#Chapter 102 - The date

Ethan I got to the coffee shop far earlier than was necessary—close to an hour before Vanessa and I had decided to meet—and proceeded to sulk in the corner like a loser, downing coffee. I’d long since stopped smelling the fresh-baked goods layered behind the glass counter, and I was far too nervous to stomach the thought of a pastry anyway. The coffee was making my hands shake. The bustling cafe at least set a cozy, pleasant scene for a first date. The hum of conversation and jazzy background music soothed my frayed nerves a bit. It all felt worlds away from the chaos of the Mafia world I’d been lurking around in for far too long. I spotted Vanessa the moment she walked through the door. There was something about her that just … drew the eye. Something utterly magnetic in her presence. It wasn’t just her looks—though she was quite beautiful. Maybe it was the way she carried herself—shoulders back, head high, as though all the efforts of the world to cow her had been ut