Chapter 7

Zander was waiting in the cafe that he mentioned earlier. He didn't know why he wanted to make her his friend, but he knew it made him feel good. It was 3:55, of course, he was early, he could nag her when she gets here with that.

His phone chimed, notifying him of a new message. He unlocked it and looked at it, a message from Brianna. He sighed, it would be rude to tell her that he wasn't interested. He wasn't the person who wanted anyone to feel bad or hurt because of him. His pulse quickened at the mere thought of hurting someone.

But he had to do something. Leading her would also be extremely rude. Just then his thoughts came to a halt as the chair in front of him made a scraping noise. " Scarlett!" He exclaimed and looked at the time, it was perfectly 4. " I'm still early." He said and she only shrugged with a ghost of a smile decorating her lips.

" Do you ever talk? " Zander asked in a teasing tone. She gave him a death glare " Of course I do." " So what would you like to have? Coffee?" Zander asked her. Had he offended her? He wasn't aware of it, so he decided to change the topic. " Cold coffee." She replied with a smile.

He walked up to the counter leaving Scarlett there. She knew that it was rude to go through other's things, but the cover of the book was captivating, so she took it. 'The Art of Archaeology' was the title. She didn't know who Zander was, but she guessed that he had a job in the museum since he didn't look like a college-goer, she guessed that he was probably 23 or 24.

She flipped through the pages and found various articles that were intriguing, she read about two of them when Zander came back with two coffees and brownies. " I never asked for brownies..." She said and he only smiled. " But everyone loves to eat these babies. It's something for our new friendship." He said. She knew she was right about him being a humble person.

They sipped on their drinks and started talking about each other. Their families, siblings, school, and so much more. "What's that cut on your forehead? " Zander asked with concern. Scarlett's hand involuntarily touched the cut. She wondered about that herself but didn't have the answer to that. She decided to let go of it since it wasn't that important. " I-uh... I fell down the stairs when I was younger. Yes, that's what it is." She said hastily, Zander felt that something was up.

" Oh, alright. Do you have pets?" Their conversation continued and they didn't keep track of the time. " Sweet Jesus! It's almost 6! My parents must be really worried." She exclaimed. " Call them and tell them that you're with a friend." He was cool about it. She took her phone out and called her father. He picked up with just one ring. " Scarlett! Where are you? I just sent Trevor to search for you!" " I'm so sorry dad! I'm with one of my friends in Dream cafe. I'll be home soon. Don't worry... And please tell Trev that I'm fine." " Alright sweetheart. Be safe. Next time please tell me if you're going to be late." Her father was scared and she knew it.

After hanging up she gathered her things. " Hey, are you leaving?" Zander asked as he stood up and walked towards her. " Yea, I'm gonna leave now. Everyone's worried sick, I better get going now or it's going to get too dark." " Mind if I drop you?" Zander asked with a smile. Could she trust him with getting her home safe? " Are you sure? " She asked before thinking. " It's my duty to get a friend home safely, don't you think?" Her heart swelled at that. " Thank you so much!" She said and they both left the cafe after Zander paid for their treats.

He had a pretty decent car. " Why did you think that archaeology was 'the' profession for you?" She asked out of curiosity. " Didn't you feel captivated when you were flipping through that book inside the cafe? " He asked her, concentrating on the road. " Obviously..." " Exactly, you felt captivated, but I fell in love with it. That was when I knew that that was what I needed." She was happy that he found his way to his passion in spite of the obstacles his father put forth.

" Do you like what you're studying? " Was his question to her. She didn't know if that's what she wanted, but she knew that she would have a nice life with what she was studying. So she answered it truthfully. " I don't know. I mean, it is a good profession, it pays well. It's something that can help me settle down in life." That made him look at her. " So you mean that money is everything? " He couldn't help that question from spilling out. " No, that's not what I meant. You know, most of the jobs aren't as secure as the corporate world. Of course, job loss is one problem, but it can be a mere hurdle if you're good at what you do." Scarlett realized that it didn't make any sense. " I don't know, Zander. I think it was an impulsive decision that I took." There it was.

" Do you know what you want to do? " Zander asked softly, sensing her dilemma. " I draw... Like really well. Do you think I can take up art and become an artist? " She looked at him with a helpless look. " You can. It's never too late to do what you love." He smiled at her. She would be lying if she said that she didn't feel better.

" You're a good friend, Zander." She said and his smile grew a mile. " And my first one as well." She added. His head snapped towards her and looked at her with disbelief. " So Tania? " He asked since she spoke of her in the cafe. " We met today as well. I'm not the person who goes and talks to people... I expect it to be the other way round. I think that's why I didn't have any friends... until now." She gave him a heart-melting smile.

The car came to a stop when her house came into view. " She opened the door and got out, stretching a little. " Bye Zander... Oh, wait! We don't even have each other's numbers." She was right. He extended his hand asking her for her phone. She handed it over without remembering that she had her phone locked. " It's locked." He turned the screen towards her. " Sorry. It's 'bluelove'. " She said. " You're telling me your password?" He was surprised. " Yup. I trust you..." She trailed off.

He typed the password and proceeded to enter his number into it. " I've saved it." He said and she smiled. " Ok! I'll text you soon." She said and turned around to get inside her house. " 1-9 in the reverse order." He said suddenly, making her stop and look at him questioningly. " What?" " It's my password." He said with a sheepish smile.

He saw her face light up a shade more, enhancing her olive skin more. " See you soon, Zander." She said and hopped into her house and shut the door with a smile that never left her face. Zander sure was a great guy and a better friend.