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One thing Aleyah had learned about Jude was that he was persistent. She saw the way his face lit up with accomplishment when she finally gave in and agreed to go out with him, confirming the fact that he'd been planning out the situation.
The girl was nearly sure that even if his plan didn't work out, he would eventually find another attempt to try and take her out. So, though he may have been stubborn, he was also quite predictable.
Jude's car, unsurprisingly, was luxurious. It was low, black with leather seats, and even equipped with expensive bottles of water in the door cup holders. If the girl didn't know what profession he undertook, she would have automatically assumed he was a chauffeur of some sort.
Once they settled into the vehicle, Jude gave no time for Aleyah to even begin thinking of changing her mind as he rapidly indulged in conversation. "So, August, how old are you turning?"
"I'm very big now." The boy gave a half-toothed grin filled with pride. "I'm five years old." He put up seven fingers to emphasize his point.
"Five? Wow! You are very big!" Jude spoke with equally as much enthusiasm as the child. "Maybe even after pizza, you can drive us back."
"I'm not that big, silly." August giggled reprimandedly. "I can't even reach the pedals."
"Oh, yeah, you're right. Maybe your sister can drive us. How old is she?"
"I don't know, ask her." He shrugged.
Aleyah, too engrossed in their little chat, took some time to realize that the attention had fallen on her. "Oh, I'm 18." She answered shortly.
Jude gave a small hum of acknowledgment, seemingly to himself, as though confirming something inwardly. "I'm 19," he then spoke after a short beat of silence. "So wh-"
"When I'm 19, I'm going to be a footballer!" August exclaimed suddenly before Jude could continue with his statement.
"A footballer? Are you any good?" Jude asked with interest that even Aleyah couldn't tell if it was feigned.
"I'm the best at my school! Aye says she'll take me to a club, but she keeps on forgetting." August spoke with a lot of animation. The boy always got like this once he became comfortable with people, talkative and loud. A lot found it irritating, but there was a select few who were able to see just how bright and special he was. And as their small chatter went on, Aleyah was beginning to believe that Jude was one of those select few.
As they arrived at the restaurant, Jude instructed the two to find a table as he had some sort of important call to make. August, taking the assignment very seriously, scanned the tables with as much precision as a five-year-old could have, and then headed for a U-shaped corner booth in the front of the restaurant.
Not long after they sat down, Jude joined them. He situated himself right opposite Aleyah while August was in between the two. The table had an inbuilt tablet for ordering, a task the older boy took upon himself.
