"And end the fun so soon? You surprise me, Jason, you'd rather I simply surrender to you then have you put in a little work? And here I was thinking you didn't prefer the easy road. Are you afraid that a bit of a chase won't be rewarding in the end?"
"In other words, you're enjoying this. Is that a green light from you telling me that I have the license to press on with my chase?"
"If you think the fun stops once the chase is over, you're myopic to what the whole game entails, sweetheart. The chase is but an appetiser. What comes after, is the real deal. Or have you not been swept away before by a man during a relationship to think that it is all bland?" Jason calmly retorted. The more she attempted to engage him in a banter that was not by any means platonic, the more he was convinced that she was showing interest. It was also a cue for him to up the ante whenever she gave him the confidence to engage without needing to worry about it backfiring - not that that would greatly hurt his ego if it did, for it would take more than that to get to a man with a level of self-esteem like his. The fact that Aliyah was motivated to entertain him, despite the fact that she had a boy waiting on her back at home, was putting all her beliefs about her prior stance on fidelity into question.
Apart from her new found bestie who didn't even know how Aliyah was like in her former years, would anyone who knew Ali for who she was, believe that she was capable of committing adultery? Especially since everyone who knew her and Benji were convinced they make a power couple, from their display of how hopelessly in love they were for one another back in the days.
"In other words, if I want the opportunity to stay by your side on your little adventures, I simply need to lavish you with praise? I can definitely be nice, but let's see how tonight goes first, and you might earn a real compliment from me in the end. I'd hate for you to think I'm only doing so to get something out of it in return."
"You're not 'doing so to get something out of it in return', if I'm doing this willingly. I know what I want. The better question is, do you?" Ali just got the first direct taste of the mentality that the lad possessed that made him a serial winner. He always had clear objectives in mind. And oftentimes, what he wants, he gets, by being gritty, relentless and persistent with his every pursue.
"I wouldn't say I'm friend zoning you exactly, but that's a safe place to start at, at least for now."
"Good. I was afraid my efforts might already be futile from the get-go." If only Jason knew Aliyah wasn't technically supposed to be putting herself out in the market, that would have given him a tremendous ego boost, and a strong reason to press on and go for the proverbial kill. But as it stood, not knowing the fact that she was attached was essentially a fog of war for him, and he knew he still needed to thread cautiously, and play his every word and action with intricacy.
"I would hope by now you've realized I'm not really like 'most girls', if we're traveling for an away game we are there to do a job. Sure, when there's some downtime there's no harm in taking advantage of that, but ultimately we aren't really there to have fun. I don't know, maybe I take cheerleading a bit too seriously, but to me that is the fun. Getting to be there at the games, getting to be with everyone and be a part of something."
"I'm sure you'll have all the fun you crave for during the competitions. I get what you mean - the adrenaline rush. I live for that as well. But college is more than just about the sports and the academics. Tonight for instance."
"You won't be able to find a time to hang out like that, stress free and without a care in the world, once you get inundated with the woes of adulting life. I've worked during summers in such high pressured environments, and the bills are always on your tail, threatening to burgeon if they aren't dealt with promptly. And let me tell you. It sucks. So enjoy this part of the college life while you can. You're here to build memories. At least, I feel that way, and trying my best to figure a balance." Jason offered his honest words of wisdom. There was a sense that the lad was well ahead of his peers in the terms of mental maturity. It also provided a glimpse into his personal life. Despite all that glitters coming from him, he was dealing with bills? Was he not handed a golden ticket?
"Don't worry about me, complacent isn't a word in my vocabulary. But between you and Sabrina, you both almost make the competitive side of things sound bad. Competition can be healthy if it's used right, it's how we become better people."
Jason couldn't help, but let out a chuckle. He didn't wish to come off as dismissive or condescending. But he felt that was naive from Aliyah. He was speaking from experience, and so was Sabrina. They had been in the arena long enough to form an opinion, whereas he wasn't quite sure how Aliyah had the confidence to seem so nonchalant, given that she hadn't actually got her hands down and dirty in the present world they were in yet. But he wasn't going to say that. Lessons were most effective when learned through pain. Instead, he opted to stroke her ego, part of his natural game of carefully complimenting her amidst their banter to get a healthy mix of tug and pull, like that of a game of cat and mouse.
