"Hey, I'm home!" I scream as I enter the kitchen through the back door.

"Hey! How was work?" Cayden asks as he walks into the kitchen from the living room.

"It was alright. I've decided to make the most of what I have, you know? I should be grateful I got the job in the first place." I collapse on one of the high chairs in the kitchen.

"That makes sense. Crying and whining won't help."

"I didn't whine!" I exclaim, indignantly even though I know that I, in fact, did whine.

"Yeah sure and I'm not a perfect specimen of a human. Just saying things won't make them true, you know?"

"Someone's got a healthy ego."

"Someone's got swollen feet." Cayden points at my feet which I had been massaging.

"It's hard standing around all day." I offer him a small smile and he doesn't reply back. Without our banter, the house is silent now. Too silent.

"Where is everyone?" I ask Cayden as I get off of the chair and start rummaging around in the fridge.

"Filip went to ho- um, I mean- meet Stacy. Belle, Jason and Creed went for a drive. Why didn't you eat anything at the diner?"

"If I eat there, it'll be cut from my salary and I don't know what will be left of it after the cuts. Why didn't you go with them?" I shut the fridge in frustration. Stupid fridge couldn't even have the things I want to eat.

"Belle was really adamant about me staying here and waiting for you."

Damn, Belle. Why you gotta be this way?

"I can't believe you actually did."

"Well, I tried to fight it but..." Cayden trails off and I gesture him to continue with my hands.

"But what?"

"Uh, Belle scares me a little bit. And by little bit, I mean a lot."

I laugh at this but immediately keep a straight face when I realize Cayden does not see the humor in the situation.

"I feel you. She's like a tiny firecracker." He cracks a smile at that and I find myself smiling back at him.

To say that my emotions towards Cayden have softened after the remote incident would be an understatement. I cannot stop thinking about his soft lips on my hands and wondering how they would feel against my lips.

"-We can go now if you're up for it." Cayden continues and I snap out of my daydreaming. I didn't listen to a single word he just said. I can only imagine how foolish I looked just staring at him sappily while he talked.

"Um, could you repeat that? I'm so tired that my ears are ringing." I say, praying that ringing ears can be caused by fatigue.

"I was saying that we can go to Shalom to eat but I really think we should go to the hospital instead. That ears ringing thing doesn't sound too good." He actually looks concerned as he says this.

"What? No, I'm fine! I'll just take a quick shower and then we'll leave."

"I'll be waiting."

- - - - -

"I will have one club sandwich with extra cheese, a plate of onion rings, a plate of French fries, a slice of apple pie and a lemon iced tea. What about you, Cayden?" I list my order to the waitress, who is furiously writing it all down.

"Are you sure you can eat all that?" Cayden throws me an incredulous look from the top of his menu.

I laugh before continuing, "Watch me."

Cayden orders an Alfredo pasta with coke and the waitress leaves our table.

Shalom is a beautiful café. The type of small businesses where everything is purely aesthetic and every corner Instagram worthy. The lighting is dim which creates a very cosy atmosphere. The popular pop songs are playing in the background but not too loudly that you can't converse with your partner. I didn't come to Shalom a lot because the place intimidated me. It might not make a lot of sense but I always felt like the place was a little too 'cool' for me.

"So, how's it hanging?" I ask Cayden, trying to break the ice.

"What's hanging?" He raises an eyebrow at me and I feel myself blush a little at his suggestive tone.

"Uh, life?" I say doubtfully.

"It's going good. The last couple of weeks have been particularly interesting."

"Is that so?" I ask, trying to calm my beating heart. Is it because of me? I want to ask him but refrain myself to spare me the embarrassment.

"Yes, it is so." Cayden goes back to studying his menu even though we finished ordering already.

"Why is it interesting all of a sudden?" I prod him again.

"Dog with a bone, eh?" He retorts, still not taking his eyes away from the menu.

"Is that your way of calling me a bitch?" This grabs his attention.

"Recycling jokes now, are we?"

"Why is it that all of our sentences are actually questions?"

"That was a question right there."

"And that wasn't."

The air thickens and we stare at each other for a while.

"You guys have weird conversations." A voice breaks the tension between us and both of us whip to look at the source of the voice.

"Jack, Finn! How are you guys?" Cayden gets off of his stool and fist bumps Jack and then goes to hug Finn.

I sit there awkwardly on my high rise stool waiting for the guys to shoo.

"Do you guys want to join us?"

Damn you, Cayden Parker.

"Sure. How can I miss the chance to sit with a beautiful girl?" Jack positions his stool closer to mine and shoots me his winning smile, which is very popular with the ladies.

I internally gag. I remember the last time I met Jack was when I confronted Cayden about his inability to actually do work in a group project. Even at that time, Jack was an insufferable jerk who shamelessly checked me out. And now he's an insufferable jerk who's sitting inches away from me because my ex-crush invited him to our table.

