"HAVE YOU EVER been here?" I ask as we walk into the beautiful lit diner. Its Egyptian themed and has all this sort of light and pillars decorating the place. Even the tables looked wrapped up, mummy style.

"No." Ian says pushing his hands back into his black jacket pockets, a new covering he put on before we left the market site. He had removed his hands when he opened up the door for me – which was incredibly sweet by the way.

"Why not? You've been missing out on the best soup your taste buds can ever taste." I say truthfully. Mum orders some of our meal from here.

Ian chuckles, "I've not really been in this town for long."

"Oh," I say sliding into a booth. "How long then?"

"Two weeks," he slides in too. "And the first week was occupied with parking in."

"From where?" I ask picking up the menu that was already on the table.

"Huh?"

"Packing in from where? Where did you live before?" I lower the Menu so I can see his face.

"Next town." He answers briefly.

"Really? That's kinda close. Why did you people move?" I ask my eyes scanning the menu for my favourite.

He shrugged, his jaw set. "New jobs."

"Oh." I shut my lips from asking more. I don't want this to turn into an interrogation and he already looks kinda angry. I pushed the menu to him. "What would you like?"

He didn't bother picking it up and just looked down at it before shifting his turquoise eyes to me. "Can I trust you to wow my taste buds?"

I smirk drawing the menu closer to me, "Challenge accepted."

"Do you always invite strays to come join you eat?" He ask after I'm done reciting our order to our waitress, Jane.

I frown, "Stray? You said English wasn't your best but I didn't know it was this bad." He lightly chuckles, looking around our mummified table. "You're no stray Ian."

"Maybe but I'm not your usual crowd."

I prop a hand on the table and rest my chin on it. "What's my usual crowd, Mr 'you guys are quick to judge'?"

He laughs raising a hand up, "okay, I deserved that."

"You're damn right you did." I said relaxing back on the booth and crossing my arms, feigning annoyance.

"I'm sorry, its just, I guessed having been judged so much, I picked up the trait myself. I'm different and especially after what I did to you," he looks away, "I'm the last person you should invite for dinner, especially to a fancy place like this."

At the mention of 'what he did to me', my hand goes over to spot and massages it. It doesn't hurt at all but I can still feel the sensation of having him grip me so tightly. I won't be shocked if there's a bruise formed.

"I'm sorry." He says and when I look at him, his looking at my hand over the spot. "I didn't mean to hurt you, its just... a defense mechanism I guess."

I nod understandingly, "I like different." I say referring to his earlier talk and he looks at me confused for a second. "I'm not judging you so, try not to judge me too. I want to get to know you  and I have no answer why right now but I do and this 'fancy place' is not all that fancy."

He raises his brows at that and I proceed to explain, pointing at a pillar, "I'm pretty sure my family donated that light last Easter, I think. Those curtains over there once adored Finn's bedroom and those chairs," I chuckled, "once belonged to Christine, her dining set that Ellie pucked all over last Christmas."

I looked over at Ian, "Nothing here is fancy or new just rejuvenated."

"I never would have guessed." Ian says looking around in new wonder.

"Yup," Jane drops our steaming hot dinner and leaves. "And about my hand, it's no problem, I shouldn't have made to touch you. I just didn't think you'd have a tattoo." I say looking at the peak of his jacket sleeves, I couldn't see anything.

"Really," he wiggled his brows, "and here I thought I looked like a tattooed guy."

"Tattooed guy?" I ask trying not to let the cute brow movement get to me.

"Yea, like those cliché bad boys that have, " he lifts his hand to his face, "I totally have a hidden or unhidden tattoo, written on their foreheads."

I burst out laughing, "there's nothing like that."

"Is to." He smiles, "I walk into a room and some girl says to her friend," he squints his eyes, "that guy is sooo rocking a tattoo beneath all that... Testosterone."

I burst out laughing and Ian does to. "What the hell does that even mean?"

"Girls talk crazy all the time." I say and he nods. "I think I lowkey got a tattoo because of them."

"It's recent?"

He nods, "Some months ago."

"Not to be the testosterone girls but its looks great on you."

"Thank you." He looks at me, remnants of our laughter on his lips. I blush biting down on my lip and look away.

"Eat up, its best when hot."

---

"You were right, that food was one of the best thing my taste buds have tasted." Ian says as we walk side by side.

I bump my shoulder into his body, "told ya." I look up at the night sky.  "I'm so dead."

"How so?"

"Tyler would be worried about me and his truck. Zoe would be restless about going home and my mum's waiting for me." I say.

"Who's Tyler?" Ian ask and I smile up at him.

"Farmer Tilly's son, the owner of the truck." I smile some more. "Not my boyfriend if you're wondering."

"I wasn't."

"I'm single." I add and he smiles.

"Thanks for sharing."

After a minute silence, I ask, "Are you?"

He smirks down at me, "Are you asking if I have a girlfriend?" I clamp my mouth shut looking down at my boots. I didn't think he'll answer and I started to think that he had one until—

"No, I don't have a girlfriend."

My smile is so broad, my cheeks hurt. Nobody says any other thing and we walk in comfortable silence. I started to feel the the chill night, my flannel doing little to help but unfortunately we reach the supermarket and the truck, cutting our little date off. We both stop in front of the truck neither of us saying anything.

"Thanks for the meal." Ian finally speaks.

"No problem. I had fun."

"Me too." He turns around to leave.

"Let's do this some other time?" I call out to him, already missing him.

