𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠

Chapter 6

She's staring back at Leon from across the table they're seated around inside the restaurant, both waiting for their orders to come. She is looking back at him, and she just don't care that she let him join her. He is the least of her problems right now.

He's leaned back in the booth chair, looking elsewhere for a moment before his eyes find her again. 

She lets out a long, drawn-out sigh, before finally speaking, "You don't like me, why jump at the chance to hang out with me?" Her voice is a bit dry. She's looking back at him with a death stare as all her energy's been depleted after what he just said to her back at the store. 

He tries a casual shrug. "Because. You're not my type but I can't stop thinking about you sometimes."

She straightens a little, taken aback by his words. "What?" She mutters.

He lazily grins. "I'm always watched but being watched by you has been a different story." He smoothly sits more proper yet this careless aura to him still remains as he leans closer to the table. "You're not even the least bit magnetizing or interesting, you're boring to look at, you've probably got nothing going for you which is why you don't stand out..." He narrows his eyes after his brutal honesty, finishing, "and yet there came a point in time where I couldn't stop seeing your face whenever I closed my eyes."

Her jaw slackens as her eyes widen, realizing that he's the type to fuck with her and even lie about that. She shakes her head in annoyance, rolling her eyes. She doesn't know how to reply to his insensitivity, but her resentment just grows more.

She squirms once the waiter comes to serve them their drinks. She smiles at the waiter and pulls her handed glass of lemonade closer.

"Thanks, Mike," she says to the tall blonde waiter.

"You keep coming, Deena, I'm starting to wonder if it's me you're trying to see," Mike confidently flirts, cocking his head at her when she snorts.

She likes the fact that he doesn't even acknowledge Leon, it makes her giggle.

"Well that makes two of us, Mike," Leon remarks. He's smirking like a bastard. "Sometimes I think she's stalking me too."

Deena cringes, but she makes sure to pointedly not look at him, her eyes fixated on Mike who raises both eyebrows at her in question. Mike is just like her; they both hate cockiness. "He's... just an acquaintance. He knows me from school and wanted to join. His name is Leon, by the way."

"Leon, nice to meet you," Mike politely nods.

She cringes when they actually shake hands.

"I'm Mike."

"Great," Leon casually, and flatly, replies which Deena finds so rude.

She's relieved when Mike walks away, and now glares daggers at Leon. 

He slightly tilts his head when he's locked in a staring contest with her.

"So what now, after eating with me you'll stop thinking about me?" She bravely asks.

He's nodding which has her rolling her eyes. "That's the plan," he answers. "I wanna see what you're all about, confirm my beliefs that you're not worth my time as my mind seems to believe."

She barks out a laugh, "Jesus Christ!" She draws many adult eyes to her table when she has an outburst. She shakily scoffs. "What is wrong with you?!" She raises her voice again, not caring about those stares. "Like seriously."

Not expecting her to snap, his face falls into a more serious expression.

She leans over the table to sneer, "You're not all that, fuck off."

He carefully draws his brows together, taking her reaction in.

"There's a reason why I'm not in a fucking frenzy about you, Leon. I liked you, but not enough to kiss your ass!" She finishes by slapping her hand on the table, leaning back and petulantly folding her arms over her chest, turning her head to the side to look elsewhere.

It takes a long beat for him to reply but he finally does, with a pathetic, "Liked?"

She turns her head to him and narrows her eyes. "All it took was seeing you for who you really are; after all, a crush exists from a lack of information. I didn't know you were this much of a bitch but here we are."

His face is a mix of so many emotions but dumbfoundedness and disbelief are the highlights. His mouth is agape as an outraged scoff comes from him. "A bitch? Now you're just saying anything."

"You have not proven to me why you're worth my time or respect, yet I have to prove to you that I'm worth your time?!" She madly chuckles, rolling her eyes back. "You're sick! You know that?"

She realizes the amount of relief her chest is getting from letting out some steam, but there's still so much to unleash. So much discomfort and anger. Her hand clenches to a fist on the table while she's feeling some bit of euphoria, some kind of high from her outburst. She doesn't realize that he is staring at her with a gentle expression or look of admiration until she's fully caught her breath. She frowns in confusion.

"So you just don't like me anymore?" He has the audacity to ask softly.

"No," she says sternly. "You suck as a person."

He's no longer staring at her with a wall up. She feels that something has changed. The look in his eyes has changed.

"Carry on," he tells her.

Her frown deepens. "Carry on what?" She exhales.

He shrugs, his attentive stare on her not going anywhere. "Letting it all out."

She pauses, regarding him more closely. Is he... enjoying this? Her eyes trail him from top to bottom and back up.

He lightly chuckles. "Don't look at me weird."

"Uhm, do you have a humiliation kink?" She reluctantly asks.

He snorts. "No. This isn't about me," he shakes his head.

Realizing what he actually meant, she sits up straighter, looking down at her hands. She doesn't say anything but there's still so much to say -- not even to do with him, she still has so much to let out, about everything in her empty life. 

"I want you to carry on," he says gently, once again.

There's so much to say but too little words, her mother never taught her how to speak up or communicate her inner world. She feels like he's putting her in the spot, she can't help but hate it. Luckily another waiter comes with their orders and she's glad that Leon isn't looking at her anymore when their dishes are getting served.

He smiles down his delicious pasta while she leans down to smell her Timballo with pleasure and almost forgets everything for a second.

"Enjoy," the waiter kindly says before leaving them to their food.