"Shut up Darren, we're not that bad!" Sophie giggled, chucking a packet of sugar across the table at Darren, who was trying his best to keep a lid on his hysterics.
"Not that bad?" He managed to breathe out after his fit of giggles died down. "You're practically eating each other!"
Darren and Sophie were best friends and as her best friend, one of Darren's privileges was that he was allowed to mock Sophie and her boyfriend's over the top relationship and the worst he could expect was a packet of sugar chucked at him. Seeing as Darren and Sophie came to this cafe every lunch time he had gotten used to the attacks by now. All the other customers kept staring disapprovingly at them but since Sophie's boyfriend Sam worked at the cafe, they were never kicked out.
"I hate public displays of affection" Darren said, catching one of the sugar packets and tossing it back at Sophie.
"Excuse me? What about you and Debbie? You two are always attached to one another whenever I see you. You're worse than Sam and I, I swear!" Sophie giggled, ducking from the incoming sugar packet.
"Hey! That's not true and you know it. Debbie and I are low key, which is why we're known as the cutest couple in school, rather than you and Sammy boy over there!" Darren retorted, sticking his tongue out at Sam who looked up from the customer he was serving to flash a grin in Darren and Sophie's direction.
"Sam doesn't even go to our school!" Sophie shrieked, before returning to her assault on Darren with the sugar packets.
"Yeah and you never let us forget it!" Darren laughed, coughing and adjusting himself in his chair before putting on a ridiculously shrill voice. "Sam is SOOO Mature! I'm so glad I'm dating an OLDER boy! Because Sam works he always buys me pretty things!"
"That was a terrible impression." A voiced drawled.
This caused Darren to turn in his seat because the voice hadn't come from Sophie who was sitting opposite him, nor had it come from Sam who was still busy serving customers at the counter. In fact the voice had come from behind Darren. And stood behind Darren was a boy similar age to him with short brown hair jutting up in all different directions and eyes a distinct hazel colour. He was slightly smaller than Darren but he was slightly more muscular. He was dressed in tatty jeans and a dark leather jacket but the oddest thing about this boy by far was the fact that Darren had never seen him before in his life.
"Excuse me?" Darren muttered in disbelief, more to do with the person who insulted his impression rather than the insult itself.
"I said that was a terrible impression. I'd stick to your day job If I were you" The boy smirked as he leant against the wall opposite Darren and Sophie's table, arms folded across his chest and a rather bored expression plastered over his face as he scanned the rest of the cafe.
After the boy had finished scanning the room, his eyes returned back to the table and they soon settled on Darren. For a moment, both boys looked in to each other's eyes, their expressions unreadable and Darren could have sworn he saw a small smirk form on the lips of the mysterious boy. Sophie picked up on the tension between the two boys and cleared her throat nervously, trying to make this moment a lot less uncomfortable.
"Err, Darren, this is Steve. Steve this is Darren" Sophie said, whispering to Darren "he goes to our school."
"Well, I go when I can be bothered" Steve said, his expression not altering once except for that small smirk that formed when his eyes rested on Darren.
Darren tried his hardest to stare down Steve but something about the look he got in return from the boy made him feel nervous. He didn't feel like the stare from Steve was threatening in any way but there was just something about the way he was looking at him that made him feel funny inside, and the smirk didn't do much to help. Darren gulped as Steve held is gaze and within a second he realised what a mistake that was because he could see the smirk on Steve's face grow ever larger. The funny feeling in Darren's stomach intensified but he sure as hell wasn't going to let Steve see how nervous he was, although with a glare like that Darren almost felt as if Steve was reading his very thoughts right now. So instead Darren shrugged casually and averted Steve's gaze, playing with one of the sugar packets on the table.
"Does it matter If I do bad impressions or not?" Darren said in what he hoped was a casual tone. "Who asked for your opinion anyway?"
