Colour

Kennedy led Alexandra into the restaurant, letting go of her hand when he was certain she wouldn’t run away. He hovered his hand over her upper back, guiding her over to his friends when he noticed them.

“I feel rather underdressed for this place,” Alexandra mentioned as she glanced around the restaurant. She was wearing baggy jeans, beaten Converse and a simple black shirt. Not to mention the strong smell of coffee that hung about her person from the café. Anyone would think she was a caffeine junkie.

“Are you comfortable in them?” Kennedy glanced over at her.

She nodded, “Very,”

He shrugged lightly, “Then what does it matter what everyone else thinks?”

She smiled at him, “I guess it doesn’t,”

He let his hazel eyes wander over to her before he casually winked.

There was that rare, unnatural feeling returned to her stomach. Suddenly, she felt like giggling.

As they both approached the table, the couple stood up and the girl gave Kennedy a hug and the boy gave him a friendly handshake.

“Okay, so, Olivia, Caden, this is Lexie. Lexie, this is Olivia and Caden,” Kennedy introduced.

“Nice to meet you,” Alexandra smiled, shaking both their hands.

“You too,” Caden replied, inconspicuously looking her over almost appreciatively.

Alexandra noticed the sideways glance Olivia gave her boyfriend and cleared her throat. Caden ceased the handshake so Olivia could greet Alexandra.

“Kennedy told us about you,” Olivia beamed.

Alexandra’s eyebrows rose slightly in surprise before glancing unsurely at Kennedy, “He did?” She forced evenness into her voice, “What’s he been saying?”

“All good things, don’t worry,” Olivia chuckled.

In all honesty, Alexandra was wondering why Kennedy was talking about her at all. He’d only known her for a day and he knew nothing about her with substance to tell anyone.

Not only that, but she now had no idea how to play this situation.

Had he told them the real reason why she was at this meal with them? Had he lied and she now had to keep up the lie she knew nothing about?

She didn’t know but right now she had no choice but to wing it.

“Oh, well that’s reassuring,” Alexandra smiled.

“Shall we sit down?” Kennedy suggested as he gestured towards the table.

There was a chorus of agreeing noises and as Caden and Olivia turned to sit, Alexandra sent Kennedy an urgent and confused look.

“Uh, I’m just going to grab a drink. I’ll buy the round,” Alexandra stayed standing up and she took note of the drinks on the table, “Kennedy, do you want to come and help me carry them?”

“We could always just order them and get the waiter to bring them over,” Kennedy shrugged lightly.

“I know but I don’t know what I want so I’ll decide at the bar,” She widened her eyes slightly and sent him a look to get it through to him she needed to talk alone.

He gazed at her briefly and then took a second to realise what she meant. He nodded, “Oh... Okay...” He stood up and guided her towards the bar. Once they were queued, Kennedy looked over at her with raised eyebrows, “What’s up?”

“What did Olivia mean about you telling them about me?” She frowned curiously.

“Well it would’ve been a little odd with me bringing you to dinner and not telling them about you,” He stated.

“What did you tell them though? Do they know the real reason I’m here?”

“No,” He shook his head.

“Oh...” Suddenly she didn’t feel so nervous, “So what do they think I’m doing here? Did you just say I was new to the city or something and you were introducing me to some people?”

Kennedy’s eyes rose to the ceiling with a thoughtful expression on his face, “That probably would’ve been a better thing to say than what I actually did...” He mused aloud.

“What can I get you guys?” The bartender asked with a smile.

“An orange juice, two beers and a vodka and coke please,” Alexandra replied before turning back to Kennedy. A frown slowly came over her features, “So,” She paused, “What did you actually tell them the reason was?”

He mustered up the most innocent smile he could and showed her it, “I may have told them that we were double dating...” He winced as though he was expecting her to throw something at him.

She stared at him for a second then turned back to the bartender, “Can you make that a double vodka and coke please?”

He nodded and continued to make the drinks.

“It’s only for our dinner, that’s it,” Kennedy shrugged.

“Ughh... But Olivia’s going to be all like ‘oh, how did you two meet’ and that stuff,” She huffed, “Why couldn’t you just do an easier lie?”

“How do you know that?” Kennedy rolled his eyes, ignoring her latter question.

“I just do- She’s one of those girls,” She shrugged in response before paying for the drinks when the bartender returned.

“Come on, Lexie. You’ll just have to work around this. There’s nothing we can do to change it now,” Kennedy sighed.

“I know,” She nodded, sliding two of the glasses over to him to take, “This better had be some fantastic proof because if I don’t at least struggle a bit to pick this apart you’re going to owe me,” She threatened, picking up her glasses and wandering back over to the table.

