Chapter 450 - 446: Clean, Refreshing, and Emotionally Stable

"Just going up to say hi probably isn’t the best idea, but you can always create some opportunities for yourself," Victor Tucker said.

He couldn’t claim to have a ton of experience when it came to pursuing girls, but at least he was miles ahead of a total greenhorn like Ethan Sterling.

"How do I create opportunities?" Ethan Sterling asked Victor Tucker, his face a picture of someone eager to learn.

Victor Tucker thought for a moment. "Creating opportunities depends on a lot of factors. But don’t worry, military training is about to start. There’ll definitely be chances then."

"Yeah, there’ll be plenty of opportunities during military training." Wayne clapped his hands and looked at Victor Tucker admiringly. "Vince is the one with all the ideas. Don’t worry, Ethan, the guys will all be there to help you out."

Ethan Sterling felt a little embarrassed and lowered his head with a small smile. "We’ll see. I’ll try to handle it myself."

He’d just panic if they made too big of a scene, and he was afraid of scaring her off.

*

A few days after adding Cecilia Sterling on WhatsApp, Wyatt Sherman finally worked up the courage to ask her out for a drink.

Lorcain Tech and Lorcain U weren’t far from each other, so Wyatt Sherman chose a coffee shop located halfway between the two.

Cecilia Sterling arrived wearing a light cyan mini-dress. This summer had been unusually hot, so lately, her fashion philosophy was simple: wear whatever was cool and refreshing.

"Cecilia Sterling!"

The moment she appeared, Wyatt Sherman spotted her, quickly standing up and waving her over.

Cecilia Sterling looked over at the sound of her name. She saw that Wyatt Sherman was wearing white shorts and a light pink short-sleeved shirt. He already had a naturally clean-cut air about him, and this outfit made him look even more bright and gentle, causing him to stand out in the crowd.

’A handsome guy is easy on the eyes. Looking at him for a few extra seconds is enough to lift anyone’s mood.’

Cecilia Sterling smiled and walked over. Wyatt Sherman watched her approach, a happy grin on his face. "I was worried you wouldn’t come."

"Why would you think that?" Cecilia Sterling asked.

"Well, it was a little forward of me... after all, we’ve only met once, and I just asked you out like that..."

Cecilia Sterling chuckled, casually placing her bag to the side as she sat down. Then she looked at him and said, "If you want to meet a second time, you have to ask. How else would we see each other? Besides, I happened to be free today, so the timing was perfect."

Wyatt Sherman was delighted to hear her say that. He quickly used his phone to scan the QR code on the table. "What would you like to drink? The cake here is pretty good, too. It’s all baked fresh daily. Want to try some?"

"I’ll have an iced lemon tea."

"Okay." Wyatt Sherman placed their order, then suddenly picked up a bouquet of flowers from the adjacent chair. It was a small bouquet, one he could hold in a single hand. He offered it to Cecilia Sterling. "I saw someone selling flowers on the way here, so I bought a bunch."

Cecilia Sterling blinked, a little surprised, but still said thank you and reached out to take it.

Then she heard Wyatt Sherman say, "Besides my mom, you’re the first girl I’ve ever given flowers to."

He kept his eyes on Cecilia Sterling the entire time he spoke, his gaze clear and sincere. Cecilia quite liked this little detail about him. ’Making eye contact when you speak is a form of courtesy,’ she mused. ’It makes the other person feel valued.’

"The first?" Cecilia Sterling didn’t doubt him, but she was a little shocked.

’With his looks, he shouldn’t be short on admirers.’

"It’s true," Wyatt Sherman quickly explained. "I’ve never given flowers to a girl before."

"Well, I’m quite honored then," Cecilia Sterling said with a smile, taking the opportunity to ask, "You’ve never been in a relationship, have you?"

"I have, actually," Wyatt Sherman answered honestly. "Two."

Cecilia Sterling raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Same here."

"So you’re single now, right?" Wyatt Sherman asked cautiously, his eyes brimming with anticipation.

Cecilia Sterling stared at him for a few seconds before nodding with an amused expression. "Of course. I wouldn’t have come today otherwise."

Wyatt Sherman couldn’t hide his happy expression. Following her logic, he said, "Then your first impression of me must have been pretty good, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come."

"Are you fishing for compliments?"

Wyatt Sherman quickly shook his head. "No, I’m just a little curious. I just want to know."

Just then, a waitress came over with an Americano and an iced lemon tea.

"Here you are, an Americano and a lemon tea."

As the young woman spoke, she set the two drinks down, but she didn’t place one of the cups securely. The iced Americano tipped over instantly.

"HSSS..."

Wyatt Sherman flinched back immediately, but his shirt and pants still got soaked. The shock of the black liquid and ice cubes made him suck in a sharp breath, and his white pants were instantly stained.

"I’m so sorry, so sorry."

The waitress quickly handed him some napkins, apologizing profusely.

But Wyatt Sherman was good-natured about it. He took the napkins and said it was no problem. "I can just wipe it myself. It’s fine."

His expression didn’t even falter.

Cecilia Sterling watched his reaction and found her impression of him improving even more. ’An emotionally stable guy like this is a rare find,’ she thought. ’Especially after getting black coffee spilled on white pants. Most people would probably be upset.’

But he didn’t even frown.

After a quick clean-up, he sat back down, looked at Cecilia Sterling, and joked with a smile, "So cold! A piece of ice slid down my pant leg. It was so cold the back of my head went numb!"

Cecilia Sterling watched him with an amused smile. ’A clean-cut, refreshing guy with a great personality,’ she thought, ’is a major plus.’

Wyatt Sherman looked down at his stained shorts and finally let out a sigh, a look of regret on his face. "I just bought these. I wore them especially for our date."

"There’s a mall right behind us. I can go with you to buy a new pair. Otherwise, when that coffee stain dries, it’ll turn yellow, and that’ll look a little..."

"Huh?" Wyatt Sherman was taken aback. He quickly looked down again, examining the stain closely, and saw that it was indeed starting to turn yellowish. "You’re right..."

Cecilia Sterling suppressed a laugh. She took a few sips of her lemon tea and stood up. "Let’s go."

Seeing that Cecilia Sterling was really going to go clothes shopping with him, Wyatt Sherman became visibly excited. In his mind, this was the kind of thing only boyfriends and girlfriends did together.

Cecilia Sterling was very familiar with the nearby mall, as it was a place she and Saul Thorne used to frequent.

They soon arrived at a trendy clothing store. The shorts section was in a prominent spot, and Cecilia Sterling walked right over, picking up two pairs of white shorts and asking Wyatt Sherman, "Sticking with white?"

Wyatt Sherman looked at Cecilia Sterling and asked, "Do you think I look good in white?"

’He’s really smooth...’

’...really good at seizing opportunities to pull these subtle little moves. They’re not off-putting; in fact, most girls probably fall for this kind of thing.’

’Take his question just now: "Do you think I look good in white?"’

Cecilia Sterling didn’t shy away from the question and nodded. "You do. And the light pink T-shirt you’re wearing today goes well with it. Satisfied?"

His little ploy exposed, Wyatt Sherman didn’t get embarrassed. Instead, he just smiled more brightly. "Okay, white it is."

Just then, a sales clerk saw them and came over. Looking at Cecilia Sterling, she began her enthusiastic sales pitch. "Ma’am, we have a matching couple’s set for that style. There’s a white skirt for ladies, and if you buy both together, you get 20% off!"