cassie greeted the woman behind the cash register and tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear while smiling.

"good afternoon." the woman smiled and eyed her quickly.

"hi, melissa. how are you today?" she asked and put her hands down her back pockets.

"i'm good, how about you?" melissa answered and started typing in the register. "the usual, by the way?"

"i'm fine, just a bit tired as always." cassie shrugged and then nodded at her question.

"how's school going?" the woman continued asking to keep the conversation and fixed her drink.

"absolutely great. it's just getting harder to sleep nowadays." cassie sighed and twitched the corner of her mouth sideways.

"god, that sucks." melissa mumbled and handed her the cup. "here." the younger one paid her quickly and sat down by her table by the window.

cassie loved the little coffee shop. oddly, she didn't like coffee as a drink, so her usual was chai latte. the place was a cosy place to just sit at, preferably alone. but it wasn't empty at all, and sometimes alex or vanessa would join her.

there was also a very nice view that never bored her. she wrapped both hands around the warm cup and thought about what to write in her english assignment.

the little bell above the door rang as someone else entered. she looked up for a second and frowned, sinking down in her chair a bit.

matt walked over to the cashier with his golden smile and asked for a cup of coffee. with a nod, melissa poured coffee in a cup and handed it to him.

"thank you." he smiled and paid her, his eyes glancing to the side where they landed on cassie — and they stayed there for a moment too.

"her name's cassie." melissa spoke up and nodded to the side.

"oh, i know. we go to the same college." he informed her, pursing his lips.

"are you two friends?" she asked and folded her arms together against the counter.

"not even close. she doesn't like me very much."

"what're you talking about? she likes everyone." she laughed and raised her eyebrows.

"i know." he weakly smirked and shook his head.

"go talk to her." melissa shrugged, and he looked down at his feet. "now."

after looking back up, matt slowly moved over to cassie's table and sat down opposite to her. she averted her eyes from the window to him and crossed one leg over the other one.

"hey." he said quietly and pressed a smile. that only made her smile, a genuine and soft one.

"hi."

"that isn't coffee, is it?" he asked as he scanned her drink.

"no, it's chai latte."

"why not coffee, considering you're in a coffee shop?"

"i hate the taste of it." she laughed, which radiated over to him.

"wow, really?" he grinned and took a sip from his cup.

"yeah, so don't ever talk to me with coffee breath." she smiled and leaned back in her chair. "anyway, don't you have practice today?"

"we finished early. why weren't you at the cheerleading practice?" he asked and drummed on the cup with his nails.

"i fell and hurt my leg the last time, so i'm resting it." she mumbled and peered down at her leg.

"ouch." he scrunched up his nose and almost felt bad for her.

"since when do you come here?"

"since today. i was just walking by, and it looked really nice."

"uh huh."

cassie finished her drink and then crossed her arms together against her stomach. it felt odd to be sitting there with someone, but not bad at all.

"the cashier seemed to know you." he pointed out. she halfway turned around to look at her, and then sat straight again with a smile.

"right, melissa. she's nice." she uttered and folded her arms against the table.

"she asked if we're friends." he laughed and looked down at his lap briefly.

cassie's smile faltered a bit, and she bit on her bottom lip. she scratched the top of her chest and studied his face, not knowing what to do exactly.

"what did you say?"

"i said no. and that you don't like me very much."

"i don't really dislike you, matthew." she sighed and rested her chin against her arms, watched as he shot his eyes up back to her. "i have no opinion about you. i don't know what i think of you, so i don't know whether i like you or not. i just don't think i'd like you, that's why i don't want to hang out with you."

matt smiled and mirrored her position, squinting a bit with his eyes. what she said honestly made him feel a little bit better, but he still wondered.

"why? what picture do you have of me?" he asked and she licked her lips before speaking.

"we just don't seem to have that much in common. and i'm afraid you're gonna' turn out to be a real jerk like the other guys in your team. but i know deep down that you're not, so i don't know what my problem is." she grinned by the end and shrugged carelessly.

"wow. i can assure you that i'm not a twat. and having too much in common isn't always the best." he smiled and glanced out the window. "nice view."

cassie cracked a weak grin and followed his gaze, tapping the cup with her fingernails. she didn't need to nod to show her agreement — her expression told him that for itself.

matt tore his eyes back to her, admiring her profile for a brief moment. he licked his lips and looked down at his lap instead, until she gazed back at him.

