"So, where exactly are we going?" Kiara asked as she linked her arms with Mila, Robbie and Emre flanking both girls.
"There's this really awesome pizza place a few blocks away, there's where the boys usually go," Robbie answers kindly.
Kiara hummed, she felt Emre brushing her side as they walked along. Her thoughts still on what he had said with so much intensity, without faltering at all. She felt Mila nudge her and looking at her friend she leaned forward.
"What was that about, back there?" Mila whispered into her ear.
"What is this about, the one next to you?" she whispered back in a conspiratorial tone. A smile playing on her lips.
"You guys look like you were about to kiss," Mila continued whispering.
"You guys look like you want to do a whole lot of things other than kissing," Kiara whispered cheekily and jumped when she felt Mila pinch her arm.
"You know it's rude to whisper when they are others around," they heard Emre say lowly, as he kept looking to the front.
"Yes, it actually really is. Rude, I mean," Robbie said lightly as he looked down at Mila with a raised eyebrow. There was a clear expression on his face that Kiara realised Mila was familiar with because she completely stopped asking questions about what happened. Although knowing Mila, she knew the bombardment of questions would come later when they were in private.
"Wow, that look you just gave her; I need to learn it! She completely shut up," Kiara said in amazement and squealed when Mila pinched her again, this time harder.
"I'm not staying here with this abuser! Frannie, wait up," Kiara stuck her tongue out at Kiara and jogged to Frannie. She looked back at Emre and beamed at him. She took in his ruffled wavy hair, the black bomber jacket over the red flannel shirt and the grey t-shirt underneath. Instead of his usual baggy jeans, he had on pitch black skinny jeans which he paired with his red Vans.
"Quit, checking the boy out like a piece of meat," Frannie muttered, amused.
"I was not!" Kiara flushed pink.
"Uhuh. Sure."
Emre walked in silence next to Mila and Robbie who they were in their own world; whispering words in each other's ears as they walked along. Kiara bit her lip as she struggled to keep her hair manageable as she walked, all the while feeling eyes on her back.
"Finally, we're here," she heard Russell exclaim loudly from the front of the group. Ahad, Raine, Axel, Malcom, and Russell walked in with a familiarity to the place.
"Why is this food train stopping?" Frannie asked, his eyebrows knitted.
"Guys, I didn't think about this before; but I am guessing this place isn't Halal?" Kiara asked tentatively.
"Oh shit, I forgot!" Mila exclaimed.
"You can get the Margarita or the vegetarian pizza with me," Emre offered quietly, looking at Kiara through his lashes, his green eyes oddly catlike in the dark.
"Phew, minor crisis averted. Now can we please eat?" Frannie opened the door to the pizza place.
"You know, you're kinda a bitch when you're hungry," Mila said nonchalantly from behind them and Kiara swallowed a laugh when she saw Frannie just rolling his eyes in response.
There was nothing special about this place with its grease slicked floor, beige walls, plain décor, but the aromas that were wafting in the air made her mouth salivate. She could already imagine how warm and stringy the fresh from the oven mozzarella cheese would be on the pizza coupled with the richness of the tomato sauce spiced with oregano with all the other herbs and she swallowed suddenly feeling hungry enough to eat a couple of slices.
"Oi, Papa ki pari, come sit here," Ahad all but commanded. From the end of the long table, with Raine next to him furrowing her brows slightly at his tone.
Kiara couldn't help the frown at his tone but quickly smoothed it out with a smile, "Nah, I'm sharing a pizza with Emre and Mila. I'll be on this side," she said quickly sitting down at the other end of the table.
"Well, that was weird," Mila said softly, and Kiara nodded slowly as she looked around.
Looking to her right she saw that, Emre had the seat at the end of the table next to the window looking out, then it was her followed by Mila, Robbie, Raine and Ahad. In front of her, sat Axel, Russell, Franny, then Malcom and she smiled as she studied the boys in front of her.
