Aiden's pov.

As Aiden opened his eyes, the first thing he thought was 'ow'

He rubbed the back of his neck, which felt strained.

"Morning cuz" Rudy greeted. "You lost, by the way. I'm pulling over, you have to drive"

Lovely. Amazing even. Guess who's driving 6 hours?

"Ugh, wait. Let's eat first." Aiden said, sitting up straight and immediately feeling a pang of pain in his back. And this is why, my dear audience, you do not fall asleep in the shotgun.

"Fine. There's a cafe over here, you wake up Shah"

Aiden braced himself for the smug comments from Aru and reached over to the back. He shook her.

"Shah, wake up. We're going to eat"

She didn't wake up.

"I lost the challenge"

She stirred.

"You won"

She woke up.

"Wow" Aiden muttered. "Just wow. We're going to eat."

"Okay" She said, stretching. "How's your back, grandma? Oh sorry, ammamma"

"Haha. So funny" Aiden deadpanned. It was kinda funny with the use of the nickname and the rest of the sentence, but he wasn't going to tell her that. "It's not as bad as my neck"

"Oh noooo" Aru drawled out with fake concern. "Are you listening to what the doctor said?"

"What is this? This is the most entertainment I've had in days" Rudy mused, parking the car. "I wanna take a role"

"You can be great, fat uncle Rudy" Aiden offered.

"Nah. I'll be Aru's brother. How's your neck, ammamma?"

"Be quiet. Both of you."

"That's such a grandma thing to say" Aru teased.

"Oh my god, when are you going to stop?" Aiden groaned.

"I'm sorry" Aru smirked. "Do you prefer Wifey instead?"

Aiden responded by slamming the door shut.

Aru got out as well, laughing the whole way. Rudy howled with laughter as well.

"Glad to see you're amused" Aiden said, coldly. He shouldn't be so hurt on some teasing but he was.

"Oooh. Someone's butthurt" Rudy said.

Aiden didn't answer. Aru walked by, patted his shoulder and muttered 'I'm just teasing' with a smile.

"Sometimes, teasing is a little too far" Aiden replied, pouting like a child.

"Sure. Anyway" Aru walked inside and took a seat. She took the menu and scanned it. Rudy sat opposite of her and took the other menu.

"Hey cuz! Come share with me, there aren't any other menus!" Rudy yelled over to him.

"Yeah. No thanks." Aiden replied walking toward Aru instead.

Aru's pov

Aru watched as Aiden turned her way instead. 'Uh oh! We're going to be sitting close to each other!' Aru thought. 'I know he doesn't feel the same way so I'm just gonna be super awkward and he'll not know why!'

He sat down. "Do you mind showing me?"

Aru didn't trust herself to speak so she just tilted the menu toward him. He shifted a little closer and their shoulders were touching.

She looked back at the menu and displayed a normal face. Aru was good at hiding emotions. She'd like to think of it as a talent. But Kara...

Kara was only five but she knew it wasn't a good thing.

"Your head's blocking my view" Aiden snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Too bad. Not my fault you're a head taller."

"Do you mind like, moving your head?"

"Yes, I mind. Why don't you sit next to Rudy over there? He has a seat next to him"

"I..." Aiden looked away from her.

"You...?" Aru repeated, looking up from the menu.

"I wanted to sit next to you"

Rudy smirked at Aru with raised eyebrows. He covered his face with the menu, but continued watching them.

Aru's face set on fire. She looked back at the menu. "Whatever. Just uh, you can see the other menu if Rudy's done with picking"

"Hey, Shah what's a hashbrown?" Rudy asked.

"You seriously don't know what a hashbrown is?" Aru asked incredulously.

"I'll just get a hashbrown" Aiden muttered, still not looking at her.

"Okay. Um I'll get some toast. Rudy?"

"Cakes made on a pan"

Aru and Aiden looked at Rudy. "You mean...pancakes?"