"I'm sure you'll adapt well. You give me the vibe that nothing could stand in your way. Just know that if you ever find yourself in a quagmire, you'll need the right people to help pull you through. You have my number."
"It'll be an arduous road. But I've got your back in your bid to dethrone the current cheer lead, if that is your eventual aim."
"Luckily I've already found one person who seems to have rather good connections, though the last time I checked, she most certainly wasn't a man."
Again, that elicited a soft smirk from Jason. Aliyah was clearly having fun in their little feisty exchange. It's apparent that she was being true to her words about having a strong competitive nature in her, not giving him the opportunity to get ahead of her. And all the more, he relished that opportunity to take her down.
"Shame. And I thought I was the best out there when it comes to that."
Some fifteen minutes on, they found themselves settled down by their table and left alone for a moment to consider the menu, after the seemingly uneventful walk down the trail had been discreetly fanning the flames of passion. The irony, was that even though it resulted from a lack of touch that was nothing more than the mere grazing of their arms, which physically did so little, it promised a world of 'what ifs'. As much as he was trying to frustrate her, he was adapt at the game of hot and cold, by proceeding to mention that he was happy to shower her with a treat for the evening.
"Those are some dangerous words, if I was that kind of girl I could certainly take you at your word and try to break your bank if I wanted to."
"Try as you may. I think you deserve it. So think not about the consequences, and just live life for once."
"Don't you worry, even if I don't have the honor of going on a second date with you, this will be one that sticks with me for a while. It's breathtaking here, I didn't even know there was a place like this, and so close by too."
"Do you want to go on a second date with me? Or at least, are you edging towards the likelihood of it?" Jason was going to make Ali confront the question directly, no-nonsense, get to the point. He didn't believe in beating around the bushes and playing things in wishy washy manner. Plus, he found joy in putting Aliyah in the spot. There was something adorable in trying to make her flush from embarrassment, especially coming from a girl with such a seeming strong heart.
"So why is it that a senior captain was willing to possibly be embarrassed by a freshman by asking me out tonight? I could've said no, and in front of all those people too. You didn't even hesitate though."
"Indeed, you could have said no. But you didn't. And I had got a strong hunch right from the beginning that you were going to say yes, eventually." He paused, answering her with a coolness unparalleled, as he then helped himself to a bottle of Moscato chilled in a bucket of ice between them, popped the cork, pouring a glass for the young lady, before doing the same for himself. It seemed that he had came prepared, instructing for the bottle to be present even before they were seated. He had curated the evening down to the level of such detail, picking out a dessert wine beforehand that he believed from experience, was preferred by girls in general for its sweet profile.
"And even if you did say no initially, I will keep trying to show you that you made an honest mistake, and have you change your mind. My plans are always clear. I would expect a person like you who knows what it takes to not give up, to understand."
"And the reason I decided to ask you out? I've never met someone who was so unfazed, and have the capacity to match my energy. You sparked an impression. I wanted to see what you're about."
"Fuck those silver spoon fed girls which many of them in the fraternity are. They have got it all wrong, I wouldn't even know how to begin to try to correct them. You seemed down to earth, different." Perhaps he was a skilled smooth talker, and his intention was to butter her up. But there was still truth in his words. For Jason, he was just merely using the weapon of truth to do the work for him, especially since it was clearly at his disposal. It was that time when the waiter returned to interrupt the pair, asking for their orders. Jason got himself a platter of ten fresh oysters for his starter, and then got himself a seafood platter that consisted a generous mix, with the Alaskan King Crab being the highlight of it. They were by the beach, and he figured it was the thematically fitting choice. The waiter then turned to Aliyah after, allowing her to register her choice for the evening.
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>: Oregon sucks.
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: Sure, I don't see why not. What do you need a dress for?
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