The Inceptive Flame⎪✓

❨22❩

♀︎

"This is the only available spot we have outside, miss," The polite waitress gestures to a smaller table on the side and I smile in appreciation when I sit down. "Can I get you anything while you wait for your friend?"

"A coffee all black would be great, thank you," I propose and she leaves me with a small nod. It's important for me to be sitting outside because then I'm in the clear with wearing sunglasses without it being weird. Unfortunately for me, the sun hasn't shown itself for days so it's a little unusual, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that Elijah doesn't see the huge black and swollen eye of mine, that would only provoke questions that I'm not ready nor willing to answer. 

I stayed home from school for the rest of the week, but Elijah texted and asked if we could study Sunday, so here I am. We decided that it should be at a diner of some sort because I don't want it to be at my house and apparently he doesn't want it to be at his either. None of us shared a reason as to why, but it seems that both he and I are struggling a bit with life at home. This is fine though, a common ground between us. 

"Dakota?" His voice suddenly questions and my eyes find his, I give him a small smile and my body eases by his presence. He is wearing a black hoodie, his typical black skinny jeans, and old skool vans. His hair is disheveled as he runs a rough hand through it before sitting down, only making it messier and my stomach drops as I lick my lips. "Almost didn't recognize you under those sunglasses," He smirks easily. 

"Yeah," I say apprehensively and shrug my shoulders. "Trying out this new thing with an eye-catching style."

"You don't need to change anything, not in my opinion at least," As he says this, my cheeks heat up, it's not easy being terrible at receiving compliments and especially not coming from him.

"Thank you," Deciding to clear the air before we study for hours. "I know you must have so many questions about me punching Caspar, so ask away. You only get this chance once and after this, we're going to be studying, so."

His mood drops almost instantly, "I don't even want to know, love. If you punched him there must have been a good reason, not only that, but I can't argue with how much he deserved it after all the shit he's been saying about you."

I'm distracted by his lips the minute he calls me an endearing word, it's difficult not to react to him. I find him extremely attractive and that's nearly the recipe for disaster, his green eyes carry my gaze, and my heart flutters. "I had a good reason, but my friends don't even believe that so I won't blame you if you want to know."

"I'm not one to ask questions, no one is entitled to know what went down between the two of you. If anything I'm impressed with you, you certainly pack a solid punch," His smirk makes me breathless and I look away for a second to stop the stupid butterflies in my stomach.

"You surprise me, Black," I smile at him. 

"Gotta keep you on your toes, don't I?" The underlying suggestion in his words isn't missed and I bite my lower lip in an attempt to stop the grin from spreading. 

"That is what the professionals would say, yeah," I raise an eyebrow at him, his eyes fall to my lips and my breath hitches. This is becoming harder. 

"I quite like your eyes, love. Kind of bummed I don't get to see them because of your new style," He suddenly reveals, still focusing on my lips. He's not making it more manageable for me I can't take them off, but now I want to so, so much. 

Smiling at him, "I'm probably back to my old style in no time. It will make you miss me, Elijah, that's healthy, too, you know."

"Now I surely don't like the professionals," He says with a dangerously sexy smirk. 

Leaning across the table, he does the same and my palms grow sweaty, "You flirting with me is cutting our study session short."

"I didn't hear you complaining. Maybe I do it to stall and make sure we will have yet another date regarding our chemistry," He states proudly, his honest words I won't ever get used to. 

"I'm afraid I would have to say no," I joke and he mockingly seems offended. 

"Break my heart, love, why don't you?"

His hand reaches up for my sunglasses and I'm quick to push his fingers away with a laugh, "I'm not that easy."

"No, I know," He says with a sudden honesty. "But I had to try, missing a chance of seeing your eyes, it would give me nightmares tonight."

"And that wouldn't be a good thing?"

He raises a teasing eyebrow and I cross one leg over the other under the table, "Depends, I will crawl through your window in the middle of the night like they do in Twilight and all that. Is that attractive to you? Because then I surely will have the worst dream tonight."

"I would have to push you out of my window again, I'm one of those who don't appreciate when their sleep is disturbed. Not even by an attractive guy from school."

I don't recognize what I said before his smirk widens and he takes my hand in his larger one, sending tingles up my arm and small goosebumps rise on my skin, "Appreciate the compliment, love. You are very beautiful as well."

At this moment the waitress returns with my coffee, it's burning but not as scorching as my heated cheeks. For some reason I always have to place myself in these situations, it's embarrassing and I hate how smug he's acting right now like he is on top of the world. When she disappears I hold my hand up before he can say anything else, "Ignore I said that. Now, we really do have to study unless you want to fail and take senior year once more."

He casually leans backward in his chair, "Will you be there, too? Then count me the fuck in."

"Study, Elijah!" I exasperate and he only laughs at me, but finally gets to work nonetheless. My red cheeks can't deal with more of his insinuations, a girl needs her space to breathe and studying is exactly that for me right now. Some part of me enjoys the playful banter, though I won't ever admit that to him.