Disclaimer: I do not own the Clique.
"Cheese ravioli or spinach?"
Those words made my heart melt.
No, I was not a food freak,
And no I wasn't Dylan.
It was not the words themselves that made me weak at the knees;
It was the person who uttered them.
Kempost Hurley,
The absolutely hottest boy in all of Westchester,
Except he...
And everybody else...
Didn't know it.
But I did.
"What do you recommend?" I tried to smile in a cool but seductive way.
"I prefer the cheese, but sometimes girls think anything green is good for their waistline."
He didn't say this snottily,
Or sneering or rolling his eyes,
He just shrugged.
He had the absolute broadest shoulders of any guy.
"Well then I think I'll have the cheese." I grinned, hoping the coffee I had had earlier didn't stain my teeth.
He nodded contentedly and walked off to place my order.
I had to say, his ass looked absolutely delicious in his dark wash Levis.
Yes, he was a pauper, like me, but who cares what his income is?
I thought he was a prince.
I twiddled my thumbs, deciding what to do next.
Every Saturday I came here,
I had his shift memorized.
I'd always think of something hopefully cute yet airily cool to say,
But not today.
Why?
I had heard a rumor that he had hooked up with Alicia Rivera last week.
Every guy would die just to lick her Dolce boots,
Yeah she was that hot.
And if she had honestly given Kemp the time of day,
Much less the time of her tongue,
I was fighting a losing battle
Right?
"Can I get you another Coke?" he popped my dream bubble.
"Oh...no thank you...but may I have a glass of water?"
Yeah, that's how dumb I was.
He nodded again and strode off.
Wait...did he just WINK at me?
ME?
No...
It couldn't be.
Maybe he had something in his eye?
An eyelash?
A dust ball?
Oh God...listen to me.
I guess I am that much of a dork.
Just as I was recovering from my hallucination, WHO walks in,
But Miss Alicia Rivera herself.
My heart sank.
It had to be true,
She was dating Kemp.
Why else would a socialite like her,
End up in a cheap place like this?
She took a seat at the counter, looking very out of place in her Ralph Lauren trench, Jimmy Choo heels and Tiffany's jewels.
Still, there was a nervous glint in her eye,
One I'd never seen before.
She always seemed to have it so together,
So superior to everyone else.
But now here she was,
Sitting among commoners,
With that look.
I saw her whisper urgently to Danny Robbins behind the counter and he shook his head and walked to the back.
About three minutes later, Kemp came up to her and they whispered to each other.
I could see his huge dark eyes fill with heartbreak.
Had she just split up with him?
Here?
Now?
She hung her head apologetically,
And clacked down the tile floor,
Out the glass door.
I froze up.
Even though I was of no relation to this,
It poked me in the heart.
Not really a stab,
A poke.
Weird right?
I sipped the dregs of my Coke;
I wasn't going to bother him for that water.
A few minutes later he came up to me,
Food in hand.
I couldn't help myself.
"Are you alright?"
He breathed.
"Yeah."
"You don't look alright."
I bit my tongue.
Why did I say that??
"Nah...it's nothing." he promised and walked off to continue his job.
Something came over me at that very minute and I stood up and walked over to him.
"When do you get off?"
I think that was the bravest thing I'd ever done.
I don't know if it was the grief from Alicia, the long hours he had been working, or the smell of percolating coffee, but he looked up at me.
"6."
It was 5:36.
"Would you like to join me for a cup of coffee?"
He cracked a smile.
KEMP SMILED AT ME!!
"That sounds great, but I actually have to go somewhere right after work."
My heart fell a little bit.
But what did I expect?
Him to whip off his apron and profess his undying love to me?
He disappeared into the kitchen and Danny Robbins looked up from his Clorox Disinfecting Wipes to crack a smirk at me.
"Real smooth." he grinned as he continued to clean the countertop.
I rolled my eyes and sat back down.
I took a bite of my ravioli, but it was no good.
I guess I was a little hurt that he didn't whip off his apron and profess his undying love for me.
I continued to nibble at my food, because I was truly hungry, but I felt a pang in my stomach when I saw him put on his coat and leave for the night,
The day,
My dinner.
Even though he wasn't there, I didn't feel like leaving just yet.
I pushed my plate to the side and ordered that coffee.
I took my time stirring in some sugar,
The dissolving crystals reminded me of my chances with my Kemp,
Disappearing.
I swirled in some milk and sipped quietly.
Every Saturday I came to this same place.
What did this say about me?
Did I have some serious evaluating to do?
I pondered this as I drummed my fingers against the ceramic cup.
Danny looked at me but I just smiled at him.
I took the last sip of my drink and went in my bag for my wallet.
Just as I was about to pay, I felt a blast of cold air from the open door.
Out of my own curiosity I peeked up to see who it was.
I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when I though I saw
Kemp.
It couldn't possibly be him...
Right?
He went into the back so I figured he just forgot his watch or something.
Wrong.
He came out and sat next to me.
"Hi." he grinned in his Kempish way.
"Hey." I think my face expressed the perplexity I was feeling inside.
He smiled at me again,
I raised an eyebrow,
But still smiled nonetheless.
I just noticed he was carrying a rectangular box when he set it on the table.
I looked at it confused, but he didn't say a word.
We sat there in silence for a few seconds before he elaborated.
"It's for you."
I was completely bamboozled at this point, but I was also extremely curious.
I opened the box and inside was a travel-sized case of some really nice, really pretty wooden handle paintbrushes.
"Th...thank you..." I blinked, but was genuinely grateful.
He grinned.
"Happy Anniversary Layne."
My eyes were complete question marks by now.
"Six months of flirting at work."
A really annoyingly huge smile was plastered on my face.
He did notice me!
"But I haven't got anything for you."
God, am I a dork or what?
He smirked.
"How about that cup of coffee?"
I grinned.
"Absolutely."