David nodded, smiling.

"Do you think we should go say hello?" I asked.

"No, they'll come over when they finish. For now-" he shrugged, "-I kinda like this."

So did I. In fact, I kinda hoped they didn't notice us at all.

The corner of David's mouth twitched, breaking his face into a grin.

"What? Why are you smiling?"

"No reason," he said.

I turned my face away, feeling heat rise up in my cheeks. Sometimes it felt like he knew exactly what I was thinking.

"Why do you do that?" He cupped my chin, turning my head.

"Do what?"

"You turn your face away when you blush," he said delicately. "I wish you wouldn't."

"It's embarrassing."

"It's sweet."

My breath fluttered as our eyes locked together for an awkward moment. Well, awkward for me-he seemed perfectly at ease. "You know, you have an irritating quirk, yourself."

"I do?" he said.

"Yes."

"And what might that be?"

"That!" I pointed to that smile-the one evident only by the two dimples above the corners of his lips, while his gaze drifted downward. "It's like you...I don't know, it's like you have a secret or a joke, and it's a good one, but you don't want to share it."

"Oh." He nodded, hiding the smallest hint of humour. "I guess I do, maybe do that-a lot."

I nodded.

"You're very observant, Ara-Rose."

"So, what is it? Why do you do it?"

"I just spend too much time in my own head, that's all."

"Like me?"

"Yeah, except...it gets pretty boring up here, so I find ways to amuse myself." The bright smile dropped instantly and his lost words hung in the air as I folded my arms and stole his smile for my own.

"So, am I boring you?" I asked.

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Hey, you two." Emily bounced up beside the table.

"Hey, Em."

"Check it out." She inclined her head to one side in a quick movement, hinting with her eyes.

"Oh my God, you guys," I beamed, seeing the joined hands of Alana and Ryan. "When did this happen?"

"Well." Ryan swept his fingers through his hair. "I kinda got the hard word put on me."

Alana raised her eyebrows in Emily's direction.

Emily shrugged. "You weren't there to talk with me about David this afternoon, so I had to find something to do."

David looked sideways at me, his radiant smile gleaming. "You talk about me?"

I blinked a few extra times, feeling pretty sheepish, and chose to ignore him. "Well, that's really cool, guys. I'm glad you finally got together."

"Yeah." Ryan shrugged. "I'm pretty happy about it."

They slid into the seat opposite us, while Emily slid in beside David, leaving a less than reasonable gap. I all but got my ruler out and measured it to the last millimetre.

"What can I get you guys?" a waitress said, popping up out of nowhere, pulling a pen from her ponytail.

David handed me the menu; I placed it back down, shaking my head. As the others rattled off their orders, he leaned in and whispered against my ear, "What's wrong? Why aren't you ordering?"

"I am," I said enthusiastically, logging the cool, minty scent of his breath in my memory. "I just don't need the menu." I looked at the waitress as a tray of burgers and fries passed her head. "I'll have that, thanks."

She turned around, then smiled when she looked back. "Okay, Betty Burger, fries and shake?" She wrote it down and looked at David.

"Same." He smiled.

"Okay, that'll just be a moment." She skipped off.

David stared at me. "That's a lot of food. Can you really eat all that?"

Evidence that he didn't know me very well at all. "I think we should have a challenge."

"I'm always up for that," Ryan said.

"Cool. It's a who can eat the most challenge?"

Emily shook her head. "Ew, no, sorry. Count me out. I'm on a diet."

My eyes bulged. "A diet?"

"Yeah. I mean, no, not like that." She waved her hands around. "It's just a healthy eating thing-to stay fit. I'm on top of the pyramid. If I weigh too much, someone could get hurt."

"Okay then. Alana?"

"Sorry. Count me out, too. I have a really small stomach. I'll probably lose on the first fry."

Ryan grinned wildly. "Count me in, sister." He shook my hand, then we both looked at David, who leaned back in his chair, linking his fingers behind his head.

"I don't know. I can eat a lot. I could probably eat you and not think twice about it." He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, titling his shoulders closer to me. "Do you think you're up for that kind of a challenge, little girl?"