Caden and Olivia smiled upon their return but Alexandra noticed the glare Olivia had been shooting Caden’s way before she realised they were being rejoined.

“Thanks,” The couple chorused as Kennedy and Alexandra handed over the drinks.

Kennedy grabbed two menus from the holder in the middle and handed one over to Alexandra. At this, Olivia watched and smiled admiringly after she’d picked up her own menu. She then gave Caden a ‘why didn’t you do that for me’ look. Such a minute thing but Olivia was the kind of girl that wanted those gestures constantly- Alexandra could see it.

She glanced over to Kennedy to see if he’d noticed but he was oblivious whilst he searched for the food he wanted to order.

She simply let out a very light sigh and sent a polite smile to Caden when she noticed him glancing at her before she turned her eyes to the menu.

She had to pick apart every word they said and every move they made because she needed to prove to Kennedy that she was right. She needed to get it through to him that this fictional overhyped sensation he believed he was destined to have with his ‘Cinderella’ wasn’t in this couple sat beside them- Or any couple in the world for that matter.

The meal lasted almost two hours and the pleasantries were exchanged. Kennedy had one drink but no more after that. Alexandra had been quick to remind him he was driving. Olivia had then been just as rapid to mention how they were acting like a couple already.

Alexandra loved to play actress (she was something of a drama queen) and let out a childish giggle before fluttering her eyelashes at Kennedy. She could see how much he wanted to laugh but she admired his restraint for holding it back.

At nine pm, Olivia announced that she and Caden had to get home so the couples exchanged goodbyes. Caden mentioned he’d see Kennedy the next night to which Olivia ‘casually’ enquired as to why. Alexandra overheard the couple beginning to bicker about the night out, which Caden had apparently forgotten to mention, as they were leaving.

Once they were sat down again, Kennedy looked over at Alexandra with an almost triumphant smile.

“So, do you want to stay here and talk or move to the more comfy chairs in the bar?” Kennedy asked, briefly putting off the main conversation.

Alexandra rested her head on her fist and her elbow on the table, “Here’s good,”

He nodded lightly and they slipped into the silence as he watched her bring her glass to her lips and take an agonisingly slow sip.

She swallowed and placed her glass down before looking up at Kennedy’s urgent, expectant look. She raised her eyebrows at him, “What?”

“So?” He craned his neck forwards a little, “What’s the verdict on Caden and Olivia?”

“Oh that,” She began before she shook her head, “Sorry, I’m not buying,”

Suddenly, Kennedy’s triumphant smile turned into a deep frown, “What?! Are you blind, woman?!” He exclaimed but still kept his voice low enough to not cause a scene.

Alexandra chuckled, “Kennedy, they bicker like mad, Olivia wants everything from Caden he doesn’t realise she wants and Caden is fed up of Olivia’s constant need to know about every aspect of his life,”

“Well they’ve been together for three years, that’s a normal couple,” He said dismissively.

“No... That’s a normal couple after about eight years or so when they’ve lived together for a while. When they’ve only been together for three years that is the sign of cracks in the foundations,”

“Lexie, come on!” He sighed, “Isn’t it proof enough that they’re still together through those little annoyances?”

Alexandra shook her head, “No. Their relationship is rocky. I’ll give them...” She paused for a second to ponder, “Three, maybe four, weeks,”

Kennedy stared at her in utter disbelief, “How can you do that? How can you put a death clock on a relationship like that so easily?”

She slowly licked her lips and let her eyes fall to the table. She saw the disgust in his eyes at the ease she could dismiss someone’s ‘connection’. She hated when people looked at her like that. “You asked,” She simply replied.

He huffed, “You’re wrong; they’re the most perfect couple I know, alright? I don’t care what you say,”

“Kenny, you can’t get mad at me for speaking the truth. They care about each other, I won’t deny that, but they’re not ‘in love’,” She made air quotes with her fingers, “Their days might be numbered. Their relationship can’t survive this, I’m sorry,”

“What do you mean?” He frowned.

“Huh?” She mirrored his expression.

“What do you mean ‘this’? Little annoyances take longer than three weeks to destroy a relationship,” He began, “And that was a very specific ‘this’,”

“Their problems run deeper that ‘little annoyances’, trust me. They can’t survive it,”

“Again with the specifics- What do you know that I apparently don’t?” He tilted his head in curiosity.

She shrugged lightly, “Nothing,”

“Liar. Tell me. You can’t justify your reasoning for not seeing love between those two by telling me you don’t see something different,”

“It’s a secret,” She said honestly.

