10: A Day With Him

"You should really take girls seriously, you know." Alonah told her companion with a wary expression on her face, but he just laughed, like what she said was a joke. "No thank you. It's much more fun when I don't." He replied with that coy smirk of his that she has already seen more times than she can count with her fingers. She doesn’t really think she’s ever seen the guy with a genuine smile plastered on his lips, but she thinks that’s to be expected since they only just met after all. And judging by the things she has come to know and learn about him, he’s the kind of guy who doesn’t give out his smile just for anyone. Despite what he proclaimed when they were having that Skype call with Lu and Ian, Alonah knows for a fact that Xavier didn’t really mean what he said—about him wanting her to like him. Maybe that may be true on some level, but definitely not high enough for him to put his money where his mouth is. After all, she does know that he—or she—could have harbored some feelings for each other when they barely even know each other. Alonah kept in mind that Xavier’s words constantly contradicting each other is just another sure way to tell that there really is nothing going on—not that she expected it to. Also because of the fact that Lu warned her beforehand that the guy is an expert flirt. Even though her best friend didn’t tell her that, she’s pretty sure she could already tell by the way he interacted with her. One thing she is sure about though is that what they share right now is a completely platonic friendship. And surprisingly, he’s really easy to talk to, especially now that she’s come to get over her previous nervousness. Rolling her eyes at his reply (which she already kind of expected), she commented with a frown on her face, "You're such a jerk, you know that?"  He mimicked the frown on her face almost mockingly, to which she narrowed her eyes at. "Oh, come on. How can you say that? I’m the nicest guy there is!” She let out a scoff. “Sure you are.” “Compared to the rest, I really am the nicest.” Xavier replied in the most serious tone she has ever heard that she really started to ponder if what he’s claiming is true. After all, she hasn’t even met the others yet so obviously, she wouldn’t know. That sudden realization of hers stuck in her mind. Since she has no basis for her contradiction whatsoever, it’s obvious that Xavier would win this...whatever this is they were doing. “Nice try.” Alonah smirked smugly once she saw the glare he threw her way. “I’ll be the judge of that claim. Since I’ll be meeting you guys not too long from now, until then let’s leave the seat of victor untouched.” Xavier regarded her with a glint in his eyes until a playful grin slowly made its way unto his face. “Is that a challenge?” The expression on her face and the dimmed determination dancing in her eyes were more than a response for his question. “Alright. I happen to like challenges.” “Who doesn’t?” Came Alonah’s retaliation. “It’s one of the joys in life.” “Oh I know. We awfully have a lot in common, Ally.” Xavier propped his elbow on the table in front of him, the grin on his face still intact. “Should I take that as a sign?” Alonah rolled her eyes. “Again with that? Really?” He laughed. “You never know, it might work. You might fall for me too.” “Who would fall for a jerk like you?” Alonah honestly couldn’t believe herself right now. Just where did all this confidence come from when just a few days ago she could even barely form a coherent sentence when talking to him? She doesn’t know if it’s because she managed to come out of her shell or the guy in question really is just that charming. She made herself believe it’s the former. His grin now replaced with a pout, he said, “You’re so mean.” She only stuck her tongue out at him, his pouting lips slowly turning into a loopy smile. "But even if I'm a jerk, you still love me, right?" He asked while running one of his hands through his hair. Alonah swears he's trying to seduce her with that thing he's doing. Of course, he doesn’t know that’s what she thinks but honestly—the guy is just too attractive for his own good it’s not even funny. She tried to suppress a laugh to come out as she bit her lower lip, her previous thought still not leaving her mind. Looking up at him with innocent and playful eyes, she expected him to still have that smile attached to his lips but what she saw were darkened eyes and an unfathomable expression to match. "Don't do that." He scolded her, but she only looked at him confusingly. "Don't do what?" She asked. "Don't bite your lip.” “Why not?” “Because I might never be able to contain myself." Xavier told her. She looked at him for the longest time before she finally released her hold on her lip and let out a laugh. “What can you do? You’re not even here.” “Oh there’s a ton. Do you want a demonstration?” The expression on his face and the suggestive tone she