Aliara inhaled deeply as she stood in front of Brown's Cafe's foyer. The last "SC" meeting was two weeks prior, and the start of summer vacation coincided with the conclusion of exams in the third week of June.
Ivan had spoken with the dealer the night before, and Brown's Cafe was the designated meeting place.
Everything proceeded as planned until he made Aliara attend the meeting against her will. "Huh, so tiring," she thought.
The head boy could have done it all by himself, but he dropped so many messages yesterday night that she could not refuse. He was clearly playing with her and, more significantly, enjoying it.
The warm aroma of the cafe welcomed her as she opened the door. It was a gentle and soothing scent. Upon entering, she was struck by how serene and lovely the inside appeared, and she assumed it was to Ivan's taste.
Her gaze scanned the area in search of the man who had made her walk this far on a Saturday morning—a morning following two exhausting weeks of exams.
To her astonishment, though, Federico was there, beaming broadly as usual. Glancing down at his apron, she scowled before making her way to the ordering area.
"Welcome to Brown's Cafe. Little Miss, what would you like to order?" His question had a note of sarcasm, but Aliara only answered bluntly, "Where is Ivan seated?" as she cast a bored glance at him.
"You seem like his gal, that's for sure. Funny huh?" He answered, almost grinning, "Never mind, he's seated on the end corner near the glass window, and since this is your first time I will get something that's on us." Seeing the change in Aliara's expression, he nearly stopped talking.
"No need, I'd like a vanilla frappe and I'll pay," she added, getting the other person to nod immediately. As she walked over to Ivan's table, Federico shrugged and thought,
"Oh, they are a match made in heaven."
She looked up to find Ivan engrossed in his laptop. His hair was a mess, but he looked like a total gentleman with his brown high neck and wristwatch.
Realizing that she might have gazed too long, she sat down in front of him, capturing his interest right away.
"Greetings, head girl. You look nice." He said, his gentle smile making Aliara flush at the last-minute compliment. Her eyes darted from him to something else in an attempt to cover up her blush.
"I appreciate it, but could you tell me why we are here at nine in the morning?"
"Maybe I gave you the wrong timing, it will take another hour for the Saint and the dealer," Ivan laughed as he raised his palms in the air in response to her direct question. Her eyes widened.
"Why would you do that, what the fuck?" She asked, sounding almost whiny, "I could have slept more!" before slamming her forehead into the glossy wooden table.
She heard Federico exclaim, "Ah-no destroying the cafe's table little miss," as he put her cup down next to her and she sent him a cold look while keeping her head firmly planted on the table. As he turned to go, the man answered, "Oh, no problem, stay there."
While she sipped her frappe, Aliara said, "Your friend is annoying, you are annoying, and- and everything is annoying."
It was Ivan's charming face that infuriated her the most, even though all she wanted to do was beat the very hell out of him.
"So, what should we do?" Ivan gave her a curious look as Aliara questioned, causing him to smile broadly.
"We talk, and know each other better," he said, causing her to stare at him quizzically. "You did it intentionally right?" she queried, causing him to giggle nervously.
"Okay, I already apologized, but wouldn't it be better to have a little peace of mind for a while?" "So tell me more about yourself Miss Aliara," Ivan prompted, causing Aliara to glance at him boringly. Aliara smiled slightly at the abrupt change in his tone.
Aliara's eyes softened as Ivan explained,
"I will start. My life looks perfect from the outside but I do have flawed parts. I am carrying the burden of being perfect all the time. Being the oldest son makes me want to be more perfect for my younger brother to admire and building that up people don't notice the crack within me."
"Thank you for sharing such delicate details with me," she murmured, shocked by the other man's transparency.
"I-I didn't have an idea about it." "You don't have to be flawless either; everyone has imperfections, which only serves to enhance their charm." With a consoling tone, Aliara spoke, causing Ivan's eyes to change.
"So, your Highness, tell me about your flaws." His voice too appealing to reject, he questioned, making Aliara swallow a lump in her throat.
"Even though it exhausts me, I can't say no to anyone, I feel bad in doing so," she said in a barely audible voice as she discussed her vulnerability but the other person's presence made it easier for her to talk about it.
Aliara was perplexed by Ivan's smile as he mumbled "carina," but before she could enquire further, Ivan asked,
"Tell me more, Carina, I am all ears," the new moniker made Aliara feel warmth on her face as the two kept conversing about their daily lives. With Ivan staring at Aliara.
The male felt at ease, and the space that separated them nearly vanished. In that instant, Aliara became aware that she might have disregarded their ongoing flirting as her thoughts wandered over all Ivan said.
Their little bubble burst when the cafe door opened again and the dealer entered with Saint. The two, who were merely captivated with one another, began to shift awkwardly as Saint moved to sit next to Aliara and the dealer on the other side.
Saint said, "You both are early," without realizing the blush that gradually developed on Aliara's cheeks and Ivan's ears as they looked at each other and carried on talking about the problems surrounding the topic.
After the dealer went over the details of starting manufacture and delivery, the deal was eventually signed.
.
.
The dealer left the cafe immediately, but the three of them stood out as Saint approached Aliara. "Hey, can I ask you something?" he nearly whispered, giving Ivan a suspicious look, and the head girl nodded in response.
"Have you heard about the upcoming exhibition?" Ivan and Aliara immediately shook their heads at Saint's query, and Saint widened his eyes and exclaimed, "I knew it!" He stated, shocking Aliara and Ivan.
"Anyway, the teachers are doing some planning, and you people might be divided into teams and lead two different teams."
With a rapid step, the lad turned and yelled back, "Don't tell this to anyone." Ivan only shook his head at the boy's childishness, while Aliara laughed.
The boy continued, turning his back to them, "Anyways, for now, you guys don't know anything as I might have mistakenly heard Mrs. Emma and Mr. Jason talking now bye," as he disappeared from their sight.
The two sighed simultaneously, causing them to exchange a glance before they burst out laughing. "Well, I am sorry for almost making our conversation as a therapy session, Aliara," Ivan apologized nervously, wiping the back of his neck.
Aliara shook her head in denial, "but it wasn't just a therapy session because we both talked about ourselves and I felt comfortable, so thank you," she said, giving Ivan a big smile.
Ivan turned to face her slowly and said, "Thank you for hearing me out." His voice was deep and sincere, and she smiled even more when he met her eyes.
The two stared there dumbfounded for a while more before Aliara broke their very enticing eye contact and Ivan cleared his throat, saying, "We should leave, it's already noon." He said, getting Aliara to nod in agreement as they firmly parted ways after bidding each other goodbye.
~Maria
YOU ARE READING
Elected To Love
Teen Fiction"Together, they're perfect as a team, but when it comes to matters of the heart, can they find a way to make the perfect match?" Aliara Marinelli, the fiercely competitive head girl, has a plan for everything except Ivan Sokolov. Ivan, the annoyingl...
