Yours Truly

10. Smiley

"Ooooh, do you want a milkshake?" Sera asks excitedly from beside Rowan, the drive-through menu in front of Rowan's window.

"No, do you want one?" Rowan asks back.

"Yes, but only if you get one with me!"

"But I-.." Rowan looks back at Sera midway through his sentence and his words die in his mouth at her pouty lips and doe eyes. He was only able to nod his head, as if in a trance.

Sera giggles and leans over closer to him to see which flavors they have.

"Mmm, do you like strawberry?"

She was close, way too close.

Her head was under his chin, he could smell her heavenly shampoo, her blonde curly hair right in his face. Rowan forced himself to stare ahead, a lump in his throat.

"Chocolate."

"What?" Sera leaned back slightly so she could look at him, her face right in his. She tilted her head, waiting for his answer.

Does she not realize how close we are right now?

Fuck

Rowan cleared his throat, "Chocolate." He repeated.

"Ooh, I would've never guessed you're a chocolate kind of guy."

She smiled. Dimples.

"Okay, I'll have one strawberry milkshake with my food, please." Sera searched inside her bag for her wallet, Rowan assumed and he shook his head at her.

After a mini-fight, mainly from Sera's side, she made him promise to let her pay next time. Rowan only nodded dismissively.

"Rowan, you promised." She warned, catching on to his dismissive attitude.

That was the first time he heard his name from her lips, she'd normally call him Mr.Reed. Rowan liked it. A lot.

He didn't want anyone to call him by his first name anymore, only her.

As if just realizing, Sera quickly gasped and put a hand over her mouth. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I meant Mr.Reed." She smiled apologetically.

"No."

"Huh?" That damn cute tilt of her head again.

"It's fine, call me Rowan, I don't mind." He said.

"Okay, Rowan."

Shit

"Do you want to eat now?" She didn't wait for his reply as she started opening the bags. Rowan only smiled as she put one fry in her mouth.

A fry was suddenly offered to him, Sera quiet as she waited for him to take it.

Rowan smiled mischievously and brought his mouth closer to her waiting hand, his eyes remained on the road as he ate the fry from her.

"Oh." Sera blushed deeply, not even realizing that she voiced her surprise out loud.

Rowan only chewed with a full smile on his face.

Adorable

"That's the first time you've actually smiled around me." She pointed out nonchalantly, trying to steal another fry from the bag in her lap.

No, it's not, he wanted to say. He's been trying to fight back his smiles whenever he's around her, he had smiled multiple times through their encounters, it's only this time that he didn't have enough strength in him to fight it.

"I'm not much of a smiley person."

"That's okay."

That's okay?

Rowan was confused because he expected a completely different reaction. He was used to people saying 'You need to smile more', 'Why are you this dry?' and such. He didn't expect anyone to be okay with his personality, only his close circle were used to him and okay with it, let alone a person like Sera.

"You're okay...with it?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" She laughed, "You guys are also okay with me being hyper and loud. Besides, there's nothing wrong with not being smiley."

"Is there?" She asked, looking at him with her doe eyes.

"No, there isn't."

For the first time in a while, Rowan felt comfortable with a new person, he felt accepted, as pathetic as that sounds in his head. He continued driving in bewilderment.

"Do you want a sip of your shake?" Rowan knew he could simply reach out with his hand and keep the other on the steering wheel to drink from his milkshake, but he wanted Sera to do it.

He cursed at himself in his head, calling himself a child and other not so nice names, but that didn't stop another smile from stretching on his face as Sera brought the straw close to his lips.

A bit of the liquid spilled from the straw on his lips and Sera was quick to wipe it with a napkin that was already in her hand. As if just realizing what she did, she dropped the napkin on his lap with a horrified expression on her face.

It landed right between his spread legs. Rowan kept looking at it as he heard Sera go off with apologies, almost expecting what was going to happen next.

As predicted, Sera's hand reached to his thigh but thankfully, oh so thankfully, stopped before reaching the napkin. Rowan turned his eyes on her.

This girl is so naive.

Seeing the hesitation in her eyes, he knew she didn't think before she reached out her hand. Her actions becoming so predictable to him.

"Stop apologizing." He handed the napkin back to her.

"Yes, sir." She hastily leaned back in her seat, putting the food bags away and looking out the window, as if holding herself from doing anything else that might embarrass her.

So, so naive.