detected were more than enough to let her know that he would really do what he said with no hesitation. It’s already bad enough that she understood what he meant, it’s even worse that she knew exactly what he would do for the demonstration he offered. Pink instantly painted her cheeks as she looked away from the guy grinning at him and replied, “Why would I need your demonstration?” “Why not?” “Just because.” Xavier laughed. “Because you’re afraid you might like what you see? Don’t worry, that was my goal from the start.” She honestly didn’t know how their conversation turned into him being a womanizer to him offering demonstrations. The transformation was painstakingly fast and she couldn’t decide whether it was because of you or him that it turned into this—or maybe it was the both of you. “Get your head out of your ass.” “Pretty sure the only place where my head’s going to be is at yo—“ “Please refrain from finishing that sentence.” She chorused, a cross between horror and disgust clearly seen in her face.  Honestly, they have only met for a couple of days and he already has the courage to say those things? She was pretty sure that’s not something you should be saying to people you just meet. The confidence. A loud laugh erupted from Xavier’s mouth. "Your expression right now is seriously hilarious."  The only reply she could give was a sarcastic smile followed by a scowl when he gave her one of those winks which had a deeper meaning than what the surface shows. All of a sudden, Alonah felt her phone buzz in her hands. Grateful for the distraction and interruption from Xavier’s onslaught of flirts, she quickly looked at it but was taken by surprise when she saw who it was from. After all, she wasn’t really expecting him to text her. From: Ian Hey Al. I was wondering, are you busy right now? Because if you're not, I'd like you to come and accompany me somewhere. But if you are, then I'm still going to drag you out of the house. So, you down? It’s crazy how they have become more comfortable towards each other in just a span of a few days but it really was to be expected since Lu kept insisting on spending the day together with the two of them. For Lu, it was like hitting two birds with one stone: she gets to hangout with her friends and her friends also gets to hangout with each other. Everybody wins. It wasn’t also that hard to be comfortable around Ian. There’s just a nice air surrounding him that you can’t help but want to experience what it would be like to breathe that same air. Not to mention how easygoing he is. She laughed after reading the text message, making Xavier wonder what she’s laughing about. "Who texted you?" He asked in, curiosity lacing in his tone of voice. With a coy smile, she replied, "Wouldn’t you like to know?” Xavier’s answer was immediate. “I would, yes.”  Alonah shook her head at the brunette, amusement written all over her face. “It’s Ian.” He regarded her with an unreadable expression, but it was so sudden, Alonah wondered if she was just imagining what she saw. Still, that thought left her mind when she saw Xavier wiggling his eyebrows at her suggestively as he said, “Are you going to a bro—“ “Seriously, Xavier.” Alonah let out a huff when she interrupted whatever he was about to say again, which left the latter to glare at her. “Is there really nothing inside that head of yours aside from s****l comments?” Xavier looked at her blankly. “I’m not quite sure whether I should just drop you or pet you because of how adorable you are. It’s such a dilemma.” “I prefer none of the above.” “Oh come on. I give the best caresses.” He rested his cheek against his propped elbow. “I don’t mind giving you a feel of it.” If it were anyone listening to their conversation, they wouldn’t have thought there was wrong with it. However, Alonah knew better as soon as she took notice of the subtle hint of suggestion those words brought. “No, thank you. I’m pretty sure I’ve had better.” “You’re no fun.” Xavier pouted. “Why did I even befriend you?” She laughed. “Because I’m fun.” Rolling his eyes, he replied, “So what did Ian want?” “Just a stroll in the park, I guess.” “Oh, so it’s a date?” “Are you stupid? Of course not. A conspiratorial smile took over his lips. "You like him, don't you?" Well, she wasn’t expecting that, that was for sure. Cheeks turning pink and voice shaking, she said, "N-no." "Oh my god, you do." He laughed and she could feel myself redden some more. She rolled her eyes at him, ignoring the way her cheeks felt warm and said, "Don't be stupid. Anyway, I have to go. Ian wants me to go with him, and I'm curious about where he's taking me, so I'm going to go with him." He frowned at her. "You're going to replace me with him?" He asked and Alonah laughed, surprised at how easy that was even though her heart was already beating loudly in my chest. "Yes." She replied, playing along with him. "That's so unfair. I had you first, so why