School's Out: an Alex Brightman x Reader

8) Two Cups Of Coffee

"Follow me", Alex said.

He grabbed me by my sleeve and practically dragged me along with him until we stopped in front of a cosy looking coffee shop. He gestured me to go first but followed in close behind me as I stepped through the door. Instantly, I was met with the strong but pleasant smell of freshly roasted coffee beans. I took a deep breath to take it all in and chuckled when I heard Alex do the same behind me. Letting my gaze dwell over the menu, I proposed to look for a table while Alex could order our drinks. He nodded and walked up to the counter as I made my way through the shop. The place looked really welcoming, homey and even a little vintage. No two chairs were the same, as were the tables. There were all sorts of bean bags, pillows, rugs and woolly carpets covering the floor. Candles, fairy lights and multiple differently shaped lamps gave the room a warm glow, which I absolutely adored and I soon concluded I loved this place. I picked a spot next to the fireplace and tried warming my still somewhat numb hands until Alex showed up.

"Thank you!", I beamed.

Alex handed me my drink and took a seat in the chair opposite me.

"You're welcome", he smiled.

We both warmed our hands on our cups while carefully sipping the hot liquid inside. Alex blew on his drink first and something told me he learned that rather from experience than him simply being clever.

"I'm afraid I can't pay you back..." I said after a while, giving him a nervous look.

"Well, then you're lucky I didn't expect you to", he smiled reassuringly.

"Really? Oh, thank you! I had so much fun shopping with Sierra this afternoon, I kinda forgot there's a limit to my credit card", I explained with a chuckle.

Alex let out a laugh and nodded sympathetically.

"So that's why you needed me to drive you!", he realised.

"Yeah... I simply couldn't afford to call a taxi", I shrugged, our eyes meeting.

"It was really nice of you to help me out", I thanked him.

"Don't even mention it", he smiled and he took another sip from his coffee.

After placing his cup back on the table, he shifted and leaned back in his chair, his face now softly lit by the fire crackling next to him. His eyes were fixed on mine and a playful grin appeared on his face.

"But you're sure you didn't just want to spend more time with me?" he smirked.

For a moment, I didn't know how to respond. Even though it only lasted a couple of seconds, the silence only worsened Alex's evergrowing self-confidence and he cocked his eyebrow expectantly.

"Yes, I'm sure! Jeez, Alex, I didn't know you were such a flirt!" I chuckled, rolling my eyes.

He winked at me and I rolled my eyes once again, earning a laugh from him. I tried to keep a straight face and pretend I was angry with him for laughing at me, but failed miserably, joining in after merely three seconds.

"So, what did you buy that was so expensive?" Alex asked after a while.

"It can't be something usual, I don't see any shopping bags", he frowned.

"That's because they'll deliver my stuff at home", I explained.

"Oh, well that's fancy", Alex nodded approvingly.

"Very fancy!" I agreed.

We finished our two cups of coffee and Alex greeted the lady behind the counter on our way out. She waved back at us, smiling kindly and I returned the gesture before walking through the door.

Back at the station, Alex glanced at his watch and realised it was almost time for me to go.

"Platform 12, wasn't it?" he remembered.

I nodded affirmatively and turned towards what I thought was the right direction, when Alex tapped me on the shoulder, stopping me in my tracks.

"Uh, Y/N? It's this way...", he pointed, desperately trying to keep a straight face.

"Oh..." was the only thing I could bring out, my cheeks flushing. Whoops.

A few minutes later we were sitting on one of the yellow-painted benches placed underneath a long roof that stretched over the entire platform. Not that it was necessary anymore. It had stopped raining while we were at the coffee shop and with the sky cleared of any clouds, the moon shrouded everything in a silver glow.

I watched as Alex stared into the distance, a breeze blowing through his hair. He ran a hand through his locks to keep them from falling into his eyes and glanced back at me, a satisfied smile lingering at the corners of his lips. The moon reflected perfectly into his eyes and I wondered if he'd always looked so handsome.

But the low sounds of a train following the tracks pulled me from my thoughts. I hopped off my seat and turned towards Alex, who got up as well.

"Thanks for staying with me", I smiled.

"No problem", he answered, "it was great to get to know you a little better."

"You too, Alex" I smiled and from the corner of my eye, I saw the train arriving.

"So I'm approved to work with your best friend?" He glanced up at me expectantly.

"Absolutely", I nodded and with a loud shriek, the vehicle behind us came to a halt.

Alex's face lit up as he looked into my eyes and smiled brightly.

"Well, I hope to see you again soon, Y/N", he grinned, offering me a hand.

"Me too", I smiled, copying his gesture.

The train doors opened, indicating I should go.

I released Alex's hand, turned around and followed the wave of people getting on the train. Once I plopped down on my seat I put in my earbuds and looked out the window. Immediately, Alex caught my eye. I found him standing on a bench, waving fervently to stick out from the crowd. He looked like a complete idiot and I laughed at his silly attempt to get my attention. Still, I couldn't deny it had worked and I waved back at him. A high pitched whistle sounded and I knew that meant we were leaving soon. As expected, the doors closed again and the train slowly started moving. Once Alex was out of sight, I rested my head against the seat and let out a chuckle.

What was that?