He turns around, "Sure. Goodnight Roxanna."

I watch him walk away from me, "Goodnight."

That night after lying to Tyler and my mum about a faulty engine, I take a long warm bath, pull on my comfortable pajamas and snuggle into my warm bed with Zoe by my side. I dream of Ian.

I dream of his slightly long curly dark hair. His perfect brows. Chiseled Jaw line. Infectious laugh. Heart warming smile. And impressive bad boy tattoos.

**

"I missed you car. Whatever you did to make it not work, don't do it again. Okay?" Ellie says jumping down my car and shutting the door.

I laugh, "Okay okay, I've heard you."

She nods, walks away and walks back, "You're picking me up, right?"

"Yup."

"You should know that I joined a quiz something and its gonna begin after school." She tells me.

"Fine. Better because I'll be busy too. Football practice."

"If I don't see you, I'll go over to Deli's house. Got it?" Deli is a family friend and her house is literally facing the school.

I nod and do the 'OK' symbol with my fingers. She did it too before bouncing away this time without returning.

That girl would probably join the army or something like that later in the future. She's too bossy for her own good. I reach school in ten minutes and park my shiny Camero in the first empty space I see. I got the car recently, literally months ago as a birthday gift from my dad. I was already saving and he added money for me to get the baby. I love it like one of my organs.

I checked my face in the mirror making sure that nothing was out of place, although the only makeup I had on was mascara and lip gloss. My hair was pulled to a side and I braided the end loosely. I got out of the car and the breezy wind took me off guard by blowing my skirt up, thankfully I was quick enough to stop my jewels from going public by clamping my hand down on my skirt with a startled gasp. I looked around to make sure no one saw that and I didn't see anyone eying me or laughing at my direction.

Stupid plaid skirt why did it have to become shorter and succumb to breeze so easily. Now I envy Jamie for wearing trousers instead of these annoying skirts. But then with trousers she didn't get to wear knee high socks and they – from my point of view – were the only sexy things in this whole school. That's without counting the recent addition, Ian.

I was about to start walking into the school when I heard the rough purring of Christine Scooter. My hand covered my mouth to stop me from laughing, she looked ridiculous on it and it's pink paint was really peeling off and the helmet looked gigantic on her head. I watched her park it, gently come down off it, holding it steady so it doesn't topple over. She pries the helmet off her and not so gently slam it down on the scooter. She huffs so loudly, I hear it from where I stand.

"Okay, I see why you hate this thing so much." I say slinging my hand over her shoulder as she stops patting her hair back to normality.

"This thing is driving me crazy." She says and makes to kick it but I stop her.

"This thing is your only means of transportation." I remind her steering her away from the parking lot and towards the school building.

"Jamie walks. She's not dead yet, I should try that. I mean it'll be good for me right?"

I give her a disbelieving look, "Jamie lives nearby and your house is more than a mile away. You can't even walk round the field and you want to walk to school?" I flick her forehead, "stop dreaming."

"Fine but my next birthday can you give me a car? One like yours preferably."

"Yes, when I start working in that bank we've been dreaming about." I say to her, we exchange a look and burst out laughing.

"Who would ever accept you in a bank?"

"Hey, my maths is employment worthy."

"Not on earth, I'm sorry. Try Saturn." She snaps her fingers, "oh wait, they'll require at least a B. Tsk, even Zoe - your dog - has a better chance at that bank work."

"Hey!" I'm about to pounce on her but I stop when I see Jamie and Ian at his - and mine - locker, talking. "I'll kill you later." I tell Christine and I straighten down my blazer and walk faster towards them. "Hi."

Ian and Jamie turn to me but its only Ian my eyes is glued to. Today he was blue ripped jeans on and a red pouch hoodie long sleeves. His hair is back to covering his face and falling over his eyes and he has two bags on each shoulder, a camera and school bag. Summary; he looks to die for.

"Anna, you're finally here." Jamie says and I briefly turn to her.

"Yea, I had to drop off Ellie." I turn back to Ian and thankfully he still has his eyes on me. "Hey, you."

"Morning too. Roxanna." He nods with a smirk and I blush, forgetting about Jamie and Christine's presence. He adjust his back, "I'll be going off now."

He walks away and I raise a finger at my girlfriends saying 'one minute' without really saying it, before I run after him. "Where're you off too?"

He looks at me, "Biology."

"Crap, I have History." I say pouting down, "do we have any classes together?"

He shrugs, "I don't know."

"Let me see your schedule then." I say holding out a hand.

"So you can stalk me?" He ask with a smirk.

I gasp dramatically, "Now why would I ever do that?" He shakes his head, handing me his schedule nevertheless. My eyes scan it and I'm close to crying before I finally see it. "Yea, we have gym class together."

"Great." He deadpans and I hit his arm.

"Hey, you get to see me in shorts so that should really be great." I say handing him back his schedule.

"Why should that be great?"

"Because, Mr Maurice, I happen to rock shorts." I say and I actually get a smile out of him. "See ya."

"Wouldn't miss it." He says and I don't bother to question whether it was sarcasm or not. I return to my friends, a broad smile on my face.

"What was that?" Christine ask eying the smile on my face.

"A growing, budding, whatever you want to call it, friendship." I say squatting down to my locker.

"You're unbelievable Anna." Jaime says with a smile and I smirk.

I make it to history class, for once in a blue moon with a happy mood but that great mood immediately plummets when a certain captain sits next to me.

"Morning, Roxy."

Oh God.

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