Axel was almost Raine's twin; the same oval shaped face, blonde hair, and clear blue twinkly eyes. He seemed to always have a smile carved on his face, his lips upturned slightly. Russell next to him had an air of mischief about him that showed in his mannerism, from the way he had his black curly hair in a hairband to the way he looked at everyone with a cheeky smirk. He winked at her, his dark eyes glittering with humour when he caught her looking and she chuckled sheepishly. Malcom on the other hand looked like a he belonged on a beach in Cali with his sandy brown hair, dark blue eyes, and tanned skin. He even exuded that calm and chill energy that she associated with surfers. They were all dressed casually, in T-shirt, jeans and sneakers; just like Emre.
She was most excited that Axel was sitting closer to her because she was dying to pick his brains about composing and song writing. There was this one song that they performed which was stuck in her head and she knew it was an original.
"Hey Axel, that song...you know the one that goes," Kiara hums it for Axel, "How long did it take for you to compose? It's so, so good!"
"Wait, you just hummed that almost perfectly...you've never listened to us before though or have you...?" Russell trailed his eyes rounded, as he looked between Kiara and Emre.
"Kiara has perfect pitch," Emre said quietly as he opened the sealed bottle of water. He proceeded to pour into a glass and pushed it towards Kiara. Axel looked at her in shock.
"How did you know?" she asked after a beat, she knew there was a huge smile on her face as she sipped on the glass of ice water.
"Music class in middle school. You almost always corrected that kid with the flute," he said, his lips curving upwards slightly as though he was thinking back to those times in class.
"Oh my God, that was Danny Rivera! He was so annoying," Mila said shaking her head.
"Well, what he lacked in talent he made up for it with enthusiasm," Kiara smiled kindly.
"Yeah, you kinda like tutored him or something right? For music?" Mila continued.
"How the hell do you tutor someone to play the flute?" "You play the flute?"
Kiara heard Russell and Axel ask her at the same time. She laughed, "No, I only play the piano. I wasn't really allowed to try anything else," she shrugged, not realising the sadness that laced her voice. She glanced at Emre before quickly looking at the boys sitting in front of her.
"But I helped Danny after school, with getting the notes right and he passed the class. And he still plays for fun, he'll tag me sometimes on like Instagram stories or something. Most of the times he's butchering a song but as long as it makes him happy," she shrugged smiling at the gaping boys in front of her.
They paused for a second as four large pizzas were ready for them. Axel, Malcom, and Russell quickly picked it up from the counter and placed them on the table. The vegetarian one placed in front of Kiara and Emre, while the pepperoni pizza was placed in front of Mila and Robbie, while the Hawaiian pizza with the pineapples and a Margherita pizza was further down the table. The table fell silent as everyone picked up a slice of their choice of pizza and started eating.
Kiara noticed that Emre had shifted slightly as he ate, his body now turning towards her. After the boys had devoured almost all the pizzas they settled back into casual chit chat. Axel talking about the crowd they performed for tonight, and Kiara cringing at the crude remarks from Russell and and in awe at the sharp observations from Malcom that peppered the conversation. They all paused when Emre stood to head to the back to wash his hands; Kiara's eyes following him as he disappeared to the back.
"So, what's the deal with the two of you?" Russell asked bluntly with a raised eyebrow, promptly receiving a smack to the back of his head from Axel.
"Hey, I was still eating...," he whined pausing as he took another bite of his pizza.
Kiara couldn't help but snicker at the whole thing, swallowing and clearing her throat she answered, "Nothing. We're just friends from school." She shrugged as she smiled at Russell, picking at the mushrooms on her pizza.
"Yeah...I don't buy that...," he continued in between bites of his pizza.
"...and why is that?" she asked resting her elbow on the table, cradling her chin as a smirk threatened to pull her lips upwards.
"Because you don't look at each other like friends," answered Robbie's quiet voice. His eyes were downcast, elbows brushing Mila's arm as his own arms were folded across his chest.
Frannie snorted, "Yeah you would know about that." He flinched a little, all of a sudden as though he realised what he had said out loud.