"i always see something new every time i'm here. it's nice." she said quietly and blinked down and then back up. "i guess that's why i love this place so much. and for other reasons."

"like what?" he asked and sat more straight.

"like... one time i saw a woman who fell off her bicycle. i didn't expect another woman to come and help her, but she did. they walked off talking together. another time, i got to witness a proposal. it seemed like he had been dreadfully waiting for the right moment, but then just said fuck it, and proposed." she laughed a bit and then shrugged. "there's never a perfect moment, you know. you have to make it perfect yourself."

"did she say yes?" he asked, intrigued. she smiled at him, then nodded.

"yeah. they kissed and disappeared. the thing is, all these scenes that i see are so cliché and cheesy most of the time, but... it still puts a smile on my face."

"they sound really cheesy." he chuckled and traced a finger in circles against the table. "but cute."

"yeah? so what kind of guy are you?" she asked and leaned forward again.

"a great one." he playfully winked, and she stupidly rolled her eyes. "no, i don't know. i'd definitely take you on a date first, one where we have the chance to actually hang out. but if it gets awkward, there's something else to do, or to watch. i'm the kind of guy who'd still try to win your heart while we're together."

cassie stared at him with her intense eyes. he hated that look, because it seemed like she got the answer she wanted. and he absolutely hated the little smile she pulled off once he finished; it made him want to kiss her.

she inhaled a deep breath and looked down instead, pressing her lips together for a short while. she actually wanted for him to keep talking, but he remained quiet.

"that sounds nice. how many have you taken out?"

"do you want the truth?"

"always, matt. don't bother telling me something if it's a lie." she scrunched up her nose with a smile and then tilted her head to the side.

"one girl." he proclaimed, causing her eyes to slightly widen. "i've only properly been with one girl. mostly because of school and football, but since people believe i sleep around after that time i made out with a girl at a party, no one takes me seriously. i hate it."

"sorry." she mumbled and gave him a sympathetic look. "i know you don't do that. i guess being roommate with your sister for three years gives me some sort of advantage. how did that date go?"

"well, i hope alex doesn't say bad things about me. and that first date was absolutely horrible." he snickered and pressed his lips together in shame almost.

"what? why?"

"first of all, i drove the wrong way, so i picked her up late. then i spilled my drink all over her, and everything was just wrong."

cassie laughed and buried her face against her arms. she shook her head and gazed back at him, a glimmer in her eyes.

"so what happened after that?" she continued asking, smiling since she found the topic amusing.

"she agreed to go on another one, and then i asked her to be my girlfriend. she said yes." he smiled and licked his lips.

"what happened?" she said carefully, frowning a bit.

"she had to move. we talked and decided to just break up, knowing it'd be easier. she's nice, and thankfully i don't miss her like that anymore. i just see her as an old friend now."

"oh." she exhaled and slightly puckered with her lips. "sorry to hear that."

"don't be. i'm not." he shrugged and rested his chin against his folded arms again. "i'm kind of enjoying being her friend more than her boyfriend, you know."

"sounds lovely." she grinned and then pursed her lips to stop doing so. "i mean, i've never been through that so i don't know if it's actually lovely, but it should be because, well– because." she rambled and sighed with closed eyes once she finished.

matt chuckled, and even more when he saw her 'given up' expression. he couldn't deny that he liked her rambling though, because she spoke with him, to a point where she was rambling — and that only mean that she wanted to talk, but couldn't form the right words.

"so how about you?" he asked once they both regained eye contact.

"i've... actually only dated two guys, properly. they were long lasting, thankfully, but the first guy cheated on me so i dumped him." she snorted and briefly smiled.

"and the second one?" he asked carefully and frowned a bit.

"rather not talk about." she mumbled and glanced away for a second.

"alright." he smiled softly. "wait, you've only dated two guys? with a pretty face and smart brain like yours?"

"i realized that school's more important. also friendships, and general fun. i don't want to bother about a guy at the moment, which is probably a part of why i like everyone. you see, what most guys would assume is flirting, is what i do to everybody. that way, i'm just a friend and nothing more." she explained with a mischievous, yet proud, smile.

