"Favourite vegetable?" He asks.

I quirked an eyebrow. That's the first time I've ever heard someone ask that during a 21-question game.

"None." I answered nonetheless.

"None?" He asked, bewildered.

"None." I reaffirmed. I don't like eating vegetables. Sue me.

Isaac scrunched up his face. "That can't be healthy for your digestive system."

I made an 'oh-well' look, tiling my head to the side. "Never had a problem with it before."

"So you're an 18 year old senior that loves old school music and loves anything that has to do with food but hates vegetables." Isaac concluded what he has gathered from the first few questions he had asked me.

I could detect a slightly mocking tone in how he framed those small facts about me.

"And you're a grown 22 year old man that went to a high schooler's party." I fired back.

"Alright, fair." Isaac smiled, taking the shot like a champ. "Next question."

I stared at his smile, "What do you want from me?"

Isaac's smile faltered but he leaned forward to look at me closer.

"That's a pretty direct question." He commented, effectively stalling.

"Well, I'm a pretty straightforward girl." I shot back.

He chuckled, letting his eyes fall to look at the table between us.

"Fair." He said once more.

I raised an eyebrow to prompt him to answer the question.

"I'm interested in you." He answered truthfully.

I felt my breath get caught in my throat at the sudden honesty.

"Interested?" I repeated.

"Yeah, interested." He confirmed.

"In a..?" I asked, trying to get him to elaborate.

"Isn't it pretty obvious? In a boyfriend girlfriend kind of way, of course." He said.

"Why?" I asked him, genuinely curious.

"What do you mean why?" He asked, brows raised.

I shrugged. "I mean we met because you tried to stop me from kissing random strangers at a party. You don't even know what kind of person I am. I could have a few screws loose for all you know."

Isaac grinned, "I'd like to think that I live for that kind of thrill."

I looked at him as if he was crazy, earning a hearty laugh from him.

"You've got issues, man." I said, genuinely meaning it. If that's really how his mind works then he can take Alex's spot as my therapist's new patient.

Isaac chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm just messing with you. Your reactions are really cute."

I felt my face flush lightly at the comment.

"I personally think that watching what you did back at the party had left quite the impression on me. Let's just say that you've successfully made me intrigued." He clasped his hands together, resting his elbows on the table and leaning forward to inch closer to me.

Flashes of that night during the party flooded my mind. The kissing frenzy, the countless of guys I had pulled in for a mini make out session. The desperation in my heart to make myself feel something. The strong denial that drove me to continue.

"It couldn't be just Alex. There are other guys who can make me feel that way, too. I'll prove it." I had thought to myself.

The strong urge to cry that night as I went around the place dragging guy after guy for a kiss and feeling nothing.

Until Isaac had showed up and dragged me away, kissing me instead, making my heart feel something.

I stood my ground and stopped myself from leaning back in my seat as I held his gaze.

"Give me a chance." He said out of the blue as he stared into my eyes.

My brows came together in confusion, "a chance?"

He nodded. "Give me 2 weeks to win you over. Let me do my best to chase after you for the next 2 weeks. If you still have no feelings for me then, we'll go with whatever you want – we'll be friends if you want us to be friends, I'll leave you alone if you don't want to see me ever again."

I tilted my head to the side, observing him to catch anything suspicious. "And what if you succeed?"

"Then we date." He proposed.

I bit my lip.

Though I knew that was coming, it still caught me slightly off guard to actually hear it out loud.

"So how about it, do we have a deal?" He asked, offering his hand out over the table.

"A deal?" I thought. What was this? A contractual relationship?

My conscience wanted to snort at that.

This seems way too unreal.

Nonetheless, I looked at his hand and contemplated it.

I was trying to get over my feelings for Alex anyways, right?

What better way than to let this guy woo me over and forget about the best friend / first love that dumped me three times now?

I looked up at a smiling, seemingly perfectly confident Isaac and down at his hand once again..

.. and I took it.

We shook on it and Isaac's wide smile grew even wider than I thought was possible.

God, please don't let me regret this.

----

Isaac ended up paying for our meal despite the fact that it was supposed to be my treat to repay him for the Uber fee he spent to send me home.

