6. Sunday Breakfast

Chapter 6 -  Sunday Breakfast

   Something very strange happened to me during the night that had me thinking strongly. It was just around three in the morning when I woke up drenched in sweat from an explicit dream. Of course, my one AM thinking happened before I went to sleep. 

    It was so vivid and it was something that I no longer wanted to ever think of. It was the brutal murder of my sister. But this time, I was behind the knife and the images of my mother screaming bloody murder came into place.

  I tried my best to wash out the thoughts now that It was Sunday morning and I was currently getting ready, for what to be exact? 

   Well, I had to ditch Alex's offer of spending time to hang out after school on Friday due to the fact I couldn't come up with anything to tell my dad were I'd be. This was when having no friends started to play in and it sucked more than anything. Actually, not everything or anything, but it's pretty damn close.

   It was Friday morning, and I had to come up with something quick in order to be able to spend time with Alex. Obviously that had been a major failure. Actually, not major but it was still a failure how many ways you look at it.

It started out with my dad barging into my room, questioning my decor. 

"When are you going to take down all this band crap?" He pointed to the band posters that hung in my room. 

"Never," I retorted. "they'll be there until I die."

"Very funny, Laila." He sat down on my chair and started to go through my journals that lay on my small desk. "You don't seem to write as much as you used to."

I pursed my lips, he was of course right. "Just waiting for that one idea to spark in my head I guess."

"You know how I feel about it so I won't lecture you about it." He said, going through older journals from the previous years.

  My dad was a phenomenal writer and had everything going for him up until my mother ditched us. He had to stop pursuing his dream for my brother and I. It wasn't easy for a single dad to take care of his two motherless children and still have to put a roof over their heads.

  I had been blessed with the skills my father had. Writing was in my blood and it never wanted to leave me it seemed like.

    Now on with what my father was talking about to when he said how I knew how he felt about it. My dad wanted the best for me in every possible way, meaning if writing was something I wanted then so be it. But he didn't want me to become something for his dreams and not something for me. He didn't want me to be pressured into becoming a writer or author just for the sake of his dreams and ambition that once meant everything to him.

"Let's go out for dinner later, yeah?" My dad cut me from my thoughts. 

   My mind surged in panic of thinking of a way to say no but I didn't even think of a valid reason. I couldn't just say 'I'm actually going out with a boy that Derek doesn't like and made me promise to stay away from.'

  So I nodded my head with a fake smile, regretting every bone in me. I regretted my decision so much that I didn't bother going to school from the worry that built in me. The perks of having my dad leave off to work before I went to school came into play including when it was my brother who was the one in charge for me to get to school. Derek normally allowed me to skip school on occasions.

   Throughout the day, I caught up on my homework and other small things. I created scenarios in my head of how mad Alex would be at me, but I couldn't help it at this point. It would be a full school year of hearing his grunts and his face giving me the dirtiest look ever right at me.

I groaned loudly from my thoughts into my pillow, muffling my noise.

  "Watcha groaning about?" My dad startled me as he came into my room. "Let’s leave for dinner. It's already five."

  "Can you at least try to knock?" I scoffed as I put on my cardigan. I could never get privacy in this house and that annoyed me to no point. 

   It was when I was at the restaurant when the unexpected happened. We were eating out on the patio under a nice circling fan. The Sun was slowly setting, making the weather almost perfect.

"She'll have the classic cheese burger. Well done along with fries please."  Derek ordered for me. It was a ritual for us as a family. 

  I sighed and lay my tired head down on my hand.

     "It's rude to have elbows on the table, Laila." My dad raised his eyebrows, but I ignored him anyway. My thoughts were still playing out of what Alex was doing right now. I felt god awful about the situation. He probably hated me for abandoning him like that.

  I stared across at the busy sidewalks and the pedestrians. As I watched, I could hardly believe my eyes. I blinked a couple of times, making sure I was seeing exactly at what I thought who it was.

