unexpected - mena massoud

4.

The day was almost over and I got a text from Mena asking if I was still on for dinner at his place. Of course I responded with a 'yes.' He told me he'd pick me up at five and I sent him my address. Once I got home, I yelled for Rena.

"Yah?" She shouted back. I heard her walking out of her room.

"I'm going to a friend's for dinner, so go ahead and eat whatever you want." I said as she got down the stairs.

"Ooo, who's this friend?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"You better not freak." I pointed my finger at her.

"But it's Mena. He's playing Aladdin." I finished.

"Elodie! Are you fucking kidding me?!" She yelled, rushing down the stairs and grabbing me, jumping up and down.

"This is a huge deal. Ever since-" I cut her off.

"Yes, ever since Josh, I haven't gone out with a guy. But this is just as friends. He's just being friendly." I said quickly.

"Okay Elle, whatever you say." She sing-songed at me, walking up the stairs again. I walked upstairs behind her and into my room. I decided to put on some lipgloss and pulled my hair into a bun.

At four forty-five, I heard a knock on the door. I rushed downstairs so Rena couldn't get to the door before me. Opening it, Mena was standing there, hands in the pockets of his black skinny jeans, freshly showered, showing off his curly hair once again. He also sported a blue sweatshirt and black glasses. I tilted my head and bit my lip, staring at him.

"What?" He laughed.

"I just didn't know you wear glasses." I laughed back.

"Blind as a bat." He said, pushing them back up the bridge of his nose with his finger. I heard Rena's bedroom door open and I grabbed Mena's hand, rushing him outside and shutting the door behind me.

"Sorry. Crazy best friend." He laughed and walked me to the passenger side of his black SUV. Realizing we were still holding hands, I blushed and pulled my hand away slowly. He opened my door for me with a smile.

"Well, thank you kind sir." I said in a joking voice.

"Any time, princess." I laughed. He closed my door and walked to his side, getting in and starting the car.

"Do you want to put your music on?" He asked, handing me the AUX cord.

"Sure." I smiled, taking it from him. I unlocked my phone and went to Spotify, opening up this month's playlist. I decided on a song called 'double take' by dhruv; It's my favorite.

"Have you heard this song before?" I asked, turning to look at him. He gave me a quick glance before answering.

"No, it's good though." He said. His fingers started tapping to the beat of the song. I watched closely, entranced by the little things that made Mena...well, Mena.

He intrigued me. The way his dimples showed not only when he smiled, but also when he would stare off and become engulfed in something within his mind. The way he fluffed the front of his hair when he was listening to someone talk. The way he groaned and tilted his head back, then begun to laugh when he forgot a line or messed up a stunt. Or right now, the way his fingers moved smoothly to the rhythm of the song.

"You're staring, Elodie." He smiled that award-winning smile at me. I blushed a deep shade of red and tilted my head down and then looked out the window, muttering an apology. He let out a small chuckle. A couple of music-filled minutes later, we arrived at a small, but beautiful house.

"It's not much, but it's just me so it works." He shrugged.

"It's beautiful, Mena." It was a gorgeous yellow house with white shutters and a white metal roof. Plants were scattered everywhere along the porch, accompanied with an outdoor couch. There were vines growing up the side of the house too, adding to the curb appeal. He smiled and said a thank you, explaining that his love of the planet and animals turned into a love for plants as well; resulting in the "catastrophe" of a porch. I laughed at his choice of wording. Getting out of the car, he led me to the front door and unlocked it.

"Make yourself at home." He sighed, opening the door and taking his shoes off. I followed suit and walked behind him into the kitchen.

"I haven't started yet, but it shouldn't be too long. Is pizza okay?" He asked.

"Always." I smiled a goofy smile and sat down at the island while he started to make the dough.

"Oh I'm sorry, would you like a drink?" He turned around and looked at me.

"Just a water would be great." I smiled back at him.

"I can get it though, just tell me where the cups are." I added.

"They're up there." He pointed to the cabinet just next to the sink. I hopped off the stool at the island and walked around it to the cabinet. Opening it up, I saw that they were high up. I got on my tippy toes and started reaching for one. Just as I was close to grabbing one, I heard a soft voice right next to my ear, scaring the shit out of me.

"What in the world are you doing?" Mena asked. It sent chills down my spine, and the glass I was grabbing, fell out of the cabinet and onto the floor.

"Fuck!" I yelled, jumping back and into Mena. He rested his left hand on my arm and his right on my waist.

"I'm so sorry Mena, you just scared me." I rambled. I moved out of his grip and bent down to pick up the bigger pieces of glass. I accidentally sliced my right pointer finger on a smaller piece and yelped.

"Shit." I hissed. Mena knelled down beside me and took my finger in his hand.

"Now why would you do that?" He said in a sarcastic, stern voice. He pulled the glass out of my finger and grabbed my forearms, pulling me up.

"Come on, follow me." He said, letting go of my forearms, but then quickly grabbing my hand.

He led me out of the kitchen, down the hall, and into the powder room. He let go of my hand and went into the vanity to grab a bandage. Next, he leaned down and opened the cabinet under the sink to get a towel. He wet it and told me to sit on the sink. Once I did, he lightly tapped my thighs, signaling for me to open my legs. I got chills when he touched my legs. 'He's just being friendly.' I thought. 'Rena would do the same thing for me. He's just helping clean my cut.' I opened my legs and he stepped in between them, holding out his hand for me to give him mine. He pressed the cold towel to my finger and pressed down.

"Fuck, that hurts." I said with gritted teeth, leaning my head back.

"Sorry, princess. Maybe you should've asked me for help." He laughed, still looking down at my finger, now drying it with a clean part of the towel. I brought my other hand up and flicked his forehead.

"Ow! What was that for?" He stepped back and put his hand up to where I flicked him.

"For giving me sass! I'm short and stubborn, I can't help it!" I pointed my finger at him. Grabbing the bandage from his hand, I opened it up and wrapped it around my cut.

"Thanks for the help." I hopped off of the sink and grabbed his shoulders, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, causing him to blush.

I walked off and into the kitchen, with the biggest smile on my face.

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