Cliché (Player Next Door Spinoff)

| 06 | Spoilt Brat

And we're back!  Hellooo!  2 in 1 today... I mean, I'm just so excited to crank out this story!

Chapter 06: Not Normal

"Austin, wait up!" I called out, running down the garden as I watched him get into the driver seat of his car.

My flip flops clacked against the cobblestones as I raised my hand to get his attention. His surfboard was already strapped to the top of the car.

For a moment, Austin looked surprised to see me but then his face adjusted into his charismatic smile.  

He smiled at me, a sparkling, white smile, and leaned over from inside the car to push the door open for me. He was still shirtless and any physical activity he did caused me to stare at his muscles rippling at the slightest movement. 

His long arm had stretched across the seat as he greeted me. "So, you came."

Why did that sound so smooth?

He leaned back and I gulped, taking a moment to react.

I just nodded and hopped right in. His car was warm after being out in the sun this morning, and it seemed old. A bit rusty in its own charming way.

I awkwardly put the sunscreen on the dashboard. "Paloma said you could use some on your back."

I half expected him to scoff at that comment.

He glanced at it for a second, before his eyes returned to the road as he pulled out of my driveway.  "Awesome, I needed that."

I forget that Austin's nice.

That made me relax. When we were younger, I used to be so loud and comfortable around him... 

Even though he's physically changed, he's still very much that same kid.  I just need to remember that.

He turned the engine on and rolled down the windows as he drove down the hill. The beach was less than a ten-minute drive but a good thirty, maybe forty, minutes walk.

I was very conscious of the silence between us.  Of how he was still shirtless.  Of how his shorts rode up slightly when his foot came off the break... 

A refreshing breeze came in through the open window, making the sunshine more tolerable. It felt good to be outside, going somewhere.

I wasn't exactly sure what I'd do at the beach, but I'd figure something out.

"Uh, do you like the pool house?" I asked, assuming that's where he was staying this summer.

We had a guest room in the pool house that sometimes doubles up as a play room. I guess there would be less 'play' there this summer.  

"It's great" he nodded, glancing left to take a turn, "More than I need."

What do you need?  I still didn't really understand why he was here. 

I took the opportunity to stare at his beautiful side profile.  His lips are perfectly soft and pink.

"So you have a chef?" he said and I quickly looked down at my fingers, hoping he didn't notice me looking. 

"It's Monday," I mumbled.

Paloma comes Monday to Friday and, on weekends, my dad likes to cook.

Austin glanced at me briefly before focusing back on the road.

"That's not the normal answer to my question, Lara. You have a chef at home?" he tried again.

"Yes. Paloma."

Who did he think was in the kitchen? The gardener?

He shook his head, "Well, just so you know, most of us normal people don't have personal chefs. I keep forgetting who your family is. Your mom is so chill."

Great, he thinks I'm a spoilt brat.  

I stared out the window, "Maybe too chill sometimes."

A/N: The tension heats up ->>