That 'who' had a name. Alexander Gaskarth, to be exact.

  Looking dead straight into my eyes, shaking his head in disappointment, Alex looked pissed with his eyebrows furrowed. I hurriedly look my napkin and searched through my purse for a pen. With luck, I did. 

  I stood up from my seat and raced out of the restaurant with my dad and Derek screaming my name from my surprising sudden move. I bolted down the street, hunting down for the one familiar face out of all the strangers that were crowded as I ran.

   I was half a block away from the restaurant when I finally found him. He was dressed in skinny jeans and a leather jacket. I grabbed a hold of his shoulder and turned him around, this was probably the most desperate thing I had done in a while.

Running out of a restaurant for a boy - What had gotten into me?

"Don't you dare." He spat. "Can't believe I was ditched by some pathetic girl."

  My heart sunk as the words came out of his mouth. I desperately wanted to say something but simply couldn't. This was all too much. Pathetic? I never felt so low in my life. 

  I scrambled onto the napkin in the messiest handwriting known to mankind in a hurry. It was hard to think of what I wanted to say in such little time. Especially on a napkin that wasn't meant to be written on by a pen that hardly worked. 

  My shaky hand delivered the napkin to him after writing something quick. It was my last hope and chance at this point. He probably wanted nothing to do with me, and it wasn't going to be long until Derek and my dad caught up with me.

  "Breakfast, Sunday?" He raised his eyebrows from my proposal. I felt my cheeks burn red as I nodded my head shyly. 

"Alright, I'll pick you up at that store or whatever around eight." He made the plan. "Don't be late."

  That was when he left, crushing the napkin into the pocket of his jacket as he walked away into the crowded sidewalk. 

 I finally caught my breath. I was almost positive that I was holding my breath for the entire time.

"What the hell was that?" My dad ran up to me. As he panted, he held a concerned facial expression. "Why did you leave like that?"

  I shrugged my shoulders loosely, keeping my head low as I was bashful. Neither my dad nor did Derek saw Alex, and I was beyond thankful for that. It wouldn't have turned out good if they did.

  "I think you're dehydrated. Let's get you back to the restaurant." My brother suggested, so we did. We walked back to the restaurant and ate our food in an awkward silence.

   This left me to where I was now this morning on Sunday. I was standing outside of the local store alone and waiting for Alex's arrival. Not to mention I was standing in complete fog that made it difficult to see anything five feet away. Plus, there was a chilling wind picking up.

  It was odd to think that just last week on Sunday, Alex walked me home after bumping into me at the exact store, and now I was here again to meet him.

   I checked my phone for the time. I sighed as the clock read eight-thirty. Was he ditching me? Was this pay back for yesterday?

  "What the hell am I even doing here?" I mumbled to myself. This was all stupid. Why should I ever believe a guy and his word? I started to walk down the road and feeling completely dumb that I even thought for one second that he actually wanted to have breakfast with me or to even hang out with me. This was all too good to be true.

   I heard a faint noise coming down the road, it sounded almost like an engine However I didn't bother to look back. It was probably not even him. Just another car that didn't contain Alex as a driver. 

But that was when the sound of the engine behind me came to a sudden stop. What if it' was a kidnapper?

Immediately, I look behind and to my surprise it was him, getting out of the car.

  "Where are you going?" He walked up to me. "The store is the other way." His thumb pointed to the opposite direction with a small smile that made me easily grin. 

We walked to his car together. It was a black 2004 Honda Accord. It was a little beat up, but it was still transportation.

  "Did you think I wasn't coming?" He asked once he started the engine. I rolled my eyes, again with how did he expect me to reply?

  I handed him a letter that he gladly opened as he drove. Car accident waiting to happen was all I could think while I watched him recklessly read the paper as he barely focused of driving.

   "You want to go here for breakfast?" His tone of his voice loudly spoke ' you have got to be kidding me'. I nodded my head with a smirk. "Most girls just want to go to Denny's or IHop. But no, not you."

