Laila stared down at me with a frown on her face. I raised my eyebows, asking her a silent question. "Gimme a sec." she said, spinning around at heading to the counter. She had a long conversation with the blonde manager. I yawned and stretched, pretending to be bored, but I was actually keeping a sharp eye on Laila. Her eyebrows were drawn together as she explained the situation to the blonde. I noticed Laila used her hands a lot while talking. She was either gesturing or tucking a stray strand of silky black hair behind her ear. The manager listened, glancing at me ocassionally. She looked amused. Finally, Laila finished her monologue, twisting her hands together nervously as she waited for the blonde to reply. The blonde looked at me and nodded.
I smiled, triumphant, as Laila slid into the seat OPPOSITE me. I noticed she was careful not to come too close. Hmm. That could mean so many different things, but her behaviour on this little "date" of ours would hopefully give me a clue into her real thoughts. "You won't believe it, she gave me the rest of the day off!" Laila said, looking over her shoulder at the blonde. "Oh, I believe it." I said with a wink. I leaned forward sloooowly, so that Laila would get the full idea of my height. I picked up the menu and flicked through it languidly. I looked up at her. She was watching me with wide eyes and a slightly confused expression. Her cheeks were flushed. Bingo. "Wanna order?" I asked.
"It was weird being a customer at Kelly's. Considering I work there." Laila said half an hour later, as we walked down the road. I sighed dramatically. "I take a pretty girl on a date and she finds it weird." I said, pretending to be heartbroken, waiting for her reaction. She didn't disappoint. "Date?" she squeaked. "Of course," I said, looking down at her. Dang, she was tiny. She was around 5"3, a whole foot shorter than me. "What else would you call this?" I continued. She didn't say anything for a long time. I held her hand as we crossed the street. The hair on my arms stood up as I felt what could only be called electricity pass through us. She withdrew her hand as soon as we got to the other side. Her face was red again. "But we just met!" she said, her voice still a little squeaky. Did I mention she's dang cute when she gets flustered? Man, I got it bad. "That's how two people get to know each other." I winked. She exhaled, her cheeks still red. "Fine. But only today. Only till midnight." she said. "So I have you all to myself till midnight?" I asked. She nodded. I held out my hand for her to shake. "Lil' lady, you got a deal. You won't regret this date."