"MAYBE be my baby," Kayden smirked at me making me hold back my laughter. I didn't want to attract attention to us in the small milkshake store but I couldn't help it. It was a good thing that it was almost near closing time and that in our small town, almost everyone was asleep by 11 so they were eating dinner by 6.
Kayden and I are one of the only exceptions.
It's almost 6:15
I think back to his response. Maybe be my baby.
Oh my god, how did he think of that?
He looked at me with an accomplished look and I grinned back at him.
"You're so stupid," I chuckled, watching as he took a sip from his almost half-finished Oreo milkshake.
"Hey! A rhyme is a rhyme, now it's your turn," He tells me mischievously. I sit there, trying to think of a word that would rhyme with baby, and then it hits me.
"Uh...baby, they are eighty," I say sheepishly making him rack his brain for a rhyme for eighty.
This game was ridiculous but so funny sometimes.
Despite having a good time playing the game, I freaked out every time anyone walked into the restaurant. I pulled on my baseball hat, making sure it was obstructing people's view of my face.
The last thing I wanted was for one of them to recognize me and embarrass me publicly.
And in front of him.
I nervously sipped on my chocolate swirl milkshake as I waited for Kayden to think of a rhyme. I watch as he breaks, the irritation building.
"Ugh this game is stupid," He whines. "What the fuck rhymes with eighty?" he groans making me raise a brow at him.
"Weighty? dainty? lady? Katie?" I offered, causing him to glare at me.
"Whatever, let's play 20 questions," he offers instead. I look at him with wide eyes.
"Nope, not doing that," I say as I take another sip of my milkshake, loving the comforting chocolatey taste. Kayden had great taste in beverages and restaurants in general because The Milkshake Shack was the best milkshake place in town. I hadn't been here in a while but I totally understood what I was missing.
"Why," He whined after my refusal. I rolled my eyes. "it's not like I'm going to ask you why you're dressed like you tryna hide from the paparazzi."
"Because I don't want to answer your stupid questions, god knows how nosy you are," I tell him making him roll his eyes.
"I wasn't planning on asking stupid or nosy questions. Just simple questions to get to know you better," He says casually but that causes my stomach to churn.
Uh, maybe I'm lactose intolerant?
Or maybe what he said felt too much.
"Why do you want to get to know me?" I muttered lowly as I gripped the cold glass cup in my hands. I was still mad at him for paying for my drink. I was perfectly capable of paying for my own.
I look at him in front of me in the booth. He looked so carefree and relaxed.
Why was I not allowed to be like that?
"Because you're interesting," He says simply.
"Interestingly boring?" I correct him and he rolls his eyes.
I genuinely didn't know why he enjoyed my company. I didn't see myself as anyone too interesting.
"Fine, if you don't want to answer a question just say skip and I will just ask a new one," he tries to make me agree. I look at his face. His hair looking so soft and curlier than usual. His eyes were reflecting the light from the window that allowed the sunset to tint his usually bright green hue.
"Okay."
"Great," He grinned making a small dimple appear on his right cheek. "I'll start."
How did I not notice that before?
I nod at him.
"What's your favourite colour?" he starts off with a simple, basic question that still manages to make me think for a second.
"Green," I answered him and looked into his dark green eyes that twinkled. I loved the color of the forest underneath the edge, the grass, the leaves, the everything that's so natural. With a small smile, he nods.
"Your turn."
"Uh..." I stammered trying to think of something to ask before deciding to throw the question he asked me back at him.
"What is your favourite colour?"
He scoffs and then smiles. "Easy, brown,"
"You're so weird I have never heard anyone say that they liked the colour brown," I looked at him weirdly.
"Okay, well how many people do you even know," He jokes. "Carino, you should know I'm different."
I rolled my eyes.
"Stop bringing up my lack of friends," I glared at him. "Okay, so why is brown your favourite?" I then ask, wanting to know why this idiot found brown to be his favourite when there were colours like blue, gold, pink, and purple to pick from.
He had a whole colour spectrum to choose from and he chose the colour of shit.
"Because it's the colour of the earth, for me it represents warmth, stability and honesty. Other than that, it's also a hella nice colour for clothing, it's the colour of all the colours mixed and there are plenty of other reasons which I know you wouldn't want to hear."
"Please enlighten me," I pressed him, intrigued by the explanation he gave me. He shakes his head secretly, denying my request. I rolled my eyes.
"Nah, now it's my turn," he tells me, waving me away. I scoffed.
"Okay...what is your favourite food?" He asks me and I look at him with a smile. Food was my kind of topic.
"Pasta; literally heaven on a plate," I fangirled as I remembered my grandmother's pasta. Just thinking about the tomato sauce got me inwardly drooling.
"Good choice. Italian food is so fucking good. Now your turn," Kayden laughs at my swooning. I wanted to keep the questions light, not wanting to get any deep whatsoever.
"If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?' I say, impressed by my own question. He looks at me while he thinks of an answer. I internally praise myself for actually thinking of something not as basic as his questions.
"Your arms," Kayden finally answers and passes me a wink. I roll my eyes.
"Nooo, I'm being serious, bitch," I whined. I was curious to see what place he would choose. He then looks at me with a sad smile, making me look at him confused.
In his gaze, I could see he was contemplating his response. He exhales and looks outside the window.
I just know he switched up his answer.
"Uhm, I would say Spain," and I look at him intrigued. "Just to connect with my Spanish heritage more, you know," he says looking at me with those green eyes that I was growing familiar with. "Like I feel like an outsider when I'm with other Spanish people and I'm not even very fluent at the language or anything."
I cleared my throat before responding. "Yea, my grandfather wanted to take me to Morocco to help me connect with my Arabic side."
He smiled at me, I could see his mood was lifted with my answer.
