Just Friends

*8*

Alice scurries to her front door as soon as the knocking begins. She knows it's FP, knows she should already be ready for the party, but she needs his opinion first.

"FP! I need your help." She grabs his hand and pulls him in the direction of her bedroom before he can speak.

"Hello to you too." He quips. "What do you need my help with?"

"Jamie is going to be at this party tonight, therefore I need to show him exactly what he lost."

"Okay. And I come in, how?"

"You're a guy, I need a guy's opinion on which outfit is best to drive him insane with jealousy and make him feel like the biggest idiot in town. So," she gestures to the outfit she's currently wearing. "Option one." It's a solid choice, a deep red top that she's cropped to end just above her bellybutton, and a neckline that shows just enough cleavage to keep someone guessing. And her jeans fit her like a glove, curve along her bottom like they were tailor made for her.

"Strong contender, what's the other one."

"One second!" He watches her as she yanks the top over her head and grabs another from her floor, clearly having been trying these on repeatedly before he showed up. "Ok, what about this one?"

The second she turns around he knows that's the one. It's black mesh with expertly placed embroidered roses that cover anything that one might not want seen. "That's the one."

"You think?"

"Definitely, shows enough to be teasing yet somehow modest."

"Should I wear a skirt or stick with the jeans?"

"Jeans!" He answers without missing a beat. "For sure the jeans."

She smirks. "Passionate?"

"Your butt looks good in them." He shrugs, earning a teasing swat from Alice. "Hey! You wanted a guy's opinion."

"And I appreciate it." She tells him with that mischievously charming smile of hers. "I'm ready to go now."

***

"Jamie is going to go nuts when he sees you!" Hermione squeals.

"That's the plan." Alice eagerly agrees.

"I helped pick it." FP states proudly, passing a drink to Alice.

"I could have helped! Why didn't you call me?" Hermione pouts.

"I didn't want to make you drive all the way to the Southside just to have to drive back here for the party. Besides, I wanted a guys opinion on what outfit would best piss Jamie off and make him want to take a private moment in the bathroom."

"Ew." Hermione cringes. "But good choice."

FP smiles. "I saw him when I was grabbing a drink."

"Oh good, he's here!"

"You gonna make your move?"

"Forsythe we have to be strategic here, if I walk over right now he's gonna know what I'm trying to do. I've gotta be clever about this."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, I need to find a guy that I can flirt with and if I'm lucky... get lucky." Alice explains. "And I have to do it all within a general vicinity of Jamie so he notices."

"Why don't you just do it with each other? Dumping Jamie for his rival? That would really ruffle his feathers."

"First off, never say that again." Alice cringes at the sentence. "Second, I don't think he'd buy it."