did you choose Ian?" He asked, the frown still etched on his face. "Technically, Ian did because he was here first." She told him and his frown deepened. Alonah could already hear her thoughts whirring as one thing kept repaying in her mind: Oh God, we're already acting as if we're together. "I should've just gone there when I knew Ian was going to be there." He mumbled. "What about school? Aren't you guys worried about that?" He smirked at her. "We have our ways." He replied and she rolled her eyes, not bothering to ask since she knew he wouldn’t even tell her anyway. Besides, she could always ask Lu about that. "Anyway, I really have to go." She said, and he nodded, but a small frown was still visible. She caught herself staring at him longer as she thought about how cute he is even with that frown on his face. "Well, alright. Goodbye, love." He grinned at me, while she just shook her head in amusement (her thoughts now in the proper place) and said goodbye. She immediately stood up and got ready in record time, not giving herself the time to ponder about her previous conversation with the Irish brunette. She ran her hand through her hair as she went down the stairs, watching as her brother typed rapidly on his phone with a silly grin etched on his face. "Hey, what are you grinning about?" She asked as he looked up from his phone. The grin was still present on his face and there was a gleam of happiness in his eyes that would be impossible to miss. It must be nice feeling that much happiness. "Nothing." He replied but she smirked at him. "When you say nothing, do you mean Mae and you have a date, or you and Mae have a date?" She asked while laughing.  Then suddenly, she felt something hit her face and she looked down to see that it was a pillow. She didn’t really have to guess what happened. Alonah gave her brother a scowl. "Why did you throw a pillow at me?" "Your face! Oh my god!" He exclaimed in between laughs, ignoring the unhappy expression currently plastered on his sister’s face. But then his phone buzzed, making him return his attention back to the device that could probably be his new best friend. She rolled her eyes and made her way towards the door while closing it behind her when she was already out. She fished out her phone just in time to see that she received a new message. From: Ian If you really are planning to come with me, meet me at the bridge in the park. I'll be waiting! She laughed and made her way to the park, my mind drifting back to her and Xavier's conversation. She has always known that Xavier has his ways with girls, and she knows that he's a very skilled player, but the way he said it really made her think that he would be able to take a girl seriously. That's so unfair. I had you first, so why did you choose Ian? Seriously, she thinks she’s going insane. Why is she even overthinking the things he said? It obviously meant nothing, so why should she even think there’s a deeper meaning behind it? — ~ — ~ — When she finally arrived at the park, she made her way towards the bridge and saw Ian leaning against the side of the bridge, his phone in his hands. He was looking straight ahead, so he didn't see her arrive. She took that time to walk towards him carefully, but he already saw her and he immediately flashed her one of his famous grins. Arriving in front of him, he gave her a hug, something she wasn’t expecting him to do. She was even more surprised when he handed her a bouquet of tulips. The best part was, it was my favorite flower—a sunny yellow tulip.  How he knew that, she has no idea. It could have been just a coincidence or maybe not. Still, it made her wonder why he would give her those. “What's this?" She asked, still eyeing the flower he was handing her like it was some sort of disease. "Flowers." He said with a grin and she couldn’t help but smile. "Come on, take it." She accepted the flowers he gave her, albeit hesitantly, and looked at it with a soft smile. She looked up at him as soon as she was done admiring the flowers and saw him already looking at her with something she can't quite decipher. "Thank you, Ian." She told him gratefully and he gave her a genuine smile. "You're welcome." He replied as they started to stroll around the park, with no specific destination in mind. "This is my favorite, by the way." She informed him after a long bout of silence, making him look at her questioningly. "The flowers you gave me. These are sunny yellow tulips. It's always been my favorite ever since I could remember." She explained and he chuckled. "Really? I just saw that at the shop and thought, 'Hey, why don't I just bring this for Alonah? This seems nice'. I never thought it was your favorite." He said. "But seriously, thank you." Ian laughed and looked at her like she’s being silly. "No need to thank me, you deserve it." He replied and she swears she could feel herself reddening. She smiled and was surprised to find that he was already holding my hand. She looked up at him, astonishment shining in her eyes. He chuckled and released her hand, but he brought her closer to him, so close that she could practically feel his body heat. Alonah’s mind was reeling. What the hell is happening? She seriously thought this was just going to be an ordinary stroll at the park, but why the hell is Ian holding her hand?  