I shrugged with a smile and tore my attention away from him.

Note to self - Stop staring at extremely attractive guy.

"You're cute when you smile. Did you know that?" 

  That made my smile go to ear to ear with wrinkles forming near my eyes along with a giggle that I didn't know I could even make. Why was I so giddy with him? Was it because of his appearance? Or his voice that made me shiver? Maybe the way he was so calm and collected? Boys were such weird creatures and the effects they can have on girls was truly something else, or maybe even boys as well.

   The rest of the ride was shockingly not awkward thanks to the radio and the short drive. We found parking and walked around town until we arrived to the one place I had in mind. I stopped in front of a tiny cute store that had an upstairs to it. 

  "This is it?" He pointed to the store. I grinned and shook my head. I pointed to the white wooden door to the side of the shop, that had stairs leading to the upper part of the building. 

  It was narrow, but it led to a cute breakfast restaurant that only a few people truly knew about. I was still trying to figure out how they were able to stay in business for as long as they did.

Nonetheless, the hostess guided us to a table near the large window that brought in light into the small area.

  The view was absolutely stunning, it showcased the full town in its early hour. The morning fog barely made a move and it was starting to sprinkle a little. I always loved the rain. It was relaxing to a level of a degree where I was content. It was so strange of how weather could set the mood for something or for someone.

"Baltimore seems to be under the weather today," He claimed, his body was slightly jittery. 

  I shrugged my shoulders. I didn't plan this out very well now that I thought about it more thoroughly. How was I going to be able to communicate with him? Anxiety washed over me when I thought of the possible chance that I could maybe trust Alex. Could I? Why was it that the small simple thing of talking be so difficult?

"This is probably the best one-sided conversation I've had in a while." He joked with a laugh. 

 The waiter came back and my palms started to sweat. This was the first time I had ever ordered food without my family.

 "What would you like to drink?" She asked Alex.

"Coffee. Black." 

"And same for you?" She directed to me. I hastily nodded my head. 

  Well that was easy, but there was a small problem; I didn't like coffee, especially black coffee. Great.

  "How do you even order your food?" He questioned. His elbow was prompt on the table, holding his chin as he stared at me. His eyebrows lowered as his lips were pursed.

   "Very good question, Alex!" He tried to imitate my voice, but it came off way too high and girly like. 

   I crossed my arms defensively and snorted from his impression. He was beyond ridiculous to actually believe I talked and acted like that.

"I don't get it," He knitted his eyebrows. "why don't you speak?"

    I sat back in my seat and let out a sigh. I stared down at the table, not really knowing what to even do. I even picked at my nails to pass the time. I knew he was staring at me, but It wasn't like I could do anything to stop it.

 Out of boredom, I scanned the restaurant, and to my surprise I saw Mr. James. Alex must have had noticed and he spoken up. "Small world, isn't it?"

  I put my elbow on the table and hid my face with my hand. I didn't truly wanted to be seen here with Alex by anyone. Or did I? There probably wouldn't be an outcome if someone did, but I wasn't taking the chance.

  "Is someone embarrassed to be seen with me out in public?" He smirked deviously. "Oh look, he's looking over here right now."

  My mouth dropped with shock and my eyes bulged from what he was started to do. Of course, he was causing attention to get Mr. James to come here. 

  "Hey! Mr. James!" He waved his arm high in the air. I reached across the table in panic, grabbing his arm and pulling it down. I took out a piece of paper and pen and jotted down 'Are you crazy?' as fast as my hand could possibly go. I was beyond furious at his actions. 

  He laughed mockingly as he read the paper, and then blankly tossed it in the middle of the table. "Most girls at the school would do anything to be where you are."

I scolded from his over-confident sentence. He had to be kidding. 

"What?" He let out an over exaggerated grasp. "You don't believe me?"

Coming to the rescue, the waitress came with our drinks before I could do anything, talk about perfect timing...

