"Love is a great beautifier."

- Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

"This book is actually pretty good," Will mumbled to himself, turning to the next page. He was laying on his bed on his back, reading peacefully by himself.

Or, at least, he was, until Alice burst in.

"Will, can you-" Alice began, but stopped after examining the cover of Will's current read. "Why are you reading Little Women?"

"Um, it's a classic." Will replied sassily.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Whatever, I don't even care. Anyway! The real reason I came in here was to ask... can you take Odette and me to Ivy Cafe?"

"First of all," Will bookmarked his page as he sat up. "It's 'Odette and I.'"

"I didn't ask for a grammar lesson."

"And second of all, no."

"What? Why not?" Alice asked with pleading eyes.

Will lifted Little Women and shook it in the air. "As we previously discussed, I am reading."

"Will, why are you the most boring brother from Boring Brother Planet?" Alice asked, crossing her arms. "I bet if I had an older sister, she'd want to go on fun coffee dates with me."

"It's not that I don't want to go, it's that I'm too busy to go. You can't interrupt a man who's reading, that's rule number one. And, since you have, it's going to take me even longer to get back into the groove I was in." Will adjusted his glasses. "Also, can't mom take you?"

"She's at some lame teacher meeting." Alice replied.

"Ok, what about dad?"

"Ew, no. Not a chance."

Alice and Will simply looked at one another, as if they were having an entire conversation with only their eyes. Finally, Will caved in.

"Fine, I'll take you."

"Yes! Thank you!"

"Only after I finish this chapter," Will added.

"Fine, whatever." Alice giggled as if she were a little girl again, running off to her room. "I'm gonna get changed!"

Will couldn't help but smirk. Living with Alice certainly had its ups and downs, but it managed to keep life interesting.

After about two minutes, Alice popped her head back in Will's room.

"One more thing-"
Will groaned. "If you keep interrupting me, I'm never going to finish this chapter."

"I know, I know, I know." Alice replied. "I was just going to say... if you want, you could bring your girlfriend with us."

Will's face lit up like a red Christmas bulb. "She isn't my girlfriend," he murmured.

"Not yet, she's not." Alice confidently stated. "Odette and I can help you out."
"Oh, really? Two freshmen girls are going to help me secure a significant other?"

"Absolutely!" Alice exclaimed. "Girls are great judges of character."

"Sure. What's the real reason you want me to invite her?"
Alice rolled her eyes playfully. "Alright, alright, I want you to be largely outnumbered."

"Knew it."

"Whatever, weirdo." Alice stuck out her tongue. "You better be done in ten."
"I'm a slow reader."
"You are not, you liar!"

Will shrugged coolly as Alice laughed.

"I'll get you to stop reading somehow."

"Better hurry. Ten minutes are a-tickin', Buttons." Will said, checking the invisible watch on his wrist.

Alice scurried toward her room once again as Will opened his book up again. Unfortunately, all the excitement had thrown off his reading groove completely, and his brain couldn't comprehend any of the words laid out in front of him. He was rereading paragraphs thrice over. He couldn't stop thinking about the possibility of seeing Indie in a matter of minutes.

Will couldn't stand it anymore. He put his book down and feverishly texted Indie.

Will: Hey, Indie! I miss you. Want to go out for coffee with my sister, her friend and I later today?

He sent the text before he could think about changing the wording or retyping it completely. He let out a deep exhale.

Just as Will set his book down on his nightstand, Alice popped her head in his room a third time.

"Has it been ten minutes yet?" Alice asked, beaming with excitement.

Will let out a sigh. He felt like a tired, old dad taking care of a needy toddler. "No, but what does it matter now?" He stood up from his bed. "Grab your coat."

"Yes!"

~ * ~

Ivy Cafe looked exactly how it sounded like it should look: a lush, warm, inviting coffee shop full of flowers and vines. The dark mahogany walls and hardwood floor perfectly suited the dark green accent colors that donned the booths and chairs. There was dim lighting coming from lanterns that hung from the ceiling at different heights. Walking into the cafe felt like being embraced and smelled like a cinnamon candle.

Alice and Odette giddily ran up to the counter to order as Will semi-patiently waited for Indie to enter the shop. He didn't want her to feel lonely when she arrived, so he endured the awkward glances and judgmental stares he got as other customers walked in and saw him standing by the door.

Indie was slightly startled when she saw someone next to the door, but after she realized it was Will, her gaze softened.

"Goodness, you gave me a little scare there," Indie chuckled.

"Sorry about that," Will looked down, blushing profusely as he scratched the back of his neck. "Um... wanna grab something to drink? It's on me."

"Sure." Indie replied.

Will escorted Indie toward the counter, ensuring he was standing a comfortable distance away from her as they walked.

