"Why is there a police car outside?" I asked walking into the kitchen to find Kaylee's busy figure.
"What no morning?" She said dramatically making me laugh and I was sure where Ryder had gotten his playful side.
"Morning Kaylee. From the deepest corners of my heart."
"Not very sincere, it seems. I had to make you say it to me," she said with a frown and her lower lip quivered.
"But Kaylee, I didn't want to overwhelm you with all my love. And you know Ryder will be jealous and you have to share me. And you'll be very very stressed, and it's not very good for the baby," I said and she beamed an innocent smile at me, nodding at my words and I refrained from chuckling.
"Right, silly me. Coffee?" She asked bright and chirpy again and I let out a sigh of relief, glad Ryder had given a heads-up at her sensitivity.
"Yes please. So the cop car?"
"Ryder's parole officer," she said and she placed a steaming hot cup of coffee in front of me and I thanked her.
Given her mood, I figure she didn't know about the party last night or she had already brushed it off so I held back on asking whether the others had gone but since Alice was gone, I figured all of them had left leaving me to sleep in and all of a sudden I felt my cheeks grow warm. The guy wasn't even my boyfriend. Was I even allowed to sleep in till eleven? More so on his bed that I don't quite remember retiring to after the movie.
"You know," Kaylee started and I shifted my eyes towards her not liking her tone. Whenever she started like that, it meant she had started planning out our marriage and kids, or so Ryder says. "Ryder is not that good with cops and he's always on his best behavior with you."
"Your point?"
"All I'm saying is that the good cop would probably prefer it if Ryder had a good dose of his morning coffee, despite the fact I hate it when he drowns himself with the stuff," she said diverting from the fact that she was trying to push me to him once more and I frowned for a brief moment and sipping on my coffee before shrugging.
"Okay."
"That's great. I'll make a cup right away," she said excited and I shook my head amused and less than five minutes later I was walking into a room with tension so thick I'd probably be able to cut it with a knife.
The Caucasian male was the first to notice me and he cut short his lecture before Ryder did and his terse expression brightened immediately and he looked at me almost relieved as I walked towards him.
"Coffee?" I asked taking in his haggard expression and before I realized what was happening he'd taken it from my hands and held his hands wide open as he made space for me between his legs I looked at them both warily, trying not to show my discomfort at the situation before slipping in.
"Is everything okay?" I asked warily as he pressed a kiss against my hair and running his fingers on my bare arms and I didn't know what to think.
"Just routine," the male in front of me said and I looked at him suspiciously.
"Which he's just finished," Ryder spoke up and the guy narrowed his eyes at us, rather him.
"No I haven't," he said making Ryder behind me mumble something along the lines of 'crazy man taking the fun out of a Saturday morning'.
"It includes a house call?"
"It was on my way to work," he said and I narrowed my eyes at him suspicious before turning to Ryder ready to present my concerns about being here but I was still yet to admit how it was hard dealing with a smart person and it was unbelievably hard to dupe them as he kissed my cheek when I made to speak and turned to me with that look in his eye.
God, I'm such a sucker for puppy eyes, I thought refraining from letting out a sigh as I leant back against him. I might as well be comfortable sitting here and so after one long one-sided conversation, wandering hands and another slapping them away it was just the two of us.
"I'm so bored," I let out with a sigh as his thumbs rubbed my knuckles gently.
"Are you calling me boring?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. You Mr Stone are lucky that I even give you my time of day," I declared and he chuckled wrapping his arms around me with my hands still in his.
"Yes, I know. I'm very very lucky."
"Don't you dare patronize me Mr Stone," I said and he groaned.
"Don't call me that. It makes me feel old."
"You are old," I said and I could feel his scowl before he dropped his head to my neck.
"How long do you think she's going to stand there eavesdropping on us?" He whispered in my ear and I directed my gaze to the hall where we could see Kaylee's shadow sticking out from behind the wall.
"Till she's sure we are up for making babies. Then she'll have a good reason to bring up the wedding," I said and I could hear his breath hitch. "What?"
