If it's Meant to Be

Chapter Four

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"He called the police?!" He exclaimed, talking with his hands

"Well no shit, he called the police" I remarked, "It was past 12 a.m. and I'm over there knocking with mascara dripping from my face and my hair all over the place talking about, "i don't know where I am". No doubt, he mistook me for a prostitute" I recalled far too clearly, smirking at the memory

"I'm just confused, why would you knock on a stranger's door?" He questioned, his obvious amusement pleasing me

"Yo, I thought I was going to live in the car" I retaliated, putting my hands up causing him to fully lose it, throwing his head back in laughter, "I'm serious. I was like it's either I do this or I'm going to live in the car for the rest of my life" I said in between of my laughs

"What happened next?" He asked, reminding me of an excited child at the candy store

"The police came, took pity on me due to my fraught state. Thank God since I didn't even have my license on me but you know how far away from home I was?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow up

He shook his head no eagerly

"Five minutes" I whispered, "Five fucking minutes away" I hollered watching his eyes enlarge twice its size

"Stop it, are you fucking serious"

" I so badly wish I wasn't" I retorted with a sheepish grin before we both erupted in laughter once more

"You're a character" He opined once we calmed down with a grin only to have me let out a small chuckle before rubbing my jaw

Fuck, I thought, my cheeks hurt

"Okay, okay, enough about me" I ushered, "Now you" I said, resting my chin on my palm, cueing him to talk

As he talked, I kept eye contact, feigning expressions of interest as my mind unwillingly drifted. It's not that I wasn't interested, rather distracted. I took note of how animated his face could get when telling stories and how rather than skittishly refusing to look me straight in the eyes (as I was used to) he instead challenged me, taking me by surprise. It's not that I mistook him for the shy type though I also didn't take him for the bold. Keeping my gaze on him, I raised my glass to my lips. His eyes momentarily dropped towards the action, causing me to prolong the sip, curious. I saw him tilt his head ever so faintly during that moment, as if he was an inspector noticing something peculiar. As soon as the glass hit the table again, he reverted his gaze back, bashfully. Ensued from that instance, I noticed his eyes would constantly glance around the restaurant or fixate on my nose rather than directly on my eyes which made me smirk slightly - cute, I thought

And he was; he was cute. Not my usual type but he was alright. A very boyish look to him, I'd say.

"What about you?" He asked after telling me a story involving his interests

Conveying a lack of interest, I gave him a gentle smile before saying, "I'd rather know about you"

His eyes slightly (so slightly that if I were to not have been looking at such precision, I would not have noticed) widened at my words, "You know, usually I'm the one asking questions and keeping the conversation going. This is a nice change"

I know, I thought slyly though I only smiled in response

He spoke of his family and their conflicting natures: his father, the free spirit and eccentric, always looking for adventure and his mother, the realist, never wanting to take a step forward without a clear goal in mind. He mentioned his past relationships like the red haired girl with the temper to match. He briefly made known of his work as a financial analyst and his growing faith.

I watched his eyes closely, seeing which topics caused his pupils to open and which made them retreat far in. On these topics that had his eyes looking like silhouettes of a star in the sky, I'd badger.

"So what do you do?" he questioned, sighing in surrender

I bit my lip to refrain myself from a smug expression that was itching to be plastered

There were a few times he had tried asking deeper, more musing questions yet I just dismissed them as mundane and redirected the theme back to him.

There was no point in him knowing all of that and besides, I much preferred being the mysterious type. Like a stranger that performs a good deed on your behalf, I'd rather have him exposed to the traits of me that were kind, humorous, and tempting, further perpetuating that idea of me that he had already begun wrapping within idyllic standards. Why would I want to disperse that so easily?

"Currently I'm an Accountant but it's only a temporary gig. I aim to be a psychiatrist and psychologist in the future"

"Very impressive" he praised though I only shrugged it off

Only impressive if I commit to it

"And your family?" He questioned carefully like a predator trying to catch its prey

God, his pestering is beginning to annoy me more than my mothers incessant nagging

"Yes. They're there" I responded reservedly, "Though it is getting quite late. I probably should head home" I continued, grabbing my purse

He wrinkled his eyebrows before nodding his head, seemingly not caring to conceal the disappointment laced onto his face

Getting up, we both walked in the direction of the door, passing the waiting area. He pressed outwards on the wooden doors before bidding a goodbye to the host, cueing me to turn my head and offer a timid smile towards her. As he pushed open the door, the cold breeze brashly hit both of our cheeks, his pale skin now reflecting one of crimson.

"You should've let me pick you up" he commented casually, "seriously, it's no bother for me. Next time, let me do that" he proposed, his breath emulating a wisp misty cloud

Not a bother for you, but much of a bother for me I thought

"It's really not necessary" I declined letting out a half-hearted chuckle, "I'm much more comfortable this way" I insisted, giving him a gentle smile

He looked at me perplexed, his face telling me there was much more he wanted to say on the topic before masking it away and nodding

"This is me," I said, stopping at the front passenger's door, turning to face him. He nervously let out a chuckle, shifting one weight from one foot to another.

"This was fun" He eventually said with a nervous chuckle

"It was" I agreed, smiling at him and much to my dismay, I wasn't lying