Not Who You Thought (BxB Drama-Romance)

Allison and The Zoo Animals

Now

There are certain things I like about girls. I like when they wear lipstick because when they kiss me it leaves a mark. I like when they have painted nails, and curl their eyelashes. I like when they touch my arms while they flirt, and when they wear my jackets when it's cold. I like when they call me sexy and make me feel like a man.

Allison is eating a cinnamon raisin bagel, lightly toasted, with extra strawberry cream cheese. There's a minuscule speck of cream cheese sticking to the side of her mouth, and I want to reach over and wipe it off. I'm so distracted by the dab of strawberry clinging there that I can barely focus on what she is saying to me. I don't know if it would be weird if I wiped it off for her.

"Anyways." She leans forward in the chair, her ponytail swishing. She has completely dismantled her bagel, she asked for it cut in half, and then promptly cut it into quarters when we found a seat. As we've been talking she has slowly worked her way through each piece, taking apart the halves before popping them in her mouth. "That's how I started to play tennis. I'm disappointed they don't offer it here."

We're at the deli, sitting at a linoleum table set with salt, pepper, and ketchup. People have been coming in and out for the breakfast rush, picking up coffees and egg sandwiches. The deli isn't exactly the nicest place, but it feels homey inside and everyone in my town comes here to get breakfast and lunch sandwiches. It's the only place in town that has an espresso machine and bottles of flavored syrup, which is infinitely better than the dollar cup of coffee you can get at the single gas station in town.

"Sorry, no tennis." I try to sound sympathetic. "There's a girl's softball team and cheerleading, though. I'm sure you'd do great at either of those."

Allison would look gorgeous in a cheerleading uniform or the short shorts the softball players wear. The girls on those teams would absolutely hate her for it. She'd either rise to the top of the ranks in popularity or be torn apart by the rumor mill. They'd call her a skank and claim she slept with their boyfriends. They'd nominate her as cheer captain and she would get invited to every post-game party. I'm curious to see where she lands in the pecking order at school this fall; I have a feeling she's going to be in for a wild ride.

"I don't know." She plays with a piece of hair that frames her face. "It's senior year, I don't need to join a sport. I abhor going to the gym though, which makes me think I should at least try to join an extracurricular activity that keeps me active."

"You look great." I take a bite of my bacon, egg, and cheese. I asked for salt, pepper, and ketchup, and they added too much salt. I have a burn on the roof of my mouth from eating a toaster waffle before I let it cool, and the salt is stinging my wound and ruining the sandwich for me. "You don't need to go to the gym."

"It's not about aesthetics," she says, giving me a sharp look. "I won't conform to society's idea of how I should look. It's about keeping myself healthy."

Oh, fuck.

"Oh, yeah." I try to act like that's what I meant all along, even though I literally only go to the gym in order to upkeep visible abs. "Me too. I love working out because I want to keep my heart healthy." I don't care about my heart, I only care about my body looking a certain way. 

"Exactly." She nods.

"How's the bagel?" I thought taking Allison out would make me feel energized and excited, but it's making me feel exhausted instead. I didn't sleep great last night, probably because I had too many nerves about going on this date. It's Sunday morning and a bunch of people are here, most of the guys eyeing her up and down. I want to get in their faces and tell them 'this is my fucking date'.