"No, I guess it doesn't matter... Darren, is it?" Steve said, every word oozing with boredom, Every word except for one. Darren. The way in which Steve said his name was not ladled with boredom but it was more of a soft purr, with a hint of curiosity. Almost as if Steve was testing to see how Darren's name sounded coming from his lips. The way Steve said Darren's name caused him to shift uncomfortably in his chair, he still wasn't sure what this feeling he got was but he could feel a blush creep on his cheeks. No. He wasn't going to let Steve think he was weak. But the damage had already been done, the smirk on Steve's face grew larger yet again and a twinkle formed in his eye as he laughed and walked up to the counter.
Although Steve was now on the other side of the cafe, chatting away to Sam at the counter, Darren couldn't help but still feel the tension. Sophie had started talking again but Darren had tuned her out and instead he focused on the boy at the counter. Everything about Steve seemed to irritate Darren, his cocky attitude, his shabby yet cool clothes, his smirk and even the way he stood, yet even though these things irritated Darren he couldn't take his eyes away from Steve. That was the strange feeling he got keeping his eyes on him, but he was convinced those feelings were merely of irritation.
After what felt like an eternity Steve left the counter and walked towards the door, Darren following his every footstep. Just as Steve passed their table Darren was convinced he saw his eyes give him the once over but before he could make any more eye contact Steve was out of the door. The slam of the door snapped Darren out of his momentary trance and he turned his head to see an expectant Sophie staring at him with her eyebrows raised, foot tapping on the floor.
"Sorry, What did you say?" Darren mumbled.
"I said, What's wrong with you? You seem so distracted..." Sophie said, not lowering her eyebrows.
It took a moment for the question to register in Darren's mind, but when it did the answer came flooding out of his mouth before he realised what he was saying.
"I just don't like that Steve kid, everything about him just gets on my nerves. I mean, who is he to just walk in here like he owns the place? I've never even seen him before and he's supposed to go to our school? Nah, I just don't like him." Darren said.
"Well, you must really hate him because you couldn't take your eyes off of him" Sophie said, absent mindedly playing with an empty sugar packet.
Darren coughed before replying. "No, I don't like him" he said sternly.
Sophie looked for a minute like she was going to say something but she settled for giving Darren a searching look before returning to casual conversation. Except Darren still couldn't focus, his mind was still on Steve. The mysterious boy had just casually strolled in to the cafe and knocked Darren completely off balance with his cocky attitude and all knowing looking in his eyes. He kept thinking about how much he hated Steve but that didn't change the fact that all he could do was think about Steve.
"Come on Darren, get a shift on, we'll be late for class if we don't leave now, lunch is almost over" Sophie said impatiently, making her way towards the door.
"Yeah, coming" Darren mumbled, leaving his chair and making to join his friend at the door.
Once he has, they both exited the cafe and made towards the school down the road but before they even made it ten steps down the road Darren was distracted by a cloud of smoke being blown straight in to his face.
"Hey! Watch where you're blowing that stuff" Darren spluttered, coughing and trying to waft the smoke away.
"Calm down there" drawled an oh so familiar voice.
"Should have known it was you" Darren retorted reproachfully, glaring at Steve.
Steve however was leant against a brick wall in a similar way to how he was leant against the wall in the cafe with the same smirk plastered on his face as he looked towards Darren. A cigarette was hanging loose in one of his hands, the other hand tapping against his leg absentmindedly. He was enjoying every second of this encounter.
"So were you waiting here to piss me off some more or what?" Darren said, determined not to falter his glare this time.
Steve laughed and put the cigarette against the brick wall behind him.
"Don't flatter yourself, Darren" Steve smirked.
And there it was again, the soft purr in which Steve says Darren's name. It was almost as if the cocky boy enjoyed watching Darren squirm uncomfortably. But it wasn't going to break Darren this time, he fought the blush that threatened to creep up on him and merely turned up his nose at Steve and turned on his heel and walked away, Sophie right beside him.
"He just wants a reaction from you" Sophie whispered, trying to comfort Darren.
Darren huffed in response and merely picked up his pace, determined to get the rest of the day over with and forget all about Steve.