Kiara raised an eyebrow at the silent exchange between the two brothers and noticed Mila shifting uncomfortably, edging away slightly from Robbie's nearness.
"Sooo, anyways...you guys going all out once Emre graduates high school?" Mila asked trying to diffuse the awkwardness. Kiara glanced again at Robbie, his face grim as he stared down his brother. Before she looked away, she noticed Ahad was sitting with a glare on his face. Raine had wound her arms around his neck and was softly stroking his cheek as her lips moved almost against his cheek. They must have had a lover's tiff, Kiara thought smiling to herself. She loved that word, 'lover's tiff', it made even the most horrendous of arguments sound endearing to her. Kiara tuned back to the conversation as Emre sat back down next to her. He extended his left arm to rest on Kiara's chair, legs spread wide knees facing her as he sat comfortably.
"Yeah, we are on Bandcamp now. It's where all the new bands put their music up and you know, hope to blow up," Axel said hopefully.
"But we're doing pretty good now. We already have people coming to our shows because we're playing. So that's good," Emre said quietly as he leaned closer to the table, resting his right elbow on it. Kiara felt her heart leap into her throat as she felt fingers wind itself in the tips of her hair. She blinked not knowing what to do; slowly she leaned back into the chair. She tried to be sneaky, but she knew Russell saw her glancing at Emre as he absentmindedly played with her hair as he continued talking.
She sighed quietly knowing she would have to face Russell's 'I told you so' look, as she faced forward. Russell wiggled his eyebrows at her and she chuckled shaking her head. Pushing her glasses up her nose, she continued listening to Emre and Axel talk about their next show three weeks away.
"So, what are your plans after graduating, you musical genius you?" Malcom asked with a laugh from across the table.
"We're heading to Paris," Mila squealed with happiness. Kiara felt the hand in her hair still just for a second before it continued twirling a strand of her hair around his fingers.
"Uhmm...yeah, I got a spot in the National Superior Conservatory of Dance and Music of Paris. I got into the orchestral program, but now I am thinking I might change it up. Maybe focusing on composing more...," she trailed, smiling contentedly.
"This one already got her acceptance, so after Carnegie Hall next weekend; she can already head to Paris if she wants! Once I get there, we'll be roomies!" Mila gushed happily, linking her arms with Kiara. "Frannie, you'll be heading there too, right?" Mila questioned him, trying to get both brothers involved in the conversation.
"Yeah, but only for a bit," Frannie smiled indulgently at Mila. As though he knew what she was doing and had done so a million times already.
"Oh my God, if you guys ever end up performing in Paris someday; remember to hit us up okay?" Mila said laughing happily, as she looked from Axel, Russell, and Malcolm.
"Wait, hold up a sec...you're playing in Carnegie Hall? Like the Hall or the other smaller auditoriums?" Malcom asked wide eyed.
"The Hall...," Kiara chuckled lightly. "It's just a hall guys. Like any other. I much rather perform like you guys; it's so much more...I don't know...maybe relaxed isn't the right word? More authentic. Piano is so stiff, so formal; at least the kind that I have to play. I'll have to sit in this uncomfortable evening dress that I probably can't breathe in and play a classical piece. Something which I don't even know if the audience will be able to relate with. At least you guys know that your songs; at least one song or even a piece of lyric from your song would have hit the listener square in the chest, and they'll go 'yeah I know how that feels'. There's a connection, a kinship, a bond between the listener and your music," she ended quietly, her eyes looking everywhere but at three guys in front of her.
There was a silence before Mila elbowed her in the ribs, "Damn girl, you need to start writing poetry or essays too!"
"Yeah, and bore people to death because the only thing I know about is music," she rolled her eyes as she laughed. She fished out a wet wipe from her backpack and started wiping her hands.
"Don't forget Bollywood," Emre added as he teased her quietly, bumping into her lightly making her chuckle freely.
"Well, if things don't work in Paris I could always go to Bollywood," she laughed lightly, rubbing her hands with a sanitizer before passing it to Mila.
