5000 Writing Prompts by Bryn Donovan
150 Romance Prompts- Prompt # 104- They meet at a coffee shop when they’ve both been stood up by their online dates.
Warning: I am not much of a romance writer but I am trying my hands at these writing prompts and others in genres I don’t normally write for fun and to better myself as a writer.
My Story
Jesse sits in front of his computer, his fingers eagerly flying across the keyboard as he chats with Cindy. They talk about their week, about work, and about other mundane things while Jesse works up the nerve to ask Cindy out. He plays the words over and over again in his mind but his fingers refuse to type out the words.
Jesse takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, “Come on, Jesse, just ask her out.”
He quickly types in the question, his palms sweaty. He makes sure to say that he wanted to meet at a coffee shop that sits towards the middle of town so he makes sure she knows that it will be in public. He then sits back in his black office chair, waiting fearfully for a response.
Dots appear on the chat screen letting him know that she is writing a response to his question. He sits up straight, his heart caught in his throat, and his fingers hover over the keyboard. His eyes widen when he sees Cindy’s response: yes.
He claps his hands together and quickly types in the time he would like to meet her. He tells her what he will be wearing, the address of the coffee shop, and that he can’t wait to meet her in person. She exclaims that she is excited as well and tells him what she will wear so they can find each other. They say their goodnights after chatting more about meeting and Jesse turns off his computer before retreating to bed.
Early the next morning, Jesse gets ready for his coffee date with Cindy. He locks up his apartment and drives to the shopping center where there are shops, restaurants, a coffee shop, and a movie theater. Jesse wonders if he can talk her into going to the movies after their coffee date as he finds a parking spot in an aisle across from the coffee shop. He turns off his car before he glances down at his watch to see what time it is, tapping a finger against his steering wheel.
He gets out of the car and heads over to the grocery store that is already open, having decided to get Cindy a gift. He walks in, saying good morning to a few workers, and makes a bee-line for their flower section, his eyes already on a bundle that he likes the best. He picks up a pretty bundle that has a bunch of pinks, yellows, purples, and green flowers snuggled in a bunch of greenery.
Satisfied with his purchase, he hurries back to the coffee shop since he has only three minutes before Cindy gets there. Jesse sits down outside, flowers clutched in one hand and his phone in the other. He opens the chat app he has installed onto his phone so that he can check to see if Cindy has messaged him before the date. He closes the chat when he sees that there are no new messages and looks for a young blonde-haired woman wearing a pink shirt and black skirt.
He notices a woman in a blue shirt and blue jean Capri pants walk up to the coffee shop. His amber eyes watch as she takes a seat at a table not too far from his own. She looks around, her hazel eyes eagerly searching the parking lot and the faces of those walking past. Jesse chuckles to himself as he looks back at his watch, knowing how she feels. He hisses when he sees that it is five minutes past the time he was supposed to meet Cindy for their date. He looks around, not seeing anyone who fits Cindy’s description or of the clothes she told him that she will be wearing. He lets out a rough sigh as he keeps watching for Cindy.
Finally, an hour has come and gone and Cindy has still not shown up. Jesse sends a quick message, asking if everything is okay and resends the address thinking that maybe she is lost or went to the wrong coffee shop. He hears another person sighing heavily and turns to see the young woman he saw before still sitting at the other table and waiting. Her face is solemn, her eyes are annoyed, and her fingers scroll feverishly on her phone. She looks up from her phone with a sad expression in her eyes as she stands up a bit to look across the parking lot.
Jesse looks back down at his phone when it dings to see a message from Cindy is waiting for him. She tells him that she can’t make it today because of a family emergency and that she is sorry. She doesn’t give any other reason, or that she wants to meet another day for their date. Jesse sets down the flowers on the table with his phone, resting his head in his hands. He shakes his head, grumbling under his breath, debating on deleting the dating app and blocking Cindy.
He hears someone cursing under their breath and the sounds of someone slamming their defenseless phone down hard against a surface. Jesse looks back at the only other person outside the coffee shop to see that the young woman is regretting her actions of slamming her phone down on the tabletop.