Finn, on the other hand, offered me a quite smile and took his seat opposite Jack which I thought was really funny because Finn is the actual opposite of Jack.

Jack is loud and obnoxious whereas Finn is quiet and calm. Jack is notorious for being a playboy but Finn was a sweet, innocent guy. I don't know how all of these guys with their contrasting personalities became such good friends.

"We've already ordered. So, you guys go ahead." Cayden pushes our menus towards them.

We spend the entire time talking and I have to admit, Jack is a pretty funny guy. When he wasn't throwing me suggestive looks or showering me with cheesy compliments, he really did crack me up. I genuinely laughed so many times at his jokes. He kind of reminded me of Creed and I love Creed.

"You know? You should be like this more often." I tell him when Cayden and Finn are deep in their own conversation.

"Be like what?" He scoots closer to me, happy that we are now talking about him.

"Relaxed. You're actually a nice guy when you don't try so hard."

"Oh, honey. I never have to try hard." He winks at me and I roll my eyes.

Around six 'o' clock, we finally leave Shalom and go our separate ways. I hop into Cayden's car, waiting for him to finish saying goodbye to his mates. Finally, he joins me and revs up his car.

En route to the house, he surprises me with a question.

"So, Jake is a pretty nice guy, right?"

I narrow my eyes at him, suspicious of where the conversation is leading.

"Uh, I don't really think so. He's too sexed up, ya know?" I make a face when I think about all the lines he had been bouncing off of me.

It must be hard being such a beautiful girl in such an ugly world. 

Cue the shuddering. 

"No, but you'd like him if he were more... relaxed." Cayden finishes off with a grin and I smack his arm.

"You were eavesdropping!" I exclaim indignantly.

"You guys were pretty loud. It's not my fault." He raises one hand from the steering wheel in defence.

"Well, he's funny. Kind of reminds me of Creed. Why are we talking about him again?" I ask Cayden, genuinely wishing for a topic change.

"I think he'll be good for you."

"What?!" I sputter out, completely shocked.

Was Cayden trying to set me up with his promiscuous friend? Did that remote accident happen in my dreams? Did Cayden hit his head? Is he a moron?

The answer to the last question was definitely a yes.

"I think he would be good for you. Help you loosen up."

"I am loosened up!"

Cayden scoffs at that. I cross my hands against my chest and stare out of the window, my mind racing with thoughts.

I was stupid to think that Cayden would like me. He kissed my hand! It was not even a pucker on the lips and I was already over-hyping it so much.

"You aren't loosened up, alright? Jake would do a great job of unwinding you." Cayden continues, his brain incapable of identifying the right moment to shut up.

"Why Jake? Why not you?" I ask him without thinking. I'm so angry, I can feel every inch of my body tensing up.

What Cayden is doing is worse than rejection. He was actually setting me up with someone!

"Me?" He takes his eyes off his road to look at me and make sure that I was actually being serious.

"Why me?" He asks again, bewildered.

Uh, only because I've had a crush on you for three years and I can't stop thinking about the time you kissed my hands and nibbled on my neck even though now that I think about it, it was practically nothing for you.

"I didn't think this conversation through." I think out loud.

"You really didn't." He agrees with me, "You didn't answer my question yet."

"Why should I?" I shoot back, my voice rising in anger.

"Because when people ask questions, they expect answers back." He replies, his volume increasing as well.

"You didn't answer my question." I point out with a smug expression on our face.

"I won't answer your question until you answer my question."

"What are you, five?"

"No, actually, I'm a ten. Thanks for noticing."

"I will break you."

"Why are you shouting?"

"I'm not shouting! You're shouting!" I shout at him and immediately shut my mouth at his victorious expression.

"You do know what loosen up means, right?" He ventures again into that topic. Thankfully, Cayden is so handsome because his brain ain't that great.

"I have an idea, yes." I mutter back, slouching in my seat. It's another fifteen minute journey to the house and I'm stuck in such a cramped space with him.

"So you want me to make out with you?" He says make out but we both know that's the mild version of what he's implying.

What am I even supposed to say that? Hells to the yes?

I turn to look at Cayden whose delicate features are twisted into a worried expression. His dark brows are drawn together and his lips are slightly pouted.

Is that what Cayden feels when he thinks about kissing me? Worry?

"No, I don't. Let's just drop this topic, please." I turn to look outside the window, completely ignoring Cayden.

I can only pray that I hold back my tears long enough to reach home.

A/N: Uh-oh. There's trouble in an island that is prone to a lot of problems. What do you guys think? Why is Cayden acting this way? Can't wait to read all your thoughts!

Hope you guys loved this chapter. Have a nice day! :D