Lockdown | Harry Styles | AU

Chapter 22

"So... What happened after that?" Cleo pressed eagerly, her warm smile beaming over Aubrey as she occasionally flickered her brown eyes towards Sofia.

"Well..." Aubrey leaned in closer to Cleo, a devilish smirk on her lips. "After walking for what felt like miles. Drunky McGee here," she gestures to Sofia, "drags us into this bar that's just wall to wall—"

"I don't think she needs to hear the rest of this." Sofia interrupted, her tone starting high as she rushed out her words, clearly embarrassed as she placed her hand on Cleo's .

"Aw what, c'mon, no fair!" Cleo snapped her head to the side so she could throw Sofia an amused fake pout. "I love hearing stories about you."

"Yeah, Sofia... She loves my stories." Aubrey teasingly stepped in, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip to suppress the grin that wanted to break out. A smile that almost got bigger when Sofia narrowed her bright blue eyes at her in a mock scowl.

"If you want, I can tell her the Amsterdam story instead?" Aubrey shrugged innocently making Sofia's expression drop.

"Oooh, what's the Amsterdam story!?" Cleo clapped her hands together enthusiastically, her pretty face washing with excitement as strands of her brown bangs fell into her eyes.

"Nothing—It's nothing." Sofia snapped at Cleo, a pink tint flooding her cheeks. "And you, stop it." She spoke again while swatting playfully at Aubrey from across the table, a smile tugging at her lips as Aubrey released a laugh.

"Me and you should talk alone sometime." Cleo giggled a little, her warm gazed fixed on Aubrey as she rested her tattooed forearms on the table, her skin inked with sleeves of beautiful bold colour.

"Well that's never gonna happen." Sofia mumbled through a half smile, her eyebrows raised as she ran a hand through her short black wavy hair before she picked up her wine glass and took a sip.

"Are we all finished ladies?" The waiter suddenly appeared, his eyes casting over the three girls at the table. His hands then beginning to gather up their empty glasses and dirty plates when the girls all agreed they were done with their meals.

"So how's Tim?" Sofia asked as she sat back in her seat once the table had been cleared and they had ordered another round of drinks, her arm draping over the back of Cleo's chair.

"He's good." Aubrey spoke vaguely, moving her eyes from Sofia's as she looked down at her almost empty gin and tonic, her hand using the small straw to swirl the slice of lime around the glass. "He actually wants me to go with him to LA in a couple of days."

"Oh?" Sofia couldn't help but let out in a judgemental tone, the sound of it making Aubrey lift her head to lock eyes with her again.

"Is Tim your boyfriend?" Cleo interjected a little confused, clearly sensing the change in mood as she glanced between Aubrey and Sofia.

"Oh, god no." Aubrey answered quickly while shaking her head, her pale green eyes looking over at Cleo. "He's just a really good friend." She managed a smile.

"So why does he want you to go to LA?" Sofia asked sternly while butting in.

"He's got me a job out there."

"What kind of job?"

"Just a job." Aubrey shrugged, once again avoiding eye contact.

"A job that just so happens to be near him?"

Cleo's focus silently moved between the two best friends, her head craning back and forth as though she were watching a game of tennis.

The fun and jokey vibe that once flooded the table now suddenly falling cold and serious. It was tense. The kind of tense that made the pit of Cleo's stomach ache a little with her discomfort.