"There's no way, Alexander." I stared blankly at the black behemoth in front of me. It was practically taunting me.

"Sorry, it's what I came in," he shrugged at me but his eyes twinkled mischievously and I wondered for a moment if he was enjoying this.

"I can't," I uttered my eyes wide in fear. He laughed.

"Come on, it won't be that bad. I promise." He passed me the helmet to his sleek black motorcycle as I stared in horror, holding the helmet as though it would detonate at any moment.

"It goes on your head," Alexander said slowly. I gave him a dry look. He grabbed it from my hands and gently placed it over my head, brushing the strands of hair from my face with the back of his hand. I stood as still as a statue as I felt knots appear in my stomach. He snapped the visor down loudly and the sudden sound made me jump.

I could hear a chuckle from Alexander as he climbed onto the bike himself. He held out a hand to me. I grabbed it gingerly and threw my leg over the back as ungracefully as ever holding onto his shoulder for support. I placed my other hand on his other shoulder so I was clutching them both as I waited for him to start the bike.

"You gotta hold on tighter than that, Olivia," he grabbed my hand and placed it gently against his stomach. I blushed intensely at the feel of his abs beneath his shirt. I could barely feel my arms right now, much less hold on for dear life. He took my other hand and placed it on the other side of his body. I held on limply.

Alexander held the clutch down and twisted the handle revving the motorcycle to life. I squeaked at the noise and clamped my hands as tightly as I could around Alexander, bunching his shirt into my fists in the process. I could feel his abs clench as I did so. I hoped I wasn't holding on too tightly. He put his foot on the floor to guide the bike forward slowly.

"You ready?" He shouted twisting his head around to look at me. I shook my head. No. Definitely not ready to die at twenty one. "Yeah," I replied doubtfully.

He placed his foot back on the bike and leaned forward dragging me along with him before racing forward. I squeezed my eyes shut and placed my forehead on his back. Please don't crash. Please don't crash. Please don't crash.

I didn't dare open my eyes once. I felt the bike slow down after several minutes and Alexander's large hands slowly peeled my fingers from his shirt. I opened my eyes slowly and saw that we had parked in front of what looked like a 50s diner with white and blue checkers. Flashback Diner the neon sign displayed.

I had no idea where we were but it wasn't on my list of places to avoid so that was something at least. Alexander got off the bike expertly before holding out a hand to me. I grabbed onto it lightly and he helped me off the bike. I tugged the helmet off my head and handed it to him before he placed it back on his bike. My hair was sticking up in weird ways and I tried to discreetly pat it down.

"This place looks cute," I said as he walked us inside. He hummed in agreement. The bell chimed when we entered announcing our presence.

"Sit anywhere!" Came the bubbly voice from the kitchen. The restaurant was filled to the brim with color. Bright red seating, bright blue checkered curtains, and neon colored art pieces sprinkled around the dining area. It felt homely. Or like an eclectic home at the very least.

Alexander walked towards a booth by the window and I followed. We sat down across from each other and he handed me a menu from the table. I skimmed through the list and could feel my mouth watering at the possibilities - jalapeño popper burger, nacho cheese burger, Oreo mud pie milkshake. I couldn't even decide.

"This all looks phenomenal," I said as I looked at him. He was smiling at my wide eyed expression.

"It really is amazing food," he agreed glancing down at the menu again.

"Hello there! My name's Wendy. What can I get for you two?" A woman in her fifties approached us with the same bubbly voice from earlier.

"I'll get the burger, fries, and a coke please." Alexander replied, closing his menu and handing it back to Wendy.

"Can I get the burger and fries but with a vanilla milkshake?" I asked doing the same with my menu.

"Of course. I'll be right back with your order." She winked at us before walking away.

"The best thing about this place," Alexander began, "is that halfway through any service the two owners - who are an old married couple - will just start yelling at each other. Happens every time without fail."

Just as he said this I heard something crash in the kitchen. "How many times do I have to tell you to cut the tomatoes thinner than this? You never listen to me!" Wendy's bubbly voice screeched.

"I always do, my love. You just don't understand that I know what the customers like and I know that this is the tomato width that they all ask for!" Answered a male voice.

"Oh, you know what the customers like? How  could you possibly know anything while holed up in this kitchen avoiding humanity?"

"I don't avoid humanity," he muttered in return, "just the parts of humanity I'd prefer to avoid."

"Oh all of it, you mean?" Came the snarky reply.

I let out a small laugh and Alexander smiled at me, "It's the best."

