The Beautiful Monster

"I'm not that special," Alyssa replied. She didn't want to think of herself as being better than anyone. She was told plenty of times that she was nothing more than ordinary.

"I'm going to prove that you are," Elias told her in a confident tone. He drifted his hand away from hers.

"In all my years, I don't think I've met someone so stubborn when it came to admitting they're better than just normal."

"Isn't that narcissistic?" Alyssa smirked as she crossed her arms and rested them on the surface of the table in front of her.

"That's thinking you're better than everyone," Elias replied. "You're not narcissistic. You're not boring."

"You're really trying to boost my ego, aren't you?" Alyssa laughed a bit awkwardly. She wasn't used to this much kind attention.

He focused on her more than most people, more than her own parents.

"Just trying to make you realize that you're interesting too," Elias replied with a grin.

He was sly as well as charming. She wished she could get used to his behavior so that it would stop affecting her so much, but that probably wasn't going to happen.

A mere smile from him made her feel all fluttery on the inside.

"What were you like in high school? Were you popular?" Alyssa asked him. She hoped that she wasn't prying too much, but she was curious.

He had the personality and looks of someone popular, but he also acted like an outcast in other instances. He straddled that line, and she wondered if he always had or not.

"I kind of stuck to myself during high school. I was a moody teenager," Elias chuckled. He thanked the waitress once she dropped off their malts.

"I think I'm still a little moody at times."

"Something specific make you moody?" Alyssa asked. She could get grumpy from time-to-time, but it was a rare feeling for her.

She had been around plenty of angry people, and nothing good ever came out of their frustration. She tried to avoid it as much as possible.

"My family. Some old friends. Too much homework. I think I searched for things to be upset about back then," Elias replied with a shake of his head.

"I've been trying to change that."

"If it makes you feel any better, the last thing I see you as is a mad person," Alyssa replied with a small smile before sipping on her malt.

She nearly groaned at how good the sweet taste was. She hadn't had one of these in a while. The cafeteria only had so many things to try.

Elias flashed his white teeth at that. He lit up from his eyes to his smile.

"Then I'm doing a good job," he said.

"You can be a little scary, though," Alyssa replied. She mostly said that as a joke, but part of that was a little serious. He could get all dark and gloomy at times.

"That's part of my nature. That'll always be there," Elias smirked before sipping on his vanilla malt. He looked far from threatening now.

She felt like being insecure was part of her nature. Thoughts of uncertainty always lingered in her head, even if she tried to be confident and bold.

She wondered if she would ever be able to get rid of them or at least quiet them down.

"Here you are," the waitress said as she arrived at the table with their burgers. She set them down in front of them before placing the check on the table and then leaving.

Alyssa made a grab for it since he had paid for their tea that one night. She figured it was her turn to pick up the bill for them, and she wanted to thank him for saving her skin anyway.

Of course, Elias beat her to the punch and swiped the bill away. He was quick.

"I can get it," she said, attempting to reason with him. She should've known that wouldn't pan out, though.

"I'm a gentleman. I'll take care of the tab," Elias assured her as he placed his debit card down on the bill. "That sort of mindset is fizzling out," he muttered.

Alyssa tilted her head at him curiously. At times, he spoke so strangely or used weird wording. She guessed that he read a lot or heard someone talk in that way.

"You're kind of old-fashioned," she pointed out.

Elias shrugged.

"I guess my mind is kind of old," he admitted before grabbing his burger and sinking his teeth into it.

Alyssa followed suit, feeling an onion ring crunch between her teeth. There were so many bold flavors, but they meddled together wonderfully.

She didn't think she ever had such a flavorful burger before, and it didn't come from some fancy restaurant. It came from a regular old diner.

"That is incredible," she said as she stared at the large mouth-shaped hole in the side of her burger.

"I told you, and I'm picky about food," Elias replied before taking another bite.

She liked that they were different in many ways. He showed her so many new things and brought her around to new ways of thinking and trying different things.

She wouldn't have gone through a handful of experiences already this year without him, and she hoped that he would stick around to show her more.

She surely wouldn't mind doing more things together.