Here's a new chapter! I hope you like it!

The next day, I went to Copy Cat Coffee, which was cat themed, sat down, and waited for Percy. I got there at eight-thirty because I couldn't stand being late anywhere so I was always early. I ordered myself some tea and waited. The tea came and I drank it. At nine o'clock exactly, Percy walked in the door. He looked around, so I waved. He smiled and came over to me.
"There's my cookie girl," he said, sitting down across from me.
I smiled and blushed.
"You look amazing," he said, looking at me.
"Thank you. You look nice yourself."
He was wearing a blue suit and a blue tie.
"Thanks! I see you already had some coffee."
"Tea, actually."
"Oh! Would you like some more?"
"No thanks. But I would like a muffin."
"What kind?"
"Chocolate chip."
"Gotcha. Be right back."
Percy stood up and went to the counter. I couldn't stop staring at him. His hair, which had been scruffy when she'd met him, was combed straight. Well, as straight as possible. There were still some wavy hairs. His complexion was the color of toast. He looked like he spent a lot of time in the sun. Maybe he was a surfer. I wanted to ask him about that, but as soon as he sat back down, he said, "What do you do for fun?"
I cleared my throat.
"I like to write. I'm a writer."
"Oh? What do you write?"
"I'm writing a novel. It's about this girl who goes to a magic land and meets mythical creatures."
"Is it a children's novel?"
"Yes."
"That sounds like a great novel. You'll have to let me read it sometime."
I smiled. The barista called Percy's name and he got up and collected his coffee and my muffin.
"Here you go," he said.
I said thank you and took a bite of the muffin.
"So," I said, in between bites. "Why do you like the color blue so much?"
"It's an inside joke between my mom and me. When she was married to my stepdad, he told her blue food didn't exist. She made it a point to get blue food whenever she could. She still does it, even though my stepdad and her have been divorced for a while."
"Oh. Do you miss him?"
"No. He was an abusive alcoholic and an all-around obnoxious person. I couldn't care less what happens to him."
"Oh," I said, embarrassed I'd brought up such a sore subject. "I'm glad your mom and you got away from him."
He smiled.
"Yeah, me too."
We talked some more. I found out he had a half-brother on his dad's side. His name was Tyson.
"I don't get to see him that often, but he's cool. We like a lot of the same things."
"Does he live with your dad?"
"No. I haven't seen my dad in years. He moved away, I don't know where, and I haven't seen him since. Tyson lives by himself. He's got an apartment in Virginia."
"Oh. How old were you, the last time you saw your dad?"
Percy grimaced.
"I don't want to talk about myself anymore. Let's hear about you. What about your parents?"
I realized I struck a nerve.
"My mom left when I was born. My dad remarried and had two kids with my stepmother. I never got along with my stepmother or my dad, so I left as soon as I could and moved here. I still see my stepbrothers, sometimes."
"We're very similar," Percy said with a smile. "We both have step-parents that we don't like and birth parents who left us."
I smiled back.
"That's true."
We talked for a little while more. I thought about bringing up the gala, but I still wasn't sure. What if this was our first and last date? What if he thought I was being too forward? I decided to ask him about the gala. Before I could, he asked, "Do you like dogs?"
"Yes," I said. "We used to have one when I was little."
"I do too. I have one. Her name is Mrs. O'Leary."
I laughed.
"That's a good name for a dog. What kind of dog is she?"
"She's a wolf-dog. My mom sometimes calls her a hellhound."
"Is she friendly?"
"She's the friendliest dog you ever met. She just looks like she came from the pits of Hades."
I laughed. After a little while, Percy said, "I have to go. I'm meeting my mom for lunch."
"Oh," I said. "You've got a busy day, huh?"
He smiled.
"Yep. How about we meet again on Wednesday? Same time, same place?"
I smiled back.
"Yes! That sounds great."
He stood up and I stood up. We hugged and he kissed me on the cheek. He let go and left. My heart beat wildly. The I remembered the gala.
"Rats!" I said to no one in particular.
Oh, well. Maybe I would ask him next time. I threw away my tea cup and left.

Thanks for reading! Please review!