Chapter 6

Alex was sitting by herself in a small, out-of-the-way coffee shop, sipping her coffee and reading a book while enjoying a sunny Sunday afternoon. She couldn't help but smile as she recalled spending time with Joey yesterday evening. The two of them had dinner and then sat in the living room afterwards. They talked about a lot of things from dueling strategies to their friends to just getting to know one another. Alex blushed a bit and thought,

Joey's a great guy. Any girl would be lucky to be with him.

As she was about to take another sip of her coffee, her eyes momentarily left her book, looking at the coffee shop's entrance. That's when the last person she wanted to see appeared.

Ok, someone up there must really hate me. Is it too much to ask to have one day of no Kaiba?

However, Kaiba hadn't seen Alex yet, so Alex quickly returned her attention to her book. She lifted it up enough so that it would cover her face.

Ok, Alex. Keep it together. He's probably just going to get coffee and then leave. He won't even notice you. But if he does, then resume Operation Ignore.

For a few minutes, it seemed like Alex's hopes would come true. She resumed reading her book and was so absorbed in the story that she didn't notice that Kaiba had taken a seat near her. He smirked and said,

"Ms. Lawrence, what a surprise to see you here."

Alex kept her eyes on her book although she couldn't help but roll her eyes. She thought,

Yup, someone up there really does hate me. Just stay calm, ignore him, and he'll go away.

Thus, Alex ignored Kaiba's comment, not bothering to give him the satisfaction of a reply. Kaiba frowned a bit and thought,

I don't know what to make of this girl. But I'm not going to let her ignore me.

He then said, "I'm surprised to see that you don't have your dog with you."

Alex felt annoyed as Kaiba took a jab at Joey but stayed calm, continuing to not say anything. Kaiba got annoyed as Alex continued to ignore him and thought,

Even now, she's still like this? I just want to talk to her.

An elderly lady, the owner of the coffee shop, approached Kaiba and handed him a mug of coffee. She smiled warmly at him and said,

"Mr. Kaiba, it's a pleasure to see you again. You're always welcome here."

Kaiba replied, "You offer the best coffee in the city. I wouldn't go anywhere else."

The lady replied, "Why, thank you. Oh, I see that you're talking to your friend. I'll leave you two alone then."

Alex thought,

Kaiba's definitely not my friend. But it's interesting to learn that he comes here for coffee. I can see why, though.

She reached out to where her mug was, her eyes not leaving the page of her book, when she suddenly felt a hand grab it. That's when she finally had to look towards who was holding her hand, and yes, it was Kaiba. He glared at her and said,

"I don't like being ignored."

Alex smiled and replied, "You should be fortunate that was all I was doing. But you've got my attention now, so if you would please let go of my hand."

Kaiba let go of Alex's hand, and then Alex said,

"Ok, let's get this over with. What do you want? I'll hazard a guess. Perhaps you want to take another jab at me. The comment about my brother was pretty bad, though, but I'm sure you can do much worse."

Alex's eyes reflected some anger although the rest of her body remained calm. However, there was also a bit of sadness as she recalled what had happened a few days ago. Kaiba sighed inwardly and quietly replied,

"I'm sorry about that."

His apology came so suddenly and quietly that Alex almost didn't catch it. She replied,

"What? I didn't quite hear that."

Kaiba spoke up a little louder and said, "I said I'm sorry. That was uncalled for, bringing up your brother, even if you do get under my skin."

Alex sarcastically replied, "And you were doing so well apologizing. I was just about to totally forgive you, too."

She paused and added, "I know you don't want my advice, but if you ever want to improve your social skills, here's a tip. When it comes to apologizing, make it totally sincere and not a backhanded compliment."

Alex finished up the rest of her coffee and then began putting her book away in her bag, preparing to leave. Kaiba noticed and asked,

"Where are you going?"

Alex replied, "Not that it's any of your business, but I'm finished with my coffee. I'd order another, but I am on a budget, so I'll be on my way. It was a pleasure seeing you."

Alex finished gathering her things and was about to get up when Kaiba grabbed her arm and pulled her back down to her seat. The move was so sudden that it caught Alex off-guard. Alex glared at Kaiba and asked,

"Now what do you want?"

Kaiba turned his eyes away from Alex although he still kept a hold of her arm to prevent her from leaving. He waved for the coffee shop owner and once the owner approached, he said,

"I'd like to order another coffee for Ms. Lawrence. The same one she just had, and I'll take care of her bill."