Wendy scampered out of the kitchen to drop off our food with a smile before going back into the kitchen. "Enjoy!"

"Thank you," I replied. "How did you find this place?" I asked curiously. I'd been documenting restaurants for weeks and hadn't heard of it.

Alexander and I picked up our burgers and bit into them. "Oh my God, this is amazing."

"I know. This place is a gem. I used to come here a lot actually, with my sister."

I nodded my head, "What's she doing now?"

"She passed away a few months ago. Cancer." Alexander replied in monotone.

"Alexander... I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine losing a loved one." I reached out to touch his hand across the table. What do you say when someone is truly going through heartbreak? No words could give relief form that feeling.

He turned his gaze to me and let out a small smile, "Thanks."

"I feel like a complete idiot for breaking down about something as minor as a breakup now." I admitted to him. I'd slobbered all over his shirt while he was going through an actual loss in his life. I felt like scum at the moment.

He shook his head, "Heartbreak is heartbreak. But you do have to tell me the story behind the two of you now. I'm invested. Plus you know something no one other than Nathan knows about me." He took another bite.

A part of me wondered if Nathan had brought Alexander along when he met up with Avery because he was going through a tough time with his sister. My heart ached at that idea. It must have been so hard him. It must still be so hard for him.

I gave him a weak smile. "Aaron and I had been dating for about two years before I found him in bed with one of our mutual friends. He told me he couldn't control himself since I wasn't satisfying him. He told our friend group at the time that he kissed someone else and that I flipped out and left him. I haven't been able to confront him or my old friends who still hang out with him. Avery lost her mind when she found out and punched him in the face," I laughed at the idea of a red-faced Avery punching Aaron. She did actual damage too. His bleeding nose was a testament to that.

"So, this is the guy that you saw this morning in class?" He asked furrowing his eyebrows. I nodded at him. "Why the hell were you being so nice? Shit, why the hell was I being so nice?"

I shrugged my shoulders as I bit off a fry, "Honestly, I'm proud of myself for not apologizing to him."

"Why on earth would you do that?" He asked, eyebrows raised.

"I'm not very good at confrontation," I explained. That was the understatement of the century. How about 'worst possible individual to express their emotions?' Now we're getting there.

He took a sip of his coke, "So, if you could say anything to Aaron, like what you really wanted to say, what would it be?" He asked before digging into his fries.

"I don't know," I laughed. I'd never thought about it. And if I had, it wouldn't be something that I'd just spew out to Alexander. I didn't discuss that with anyone.

"Come on, if you didn't have to hold back whatsoever. He's just standing there in front of you with his obnoxious hair," I smiled as I remembered the hair. It wasn't his best look, I'd admit. Alexander wiped his hands on his napkin before placing them on the table. His long arms made it so that his hands were so close to mine on the table. I could almost feel the warmth radiating from them.

"Why are you so curious?" I asked honestly. I didn't understand why he cared at all.

"You remind me of someone." He stated simply, "So, what would you say?" He asked.

I paused for a moment before the words tumbled out like a dam breaking. "I'd tell him that what he did hurt me more than he could imagine and that I have to actively stop myself from thinking about him in the day and remind myself that he doesn't care about me like I thought he did, because if he did, there's no way he could have acted like he did and there's no way he wouldn't be more ashamed than he is right now and that I know that one day I'll look back at the douche of a boyfriend I had for two years and think it wasn't a big deal because I'm better off, but for now it still hurts to breathe and it's not fair that I feel this way but he can vacation and fish for two weeks in a cabin." I took a breath and made eye contact with Alexander who looked surprised by my outburst. I surprised myself with my outburst. I hadn't said those things to anyone - not even Avery. I wiped my hands on my napkin.

"How are we doing here, cuties?" Wendy asked before placing the bill on the table. Alexander reached over and scooped it up.

"Great, I think I'm done." I replied pushing my plate forward and reaching into my wallet for my card. Alexander saw this and quickly placed some cash on top of the receipt and handed it back. "Please let me pay for it, Alexander. I absolutely ruined your day." I couldn't imagine having a random girl cry on you and you having to treat her to lunch.

"You'll get the next one," he replied, shooting me a small smile. I smiled back. Would we have a next breakdown lunch? I certainly hoped I could avoid that embarrassment again but the lunch had turned out great and Alexander was so easy to talk to. The thought gave me butterflies and I wasn't sure I understood why.

"Besides you still have to survive the ride back on my bike," he grinned at me.