"Does that mean that mean you're finally willing to do the dirty dance with me?" He asked and I pushed him away darting from his reach as I exaggerating the distance between us.
"Get away from me, you perv," I let out with a low shriek and he doubled over laughing as I gave him a dirty glare before chucking a pillow from the seat near me at him, which he caught.
"Pervert? You know you are the one thinking about it."
"No I'm not," I said lying through my teeth and he grinned at me. That had struck me as a possibility and for a while now. But how can I not when most conversations end up with him hinting at it?
"Yes you are."
"No I'm not," I said feeling my breathing rushed and my cheeks warm much to his amusement. "Why are we even having this conversation?"
"Because you babydoll, are thinking about having sex with me," he said and I cringed.
"Babydoll? Seriously," I said and he smiled at me once more as he lifted his arms and rest them on his neck, his muscles shifting under his shirt and his tattoo peeked out from under alongside the passable muscles who am I kidding? The guy was a muscle junkie and he knew it.
"Okay maybe I'll stick with ice princess," he said teasingly, throwing a wink my way and I scowled.
"You're impossible," I said shaking my head and he chuckled before looking at me amused. "What?"
"My lovely ice princess, you didn't deny you are thinking about having sex with me," he said and my scowl deepened as I turned on my heel.
Of course, I didn't agree with it either but it would be a lost cause.
"I'm going home," I let out frustrated and I could hear his chuckle ringing out behind me. And yet the fact that I was his object of fascination at the moment didn't stop my heart from skipping a beat.
********
"All I'm saying is that you need a real man in your life," the male in front of me said hauntingly and I refrained from flipping him the bird.
"Honey, I think you've lost your touch," the female seated next to him said and I tried not to roll my eyes as I placed their orders.
Jocks. Remind me why I wanted to come to high school? I asked in my mind. And to make matters worse from a rival school, I thought as I turned away to head for the counter when he smacked my ass and I turned to him eyes blazing and ready to cause some major disfigurement on the amused jocks when I was held back and their grins suddenly disappeared and I looked to see Cody and Ethan on one side and Jaime on the other.
"You've got some major guts coming here, Burns."
"Hmm, if only I cared," Cody said coldly and for a moment I had trouble believing this was the nicer soft-spoken of the three musketeers. "You on the other hand have a death wish messing with our own."
He said and for a moment I felt elated as the previously flirty jock turned to me with what resembled an evil grin.
"School of the snobs. A shame, but what are you doing here? Rich daddy doesn't give you enough allowance," he taunted and I narrowed my eyes at him.
"If only you knew," I muttered darkly and he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"Tread carefully, Jacob. I know for Ryder won't let you off as easy," Cody said and the so-called Jacob shifted his gaze from him to me and back to him before he smiled.
"No worries Burns. You were always a stiff. We were just having fun with the girl, no trouble," he said but I wasn't at all pacified as I stepped forward.
"Next time mess with me and you'll never give your family a heir," I said stomping on his foot and he clutched his foot but didn't say anything as we left. "Thanks you guys."
"Has this ever happened before?" Jaime asked speaking for the first time they all turned to me curious.
"No. This is the first time they've done this," I said and Cody shifted his gaze towards them.
"How long have they been coming?"
"I don't know. Since Monday or something. I find them here after school. Why?"
"Don't worry about it. Jacob is just another brainless jock. Just...if you see anything suspicious just tell us okay."
"Yeah sure. Can I get you guys anything?"
"Nope. We're just passing through. We thought you didn't have a ride," Cody said looking at Jaime and a few moments later they left, the group of rival jocks leaving some time later and I hoped nothing bad was going to come out of this.
"Is your shift almost done?" Jaime asked and I nodded.
"Yeah, I just have to clear the last table
Don't worry," I said and a few moments later, we were leaving, glad I didn't have to close up.
"I'm sorry. I should have come by sooner," Jaime said and I turned to him curious.
"It's alright. You know I've been through worse."
"How's that going by the way? I saw them outside," he said referring to Jason and Jessica and I rolled my eyes.
