Clichéd

| CHAPTER 6 |

AYLIN'S POV

(Zander) "Are you free? I could say sorry over a cup of coffee?"

(Aylin) "You know what? I am free. Let's go."

(Zander) "Ok then, it's a date." 

(Aylin) "No, it's not?"

(Zander) "What's not?"

(Aylin) "Having coffee is not a date." 

(Zander) "Oh, did I say that?"

(Aylin) "Yes,"

(Zander) "Well then, it might have slipped." 

(Aylin) "Clara! Will you be okay hanging at the mall by yourself for a while? Or you can go home, I don't mind, I'll find my way home."

(Clara) "Why? Where are you going?"

(Aylin) "I'm having coffee with Zander."

Clara gives me a look that says finally you found someone, which suddenly changes to cautious look, and I swear I hear her mutter "It's always the bad guys." Her smile then brightens into a knowing smile and she says "Have fun kiddos!"

»»——————————««

I watch as Zander stares at his phone in confusion, but then start furiously typing. He looks up momentarily and is back at typing. 'What a weird guy!' I take a seat in plush red armchairs and order, we're at a local coffee shop outside the mall. I order a mocha with extra chocolate and a triple chocolate muffin while Zander orders a cappuccino with a lemon slice. It's silent. I look around taking in my surroundings, the café has a rustic-like plant theme to it. The roof is glass to let light through for the plants hanging down. It has a wood theme for the kitchen exterior and behind the counter. The counter is a white marble with an assortment of jars and plates on display. Plants adorn the floor area and the laminated wood turns into tiles for the seating area. Our seats are close together probably from the customers before us, but it allows me to feel the heat emanating from him. I can probably look over at his phone but that would be plain rude. 

When I can't take the silence anymore I say, "Are you okay?"

"Hmm, yes, nothing important." He looks up and then sets his phone aside. 

"Don't tell me you left your latest conquest hanging?" I say with a mischievous tone. But I don't think it came out that way because Zander falls silent. "Omg, you did, didn't you? And that too for me!" I inquire appalled. I watch his cheeks turn a tint of pink. 

"What do you mean for you? Of course, I would- I mean anyone would. You are a much better company than the person I ditched."

"And may I ask who you ditched?" 

"Uhh, Brittany?" he says with an inquisitive tone while he grimaces.

"Brittany? ... Brittany? As in," I flick my hair behind my head, "Brittany?" 

"Yeah, her, bang-on impression by the way." 

"Oh god, that girl is crazy about you. She goes around the school telling everyone your hers. She is the definition of insane." 

"I heard about that. I just didn't know if it was true. I guess it is then." He scratches his head in a cute way. 'Wait cute? I do not find Zander cute.' Our order comes out, and we both sip our coffees, relishing its taste.

"Mmmh, this is so good," I moan after biting into the warm muffin. 

"Uhh-uh." he says as he bites into his lemon slice, "It's sweet and sour and tangy, the perfect combination, but nothing beats my sister's recipe." I take another sip of my mocha and feel the whipped cream sit on my lips. I wipe away, trying to clear it away before anyone sees, but it's too late, I see Zander have a mischievous smile on his face. He leans in close and caresses my face. "You have a little something here," my eyes flutter close after seeing him briefly smile. I feel the pad of his thumb wipe away near my lip and my eyes flicker open to stare deep into his eyes. 'I want- no need him to kiss me. But why? I don't even know the guy.' His thumb lingers there for a couple of moments, as I search his soul. I pull my bottom lip under my teeth, biting it, I watch his eyes flick down to my lips. His gaze darkens. He slowly but gently tugs at it pulling it out as I look at his lips. For some reason, we both realise the position we're in at the same time and pull away instantly. I feel a pang of hurt, but I know I should keep my feelings for him at bay if there is any. 

"Mhmm." I fake cough trying to extract myself from this awkward situation. "Uhh, thank you for that."

"No problemo" he says as if nothing happened. 

We finish our coffee with light conversation. 

(Zander) "I really enjoyed spending time with you. It really beats the girls I have to hang out with to keep up my reputation."

(Aylin) "Why keep a reputation like that then?" 

He dodges the question. "So when are you free next? Can I have your number? you know- so I can text you so we can meet again." he saves himself awkwardly. I give him my number. 

(Aylin) "You know next time we should do something fun. Like, go to an arcade or something." 

(Zander) "Yeah, for sure!"

»»——————————««

As I navigate my way back to Clara, I can't help but think about why I wanted to kiss him. When I finally catch up with her, I let her know the 'deets' (as she calls it) in the car on our way home. 

The second my butt touches the seat, Clara bursts, "So, is he nice? Did he invite us to a party? What did you guys do? Omg! Did you kiss?" literally. 

I frantically avoid all the questions and try to distract her, "Did you find what you were looking for?" 

(Clara) "Aylin Darcy Monroe! Don't you dare try to avoid my questions. I demand you to give me the deets" 'Ahh, there it is the devil that I know.'

(Aylin) "Okay, fine. Give me one question at a time." 

(Clara) "Is he nice? Like everyone says he is?"

(Aylin) "Wait- how does one have a bad boy reputation but be nice?" 

(Clara) "Easy, you sleep with nearly every girl, look rugged and go to parties and do stuff. And stop dodging the question."

(Aylin) "Oooh. Yeah, I mean I guess he was nice, he was more genuine. Like a breath of fresh air."  'Unlike the guys you usually make me go to dates with.'

(Clara) "So what did you do?" 

(Aylin) "We had coffee?" 

(Clara) "What did he order?"

(Aylin) "Hey, that's mean, not asking what I ordered." 

(Clara) "I know you would have ordered a mocha with extra chocolate and a chocolate dessert of some kind. Now answer the question, I gotta know what kind of guy he is."

(Aylin) "How does a person's coffee order determine who they are?" She gives me a stern look. "Fine, he ordered a cappuccino with a lemon slice. And eyes on the road missy." 

(Clara) "I read this article on GossForum where a guy's taste in coffee reveals their personality." I roll my eyes, 'Clara and her stupid articles.' "We'll check it out when we get home. Now did anything happen? You were in a daze when you met me again."

(Aylin) "No, nothing much. He just wiped away a little bit of whipped cream off my lips and I wanted him to kiss me." I rush out.

"Aylin Darcy Monroe!" she says my whole name for the second time in this conversation. "I a so proud of you! Was it like in books and movies?"

(Aylin) "Yeah, it kinda was," I whisper as I relive the moment feeling goosebumps grow on my arm causing me to shiver. 

A/N: So that's a wrap. I'm guessing I'll only update when I know what's going to happen next and I have time to write. I was totally fangirling while writing this. Do you love the chemistry between these two? Also, don't be shy, let me know if I can improve on something. 

Something else I realised while writing this chapter is the dialogue and the thoughts. The dialogue will be "..." whereas thoughts of the person's POV will be '...', hope this helps anyone confused. 

CQ: If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go? 

Don't forget to vote and comment!