"you two are so cute it's almost disgusting," y/f/n spoke from the driver's seat, looking back at alejandro and i through the rear view mirror as we had been cuddled up during the whole drive.
"i'll take that as a compliment," ale replied with a chuckle, though his eyes never strayed from mine.
"are we almost there? i think i'm gonna suffocate from all the third-wheeling i'm doing back here," kairi spoke up beside me, a teasing smile on his face.
"don't worry, we'll find you a girlfriend soon, kai," i laughed, patting his knee. "and you too, mattia!" seated in the passenger seat, mattia looked back at us and shook his head.
"i'm good with my girl mary jane, she's all i need." we all shared a laugh just as y/f/n pulled into the parking lot of a pancake house.
"finally! Let's go, i'm starving," kairi said before we all piled out of the car and met with josh and his girlfriend out front. as we all stood in line, alejandro moved behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing the side of my head before resting his chin on my shoulder.
"what do you feel like eating, babe?" he asked as we both looked up at the menu. i hummed, putting my hands over his arms while swaying a bit.
"the new york cheesecake pancakes sound amazing." i licked my lips. come to think of it, anything sounded appetizing right now.
"can i have the strawberries on top?" he craned his neck to look at me, and i squinted my eyes.
"you and your strawberries, i swear." i laughed a little. "why don't you order your own strawberry pancakes?"
"because i want me some eggs and bacon," he stated. i gave him a dull look, to which he flashed a wide smile. "please?" it didn't take much more to give in because let's be real, i couldn't resist this kid for shit. sighing dramatically, i nodded, which earned another kiss on the cheek from him. "you're amazing."
once we placed our ridiculously long order, it was a miracle that we found a spot for all of us in the corner. josh, josh's girlfriend, alejandro, and i took the booth side whereas y/f/n, mattia, and kairi took seats across from us.
"hey, do you guys wanna get some ice cream after this? i saw a place down the street," y/f/n suggested, looking around the table. a chorus of agreements went around, and she smiled giddily. while we waited for our food to be served, various conversations ensued across the table, ranging from the week's plans to some crazy stories the boys had to tell. all the while, ale was very lovingly attached to my side, his arm hanging around my shoulders while he talked to everyone else.
for someone in a new relationship, he sure knew how to make me feel like we've been together for months. "what're you looking at?" he grinned when he noticed my staring.
"just you." i smiled, nudging him slightly.
"just me, huh? thanks for the confidence boost," he chuckled, leaning down and placing a small kiss on my lips. i was surprised to hear an array of awe's around us, making me laugh in embarrassment as i snuggled closer to ale's side. just in time to save me, however, the waiter arrived with our food.
of course, it was crucial to take pictures of our meals before digging in. 'strawberries for ale' i captioned my snap, giggling when i caught him peeking over my shoulder. i started recording a snap video and picked a strawberry from my pancake stack with a fork, holding it up for him. he happily ate the strawberry.
after adding the snap to my story, i put my phone away, only to see a strawberry held in front of my face. "your turn," alejandro smiled. i'm surprised he even thought to share, but i wasn't going to pass up the offer by voicing it. i took the strawberry into my mouth and ate it, moaning at how good it tasted. and to think, i gave them all away to him. "you got some syrup on your– here," he laughed, tilting my chin up and swiping the corner of my mouth with his thumb before licking it off.
"wow, and there's mr. rosario with the smooth moves," kairi said, and i looked over to see him recording us. i laughed, holding my hands up to cover the view, but i knew it was no use either way.
our breakfast went by rather quickly, but we sat and talked for a bit after finishing our food. then, we went out and decided to walk to the ice cream parlor, knowing that driving there and finding parking would be too much of a hassle. ale and i walked hand in hand ahead of the others, talking about how good those strawberries were when i heard mattia whistle behind us.
"look at my boy all whipped and shit," he smiled while holding up his phone, and the others laughed with him. i loved and hated how everyone fancied having us star on their snapchat stories. ale held up a middle finger but a radiant smile graced his features, meanwhile i just stuck my tongue out.
when we got to the ice cream place, alejandro and i decided to share a banana split, and without a doubt, i've never seen a more beautiful creation. so naturally, i had to capture the moment. asking kairi to take a picture of us, i pulled alejandro in closer and pointed at the banana split, looking as if i couldn't believe it. and of course, ale had to swoop in and kiss my cheek at the last moment, which brought a genuine surprised expression onto my face for the picture.
"y'all are cute, i have to say it," kairi said with a chuckle as he gave me my phone back.
"well thank you, i'm glad you've decided to stop being fake bitter," i teased, and he just rolled his eyes in a playful manner. i finally got to eating my ice cream, and it was like the strawberries all over again, so good that i almost didn't want to eat it all.
"babe, you have to try my side. it's fire," ale insisted, so i nodded and he fed me a spoonful.
"not bad, not bad. but now you have to try mine," i did the same with him, and he seemed to like it so we ended up eating each other's ice cream choices.
after we finished eating again, we were all heading back to the cars, but this time i walked with y/f/n while ale went ahead with the boys and josh's girl.
"thanks for taking us out, y/f/n." i smiled, grateful for all the moments we shared today. "i had a lot of fun, and it was nice seeing ale in a new way," being that we haven't been together for very long, this was our first time out with a bunch of people, and i was glad to see that he didn't ditch me for the boys.
"yeah, no problem! i think we all needed this." she laughed, hooking her arm into mine. "i'm glad you and ale got together. we've all been lowkey rooting for y'all." she nudged me, and i laughed, feeling my cheeks heat up. "you two are good together though, for real. you've hit his soft spot," her words floated through my head as i listened in on the boys' conversation, which didn't seem too different from ours.
"you've got the right one, alejandro. we're happy for you," kairi said, clapping ale on the back.
"i'm happy for me too," ale replied, then he looked back at me with a smile. "i couldn't have asked for a better girl."
