Clichéd

| CHAPTER 4 |

AYLIN'S POV

A/N: Mentions of body shape and size, if you're uncomfortable, you can skip the line between the *...*. There may be more mentions as the book progresses. Please do not take offence but this is the character I've written about. I know for a fact that people are insecure about their bodies and if you ever need someone even for hype, my PM and DM's are always open. 

Clara and I step into a rustic, vintage-style restaurant scanning the small bar area for two guys that seem friendly. 

"Look, there they are!"Clara whisper-shouts. I look in the direction she indicates to see two guys sitting with a drink in hand casually conversing. We approach them and Clara introduces me to her latest conquest's friend. "So, this is Aylin."

(Darryn) "And this is Grant."

(Aylin) "Hello, it's nice to meet you, Grant." and then I look towards Darryn, "NIce to see you again Darryn. So let's find a booth to sit at?"

"Yeah, sure. I think we should go to the ones near the window." Grant says. He has a deep voice but it doesn't have the same impact as I expect. I slide into the booth and let Clara be on the outside because with the looks her and her boy toy have shared already, it looks like they'll be gone straight after we order. I hear Clara giggle at some stupid joke as I concentrate on the menu. I don't know what to order, everything looks so good. 'It's a date, eat a salad.' I flick to the salad section, but I'm just not feeling it. Nothing seems appetising, especially since I'm craving something warm and comfortable. *'You don't want him thinking you're a fat b*tch.'*

(Darryn) "I hear they have really good burgers here. They have this amazing homemade sauce," he winks at Clara, who immediately blushes, "that they use." I subtly nod. I don't want a salad and I don't want a burger either so I settle for fish and chips with their house salad and a lemonade. Clara and Darryn order a burger and fries each while Grant orders a steak with mashed potatoes. 

»»——————————««

Through the night I feel self-conscious. Even with the smallest portion of food, I swear I could feel everyone's judging eyes on my food and my body. Over time, I have adjusted to this feeling, so I hid the self-consciousness with constant small talk with Grant. I was merely being polite because, by the time Clara and Darryn were back from their little trip, Grant had bored me with political talk. The initial conversation started good, it was light banter about Clara and Darryn but once he started talking about politics, I fought so hard to roll my eyes. I did. I just did it while I was looking down. I would occasionally nod, or hum to let him know he 'still had my attention' unbeknownst he didn't. 

I nearly applauded when dinner was finished. I felt a little guilty as he was being a real gentleman but the political talk left a bad impression. They offered to walk us home. So here we are on the street walking side by side with Grant on my right and Clara on my left, Darryn on her left. I look around taking in the buildings at night. It's quiet compared to the bustling streets in the day, with people running around with coffee in hand to get to work. When I look across the street, I see someone walking in the opposite direction to us. He has a brown coat, a lot like the guy from the supermarket earlier. I clasp Clara's hand to get her attention. When she looks towards me, I bend towards her ear, "I think that guy across the street, is the guy from the supermarket earlier. The one with the brown coat."

"What guy?" she whispers looking around. I look behind us, but across the street, I twist my head to see if Clara is still paying attention. She is. With that, we catch a glimpse of the brown coat as the person walks into another street. By the time we focus on the guys again, they've started talking about some sports game. 

As we approach Clara and I's apartment, Clara goes into hug Darryn which turns into a makeout session. I turn to Grant, who is just as awkward as I am. "So, I enjoyed tonight. I had a good time."

(Grant) "I did too..." 

"......"

(Grant) "So does this mean I'll see you again?"

(Aylin) "Umm... I don't know. I'm not sure if I'm ready to date. But we can hang out if you'd like."

(Clara) "Aylinnn, open the door."

(Aylin) "Yeah, yeah"

»»——————————««

"So?" Clara says as we enter the apartment. 

(Aylin) "SO?"

(Clara) "What'd you think? Do you like him?"

(Aylin) "I mean, he's a nice guy, a gentleman really."

(Clara) "But?"

(Aylin) "But, he just doesn't give me that rush of adrenaline when I see him. His smile doesn't light up the room. His voice doesn't make me suddenly parched," I change my voice to a whisper, "but also wet at the same time."

(Clara) "Aw Aylin, you read far too many books and watch just as many movies. This is real life, you're never going to find a guy that can do all of that."

(Aylin) "I know it's real-life but, but it's just- I just want to be with someone who I'm comfortable with. Where I don't have to think about how I look, or how I need to change myself so that I am 'enough' for that person"

(Clara) "Okay then. No to Grant. What about the guy from the supermarket? You seem to talk about him, which may mean you're attracted to him." 

I sigh, "He's out of my league. Plus he broke my noodles."

A/N: I know it's not the best chapter, but more's to come ;). Aylin seems adamant about Zander breaking her noodles. 

CQ: What's a clichéd moment in books that you really like?

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