Jesse grabs the flowers and his phone, gets up, and walks over to her. “I hope that your phone is okay.”
The young woman looks up at him, a bit startled and embarrassed by the voice in front of her, and smiles a thin smile. She chuckles and shows the stranger her phone, “The phone will live for another day.”
Jesse wipes his brow, pretending to wipe away sweat, “Phew!” He laughs at his own joke then his face falls, “Sounded like you got a text that you didn’t like.” He waves his phone a bit, “So did I, unfortunately.” He smiles at her his lips growing thin and his face telling her that he is sorry. “I am Jesse by the way and I am sorry for intruding but man that sounded like your phone was a goner.”
“I’m Suzzan and don’t be sorry,” she says. “I brought the attention to myself when I slammed my phone down on the tabletop.” She eyes the flowers in Jesse’s hand, “Those are very pretty.”
Jesse glances down at the flowers that were meant for Cindy, his hand tightening around the paper and making it crinkle more, “They were meant for the woman I was meeting for a date this morning here but she stood me up. She said that she had a family emergency but about five weeks ago, the same thing happened to me by another girl who had said the same thing. So now I don’t know what to do with them…”
Suzann gasps lightly, “I am sorry to hear that, Jesse. I was just stood up, too. I guess that is the last time I try to hook up with someone on CrushIt.” She rolls her eyes, shaking her head.
Jesse laughs, “That is the same dating website I met my last two dates on. Both have stood me up so I am debating on deleting the app.”
Suzann laughs as well, “Yea I doubt I will be using that website again, too. I guess I will have to get a date the old fashion way by actually talking to random guys.”
“Yea that could work,” Jesse waves at her, clearing his throat. “Hi, I’m Jesse. Would you like to get some coffee and breakfast with me?”
Suzzan puts her phone inside her purse before she stands up, “I would love to, Jesse. Oh, are those flowers for me?” She points to the flowers, smiling big.
Jesse raises an eyebrow and hesitates for a second, not wanting to give Suzann the flowers that he had bought for Cindy, feeling like it was the wrong thing to do but she looks so happy. How can he not give them to her? He holds them out to her and grins, “Yes they are, Suzann, and I hope that you like them.”
She takes the bundle in her hands and smells them, taking in the deep floral smells, “They smell amazing.”
Jesse walks over to the door and opens it for Suzzan who thanks him as she enters the coffee shop. Jesse lets the door close behind him as he follows Suzann to the cash register to put in their order.
The spunky barista smiles at them, “Good morning, what can I get started for the two of you?”
Suzann looks at the menu hanging on the wall above the barista, her lips scrunched to one side as she decides what she wants. “I think that I will have a large caramel macchiato, heavy on the caramel and your jalapeno and cheese bagel eegwich, please.”
“You know what, make that two of everything,” Jesse says, his stomach growling in anticipation.
The barista rings them up, takes Jesse’s credit card, and hands the card and receipt back to Jesse, getting him to sign for the food and drinks before she writes his name on the large cups. She slides them to the person who makes the drinks. Jesse looks around and spots an empty table towards the back of the shop, leading Suzann back towards it by gently taking her hand. They sit down and awkwardly tell one another about themselves.
Soon their coffees and breakfast bagel sandwiches arrive at their table and they take a big bite of their food to avoid to talk for a moment. As they eat, they both try to collect their thoughts so that they can bring up subjects to talk about without being so uncomfortable.
Jesse puts his bagel down and sips his coffee before he clears his throat, “Have you ever gone snorkeling before?”
Suzann groans in jealousy, “You have? I have always wanted to, but I am scared to go into the ocean. It is so dark and inky, so much that I can’t see under me and that scares me so I rarely go to the beach because of that.”
“Well then, I guess we are just going to have to go on a snorkeling date out in Hawai’i,” Jesse tells her, pulling up pictures of the beaches on Oahu as well as the other islands.
