Love Me on Valentine's Day || ✔️

1.7 // coffee break

1 . 7 / / c o f f e e   b r e a k

THE SOUND of coffee machines, cups and utensils clattering on plates, and chatter surrounded Alexandria Benson and her best friend, Caleb Enomoto, as they sat in the cute little coffee shop that became their place. Each had a cup of coffee in front of them, and they sat across from each other in a corner table beside the windows. The cold light from the sun drifted in, along with a chill that seemed to seep through the glass itself.

Alexandria shuddered, running her hands up and down her arms. Caleb glanced up at her, "Cold?"

"Aren't I always?" she sighed, and shrugged on her puffy winter jacket back on. It was a short maroon one that served her well for years, but Alex hated to have her movements restricted by the thick cloth.

Alexandria took a sip from her coffee, and sighed again. Caleb smiled a little. "What's up with you, today? You sound like my mom after she gets off the phone with her sister."

Alex furrows with brows, "How?"

"She's always sighing to show how displeased that I'm not like my perfect cousin. Perfect Sam gets perfect grades, will get into the perfect university, has the perfect Japanese girlfriend," he rolled his eyes. "I'm none of those things," he shrugged, and his tone is nonchalant enough that anyone who didn't know him well enough would think that it didn't bother him. But Alex knew him well enough. She heard the faint bitterness that crept into his voice as he spoke.

"I think you're perfect the way you are," she said. Caleb smiled, a little startled. He looked down at his coffee, his long, lean fingers turning his cup around in the saucer.

"Anyways," he cleared his throat. "What's bothering you today?"

Alex sighed again, and she could imagine her grandmother tutting, proper girls don't ever sigh.

"You know how the Valentine's Day Dance Invites went out Friday?" Caleb tensed a bit, but nodded. "I got ten." He looked up, his eyebrows raised. "Ten invites. I can't believe it."

"No shit," he said. Then he asked, a little hesitantly, "Any interesting ones?"

Alex sighed again. Okay, maybe she should dial it back down. "That's the thing. They're all interesting. They're all, at least the ones I've read already, are from people I've helped or been nice to sometime in the past like ten years. It feels like they think I like them, romantically, just because I helped them before. One was from a guy I stood up for in grade one and barely talk to anymore," Alex shook her head. "Which is fine, okay. But why do they expect me to accept? I barely know them! They're not entitled to me, to my acceptance. I get to choose, right?" Alex blew out another sigh. "It's stupid to complain about this, sorry."

Caleb shook his head. "No, don't apologize. They shouldn't expect that from you, it's not fair to you."

Alex smiled a little. "Whatever. I don't want to talk about that, I'm here for a break from it all."

"How many did you get through?" he couldn't help but ask.

Alex smiled a bit at his failed attempt to let it go, "Five down, five to go," she took a sip from her coffee. "Did you ask anyone to the dance?"

Alex saw something in Caleb that she hadn't seen in a long time, especially directed at her. His eyes shut down, and Alex imagined walls building around him. He drew back, his true thoughts locked inside his mind and heart. It took a long time for Caleb to open up, and she hated it when he drew back to the dark corners of his mind. Keeping everything locked in nearly ended Caleb, and she would hate for it to happen again.

But why would asking about the dance make him shut down?

Caleb cleared his throat. "Y-yeah."

"Oh?" he hadn't told her, and she was not sure what the pang in heart was about. Probably just surprise at his admission. In all the time she had known him, he had never exhibited interest in anyone.

"Are you done?" he asked, jerking his chair back and shooting up. His coffee cup was still mostly full, but he went to dispose of it. Alex looked at him, eyes wide and eyebrows raised. What was that about?

Alex, nevertheless, followed Caleb, and they were soon walking back out into the biting cold of an Ontarian early February day. "Do you think it'll ever get warm again? I miss not freezing everyday. I don't remember what it feels like to be wa—" Alex was talking, walking behind Caleb as they exited the coffee shop. She wasn't paying attention, and her foot caught in a crack on the ground, sending her sprawling forward. She gasped, and Caleb whirled around, catching her against him.

Alex was breathing a little faster than usual, having diverted a disaster. It would've really hurt both her body and pride to be sprawled on the sidewalk like that. The second reason (which she tried to convince herself wasn't an actual reason) was the feeling of Caleb's arms around her and their proximity. His eyes up close were not that dark and black as they appeared from afar, but a more lighter shade of brown. His cheekbones, and soft facial features sent little flutters in her heart, which she tried to contain. Bad heart, don't flutter heart, she begged. His hands, those soft and long fingers clutching her arms, a little tight as if he was afraid that letting her go would cause her harm. Then Alex made the mistake of looking down to his lips. Her breath hitched. They looked so pink and soft, and she felt her own lips tingling, and she licked them, feeling as if she was in a trance. Now that her focus was on his lips, all that was running through her mind was kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss.

Kissing, kissing, kissing, kissing.

Kissing Caleb.

Holy shit. She was thinking about kissing Caleb. Her best friend.

But Caleb's quick dropping of his hands, as if touching her scorched him, sent a shocking alertness through her thoughts, bringing her back to the present. He hesitated, opening his mouth to speak several times before turning around, mumbling a "see you later" and walking away from her.

What just happened?
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Hi everyone! What do you think of this chapter?

Late update today since I was busy with homework all day but here it is! This is one of my favourite chapters, and you're introduced to Caleb, my sweet boy <3 What do you think of him? Tell me your thoughts!

See you next chapter,
Sage