"So, where's your sister?" Indie inquired, recalling her first meet up with her and Will at the Redding's.

"Oh, she and her friend Odette had to get their drinks, ASAP." Will said in a mocking tone, which made Indie giggle. "I guess if we can't find them, we'll have to find a table for two."

Indie looked into Will's diamond blue eyes and blushed, turning away quickly. She thought back to the Three Date Test Drive conversation she'd had with her mom earlier that same day. She decided that she could confidently check "personality" off of her list of qualities that Will needed to possess.

"What would you two like to order?" The woman behind the counter inquired.

"Can I have a hot chai latte please?" Indie asked, twirling her long blonde hair between her fingers.

"You sure can," the cashier said with a wink. "And for you?"

"I'll have what she's having," Will replied. He resisted the urge to look at Indie's reaction to this statement as he tried to keep it cool. He could just tell that she was smiling from ear to ear.

Will paid for their drinks and the two moseyed over to the pickup counter, standing an awkward amount of inches away from one another.

Will cleared his throat. "So, um... nice weather we're having?"

Indie nodded, pursing her lips as she tried to think of a great conversation piece. She didn't know how to pick up from where they left off at the park. Her brain was an empty wasteland of nothingness.

"Two hot chai lattes!" A barista yelled from the pickup counter as she shoved the drinks forward. Both Will and Indie were internally relieved that the awkward silence between them had ended, and, even if it were to continue, they'd at least have something to do during said silence.

Will led Indie to a cute little corner seat that was far away from Alice and Odette. Will pulled out Indie's chair for her and allowed her to sit down.

"Thank you," Indie said, setting her drink down on the table before her.

"You're welcome," Will replied as he scooted in.

Indie blew on her chai before taking a long sip. "Have you ever tried a chai latte?"

"Nope," Will replied with a smile. "I wanted to see what all the hype was about."

"Alright, well... cheers." Indie said, holding her paper cup in the air over the table. Will clinked his cup against hers and they took a sip together.

Will let out an exasperated sound, opening his mouth and fanning it with his hand. "It's a bit hot," he grumbled.

"Oh, gosh, are you alright?"

Will immediately threw a thumbs up. "No, yeah, it's great though! I love it!" He managed to say. "My tongue may be scarred for life, but hey, at least my stomach is happy."

Indie laughed so hard that she nearly shot chai out of her nose. She crossed "funny" off of her imaginary list.

Before Indie could begin another round of her question-asking frenzies, Alice fled to Will and Indie's table, clearly hyped up on sugary coffee.

"What are you two lovebirds doing?" Alice asked, pulling a third chair up to the small table.

"Nothing that needs your nose in it," Will replied, adjusting his glasses.

"So, Indie, you've decided to continue hanging out with my weirdo brother, I see?" Alice surveyed the scene.

"Uh... yes, I suppose I have." Indie replied.

"Interesting choice," Alice took a suspicious sip of iced coffee. "Well, I don't really know you, but I think I like you."

"Oh, well, that's good-"

"You like to read, right?" Alice inquired.

"Um... yes, yes I do. I love reading classic novels and historical fiction, mostly romance."

"Romance is my favorite too!" Alice exclaimed. "See? We already have so much in common."

Indie laughed. "It appears that way."

"So, when are you coming over to our house?" Alice asked. "I'm sure Will and I's mom would love to meet you."

Indie looked up at Will, whose face was a brand new shade of red. "I guess that's kind of up to Will," She answered.

Will wanted to hide under his flannel. He knew this was a bad idea. "Alice, you're ignoring the friend you brought. Why don't you go and catch up with her?"

Alice shrugged. She gave Indie a quick pat on the back. "I hope I see you around."

Indie smiled as Alice scurried back to her seat, coffee at the ready.

Will hid his face in his hands. "This was such a bad idea..." He said, his voice muffled. "I'm so sorry, I-"

"Hey, what? There's no need to apologize. I'm enjoying myself, even if the circumstances aren't 'perfect.'" Indie shrugged. "I like them just how they are."

"You do?"

"Of course. It makes it so much more exciting." Indie said. Her eyes widened. "I mean- not that you're boring or anything, I just mean- oh, darn it, that came out wrong." She added with an awkward laugh.

"I know what you mean," Will replied. "I say a lot of stupid things... especially to you."

Indie lifted her cup and motioned for Will to do the same. "Here's to saying and doing stupid things. May we always do them together from now on."

"I'll drink to that," Will said with a chuckle. "Cheers."

"Cheers."

They both took long swigs of their chai lattes as they tried to stealthily steal glances at each other. They both failed miserably, of course, but a valiant effort was put forth.