Come Around

"Pretty colors!" Alex said cheerfully as he slid into the seat across the table from Cassie, "What did you get?"

"Green tea with strawberries and mangoes," she replied, swatting his hand away as he dug his spoon into her yogurt. "You have your own! Eat it."

He laughed and held his yogurt out to her, offering her a taste. She smiled and took a small spoonful. He pulled it back and did the same.

"I like yours better," he frowned, "Wanna trade?"

"No," she replied, "Now tell me what this argument you and Rian had was all about."

Alex stared into his yogurt, "You," he said plainly.

Cassie sighed, "Yes, I know that. A little more detail, please."

"Alright, as you may or may not know, I don't have a very good track record. You know, drunken hook ups, not so drunken hook ups, running away, being less than faithful, that kind of thing," he said and she nodded, even though he wasn't looking at her. "I mentioned to Jack and Zack how cute you are," he continued, "And Rian walked into the room in the middle of the conversation and took it the wrong way, I guess."

"How so?" Cassie inquired.

Alex sighed and looked up at her, "He thinks I'm just fucking with your head."

"Mmm," Cassie said taking a bite of her yogurt, "And are you?"

"Do you think I am?" he asked.

She put her spoon down and looked straight at Alex, "Rian knows all about my past. He was there for it. He saw the mistakes I made and he watched me not learn from them very well the first few times I made them. He knows that sometimes I don't make the best decisions when it comes to guys. Clearly Rian is concerned that I won't recognize the hidden intentions of a rather good looking sweet talker with pretty eyes. It's what makes him a good friend," she said, "So I'll ask again. Are you fucking with my head, Alex?"

"No. Honestly, I'm not." he said, "I genuinely like getting to know you and spending time with you. Yes, I'm incredibly attracted to you, and from what you just said, the attraction is mutual. So if anything happens between us, then it happens, but not because I had any ulterior motives. Not this time," he said.

Cassie stared into his eyes for what seemed like an eternity. He wanted to break the gaze, to refocus his stare on his yogurt because of the sudden feeling of vulnerability that came over him. But he didn't. He could tell she was searching for something.

"I believe you," she said finally, breaking the invisible connection. He felt the intensity release and looked down into the near empty cup in front of him, "In my gut," she said, "I feel it."

He grinned, "Thank you," he said then fell quiet for a minute, "So can I come with you this weekend?"

"No."

"Why not?" he whined.

Cassie laughed at his childlike behavior, "One, I still don't know you that well. And two, I take my job very seriously. I don't need any distractions."

"So that's all I am?" he asked, a tiny smile playing across his lips, "A distraction?"

She laughed again and played along, "You didn't think I was looking for something serious, did you?"

He grinned, "Maybe I should be the one who's concerned about your intentions with me."

The two bantered back and forth for awhile. Alex's yogurt was long gone, while Cassie was still working on hers.

"Dude, you got like the smallest yogurt in the history of everything and you haven't finished it yet. Do you need some help?" he asked.

"I'm very capable of finishing it on my own!"

Alex held his hands up defensively, "Alright," he said, "I was just asking."

They sat in comfortable silence while she finished her yogurt. He didn't know why, but Alex felt like the luckiest person alive. Every so often, he would steal a glance at her and have to bite the inside of his cheek to keep his grin from spreading across his face completely. There was more than just a physical attraction. He wanted to know everything about her.

"So, are we good?" he asked as she stood up.

She looked at him, confused for a moment, but then it clicked, "Yes, we're okay. I forgive you for the trickery you engaged in to get my number. And I'm also accepting your invitation to dinner for both Angie and myself."

"Great, I'll let the guys know," he said, holding the door for her before walking out behind her.

"Where did you park?" she asked stopping and turning around.

Alex was messing with his phone, not paying attention to where he was walking and therefore did not notice she had stopped.

"Oof," she said as he walked right into her, sending her stumbling backward a few steps. Luckily she caught herself before she fell.

"Oh Jesus, I'm so sorry Cassandra!" he said, putting his phone away and pulling her into a hug.

She laughed quietly and returned the embrace, "It's okay," she said, taking in his scent, "Mmm, you smell nice. What is that you're wearing?" she asked, "Wait, let me guess."

She breathed in deeply, closing her eyes. The scent was so familiar to her, yet it was one she hadn't smelled in quite awhile. After a moment, it came to her. She opened her eyes and looked up at Alex.

"CK1," she said, "Am I right?"

He grinned, "Yes ma'am. You are absolutely correct."

She smiled, pulling out of the embrace, "That's been my favorite cologne for so long. But I haven't been around anyone who wears it in a few years. And, random fact, it always makes me think of the Motion City Soundtrack song," she said, laughing.

"Bury me in memories of CK1 and tight white tees. Like air guitar in muscle cars with perfect teeth the way we are," they both sang, as if reading each others minds.

Cassie smiled, "So, where did you park?" she repeated her question from a few minutes prior.

"I walked," he said, "There's only two cars between the four of us. Rian and Zack took off in one, and Jack took the other. Luckily it was only a few blocks."

"Do you want a ride back?" she asked.

"That would be great," he said and followed her, "Actually, hey, did you have to get back to work?" he asked.

She unlocked the doors and shook her head, "Nah, I'm done for the day. Why?"

"Do you wanna hang out before dinner? Then we can just go together."

"Sure," she said, not even thinking about it, "What do you want to do?" she asked.

He shrugged, "Anything."

She slid into the driver's seat and pushed the key into the ignition, starting the car. Alex got in the passenger side, settling in quickly before buckling himself in and rolling down the window.

"Can I take you shopping?" she asked turning to look at him, "We can make each other try on different outfits and model them for each other."

Alex laughed, "You want to play dress up?" he asked.

"Well when you put it that way, it sounds completely stupid. But essentially, yes, I suppose that's what I want to do. Are you up for it, my friend?"

He grinned, "You almost make it sound like a challenge."

"How could it be a challenge?" she asked, laughing.

Alex shrugged, "We can go shopping and play dress up, if that's what you really want to do. I don't mind."

Cassie grinned and pulled the car out of the parking spot, then reached over and turned up the music as she drove in the direction of her favorite outdoor mall.