The owner looked surprised but nodded and went to prepare another mug of coffee. Once the owner was out of earshot, Alex said,

"I don't need your charity."

Kaiba replied, "Just accept that I'm trying to do something nice for you, for Mokuba's sake."

Alex sighed to herself and relented although she didn't say anything, not wanting to give Kaiba total satisfaction that he won. Kaiba knew that he'd won, though, and smirked although he didn't let go of her arm. The two of them just sat there in awkward silence for a few minutes until the coffee shop owner returned with a fresh mug of coffee for Alex. After she left, Alex finally said,

"Um, you can let go of my arm now."

Kaiba was surprised that he hadn't noticed that he'd held onto her and immediately let go. He didn't say anything, though, and Alex felt annoyed by the silence. After taking a sip of her coffee, she said,

"Out of politeness, I'll thank you now for the coffee. But once I'm finished, I will be taking my leave. I have other things to do today."

Kaiba replied, "I didn't want to only apologize to you."

He was silent after, which prompted Alex to reply,

"Yes? What else did you want? As long as it isn't another insult or attack, that is."

Kaiba bluntly replied, "You interest me."

Alex almost spit out the coffee she had taken another sip of and had to take a minute to recover. Then she replied,

"What? I think I misheard or something."

Kaiba smirked and replied, "You're interesting. I want to know more about you."

Alex replied, "At least, you're direct. I can respect that. But don't you already know everything you need to know about me? I'm sure you did a background check on me."

Kaiba replied, "I won't deny that, but a background check can only tell you so much."

Alex replied, "That's true. So, what do you want to know? It'll be easier if you ask and I answer although I have the right to refuse to answer."

Kaiba nodded, seeming to accept Alex's condition. He then asked, "I know you're a genius, but why are you still in high school? At least, you should be in university, if not already a graduate."

Alex shrugged and replied, "You wouldn't get it, but I like having a normal life. But wouldn't the same be said of you? You're a genius, too, from what I've heard."

Kaiba replied, "It's complicated."

Alex didn't pry further, satisfied with his answer. He then commented,

"You should work at Kaiba Corp someday."

Alex almost let out that she would be interning there soon but chose not to say anything, wanting to keep it a surprise. So she just shrugged again and replied,

"If the job offer is good, perhaps I'll consider it."

Kaiba then asked, "What's with you and Wheeler?"

Alex raised an eyebrow and replied, "Excuse me? I don't understand why you're asking that question. Also, it's a pretty broad one, so I don't know how to answer you."

Kaiba replied, "Of all the company you could keep close to you. If it was Yugi, I'd get it although Gardner would see you as a rival."

Alex replied, "Ok? Seriously, what's up with this line of questioning? I honestly don't get why you dislike Joey so much. He's a really great guy."

Kaiba looked annoyed although Alex thought she detected something else showing on Kaiba's face. He took a moment to calm down and replied,

"So you like Wheeler? You seem smart and sensible. You can do much better."

Alex studied Kaiba's face for a minute and then had a guess as to what he was actually feeling. However, it was beyond disbelief for Alex. Still, she wanted to take this opportunity and decided to test out her hypothesis. She let out a dreamy smile and appearing to be lost in her thoughts, she replied,

"You wouldn't get it. Joey's wonderful. He's been sweet and kind to me, and he's all around awesome. He accepts me for myself. There's no one better."

She had this faraway look in her eyes although she couldn't help taking a quick glance to see Kaiba's reaction. It was difficult to read his face although it appeared that her suspicions were confirmed. Kaiba simply replied,

"I suppose I'll just have to prove you wrong. I accept your challenge."

Alex looked confused and replied, "What? I didn't challenge you to anything."

Kaiba replied, "You just made a claim that no guy is better for you than Wheeler. But I can easily prove you wrong."

He leaned in close to Alex's face and they were so close that it looked like they were about to kiss. Alex suddenly scooted back and said,

"Ok, way too close and this conversation is getting much too weird for me."

She finished up her coffee and getting up, she said,

"Now, I am leaving for real this time and don't follow me. Because you know that's stalking. Thank you for the coffee and company, Mr. Kaiba, and perhaps I shall see you in school."

She gathered her things and then left the coffee shop, leaving Kaiba alone with his thoughts. Alex had to get out of there because something inside her felt confused.

I don't get him. First, he detests me, but now he suddenly wants to get to know me? And what was that just now?

Alex's cheeks were red and she decided to head back to her apartment, hoping to get some peace and quiet.