CHAPTER 3
1357 Words
ARIELLA
The cafe he took us to wasn’t the one from earlier.
This one was quieter, and not many people were present. It had this luxury air to it that did not permit careless movement.
I stood still in front of the door. It wasn’t intentional, though, more like my body was reacting before my mind caught up.
It’s just coffee. I repeated it like a mantra in my head.
“You always hesitate before entering places?” He asked, already halfway inside
I blinked and hurried in. The glass door closed gently behind me
The cafe smelled of coffee and something sweet, vanilla, maybe. Soft, low music played in the background, and everywhere felt calm.
Kayden walked straight to a table with a window and sat down.
“Sit,” he said
I shifted a chair backwards and sat down slowly opposite him, afraid I might make an unwanted sound. My bag stayed on my lap, and I held it tightly like a shield.
“What do you drink?” he asked, gazing briefly at his phone. Then he dropped it and turned his attention to me.
“Oh… anything is fine.”
His gaze towards me did not change, and I shifted slightly in my seat.
“That’s not an answer."
“I… just mean I am not picky, “ I replied honestly
“Seems to me you don’t want to make a choice.”
“That’s not…”
“It is,” he interrupted
He sounded so sure that I couldn’t speak. I glanced down at the table for a second, realizing that arguing at this point was of no use.
“Coffee is fine,” I said finally
“Plain?”
“Yes”
He gave a curt nod as the waiter approached us on cue.
“Two plain coffees," Kayden said in one breath
The waiter nodded and walked away.
I held my bag tighter. Then loosened it. Then gripped it again.
“You are nervous,” I heard him say
I raised my eyes to him at once.” I am not”
He didn’t react or try to challenge it, which somehow made things worse.
“You keep adjusting that,” he stated, gesturing to my bag.
My hand froze.
“I just…”
“Or you don’t know what to do with your hands.”
“That’s … not true,” I replied, looking away. I let go of my bag strap and kept my hands on the table.
“There,” I said quietly, “problem solved.”
His face had a somewhat barely noticeable smile. The waiter returned with our coffee, and I instantly reached out for mine.
I needed something to take my mind off Kayden Dom, even though he was right in front of me. The cup tilted slightly in my hand, and the hot liquid spilled just a little.
“You rush when you are distracted,” he said
My hands stopped midway, and I slowly set the cup down, using the small napkin beside it to wipe the spilled area.
I gave a soft sigh, “Do you always do this?”
“Do what?”
“Point things out.”
“Yes”
“Why,” I asked further
“Because…” he took a small sip of his coffee, never breaking eye contact with me, “you don’t notice them.”
I snorted, “I do notice things.”
“Not about yourself, “ he replied almost immediately
That, that hit me harder than I expected
I wrapped my hands around my cup more carefully this time, feeling the heat in my fingers.
“Why me?” I asked, before I could stop myself.
He watched me like a hawk, unblinking.
“You were there.”
“How do you mean?”
“At the counter, you didn’t move or step aside,” he stated, leaning back on the chair
“I… didn’t have a choice.”
He smirked for the first time since we arrived, “There is always a choice.”
I let out a small laugh,” It was… embarrassing, “ I admitted
“But you stayed anyway,” he uttered, folding his arms on his large chest.
“I just… didn’t want to make it worse.” I can’t even imagine what people would say if I tried to leave. How could i not stay?
There was a small silence between us that seemed to stretch.
“You care a lot about how things would look,” he continued
I looked up at him this time. “Well, that’s normal.”
“It’s restrictive.”
“No, it’s not, it’s safe. And I honestly don’t see a problem with it,” I countered, trying to understand his point
I saw him let out a visible breath.
“Being safe doesn’t change anything. “
“I am not trying to change anything. “
“Well…” he leaned forward, “you are now.”
I frowned, not even pretending not to like what he said, “No, I am not.”
“But you are sitting here,” he said in a low voice.
“Well... i am only here because I said I would be,” I replied, leaning down on my chair.
He raised his brows just a bit, “That’s not the only reason.”
“Of course it is,” I retorted
“Admit it, you are curious.”
“About what?” I asked. I only came here because he asked to use coffee as payback, and now he says I am curious.
“Me”
I felt my heart begin to race again, and I unconsciously looked away.
Him? Why would he even think like that?
I swallowed hard before responding, “I am not.”
He took another sip of his coffee.” You definitely are.”
“What does this matter to you?”
He didn’t answer immediately but kept stirring his coffee with his spoon.
“Because you don’t pretend.”
I blinked a bit hard, “Excuse me?”
He looked up at me, halting the spoon movement.
“You don’t act as if you belong somewhere when you don’t.”
I stared at him for a bit, trying to decode the intention behind those words.
“Is that supposed to be...a compliment?”
“It wasn’t meant to be.”
“Then what is it?”
He dropped the spoon on the saucer.
“An observation”
As soon as he said this, a daunting realization hit me. I leaned a bit forward.
“H…have you … been watching me?”
I made sure to keep my gaze locked on him even when I really, really wanted to look away. I wanted to see and hear him admit this part. But instead of saying anything, he just shrugged casually.
But that was more than enough “yes” response to me.
A silence settled over us again, and it made me uncomfortable.
“I should go,” I said, already standing up as the chair scraped lightly against the floor. I hung my bag on my shoulder while trying to avoid his eyes.
“Thank you,” I added quietly, “for earlier.”
“You still owe me,” I heard him say again, and I quickly turned my head in his direction.
“I thought this wa…”
“I didn’t say it was enough.”
I found myself almost glaring at him. What more could he possibly want from me?
I am just a student on scholarship, barely making ends meet. I could never give him half of his basic everyday life.
“O...okay. What else do you want?” I asked. Wanting to end this conversation as soon as possible.
He stood up slowly from his chair, towering over me in seconds. I craned my neck to look up at him. He closed the space between us, and I could feel his hot breath on my face, making those tingles shoot up in my body again.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
- Writer
