumed I was trying to play a sick joke on someone and Jason had something to do with it."

"That's horrible." Kara she said through the laughter.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Robert looked at her laughing and was strangely exhilarated that he was the one who had made her laugh. He felt the excitement coursing through his veins and silently whished that he would always be able to make her laugh.

"It wasn't that bad and the bullies never bothered me again."

She was biting her lip try to contain her laughter.

"Kids can be very nasty sometimes." She was trying to look serious and failing miserably.

"Yes they can be. But at least I got a good friend out of it." Robert could not keep a straight face.

"It's actually very funny if you think about it."

She looked at him and both laughed. "Well at least the bullies got some payback."

"O yeah! Jason scared the living day lights out of them. Every time after that day when they saw him they would scatter like scared little girls." He laughed "That was very funny."

She laughed too. "I can imagine."

"Well now you know my most embarrassing story." He frowned "I don't think I have ever told that to anyone ells in my life." She looked at him with those mesmerising green eyes

"And I will never tell a soul." And he knew that se meant it.

"Glad to hear that, so you won't mind sharing one of your embarrassing stories with me."

She looked at him and started laughing.

"O no, no, no, no, no and no. I don't know you well enough to tell you any embarrassing stories, yet."

She smiled and blushingly looked away.

"Ok, then tell me a secret!"

"No"

"Come on, one little secret." He persisted.

"Mmm. Maybe one little secret." She smiled bravely.

"I am kind of glad I got attached tonight." She spoke the words slowly mindful of every reaction on his face. He lifted one eye brows

"Excuses me?" she looked at him and when she spoke her voice was soft and vulnerable.

"Only because I might not have met you any other way." She said as the blood rushed to her cheeks.

"I know we would have met tonight one way or another, it was destined to happen."

He answered her not releasing her eyes.

"Really and how do you know that?" she placed her chin in her hand and looked at him inquisitively.

He laughed

"Some things, I just know."

She looked at him as if she was searching for something, and then the seriousness on her face disappeared and it was replaced with a smiled.

"I think I believe you."

He looked at her and could not think of when the last time was that one person had made him feel so good about him self. He felt at ease with her. He could talk to her about anything and everything, and nothing.

"Tell me more about yourself."

He found himself enjoying her company more than he has ever enjoyed any other persons company before, and could listen to her voice all night long.

"My father and I moved here two years ago. A while back I run into Sam, who told me about this place… I thought it was time to get my own place, my dad was not to happy about it. But he bought me this apartment and I moved in about three months ago." she continued talking about her very, over protective father whom she adored, and who clearly could not deny her anything.

She was studying music at local colleges. She enjoys playing the saxophone and guitar, and according to her, she has a pleasing voice, does not like to sing in front of people. She does however love to play the saxophone and guitar at a local artist club some nights.

He was surprised to discover that her social life was just as no existent as his own. It was by mere coincidence that she went out that night. Her two blond friends had literary forced her to go out, and she had ended up dragging Sam along. She did not want to go into why she currently had no social life, even though it was apparent that she was a real social butterfly once upon a time.

Robert did not push the subject as it seemed to make her very uncomfortable. They continued talking about so many things. She did most of the talking but Robert enjoyed every minute of it. He loved to listen to her voice.

Time flew by so quickly. And before long it was time to say good night.

"I can't believe it's almost morning." She said.

"Yes. It's amazing how quick time can fly, when you're in good company."

He didn't want to leave but knew that it was time to go. He stood up and she followed him. He walked slowly to the door. He stopped and looked at her. All of a sudden the butterfly's where back and his trout felt dry.

"Kara, I really enjoyed this."

"Me too."

He took a deep breath trying to get rid of the butterflies in his stomach.

"Can I see you again?" he asked nervously. She looked at him and as he gazed into the dazzling emerald green eyes he knew what the answer would be, because he could see that she felt the same.

"I would like that very much." She whispered.