roommates at best

S E V E N T E E N

"I thought we could get breakfast first. I think you'll really like this place," Alex spoke as we walked down the sidewalk, past townhomes and small buildings. A few photos were taken of us and a few girls giggled as we walked past. We walked close enough that our hands brushed past each other but never came together. It made me a little sad, the truth behind the facade.

We approached a curved building at the end of the block. It was covered in vines and bright flowers and had a large wooden door. Barrels of yellow and pink flowers were arranged at the sides of the door beneath large windows. Above the door were the words "the ivy" in art deco style gold lettering.

"After you," he smiled, holding the door for me. I smiled and politely nodded back. This fake girlfriend in public thing was strange to me. I felt like I would be great as a real girlfriend, but I felt guarded as a fake one.

Inside was as magical as the outside, if not more-so. Vines and lights were strung across the ceiling around the room. Most of the colors inside were neutral, with the only pops coming from flowers, food, and guests. While the place was a little packed, the noise level was quite low and it seemed that most people just wanted to enjoy the ambience.

The hostess brought us to our table and the waitress took our orders. I ordered something light- avocado toast with egg, fruit, and a matcha latte. Alex ordered an omelette with mushrooms and spinach, with a side of bacon and black coffee.

A few people had recognized Alex and began to crowd near the window, taking photos through the glass. As we were finishing our meals, the waitress brought out a mini Bundt cake with icing perfectly drizzled over it and three blueberries on top.

"The staff wanted to thank you for coming today and bringing your new friend Mr. Gumuchian," she nodded and backed away, leaving us with one fork.

"Hmm; one fork," Alex examined the plate then raised his eyebrows at me.

"Hmm" I replied. I had no intention of eating the cake. It was his. I didn't know how to fake girlfriend. With the crowd near the window, I wanted to go back home. He must have noticed my apprehension.

"Are you ok?" He seemed genuinely concerned.

"Yeah... I'm fine," I sighed, not fine, "it's just... I just don't really know how to do this."

He smiled at me. He was always so warm and seemed so gentle.

"Just let me lead, okay." He reached for the fork and broke off a small piece of the cake, "honestly, you don't need to stress about anything."

He brought the fork to my mouth with his right hand while holding my cheek with his left. Never in my life would I have ever thought I'd be getting fed cake by someone as hot as Alex on a cute date at a local aesthetic cafe after puking my guts out 12 hours prior.

After some small talk and a few more bites, this time me feeding him, I put the fork down.

"You have a little frosting by your mouth..." I spoke, lightly tapping the tip of my thumb to my tongue before focusing on the right corner of his mouth. I was focused, wiping the small, sugary spot, when I noticed his eyes looking deep into mine. I was mesmerized and didn't fully realize what he was doing when he held my hand and led the tip of my thumb to his lips. He kissed it before slipping it into his mouth, his tongue lightly gliding against it as he gently sucked on the tip of my thumb. We had just eaten but I felt a craving for him below my stomach that made me wonder what all his mouth was capable of.

I stared up at him, eyes wide. He pulled my thumb from his mouth and wiped it off.

"Sorry," he acted like it was a regular occurrence. He didn't give any explanation or justification. "Let's get going, what do you say?"

He stood up and held a hand out towards me. I was still in shock, just staring up at him. I took his hand, allowing him to help me up. Our fingers were intertwined as he led the way. We passed the crowd at the window, Alex flashing them a smile while I followed behind, still dumbfounded. When we got out of the cafe, he turned to me.

"I thought we could go walk around the book store for a bit. It's just a couple blocks that way." He pointed beyond the crowd that was now moving towards him.

Wow, the perfect man.

He turned back to me, waiting for my response. He towered over me, leaning down to meet my face. I took in his musky scent, alongside the smell of coffee beans on his clothes. He smiled down at me, and I saw the smile reach his eyes. His brown hair casually hung in front of them.

"I love the bookstore," I smiled up at him, leaning towards him. He got closer to my lips, his eyes flickering down at them for a moment.

"Perfect," he whispered, his lip lightly brushing over mine. He looked at me through his eyelashes. Now he was the one in a trance. "I'm going to do something and I don't want you to freak out okay?"

I nodded lightly but before I could even finish, his lips gently pressed against mine. Every kiss we shared before was full of passion and pressure, but this one was different. This time, neither of us tried to sexualize things. There was definitely passion as the kiss deepened, but it was alongside patience and peace.

The kiss only lasted a moment before he pulled away and smiled down at me.

"Let's go to the bookstore."

He grabbed my hand and led the way.