It didn't sit right with me, I didn't like the feeling of owing someone something, but he promised that he'd let me pay the next time we went out together so I had begrudgingly let it slide.

"So, what time do you usually finish school?" He had asked during our drive back.

"Um, around 3. Why?" I turned from the scenery outside of the car to face him.

"So I can pick you up." He answered.

I furrowed my brows, "Why would you do that?"

"So we can have dinner together." He smiled.

I bit down on my bottom lip to think my response through before saying anything to prevent myself from offending him. "You don't need to.."

"Don't worry, since it's still the same day, dinner's still going to be on me." He cut me off before I could finish my sentence.

But it wasn't the money that was weighing on me.

"No, it's not that. I mean don't you have work and other things to tend to?" I asked, hoping that I didn't come off hostile.

Isaac gave out a small laugh. "I mostly help out the family business so work is pretty flexible since I'm the boss' kid. Don't worry about it, though. I've worked myself to the bone for the past year, I can think of it as taking a 2-week semi-leave." He joked.

I looked at him, unable to completely process what he just said. Was he implying that he was going to take some time off work for the next 2 weeks just to chase after me?

He can't be that crazy, right?

It's not like I'm a supermodel. I don't think I'm worth that much effort. I'm just a plain 18 year old who doesn't even have any outstanding achievements. I'm not top of my class, my looks are pretty average and on top of everything, I have an unhealthy obsession over my ex-best friend.

Of course, he was totally unaware about that last part.

I fought the urge to turn him down, remembering the deal that we made just a few minutes ago. I mean it is his life. How he spends his time; how he arranges his activities, that's completely up to him.

I wasn't going to deny that it did put the slightest bit of pressure on me, although I'm sure that it wasn't his intention to do so.

But if I was to be completely honest with myself, that wasn't my biggest concern.

When I imagined Isaac showing up at school for the second time to pick me up, an image of Alex's face flashed through my mind.

What would Alex think?

Was he going to think that Alex and I were together?

Would he get jealous?

Would it bother him that a guy is picking me up?

Would he even care?

I shook my head at the thoughts, suddenly feeling guilty.

I didn't want to be unfair towards Isaac. I already felt like I haven't been 100% truthful since I've failed to tell him about Alex.

I didn't want to indulge in these thoughts and end up using Isaac to gauge a reaction out of Alex to validate my feelings.

I didn't want to be that type of person.

Isaac seemed genuine, he looks like a really nice guy and I wanted to give him a fair chance.

Alex..

Alex will forever be the best friend I loved.

But I've always knew from the start that that was where it should end.

I've watched how he treated his exes.

Although I had the slightest hope that maybe he'd treat me differently than those other girls, I knew that I couldn't live in that fantasy.

I didn't want to delude myself into thinking that just because we had a special friendship, he would be different with me if we got into a relationship.

Alex was a great friend. But what happened recently made me realize that I didn't want him to be anything more than that.

The feelings were there, that much was pretty obvious. I was ignorant, but not naïve. I knew what the jealousy I had felt watching him and Renee had meant.

I loved Alex.

And it was much more than a friendship love or a brother-sister love.

But I had to stick with the facts.

And facts were that he hasn't been a great boyfriend to his exes.

I have to accept that and stop hoping that I would be the exception.

"So? Can I take the silence as no objections?" Isaac asked, still smiling as his eyes continued to travel back and forth between the road and me.

I bit my lip, slowly nodding.

Isaac's smile widened into a grin and he hit the steering wheel lightly, doing a small fist pump. "Yes!"

I raised my eyebrows, the edges of my lips quirking up at his silliness. "That happy?"

He shrugged, still grinning. "It's an achievement to me."

I chuckled lowly, shaking my head.

I don't think I'll ever understand this guy.

As we approached the school, I picked my bag up from between my feet and set it on my lap, preparing to get off the car.

"I'll see you soon then." He said, as the car slowed to a stop in front of the building's doors.

I smiled at him, "Okay. Thanks for lunch."

"No problem," He winked, giving me a small wave as I got off and closed the passenger door.

I jogged towards the building, stopping mid-way to look back when I didn't hear his car zooming away.

I gave him a small wave before turning around to get into the building.

It wasn't until I had stepped through the doors that his car drove away, making me smile.

He really waited until he saw me inside.