Kennedy laughed, “Are you five?”

She chuckled slightly, “It’s true though. I can’t tell you because it’s not my place,”

“They’re my friends, Lex, it can’t be bad enough that I’m not allowed to know,” He raised his eyebrow challengingly.

“Kennedy,” She sighed.

“Lexie,” He imitated, “Look, my lips are sealed, just tell me. Or at least give me a clue. Just something. Otherwise I’m still going to ignore your conclusion that they’re not in love and I’m going to go on about how everyone has a destined soul-mate until you tell me,”

She rolled her eyes, “Fine. I’ll give you an answer but it’s not going to be a definitive one,”

“Okay, hit me,” He beamed at her.

She took a deep breath and leaned forward on the table so she could whisper, “One of them is cheating,”

He was silent for a few seconds and he just stared into the honest brown eyes that were gazing back at him, “How do you know that?”

“It’s not hard evidence but I can just tell...” She murmured, “I wouldn’t make an accusation like that unless I was ninety five percent sure,”

“Who is it?”

“I’m not going to tell you that,” She shook her head.

“Why not?”

“I just can’t. I told you, it’s not my place,”

“It’s Caden isn’t it? He’s always flirting with other girls. I saw him checking you out today as well,” He shook his head, almost in disgust, “I don’t believe him,” He huffed before looking over at Alexandra who carefully avoided his eyes and bit her lip.

“What’s that face for?” He carefully studied her expression.

She winced lightly and looked back up at him, “It’s not Caden,” She mumbled.

Kennedy’s eyes widened further, “Olivia?” He whispered, utterly shocked.

She nodded almost apologetically, “Yeah,”

“But she loves him so much... How could she do that?” He let his head flop onto his palm.

“She thinks he is,” She explained.

“How did you get all this from just talking to them?”

“You don’t know the worst of it,” She began, “I think she’s pregnant... And she doesn’t know who’s the father,”

Kennedy’s frown deepened, “What?!”

“Shh,” She held her finger to her lips.

“How do you know?”

“Did you see the dress she was wearing?”

Kennedy thought back and remembered the loose-fitting dress that Olivia was sporting, “Yeah,”

“She’s trying to hide her little bump,”

“She could just be wearing it because she likes it,” He suggested.

Alexandra shook her head, “When she got up from her chair, she put her hand on her stomach like this,” She mimicked the action, “And her dress clung to her stomach. She’s about four weeks gone or so,”

“That could just be normal weight,”

Another shake of her head, “It wasn’t where normal weight is- It was here,” She placed her hand over her lower stomach, “It’s pregnancy weight,” She murmured, “She’s beginning to waddle when she walks, she’s not drinking, her boobs are massive. But Caden doesn’t know,”

“God... I honestly thought that it was him that was cheating, not her,” Kennedy blew out a mass of air in incredulity.

“Flirting and checking people out means nothing. Caden really cares about Olivia, that’s obvious to anyone, and he’d do anything for her but Olivia thinks that flirting means that he’s cheating. I’m guessing she probably made a mistake after an argument or something and it just got out of hand,” She finished off the last of her drink, “I’m sorry if you thought this was going to convince me, Kenny,” She rested her hand on his free one, “But the truth is, love is just a concept we’ve made up. It’s not real. It’s just a string of chemical reactions that make us believe that we can’t live without someone when in truth...” She shrugged, “Surviving life on your own is possible it’s just that some people find it a whole lot harder to deal with,” She sighed almost unnoticeably before pulling herself up from the seat.

“So you’re going to go through life alone?” He looked up at her expectantly.

“Not alone. Just independent,” She replied.

“It’ll be a pretty lonely life for you, Lex,”

“That’s what everyone tells me,” She smiled and he noticed a hint of sadness behind it.

“I can’t convince you otherwise, can I?”

She shook her head, “No but you believe what you want to believe. Life’s hard enough without having your belief system shattered by some girl who’s just as cynical as The Grinch before he saved Christmas,”

He chuckled and gazed up at her.

She pushed her dark locks back from her face and pulled her bag onto her shoulder, “I’ll see you around Kenny,”

He waved lightly, “Hopefully,” He then watched her leave with a heavy sigh.

She intrigued him so much. That little flicker of sadness behind her smile made him wonder just what exactly that vulnerability was.

There was more to Alexandra than meets the eye and Kennedy was determined to find out what had happened to that scared little girl he could see inside her.

=====

'Some Dreams Have Wings, Some Are Torn At The Seams'

Sara Haze