"Bring it on," I said, and as I went to shake his hand, a jolt of static shot through us, making me yelp. "Ow. I hate that."

"Sorry." David touched the sleeve of his thin black sweater. "I'm wearing wool."

"Wool?" I exclaimed with a certain amount of accusation in my tone. "How do you even know that's wool? You're a guy!"

He leaned on his hand, resting his knuckles just beside his smile. "A guy who knows what wool feels like."

"Sometimes I think you know too much for your age, David Knight."

"Well, I come from a wealthy family." He distracted himself, swapping the salt label with the sugar one. "Grooming and Deportment were lessons of great significance during my upbringing."

"Grooming and what?" Emily asked.

"Etiquette classes," I informed, leaning around David to look at her. "I had to do them in modelling school when I was ten."

"Oh." She sat back, staring ahead thoughtfully. "Hm, that makes sense on so many levels."

Yup, I thought so too. Being raised like an English Lord explained why he was so charming and charismatic and...otherworldly.

When we finished dinner, David and Ryan discussed, rather heatedly, their opinions on the best guitar brands while I lost myself to thought, sliding my finger over the condensation on my milkshake glass. The waitress took our plates and left the bill, which David snaffled quickly, opening his leather wallet. "I'll get this one, guys."

"Are you sure, man?" Ryan offered a fifty.

"Yeah. Hundred percent." David nodded, laying the cash out with a rather large tip to accompany.

"Well, thanks," Ryan said. "I'll get the next one."

David nodded, leaning forward to stuff his wallet in his back pocket.

"Ara." Emily leaned around David to look at me. "You're not human, are you? How do you eat so much?"

I patted my belly. "I like my stomach to be full."

"No kidding," she said.

"Well, I think it's good to see a girl eating," Ryan said. "Don't you, Dave?"

"Yeah." He looked at me with soft eyes, then linked his fingers through mine under the table. "I don't have to be one of those guys who's gotta convince his girlfriend to eat. Huh! She'll probably eat mine t-" he stopped mid-sentence.

Everyone at the table stared at him, including me.

"Girlfriend?" Emily said. "So, it's official?"

David just sat incredibly still, barely breathing, and certainly not speaking, so I squeezed his hand and nodded.

"Yes," David said smoothly, turning slightly to look at Emily. "It's official."

"Hey, that's really awesome, man. Congrats." Ryan reached out and they shook hands, bumping knuckles after.

"I knew it," Emily practically squealed. "I just knew she'd be your type, David."

"I don't think I have a type, Emily," he said, and wrapped his arm around me. "But Ara's pretty much everything I ever wanted in a girl."

Everyone made a cheering-yet-that's-totally-lame noise at David's mushy statement, but my whole body flooded with warmth, making me feel almost dizzy.

"Way to make me look bad, man," Ryan said, laughing once. "If I even tried to say something like that I'd be accused of reading poetry from the Lame Book of Things Guys Shouldn't Say."

We all laughed, and David pulled me closer until my head rested between his jaw and shoulder, our thighs touching, the warmth from under his arm making the sharp, sweet smell of his cologne so much stronger; a spicy scent, like Brut, not the orangey-chocolate one he usually wore.

"Guess that just leaves me now," Emily said, leaning on her hand.

"Well, if you're not with Spencer soon, maybe you should meet my best friend-he's coming to visit in a few weeks." I leaned around David to look at her.

"Is he from Australia?" she asked.

"Mm-hm." I put my drink down on the table. "And he's really cute."

"Cute, is he?" David raised one brow.

"Actually, yes. He is."

"What does he look like?" Emily leaned further around, forcing David to sit back a little.

"Well, why don't you come have a sleepover at mine next Saturday and I'll show you some pics."

"Yeah? I'd actually really like that."

"Cool. Alana, you wanna come, too?" I asked, allowing myself to feel the excitement of a normal teenager for a moment.

She looked at Ryan and smiled, shrinking into herself a little more. "Um, yeah, if Emily doesn't mind?"

"Mind? Of course you should come. Hey, I'll bring a movie, yeah?"

"Yeah, and I'll get a pizza," I added.

"Better make that two," Ryan said. "Otherwise the girls'll go hungry."

"Funny." I rolled my eyes.