The Boy Who Didn't Love

9 - a deal

Seeing him outside of the store was strange.

For one, she almost didn't recognize him out of uniform. Wearing an all black outfit from his T-shirt to his sneakers, he looked completely different, but his style fitted him perfectly.

However, not everything changed about him. As she sat across from him at a beachside restaurant, she spent their entire dinner watching him with fascination.

In the short time that they had spent there so far, he had managed to get the chef's secret recipe, trick the waiter into thinking he hadn't gotten more than three refills, and turn the manager into his personal parking valet. Needless to say, his skills were dauntingly impressive.

"You're so interesting," Ali told him when there was a moment of silence.

  He didn't look at her, of course, but he paused from finding his next challenge. "You think so?"

  "Yeah. You're kind of like a puzzle, and I'm trying to figure you out."

  "Hm." Sawyer pursed his lips, then pulled out some cash. He tossed it onto the table before standing. "Let's go now."

  She frowned. "Already?"

  He seemed to freeze for a moment, not sure what to do. "You don't want to leave yet?"

  "Well, it's only been an hour. I don't know, I wanted to be out a little longer," she said sheepishly, and his eyes quickly swept over her.

  After a minute, he nodded. "Okay. Come on."

  Smiling, she followed him outside and onto the pier. He walked next to her, his hands hanging loosely by his sides, while his gaze wandered aimlessly. The light sea breeze passed over them, making her hair fall over her face, which momentarily caught his attention.

  They eventually reached the middle of the pier, where there was a bench, and they both plopped down on it. Only the whistle of the breeze filled the silence around them as she peered at him.

  Finally, she cleared her throat, averting her gaze to the ocean across from them. "So what did your dad say that made you invite me to hang out?"

  Sawyer snapped his head towards her, startled. "What do you mean?"

  "Let me guess, he wants you to be normal, and in order to get him off your back, you told him you were going out with me. Does that sound about right?"

  He opened his mouth.

  "And don't bother lying," she quickly added.

  "I wasn't going to," he replied, and although it was nearly impossible to tell if he was being honest, she believed him. "But you're right. You knew all along?"

  Ali shrugged, eyeing the gentle waves below them. "I had my suspicions. It was sort of obvious."

  "Then why did you come at all?"

  "Because I wanted to make you a deal," she said, turning back to him, and he swiftly looked away.

  "A deal?" he echoed, somewhat amused.

  "Yes, one that'll benefit both of us," Ali continued, folding her hands in her lap. "Basically, we'll keep hanging out as much as you think is necessary to fool your dad, but on one condition."

  He faced her, but kept his eyes above her.

  "You can't lie to me under any circumstances."

  Sawyer, wearing his signature enigmatic expression, took a moment to process her words. Much to her surprise, he answered rather quickly. "Okay. It's a deal, Alice."

"Really?" she smiled, her eyes shining with excitement, as she clasped her hands together. "Great! I can't wait."

"Yeah," he muttered, turning away from her once more. He then stood from the bench and began walking back to the parking lot. She caught up with him, beaming, while he looked at everything but her.

She had finally found an excuse to talk to him.