I don't think I could ever go. Never go to Morocco or anywhere else in the world. I was stuck here.
"We are both mixed," He smiled at me teasingly making me chuckle dryly.
"Yep, Morrocan and very distantly Scottish."
"Yea I'm half Spanish and half Italian as well," He smirked at me. "But all hot."
I scoffed. "Arrogant Cabron."
"Carino, you already know what you speaking Spanish does to me," he smirked as he brought his face closer to mine. My mouth parts in surprise making him look down at my lips. I glare at him when I see him look back into my eyes. He gives me a wolfish grin.
I lean back into the cushiony booth, wanting to keep a distance from the idiot. "You're despicable," I roll my eyes.
He chuckles with amusement.
"You're just so easily flustered."
I open my mouth to object but he interrupts me.
"It's fucking adorable." He said pinning me down with those bright green eyes.
My mouth clams shut and I couldn't stop the heat from rising to my cheeks.
"Shush," I muttered and he grins.
The moment is suddenly then broken by the loud sound of motorcycles. I turn towards the window at the same time as Kayden just in time to see a bunch of mean-looking motorcycles swerving into the driveway.
There were 3 three of them.
Guys driving with what seemed like their girlfriends sitting right behind them, holding onto their waists protectively.
Even at this time, my mind scoffs as this scene oddly reminded me of Riverdale.
My mouth went dry as I watched them remove their helmets, comically almost at the same time as if knowing they had everyone's attention.
My eyes widened as my eyes fell upon one of the girls in particular as she took off her helmet and turned her head over to laugh at something another girl had said.
Her hair which used to always be short, up to her shoulders in kinky curls was now long and straight with blond highlights. She was still short and petite and from where I could see, her chocolate-coloured skin was still smooth and clear.
Tyra Adele Collins hadn't changed one bit from what I could tell. She was just older and mature-looking with a slightly different aesthetic.
I quickly snap my head away from the window hissing and cursing under my breath. Kayden looked at me with a raised brow and I glared at him, signalling him to stop staring at them
"What's wrong, sweetheart," he said looking at me quizzed. He looked between me and the people outside and I glared at him. "Are those the alleged paps that you're scared of?"
"Stop looking, you buffoon!" I snapped making Kayden look at me unimpressed. I grabbed my baseball hat and pushed it down so it was covering my way in the most discrete way that I could make it.
"You look absolutely ridiculous," Kayden tells me. "Sign some autographs and be on your merry way."
"I don't care how ridiculous I look and stop with that stupid joke. !e got to get out of here before they walk in!" I tell him quickly as my blood runs cold. I watch as they approach the restaurant doors.
"Shit!" I hissed under my breath making Kayden almost laugh at the scene before him. I couldn't care less about his reactions.
"What is going on? Do you know them?" He asks me before turning around to watch them I stretch myself over the booth to slap his shoulder to turn him around. He looks at where my hand touched him and he chuckles his eyes bright with amusement.
"Always so violent," he tsks.
"Cover me! Shield me!" I hiss at him as my eyes trail after Tyra and her supposed friends. The bell that hangs by the front door chimes, letting us know they made it inside the building.
"Shit I'm doomed," I cursed. Kayden sent me a confused look and I rolled my eyes. "You see that girl with the long black hair and highlights," I begin and Kayden stupidly turns around to look.
I slap his shoulder again making him roll his eyes. "Don't look yet, idiot! Anyways she is my ex-best friend from when I used to go to school," I tell him solemnly.
Kayden's eyes light up with understanding and he bites his bottom lip, sharing some of my nervousness.
"Okay, okay I get it, this is bad news. Now, what do we do?"
"Nothing! We can't do anything until they leave," I huffed and we settled into an unusual silence.
I feel the heaviness in the air. The 90s-style milkshake bar was filled with laughter as Tyra and her cool-looking, leather-back, tattoo-sleeved friends banter on about something incoherent.
I felt my heart clench when I saw Kayden looking at me with concern in his eyes. I didn't care that I was staring back at him without averting my gaze.
I needed to distract myself and what better than Kayden, the biggest distraction in my life.
"Kayden," I whispered. The restaurant around us faded away the only thing I was focusing on was his vibrant green eyes and the cold glass from my milkshake.
He licks his lips as his name leaves my lips. His eyes fluttered and he looked away; his mind sunken in thought.
"Layla, what are you so afraid of?" he says as he turns to look at me. His head tilted slightly and he burned me with his gaze, pinning me to the leather cushioned seat.
I felt the weight of his question. He didn't know what I knew. He didn't see what I had seen. He hadn't heard what I had heard.
It wasn't his fault. But he didn't understand.
What was I afraid of?
Now that was a really good question.
I opened my mouth to say anything, wanting to escape this position he had put me in.
I hated it.
I knew he didn't understand but he really wanted to and I was scared.
Suddenly we hear the sound of glass breaking echo from behind Kayden followed by a moment of silence and then an outbreak of laughter.
Kayden turns his head while I peer from over his shoulders to locate the source of the sound. We both find Tyra and her friends gathered around a blond dude who was cursing under his breath. He was trying to clean up the mess he had created with his milkshake on the floor while the others laughed and made fun of him. I took this second to realize how they all wore outfits of the same aesthetic. Very clique like.
As ridiculous as it looked for outsiders like me, I knew they had to be very good friends as then I saw Tyra and a brown-haired, buff dude crouch down to help their blond friend. At the same time, the irritated waitress who had taken our order earlier as well as theirs, made her way over to help pick up the broken pieces of glass.
"Oh my gosh, Josh!" We hear a high-pitched girl's voice laugh. They were just all friends, goofing around. I exhaled shakily before making the mistake of looking right at her.
It was at that moment that after almost 5 years I made eye contact with Tyra Collins.
Shit.