***Cole***
Cole sighed as he watched the two girls walk away. The taller one said that she was okay, but he still felt bad for knocking her over. Maybe she really wasn't paying attention, but neither was he.
He looked at the ground as he felt around in his pockets. Thankfully, he hadn't lost anything. That was when he saw a red hair ribbon. Oh, no! It must have fallen out of her hair when she fell.
He would like to return it to her, but he didn't know anything about her. Let alone what her name was, so how was he supposed to do that?
Cole jumped when his terminal rang. It was his patron, Wilhi.
As soon as he picked it up, she asked, "How are you doing?"
"I should be asking you that!" Cole took a breath. "When I called the other day, they said you out because you had a personal emergency."
"I had medical situation came up. I'm sorry I wasn't able to take your call."
Cole went and sat on a nearby bench. "Were you in the hospital?"
"Yes. I was discharged on Friday. This is my first day back."
Cole winced. "How are you doing, Wilhi? Sorry that I haven't been able to drop by. I've been busy with a new piece."
"Enough about me!" She sighed in exasperation. "Cole. How are you doing?"
Cole stared at the ribbon in his hand as he said, "I'm fine."
"You are not being convincing in the least. What happened?"
"It isn't that important."
"Cole…"
"Alright! Alright! Don't get your knickers in a twist!" A sigh escaped his lips. "I just bumped into this girl, because we weren't paying attention. I'm pretty sure she lost her ribbon."
"Do you know anything about her?"
Cole shrugged. "Not really. I'd say she's a few inches shorter than me."
"Anything else?"
"She has long hair, but it's not like that is very specific."
Wilhi pressed him. "What color were her eyes?"
Cole furrowed his eyebrows. "A greenish-blue, I think?"
"And her hair?"
"I wanna say it's brown."
"Alright. Give me a few days to see what I can dig up."
Wilhi then hung up.
How did that happen?
***
Cole's jaw dropped when the text came two days later. Wilhi had found the girl. Her name was apparently Cyan.
If he wanted to return her ribbon, he should go to the park where the festival was. He wouldn't know when he would get another chance.
Cole sighed as he shook his head. This was insane, but it would be rude to look a gift horse in the mouth. Wilhi worked to get him the information even though she'd just gotten out of the hospital.
He put on a red knit hat before putting on red gloves and leaving his apartment.
A sigh escaped his lips when he exited his building. He was worried Wilhi had ordered a surprise cab for him. She could be forceful when she really wanted something.
It was nice to get out and stretch his legs. If he was lucky, he could maybe find some inspiration on his way to the park.
He was admittedly nervous to meet this girl properly. She might not have the best impression of him after what happened.
Maybe he should have bought her some chocolate or some other gift in apology before he came to the park. It was too late now, though.
As he got closer to a metal food cart, he caught a glimpse of the girl standing behind the counter.
Her smile glowed against the dreary winter sky.
The smell of cookies baking made his mouth water. Was it too early to have one? He wasn't sure how long he'd be able to resist the temptation if he bought one.
Sweat beaded Cole's brow when he approached the girl. "Good morning, miss. Can I have a coffee and a bagel?"
She smiled. "Would you like that toasted?"
"Yes, please."
"Would you like any sugar or some creamer?"
"Vanilla creamer?"
"Coming right up."
The pair tapped terminals to complete the purchase.
Cole's cheeks reddened as he got the hair ribbon out of his terminal. "I also wanted to return this."
"Oh, thank you so much!" Her face lit up. "My friend said we should go back and look for it, but I figured it got blown away or something."
"I found it after you guys left. It took me a few days to track you down, though."
"Please don't sweat it. I'm sure a lot of people would have kept it or given it to their girlfriend or daughter or something." She put away the ribbon. "Here. Please have a nice day."
His cheeks reddened. "I'm Cole. Can I ask your name?"
"I'm Cyan. It's nice to meet you, Cole."
Cole took his breakfast and sat down at a nearby table. He stared at his coffee as he bit into the freshly toasted bagel. He really liked Cyan's smile. Would it have been too bold if he asked for her number when he bought the cookie?
Cole shook his head. What was he thinking? He sounded like a lame romantic form one of the soaps his little sister and mom loved watching. Plus, sometimes smiles were misleading. Maybe if he got to know her better, he could ask.
***
Cole ate his cookie and snuck a glance at Cyan. She smiled again as she handed a scone with some strawberries and cream to a little girl.
His face turned red as he looked forward. Thump, thump, thump.
Why did his heart keep beating? He really had become a lame guy. He clenched his head and sighed.
That was when his terminal rang.
He glanced at it when he saw it was his little sister. What could she have wanted? Hopefully, nothing bad happened back home. He stood up and walked over to a tree for some privacy.
"Hey, Carol," Cole said as he picked up.
"Hey, big brother! What are you up to?"
Cole blinked. Was that really why she was calling him? Caroline didn't usually do that just to talk. That's why she had her friends.
"I was just starting at a girl- I-I mean eating a cookie." Ahh, Cole, you doofus!
Carol snorted. "What? Did my big brother fall in love?"
"S-shut up," Cole mumbled as his back slumped against the tree trunk.
Carol giggled. "So childish."
"Hey, I don't want to hear that from a twelve-year-old! Anyway, why did you call?"
"Oh, I was wondering if you had a date. Mom made a list of prospects for you."
Cole's hand slumped. His mom was still trying to arrange him a marriage? Why did she have to do that? That's exactly why he left home to begin with. He didn't want anything to do with stuffy titles.
"I don't, but it doesn't matter. I'm not going out with one of those girls in Mom's list."
"You sure? She worked hard on it. Oh, well, maybe you can ask that girl you were checking out. Oops, I mean, the cookie you were eating."
Cole rolled his eyes. "Bye, Carol."
"Hey! Don't hang up on me, Coco!"
He grumbled at his childhood name. There had been a time where hearing his little sister say that was cute, but now he wasn't very fond of hearing it.
Cole rubbed his nose bridge. He had to find a date fast, before his mom pressured him. If that failed, maybe he could ask Wilhi. Though, Eir had been wanting to ask her out. It would be unfair to his friend if he did that. Sadly, he probably wouldn't be able to attend the ball, given his state. Just who was the one who had done that to him?