"wow." he said in awe and frowned with his lips. "and that works? no guy asks you out on a date?"

"well... of course some do, but that's because they're interested, not because they've gotten the idea that i am. and usually, they don't really know me. not many actually do."

"so what does a guy need to do to get to know you?"

"depends on what guy it is."

cassie sloppily shrugged and studied his thinking face. she moved her legs side to side under the table and bit on her bottom lip. matt tilted his head to the side and couldn't help but to smile while watching her.

"let's say i want to get to know you. what do i need to do?" he asked and slightly nodded upwards.

"i can't tell you that." she smirked and wiggled her eyebrows once only. "then you'll do it."

"obviously." he chuckled and licked his lips. "please?"

"maybe." she teased and leaned her cheek against her arms. "i'll probably tell you before we leave this place. i'm a tease, and i think it's fun."

cassie gazed up at him again and parted her lips, refraining from laughing over his weary expression. matt glared at her and sat up straight again, leaning back against the chair. she mirrored his movement and wrapped her hands around the empty cup again.

"is there a story behind the chai latte choice?" he changed the topic, nodding towards the cup.

"yeah, there is. alright so, when i was in high school, my friends and i decided to go on a trip to yukon in canada, and it was really cold there. i had never tasted a chai latte before actually, so my friend offered me one when we all sat in a cabin and hung out. it just wakes a lot of memories, and it's delicious." she smiled wryly and stretched her shoulders upwards.

matt absolutely loved this moment. they had never spoken for so long before, and she was being very talkative and smiley. he's never been a cocky jock, just a jock, so he wasn't expecting everyone to like him. but the way she would so evidently avoid him both bugged him and made him more interested in trying.

"sounds like a pretty nice background story." he smiled and peered down for a moment.

"oh shit." she exhaled and barely shook her head. "i sound so cheesy right now, so unbelievably cheesy. you're making me sound cheesy!" she exclaimed playfully and tossed the paper from the cashier on him.

"hey! wha– it's not my fault!" he snickered and shielded his face with his hands.

"of course it is!" she giggled, then laughed, and put one foot on the edge of the chair.

"you just can't accept that underneath that sassy, tough and cool facade lays a soft, little cheeseball. and by the way, you've been bloody this entire time." he retorted and crossed his arms together.

"i have not!" she objected and rolled her eyes while looking to the side.

"don't worry, i like this side of you." he winked, earning a sassy head tilt back.

"of course you do." she smirked and looked out the window. melissa approached them with two brownies on a small plate.

cassie grinned gratefully at her and seized the top one. she loved brownies, and she couldn't be more happy that melissa would frequently offer her one for free.

"so, who's this?" melissa asked with a smile and nodded to the dark haired boy.

"my lover." cassie joked and took a bite from her brownie.

matt rolled his eyes and grabbed one himself. he looked up at melissa and chewed, watching as she stupidly shook her head.

"i'm just a guy in college, which you know." he answered and glimpsed cassie pouting.

"who wants to be my lover." cassie whispered and purposely nudged his leg with her foot under the table.

"mhm." melissa laughed and raised her eyebrows. "well, he's hot." she said quietly to cassie before leaving them again.

matt almost blushed and gazed down at his lap, prsessing his lips together. cassie frowned with her lips in agreement and finished her brownie. without uttering a word, she stood up from her seat and moved towards the door.

he stumbled up from the chair and, clearly confused, followed her. she smiled, knowing he would, and opened the door.

"wait, cass?" he laughed and placed himself in front of her.

"yes, matthew?" she raised her eyebrows questioningly and folded her arms together.

"what's your requirement?" he asked and slid his hands down his pockets.

cassie inhaled and glanced upwards, the corner of her mouth twitching to the side. after a few seconds, she gazed back at him and barely squinted with her eyes.

"you have to beat your personal score on how many goals you can score on your next game. if you do, you'll get to know me. but if you beat the local record..." she said, biting her lip briefly. "i'll tell you then."

and with those words said, she passed him and left.

-

a/n

i've tried to make so many gif manips of nina and matt lmao but they all come out horrible