Honestly speaking, she has no clue what’s happening anymore. What with Xavier earlier and with Ian now, her mind is going to combust because of how hard she’s trying to take in all of the things that are happening today. It was too much for one day. Still, she felt stupid because she didn't tell him to let her go. She just let him be even though a part of her should have told him not to. She found it so frustrating how she can’t bring herself to tell him that. Because of how preoccupied she was with her thoughts, she didn’t even notice when Ian put his arm around her and said, "Give me your hand." She felt like kicking herself when she found herself obliging his request. As they continued to walk, she could feel the heat coming from his hand when she was vaguely aware of the feel of his hand on hers. When they stopped by a cotton candy stand that they saw, that was the only time he ever let go of her hand. She took that time to gather her thoughts and wonder again what’s going on. First Xavier, and now Ian? How is she supposed to deal with this? The time to ponder was cut short when she saw Ian handing her a cotton candy, a gentle smile plastered on his face. She accepted it gratefully and got some of the fluffy candy using her fingers, plopping it inside her mouth right after. When it already melted inside her mouth, she was about to get another one, when Ian got some of his and let her open her mouth so that he could put the fluffy candy in. At that point, Alonah decided she would only go crazy if she tried to figure out what her newly found friends are thinking. This was probably just normal behavior for them and their friends; almost like it was a part of then already. Laughing, she obliged and opened her mouth. She also got some of hers and let him open his mouth so that he could have it. He did it so willingly, that she shrieked when he was about to bite her finger when he closed his mouth. "Ian." She whined while he just laughed at her. "Oh, come on. That was fun." He said while looking at her with a gleam of happiness in his eyes. She just rolled her eyes at him, but she laughed nonetheless.  "You're an amazing girl, you know." He suddenly said when we stopped walking and just stared at the pond in front of us, their cotton candies long gone. There it is again. Alonah didn’t know what to do anymore; she doesn’t even know what to say or feel. Everything is just a turmoil inside of her and she has no idea how to make it stop. She couldn’t help the smile that appeared on her lips and immediately covered her face with her hands so that it would hide her reddening cheeks.  Chuckling, he pulled her closer to him and let her bury her head in his chest. That action took her by surprise so she was left just stiffening in her place, only leaving herself to feel him vibrating as he continued to chuckle. Thankfully though, Ian didn’t seem to notice her lack of movement.  He pulled away and pulled her hands away from her face with a smile still plastered on his face. She knew she should have smiled back, but at this point, she doesn’t even have the energy left to do so. As a result, Ian just put his arm around her as they continued to stare at the pond in absolute silence. — ~ — ~ — When they decided to call it a day, Ian brought her home and they stood there on the porch for a while, no words exchanged between the two.  It seemed as though they merely processed what went on today, both of them too lost in their thoughts. Alonah still couldn’t believe what’s happening and how fast everything seemed to be that she didn’t have enough time to breathe. She needed the time to process and assess her emotions and her thoughts and she’s pretty sure that’s how she would end up spending her night. "Thank you for today, Ally. I had a great time." She heard Ian say, effectively bringing her back from her reveries. She came face-to-face with his charming smile that she found herself returning the gesture almost immediately. "Me too." As another form of Ian’s way to show his appreciation, he hugged her so suddenly, leaving the girl in question getting dizzy even more. They stayed like that for a while, when she heard him whisper in her ear, "I wish I was the one Lu sent you a photo of first. That way, you would be mine right now." Everything was a blur for Alonah after that. She was vaguely aware of the gentle kiss he planted on the right side of her cheek and how he pulled away afterwards. He sent her one of his dazzling smiles and started to walk away before she could even say anything.