"Yeah!"

"Uh right" Aru said, shaking her head. "Drinks?"

"Coffee" Aiden replied.

"What type?"

"Americano"

"Kay. I'll get a cappuccino. Rudy?"

"Orange juice"

For the second time, Aiden and Aru looked at Rudy.

"What?"

"You actually like orange juice?" They both asked.

"Obviously, apple juice is better" Aru said at the same time as Aiden said "The last time you had orange juice you threw up"

"One, orange juice is by far superior and two, that was when I was 12! I've grown up now and coffee's disgusting!"

"I thought that too at first, but then I started drinking it to wake me up in the mornings. College sucks" Aru said.

The waitress came over. "Hi! What can I get for you?"

Aru squinted at the woman. Something about her seemed familiar. 'Lara' the name tag said.

"Um excuse me? Miss?"

"Oh! Oh um sorry. We'll order now"

They gave the orders and the woman-Lara went off.

"What's up, Shah?" Aiden asked, eyes fixed on her wrist. 'But of course! You have to scratch it at the worst times you idiot!'

"Um she just seems familiar. Maybe a person at college or something"

They sat in an uncomfortable silence. Aru racked her brain for conversation starters. Oh!

"Rudy, how's it going with Mini?" Aru asked propping her elbow on the table and resting her chin on her hand. She waggled her eyebrows at him.

"Uh-uhm" Rudy's entire face went red. "We're great actually. But no proper dates so far cause of all that's going on"

Aru suddenly felt guilty. Why was she bringing all of them into this? They didn't deserve to go through this stress with her.

"Alright, changing subject" Aiden said, seemingly sensing Aru's discomfort. "What's your guys' most hated thing someone could say?"

"Hmm. Mine would be 'Your hair looked better yesterday'" Rudy replied thoughtfully.

"Mine would be 'Ignorance is bliss'" Aru replied. She knew Mini's was 'I'm not scared or mad, just disappointed'.

"Mine would be" Aiden paused. "You're just like your father"

Everyone went silent. Aru looked uncomfortably outside. Rudy looked at the table. The silence was broken as Lara came in and placed their food on the table. She place a couple napkins and gave a folded one to Aiden and left.

Before Aiden opened it, Aru said "Who wants to bet it's her phone number?"

"Me. Why would she write her phone number on a napkin and not a paper?" Rudy asked.

"Papers are not so subtle. But fine. Whoever loses has to pay"

Aiden opened it revealing a phone number sprawled out. Rudy grumbled.

"Let's just eat" He mumbled.

Aiden kept glancing at the waitress, Lara. Aru felt a small dig in her stomach but she ignored it.

"Aren't you gonna eat, Wifey?" Aru asked, ignoring the dig when his eyes kept following Lara.

"Um yeah it's just" He looked back at her and studied her face intensely. Aru felt her skin heating up and she leaned back a little from the intensity. His eyes went all around her face and seemed to settle on her lips more. But she ignored that.

"Gosh, the tension's too much for a breakfast. Eat up" Rudy groaned.

Aru looked away quickly, but Aiden grabbed her face and turned it back.

"I wasn't done" He said, similar to when they were talking about his parents.

"Uhm" Aru muttered.

"Okay." Aiden said letting go of her face and started with his hashbrown. Aru felt as if there were a great big loading screen on her forehead. 'Okay what the fuck?'

Aru ate but at the corner of her eye she could still see Aiden glancing at Lara and then at her.

Rudy paid begrudgingly and they left the cafe, but before they left Aiden grabbed the tissue with the phone number on it.

Rudy went ahead into the shotgun, but Aiden stopped Aru before heading in.

"Shah" He said.

"Yeah?"

"Don't you think that waitress looked similar to you?"





Okay! Okay!

Oh my god my writer's blocks gone!

But I don't know if updates will come regularly.

Ok nothing here.

Thank you!

-Loife