"You never know, you might just get scouted by some genius Bollywood musician to compose for them," Mila teased not knowing that Kiara had started weaving that very sentiment into the dreams of her future, tucking the sanitiser back into Kiara's backpack.
"Anyways, it was fun to hang out, but I need to head back to the bar," Robbie announced to the table as he looked at his watch, throwing a crumpled tissue paper on the table. He looked at Mila and in a softer tone asked, "What are your plans after this?"
"Nothing much, just heading home with Kiara and then she has to go back to her place in the morning...well, you know...later," she said with a smile as she sipped the last bits of her soda.
"I'll take you girls home," Frannie volunteered, and Robbie nodded without saying a word. Lightly pressing a chaste kiss on Mila's temple, he stood up and said a quick goodbye.
"Thanks for the 'zas, Robbie!" Malcolm said loudly, before the rest of them followed suit, thanking Robbie for the midnight meal. Robbie brushed it off with a smile as he walked away.
Once he was far enough, Kiara noticed that Mila had started glaring at Frannie. She promptly kicked him under the table the moment Robbie walked out the door.
"You just needed to goad him, right? You can't just leave it alone?" she said in a low, harsh tone.
"I'm sorry," Frannie said, looking genuinely remorseful.
"There are reasons things are the way they are, just...trust the fucking process. Just don't goad him anymore, for fucks sake!" Mila threw her hands up in frustration. Kiara watched in silence as Mila collected her things in annoyance getting ready to leave.
Following Mila's lead, Kiara turned her body to the right and found that her knees were trapped in between Emre's. She looked at him and cocked her head to the side, looking at him questioningly. Leaning forward slightly, Emre caged Kiara in as he rested one hand on the back of Kiara's chair and the other on his right thigh.
"Soooo...I've got a suggestion...since it is already pretty late and I don't think you'll be getting much sleep anyways before you have to head home, why don't you hang out with me? We'll hang out a little and I'll send you home after we get breakfast. There's this place that does amazing breakfast things like quiches, croissants and if you like sweet stuff they have things like cronuts...," Emre murmured lowly, his eyes trained sharply on Kiara's expression.
She leaned closer, as though trying to conspire something, "But what will we do though before breakfast?"
"It's New York, there's always something to do," he whispered, a smile pulling at his lips as he saw Kiara seriously considering his idea.
"Just us?" she asked again, biting the inside of her lips as he nodded. She wanted to, but there was an odd nervousness taking hold of her. "Can I maybe just talk to Mila about it?" she asked shakily, her nerves clear in her voice as Emre nodded his head again. He removed his hand from the back of her chair, allowing Kiara to stand up. Shrugging on her coat and her backpack, she knew he watched her as she tugged Mila to the back of the group once everyone was outside and started walking back towards the bar. They'd have to go and pick up their cars which Axel, Ahad, and Frannie had parked behind the bar.
Quickly telling her friend Emre's idea, Kiara bounced on her toes, "Soooo, what do you think? Should I go?"
"Well, do you want to go? Do you even trust him enough to go?" Mila questioned back, a slight hint of unease and concern in her eyes. They started walking instep arm in arm, trailing behind the group a little.
"I do, actually. I really, really want to," Kiara found herself saying. Emre had never done or said anything to hurt her; ever if she really thought about it. She felt it in her gut that she could trust him.
"I think I'd really like to be a normal teenager for a night," she said shooting a slow smile at her best friend.
"Okay, but you text me every hour so that I know that you are okay, if not I will call and interrupt whatever rendezvous you two have going on," Mila threatened as they neared the bar.
"Yes, Mom!" Kiara said with a huge smile. She saw Emre lingering outside the bar with Axel, as though waiting for something. Ahad and Raine were closer towards the door.
Walking up to Emre, Kiara smiled broadly up at him and asked, "So, where are you taking me tonight?" Kiara would swear that she heard audible gasps from behind her as Emre looked down into her eyes, smiling his dimpled smiled for her; the one she was slowly coming to feel as though it was reserved only for her.