Suzann takes his phone, scrolling down through the pictures to see the beautiful clear blue waters where you can see the bottom as well as the fish that swim there. “Oh my, the ocean is so blue and so clear. And I have always wanted to go to Hawai’i too.” She slides the phone back to Jesse.
“Well? Then do we have a date?” Jesse asks as he locks his phone, eyebrows raised.
Suzann smiles, “We have been awkward this whole date, slowly getting to know one another.” She takes a few sips of her coffee, enjoying the splash of caramel in each sip. “I say we need at least two more awkward dates before a date to Hawai’i.”
Jesse grins, “Deal!”
They sip on their coffees and munch their breakfast, still talking about random aspects of their lives and growing comfortable with one another. Outside of the coffee shop, white lazy clouds drift across the sun casting shadows across those who are walking around on the pretty Saturday morning. They finish their breakfast and drinks, and head outside, hand in hand. Jesse nods to the movie theater, Suzann nodding excitedly. They walk over to the movie theater, looking up at the movies that are playing. They decide on a fantasy adventure movie called The Whispering Rain, pay for the tickets and head inside.
Even though they have just eaten, Jesse buys them a large popcorn with extra butter and two large sodas. They head into the room where their movie will be playing and get some seats near the back of the theater, sitting near the end. They munch a little on the popcorn, talking about what movies they like while they wait for the movie to begin. The lights grow dark and the screen springs to life sound invading their eardrums, the couple getting excited.
The movie begins and Suzann snuggles in closer to Jesse, Jesse looking down at her and smiling, resting his arm around her shoulders. Jesse watches the movie until he feels Suzann’s eyes on him. He looks down to see her gazing up at him thoughtfully. He smiles and leans down, kissing her gently, hoping that he doesn’t get slapped for kissing her on their first date. To his surprise, she doesn’t slap him back but instead kisses him back. His eyes open wide as her lips push heavier against his lips, deepening the kiss. He hadn’t expected their first date to have turned this way but he is glad that it has gone this way.
He breaks the kiss and grins down at her whispering to her, “I am glad you got stood up.”
“Me too! And I am glad that you got stood up too,” she whispers back and giggles. “When we get out of here, want to go for a hike? Or maybe wine tasting?”
“In other words, you want to be with me all day?” Jesse asks, raising his eyebrows.
She nods, “I definitely want to spend all day and maybe night with you, Jesse.”
Jesse nearly chokes on a popcorn piece when she says about possibly staying the night. He coughs a little and waves a hand in apology at those who turn to look at him, grabbing his drink to suck down some soda to push the stuck popcorn down his throat. Once his throat is clear, he looks down at her to see if there is anything teasing in her eyes but there is only sincerity. He smiles down at her and nods, letting her know that he is ready to spend the day and possibly the night with her.
Suzzan leans her head against his shoulder and smiles, definitely feeling a connection with this man. She didn’t know what it is, but she liked how he made her feel safe and happy. They finish the movie and walk out of the movie theater holding hands, leaning in close, feeling more comfortable with one another as the day goes on. They go for a hike and pack a picnic from the grocery store by the theater for lunch, then move on to going to a lake and sitting at the edge, toes in the water, and talking more.
Lastly, they return to Jesse’s apartment for dinner, Jesse promising that he can cook them a good meal. He cooks her some Chicken Alfredo and garlic bread with a glass of red wine. The night ends with the radio on and Suzann snuggling close to Jesse, dancing slowly to the gentle croons of some singer from the 80’s singing about love.
After their dance, Suzzan grabs a hold of Jesse’s hand and smiles at him while dragging him off towards the hallway to where she hopes is his bedroom. Jesse follows behind her, stopping her in front of his closed bedroom door. She turns to face him, leaning back on the close door and drawing him closer to her.
Jesse leans in close, resting one hand on the door and the other on her hip as she stares up into his eyes. He closes his eyes as soon as their lips, pressing his body against hers, feeling her leg wrapped around his. She breaks the kiss, both breathing hard and she shoves him back a little. She turns and opens the door, disappearing inside with a girlish giggle. He grins lopsidedly as he rushes inside after her, closing the door behind him.