"Are you ready to order?" She asked, flipping out her pocket-size notebook.

"I'll have two eggs, bacon, and hash browns."

  The waitress looked at me, waiting for my order. I was voiceless and vulnerable at the sudden request to speak. I tried to say something, but fail as I choked as my attempt.

Luckily, and much to my relief, Alex ordered for me.  "She'll have the same."

   For the rest of time, we ate in silence with the background noise of the busy morning of the restaurant. It wasn't as awkward as I expected to be. The calming noise of the rain drained out most of the tension along with the clatter of pots and dishes being served.

 After we were done, we walked out into the slow occupied town with the rain slowly disappearing. The fresh smell was exhilarating and reviving into my soul. The dew on the grass around us made the grass a brighter green with the garden fresh smell. 

  I took a moment to enjoy everything around me with my eyes shut to really take in my surroundings and the wonderful smell that I couldn't get enough off.

  It was all ruined by a sudden bulky voice barking, "Would you look at this, Alex has his next girlfriend of the month."

  In a sudden motion, Alex jumped guard in front of me, his his one arm out protecting me from the three men before us. He stood tall and towering, keeping me sheltered. 

"Go. Away. Caleb." Alex gritted his teeth with every word he spoke. Caleb appeared to be a strong buff guy with black short hair that didn't look pleasant at all.

   "What are you going to do about it, Alexander?" The other one said, with a heavy New Jersey accent.

  "I'll bash your skull into the concrete if that's what you need me to do." Alex's voice was venomous and his wrath shocked me to no point. I had never seen Alex like this. He was boiling with rage and the color of his face turning into a deep red as he glared at the three guys.

Caleb began to circle around Alex and I as we were his prey, causing me to become uncomfortable by the stare he was giving me.  "Come on, guys. Let's get out of here."

   Alex grabbed a hold of my hand and quickly led me to his car without a word being said, although I deserve an explanation.  

     "I'm so fucking sorry, Laila." He apologized after a long painful silence once we got into the car. He ran his hands through his hair in distress. 

   "Fuck!" He blurted out, and banged his hand onto the steering wheel, making me jump a little from my seat. It was awful seeing Alex this furious. Something no one deserved to see was the least to say. It was like Hell was released from him and the demon was on display in front of my own two eyes, putting on a show for me.

  "I know what you're thinking." He rubbed his face for another countless time. Sure, I wanted to know who those men were and why they acted towards Alex in that way, but what I really wanted to know was what was going on in his mind. 

"It's a long story that I don't wish to repeat."

Talk about relatable.

"I come with history just like anyone else. Mine just happens to be on a not so good side."

  The rain heavily picked up, pouring onto the car making pounding noises on top of the roof. The streets start to flood and I could no longer see outside of the windshield. I could barely hear myself think from the thumping of the rain and it only made my heart beat faster.

I now hated rain.

"You probably want to go home." He sighed in defeat as he turned on his engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

  It was a painful and silent ride but shortly we pulled into the driveway of my house. Confused, my eyebrows knitted from the sudden realization that Alex shouldn't know where I live.

     "You didn't expect me to really believe that was your actual house the other day, did you?" He gave off a sly smirk. He was one sneaky bastard.

  "Anyway, thanks for coming out for breakfast. At least we're alive, right? Maybe next time there won't be any interruptions." He gently smiled and sat back in his seat.

   I laughed from his optimistic sentence that lightened the mood. I got out of his car and reached to my porch. I sweetly wave back to him as he drove out of the driveway.

  From that moment on, they had breakfast together every Sunday when the time was convenient. When they did have the time to spend mornings together, two eggs don't last like the feelings of what he needs. Rumour has it that he goes there every Sunday to linger around just to see if she'll be there whenever he was home from touring. He's hopelessly in love. Too bad she's done something terrible.

______

a.n

To the side is Alex's car or above the chapter if you have the new update. 

Vote and comment whatcha think :)

Tll next time,

-Kc Jun.7.2014