Fate is a fighter

Chapter 2 - spaghetti

I was always the first to wake up in the apartment, as my working hours were earlier than Tabs', and Noah didn't work, so didn't get up until his body clock woke him up. As usual, I quickly made myself a slice of toast, and poured coffee into my travel mug, before heading out of the door, toast in one hand, coffee in the other, and bag hung over my shoulder. I took the tube for two stops before arriving at the firm I worked at as a solicitor in equity and trusts, which was all very complex and hard to explain.

"Hey Avery, did you hear that Mr Dixon was caught shagging his PA in the file room?" the secretary, Ruby, and a close friend of mine, said to me as I walked into the office through the elevator doors.

"Hi Rubes, nope I didn't," I smiled at her, "anything for me?"

"Two letters," Ruby said, handing me the papers, which I could now hold as I had finished my toast. "Have you got plans for next weekend?"

"Not yet anyway," I shrugged my shoulders.

"Good, because my boyfriend got me some amazing tickets to see the crazy boxing match, it's going to be huge, I don't even know how he got tickets, please come with me, some of the other girls in the office are going. Everyone wants to see the 'Ravager' kicking the ass of the 'Brick Wall'. Please!" Ruby was practically begging me. She had asked me to go to a million of these stupid fights since I got here, but I just was never interested. I had a boyfriend once upon a time who was a fighter and things didn't end well, I guess it kind of put me off.

"Maybe next time," I gave her a half-smile.

"You said that last time. Just this once, then I'll never ask you to go to another one again. I need my girl there!"

"I'll think about it."

After a long day of meeting various clients, advising them and drafting different documents and contracts, I was absolutely exhausted. I could see Ruby approaching me, with a look of determination on her face, and I knew then that I just was not in the mood to argue any more about a stupid boxing match, so as soon as she came over to my desk, and before she could even open her mouth to start her argument, I said, "fine, I'll go, text me the details."

"WHOOPEE!" Ruby literally squealed, as though she was five years old. Luckily, because I had stayed so late, there was barely anyone in the office to hear her, but those who were there gave her the most confused and weirded-out looks ever. "What, have you never seen someone happy before?" she sarcastically said to those who were casting glances our way, and they all immediately turned their heads away and continued with whatever they were doing.

***

"You hungry bitch?" Noah asked as soon as I walked through the door.

"Starving, smells amazing," I answered.

"Courtesy of Tabby," Noah mentioned.

"What about me?" asked Tabby, walking through the door.

"Just that you're a giant slut," Noah shrugged his shoulders.

"You asshole," she screamed, jumping on his back and hitting him, all the time Noah and I were in complete stiches with laughter. I had to join in to try and split them up, but somehow it ended with me slunk over Noah's shoulder and being thrown on the sofa.

We had spaghetti meatballs for dinner, which was a flat favourite, and we loved to eat spaghetti. One time, Noah and I did the thing in lady in the tramp and sucked the spaghetti till we kissed, and then we both agreed that was probably the weirdest thing he and I had ever done. Noah announced that he was most definitely gay, which earnt him a punch in the balls from me, and an apology from him, where he told me he thought I was the most beautiful girl on the planet, he just wasn't sexually attracted to me, which I accepted, however that earnt him a punch from Tabs. "So, plans for the weekend?" asked Tabs, starting a new conversation as we all slurped up our spaghetti.

"I'm going to Lemon Grapes on Friday to find me a beau," announced Noah. Lemon Grapes was the lesbian/gay bar in the centre of town, which Noah absolutely loved, and which also absolutely loved Noah. "They offered me a job there too, in management."

"That's amazing!" I congratulated him.

"So good," Tabs spoke, with spaghetti still filling her mouth. I wasn't sure if she was saying that fact that Noah got a job was so good, or the spaghetti and meatballs, but we'll go for the former, for Noah's sake.

"Tabs?" Noah asked.

"Oh, I'm going for drinks after work on Friday... um, Edward and Erin are coming over on Sunday for lunch," Tabs explained.

"I miss them!" I stated.

"Yeah I love that girl," added Noah. Edward was Tabs' brother, older by about one year exactly, and Erin was in my year, and was good friends with me and Noah. She went to my school, whilst Edward went to the same school Tabs had, and they met in the summer before Edward went to university. It was very shit circumstances they met in, but I guess it brought them closer together, and they were really sweet together, bringing out the best in eachother. They both ended up in Oxford for university, although in different universities, and they now both live and work in Oxford, after moving into a house together.

"What are your plans Avery?" Tabs asked.

"Oh, one of the girls form work is dragging me to a boxing match on Saturday," I shrugged my shoulders. "She's been hounding me to go to one for ages, and I finally caved I guess."

"The boxing match this weekend?" Noah asked, his eyebrows raised. I nodded my head. Tabs and Noah both gave eachother a weird look, but I brushed it off, because they were pretty weird people.

When Saturday finally rolled around, I started getting ready for the boxing match, which apparently was just a pretty casual dress code. Just as I was about to pull on a large oversized hoodie, Noah and Tabs burst in through the door, with Noah yanking the jumper out of my hands, and then throwing it onto the floor as though it was steaming hot and he couldn't hold it in his hands for any longer. "There is no way you are wearing that," claimed Noah. "That is an insult to the fashion industry, and to us as friends that you would ever go out wearing that." Tabs walked over to my wardrobe and threw me a top, and some jeans, pairing it with some cute shoes.

"I mean, fine, I'll wear this, but why are you guys picking my outfit for me today? This isn't even a date," I furrowed my brows together as I started to get undressed to get dressed up again. There the two of them went again with that weird look, what was all that about? "I swear if this is some set-up date, I will kill you."

"It's not a set-up date, you just never know who you could bump into, and with all those ripped boxers and guys in the audience... you've gotta be prepared," Tabs explained.

"Right... Okay." I was unconvinced.

The outfit they had chosen for me was a pretty cute pink top with a ribbed bodice that hugged my ribs and stomach, with mesh puff shortsleeves, showing off a healthy amount of cleavage. I put on my favourite ripped jeans with it, that made my ass look amazing, and the cute trainers that Tabs threw at me, which were a similar shade of light pink to the top. I threw a white jacket over the top and called it a day, after curling my hair and applying a bit of makeup.

"You look fit Aves," Tabs said to me when I walked into the kitchen.

"I would shag you if I wasn't gay," Noah shrugged his shoulders.

"You say that a lot," I laughed at Noah.

"It's true, now go and at some DICK, oh wear this too, it's cute, I found it in your room," Noah held out a golden heart locket out for me.

"Jordan gave that to me," I clenched my jaw slightly. Jordan was my boyfriend back in high school, and we ended on kinda bad terms.

"Wear it!" Tabs exclaimed, and before I could object, she had already fastened it around my neck. I rolled my eyes at the two of them, and left, where Ruby was waiting in a car full of people, except one seat, which I took.

***

1439 words

04/01/2021