"I told them to stay away from me."
"And they listened!?" He asked in shock and I waved him off.
"You know I never play fair."
"What sort of juicy secret do you have on them now?" He asked before he saw my frown as I closed my eyes leaning back on the seat giving up on the seat belt as he started driving and he let out a dramatic sigh. "It's one of those do not tells, huh? It's okay but in other news, Ryder huh?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"That you practically lied about you two being involved."
"We go to the same school, we are project partners. I'd say we are as involved as it gets."
"Uh-huh?" He said and I rolled my eyes. "It's alright if you don't spill but doesn't mean it will stop us from having fun. Let's go out tonight. Your friend is having her party tonight, right?"
"Fellow high schoolers tonight? No fucking way!? I told Alice I'd pass by before the party. Just so you know, I put up a fight so I could spend time with you away from it. And besides I thought you wanted to go to dinner."
"Take out after some booze never hurt anyone. How long are you going to remain celibate?"
"Uh, I don't know till I lose my virginity. Seriously Jaime, I'm not losing it to a stranger because we went out clubbing."
"Well, I didn't say to lose it tonight. But you know...you might as well meet someone new. Come on, you haven't even experienced the thrill of being in a relationship, let alone having a one night stand if you wanted. You might as well cross it off the list."
"One, it's not that I don't want to meet someone new. It's just that no one catches my attention. I doubt any of them can satisfy me. Two, I'm not losing it to a random stranger I met at a club. And for Pete's sake, this is a conversation we should be having close to at least 5-10 years to come."
"That's a bit rash, don't you think? If you had a dysfunction or something if the sort, you won't get excited when you do it by yourself. It's only when it comes to sex, right?" He said as if he hadn't heard my statement and my eyes bulged out of their sockets as I looked at him shocked.
"Your point?"
"At this rate, you'll really grow into being a workaholic. Admit it, your mind runs 1000 thoughts per second during sex?" He asked and I looked at him still stunned. Didn't he hear the point about me being a virgin?
"I don't know. Have you ever slept with me?"
"W.. what..ahem ... what?" He sputtered out embarrassed and I would have laughed if I didn't recognize the intensity of this conversation.
"You slept with me 7 years ago. Literally - mind you 7 yrs, so how is it you're judging me, not to mention I've not been tainted yet?"
"Hey! We were ten, 7 years ago."
"Let me rephrase, you would have had at least ten more years to do more than sleep beside me if you waited, but no, you couldn't."
"It's not that I couldn't, can't, I just..," he said and I could see a sheen of sweat on his forehead as the tips of his ears turned red.
"Exactly. Are you even sure you know what you're talking about? Okay, I'll be straight with you. What do you think about when you're having sex and don't lie to me?" I said and a rosy hue colored his cheeks making me chuckle at this man child friend of mine.
"Wrong question. You don't think Diana. You feel. Follow your body, your instinct."
"Are you trying to - teach me?"
"I'll be honest with you. Your competitiveness, rather obsession with doing everything the right way and perfectly and get it done no matter, is impressive, maybe too impressive. But tonight lets relax and have fun okay? Who knows maybe today will be your night and you'll find something or someone. It won't hurt. If you don't like it we'll come back home straight away," he said and I frowned, hesitating.
This was in no way a conversation we were supposed to be having at this age but I felt sorry for the guy when I realized how invested he was in this, especially when I have turned him down for the past two years when he invited me to his high school parties. Then again, what did I have to lose? I mean, it's gotten to the point Jaime is trying to teach me. Jaime, of all people.
"I might as well go have some fun," I tell me flatly and I swear it's like I've made all his dreams come true.
"Really? That's great," he said before turning the car around and grinning wildly as if he has been waiting for this moment in forever. "Now, don't beg me to go all the time after this."
"Wait? Why are you turning round?"
"You don't think I'm going to let you tour one of the hottest clubs in those sorry jeans."
"Jeez, don't you know how to make a girl feel good about herself," I said sarcastically and he laughed.