Dusk & Dawn

Part XII

At first when he saw her, Xavier had zero inhibitions. He felt an extreme wave of relief, but that switched to concern as soon as he saw her reaction to him. He was very aware of the effect he had on her, but his impulse had overridden all reasoning, so he didn't think of the level of appropriateness of him so suddenly showing up, on top of the fact that he'd essentially took her ability to decide on seeing him away.

It was for these reasons his thoughts had switched to regret. It was also for these reasons he'd bought the cake slice for her, as an act of apology, but it would be a lie to say he wasn't hoping she'd come talk to him because of this act. This hope was heightened by the conversation he'd listened in on between her and the older. lady.

His hope however, didn't quell the anxiety in his heart. He had no way of knowing if she was angry with him or if she uncomfortable. If she did come to him, what would she say? He couldn't even bring himself to make eye contact with her, even when he'd heard her footsteps approaching.

"Are you used to bribing people to get your way with them?" She asked, stopping by the table. Xavier slightly smiled, picking up his mug to take a sip of his coffee without looking at her.

"No, I only do it with you because I'm trying to get you to want to spend time with me." Kira felt her face go hot, and cleared her throat.

"A slice of cake won't get you in my pants. And wouldn't you want me to spend time with you without incentives?" She asked, and Xavier finally looked at her, a small smile on his face. He thought she looked ridiculously beautiful, her wavy hair half up in a ponytail, looking at him with brown eyes that seemed to glisten brighter than he'd ever seen before. He took his time scanning her features, all of which he'd already committed to memory, but he couldn't help himself. Kira felt naked under his gaze, but not threatened.

"I'm not trying to get in your pants, I'm trying to take you out for dinner. And why would I cut into your job without making sure I compensate for it?" He said in all honesty, his smile widening. He looked boyish, his expression very unassuming. Kira bit her lower lip, suppressing the urge to swoon.

"What are you even doing here?" She asked sighing, choosing to be direct with him. Xavier licked his lips.

"I was nearby and happened to need coffee. But I didn't expect to find the person I can't get off my mind." Kira sighed, subtly smiling despite herself. The smile spread warmth in Xavier's heart. He stared at her a beat too long before clearing his throat, getting up to pull the chair opposite himself. "Please sit." He said, gesturing at the chair. Kira looked at him for a second, contemplating rejecting his offer and sitting in the chair closest to her, but ultimately deciding to sit in the chair he pulled for her.

"You don't have to do that." She muttered as she settled properly.

"I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be pushy or undermine you or anything like that." He said sitting in his own seat. "I just can't help want to take care of you in every way I can." He made eye contact as he said this, causing Kira to look outside, rubbing her neck to play off her increasing infatuation. Xavier took notice but forcibly peeled his eyes away, looking outside whilst sipping his coffee, trying not to increase her discomfort. They sat in silence and every passing moment gnawed at Kira's deepest insecurities and discomforts regarding this entire situation. She knew she had to say something in order to get any understanding of what was going on, even if she didn't like the answers.

"I really can't figure this out." She said quietly, looking down at the cake slice. Xavier looked at her and she looked at him. "Why are you so persistent?" She asked, barely over a whisper, holding back her stirring emotions. Xavier smiled, contemplating his answer for a moment.

"Because I want to be around you." Kira frowned, unsatisfied with his answer.

"Why? Is it a fetish thing for you? Is it a game?" She asked intending to come across as intimidating at first, but ultimately showing how defeated she felt. Xavier slightly frowned, pained by how exhausted she sounded, and shook his head.

"Not at all. I genuinely just want to be around you." He resisted the urge to hold her hand, but he slightly leaned in. Kira released a breath and leaned back, smiling despite her eyes projecting fully the pain she felt in her heart. She looked outside and Xavier unconsciously tilted his head over to be able to see her eyes.

"Nothing about you makes sense. Nothing about any of my feelings makes sense. Why can I not-" She cut herself off when she looked at him and found his absolutely attentive, concerned gaze. Her eyes filled up with tears despite herself. "I just feel-" She couldn't bring herself to finish her words. Xavier held his tongue, choosing to just be present with her in her emotions.

They sat like that for a moment, just looking at each other, and gradually Kira's stirring emotions slowed down, finding a level of solace in him just sitting with her, while Xavier was silently willing that the heavens would let him be the one experiencing this pain, and not her, even if he didn't fully understand it. Kira searched his hazel eyes for the reason he had this effect on her before sighing, looking down to the untouched cake slice. She pushed it toward Xavier but he'd stopped it before it could even get halfway the table. She looked to him to find a weak smile.

"Take it as an apology. I wasn't trying to make you feel uncomfortable by showing up here, and I don't ever intend to make you feel uncomfortable." Kira smiled slightly.

"Didn't you say you coming here was because you wanted coffee? Why are you apologising?"

"Still. I feel guilty. Please. Take it." He said sincerely, and Kira sighed, smiling wider.

"Okay." She whispered, causing Xavier to smile, his heart slightly easing. "And you don't have to feel guilty coming here. I cannot stop you from going where you like. Besides, we could use a few more customers lately." She said, chuckling towards the end. Xavier nodded.

They sat in silence for a beat before Kira spoke up again, hesitantly this time, because her head had gone back to last night. That was the elephant in the room that she didn't want to speak about, but she knew she had to bring up at some point.

"About last nights conversation..." She said, looking down at her own hands.

"I meant what I said." Xavier said, prompting her to look up to him. He leaned in, placing his elbows on the table. "I want you to spend all your evenings with me for the next two weeks. No sex-" Kira suddenly shushed him and covered his mouth, looking around, remembering they were in public for the first time since Xavier stepped into the cafe, only to see Rachael and the older waitress looking at them from the counter. They looked away in different directions as soon as Kira made eye contact, busying themselves. Kira looked back to Xavier to find his laughing eyes. She widened her eyes realising what she'd done, quickly letting him go and clearing her throat.

"You don't have to say it out loud." She weakly admonished, causing Xavier to chuckle from how cute he found her to be.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't say it if you don't mean it." Xavier chuckled again before pulling himself together, looking at her with a level of seriousness.

"Please take my offer seriously. I meant what I said. I want to spend the next two weeks getting to know you. Can you at least consider it?" He asked and Kira sighed, biting her lip. "No pressure. We'll see where this takes us. And we can stop seeing each other whenever you want, no questions asked." Kira rationalised that she could use the money as a part of her savings for Kaden, and as soon as that thought entered her head, she nodded.

Truth of the matter, however, was that on an emotional level, she'd already decided she wanted to see him as soon as she took his number. She just needed the reassurance that she could walk away at any point.