I wasn't given much of a choice when my phone buzzed with a message from a certain curly haired boy.
It read: Tiny Dancer! Come to my housewarming party tonight? Just gonna be us guys and you (hopefully!!)... No need to bring anything except your good looks and your dancing feet. Let me know and I'll send you the address :)
Like I said, I wasn't given much of a choice. I acknowledge that he did ask it as a question, so there was no demanding involved. But the way he seemed so excited—I'd be as much of an asshole as Jake if I didn't show.
Which is how I ended up knocking on an apartment door in a building 3 blocks down from my own. It was one of the nicer ones in the area, implying Josh was rich enough to get the finer things in life. I was clad in a baggy Christmas sweater, some flare jeans, and Doc Martens. Casual, but cute. I wasn't about to show up wearing my home attire of sweatpants and hoodies.
With a deep breath, I knocked on the door to Josh's place. I could hear muffled music playing inside, along with a lot of laughter. From an outsider's perspective, it sounded like a cozy family holiday.
Something I'd been longing for since I was young.
"Andro!" The door flew open, revealing my dance partner. "Andro...can I call you that? I don't know if we're close like that. Come in! Come in, come in!" He was talking so fast it was hard to keep up, but I stepped into his apartment nonetheless.
"I know the text said not to bring anything but," I held out a gift bag. "Congrats on the new place." I was suddenly incredibly aware of Sammy, Jake, and Danny all staring at me from their stances in the open kitchen.
Jake's gaze, specifically, felt different.
"That is so sweet, thank you!" He pulled from the bag a bottle of wine and a _____.
"It's my favorite—that wine," I pointed awkwardly. "Yeah, I figured you're a 'wine night at home' kind of guy." One thing I'm ridiculously good at: predicting people's go-to alcohol. It appeared I was correct yet again, because Josh pulled me into his chest, swaying me back and forth.
"This is just awesome, Andro. Seriously, it means a lot. Let's crack it open now, yeah?"
"Oh, no no, it's yours-,"
"Don't be silly. It's only right to share a new bottle with the person who bought it for me. Let's get you a glass. Settle in, settle in—my home is your home." He was being incredibly nice today, and it made me feel slightly guilty for being such a bitch the night prior. Then again, I didn't know him at all.
"So," Sammy approached me and slung a lanky arm around my shoulder. "A little birdy told me you and Jakey are living in the same complex?" He said it like a question even though he knew the answer already. Jake and I locked eyes. He smirked, again.
Fucking annoying.
"Yep, apparently." I really had nothing to say on the subject matter. Out of all the Things 1-4, I had the most beef with Jake. For obvious reasons. He seemed to slither under my skin and poke the exact part of my brain that triggers rage.
He knew it too.
"Which means...," Danny raised a hand in the air. "You have a built-in friend in your building." He could not be more wrong. The boys laughed, though, like they knew something I didn't. It wasn't a 'haha, funny' laugh. No, it was an 'if only she knew' laugh.
"My best friend lives a floor above me. I don't need more friends." I wanted out of this conversation. Jake's retinas were burning holes in my flesh—my blood sizzling at the shock. The urge to flip him off with a sweet smile was strong, but thankfully Josh interrupted us before things escalated.
"You'll have to bring her by sometime, Tiny Dancer. Now, a toast!" He approached from the kitchen, balancing 3 glasses of wine in his hands. One for me, one for him, and one for Danny. The other imbeciles had their preferred beverage of gross brown liquor. Couldn't be me.
We all gathered in a circle in the middle of this cozy living room, raised our drinks together, and awaited the speech. Josh was looking at us with a gleam in his eye; it made me want to cry. However, it didn't distract my brain from the fact that Jake was pressed next to me...very, very closely. I could feel the outline of his bicep against my own, and his unruly hair tickled my ear.
Good fucking God.
"A toast," Curly began. "To new beginnings, and new friends. Andro—I'm calling you that—I'm incredibly grateful that you came into our lives. The circumstances were weird, sure, but I think you're going to be a longtime person of mine." I nodded humbly. "Now, it wouldn't be a Josh Speech if I weren't philosophical as hell, so: to strange horizons!"
Everyone cheered and hooted before clinking glasses and taking our collective swigs. Of course, Jake and I maintained eye contact the whole time. There was an awkward sort of tension between us that made it hard to focus on anything else. It almost prohibited me from breathing properly. I didn't like it. He did.
"Dinner is ready, actually, so come on," Sammy whispered to me, an arm once again slung over my shoulder, as he led me into the kitchen. We had homemade pasta (which was probably store bought), and wine. Josh was irrevocably upset that he forgot to buy Italian bread. I couldn't really care less. We all sat around the dining table; Sammy to my left, Josh at the head of the table, and British Bitch directly across from me.
How fucking coincidental.
With a Jim Croce record playing in the background, we ate our meal and made small talk. Well, really, I just observed. It was funny to watch the boys bounce off of each other so quickly. They could almost never get a full sentence out before someone else jumped in and interrupted the other. May as well have been watching toddlers.
Things were going fine, until a foot hit my own.
You know where this is going.
The culprit, of course, was the instigating douche on the other side of the table. I slowly looked up at him, annoyance overtaking my features, only to find him smiling at me. Smiling. Not that infamous, dumb smirk he does when he knows he's pissing me off. It was a genuine smile, like he wanted to be playful. With narrowed eyes, I kicked him back. This made his smile grow wider. His teeth were almost visible. Was this a game, or was he just opening up?
"You good, Andro?" I whipped my head toward Josh, not before seeing the smile drop from that face. Like he'd been caught. Not by me, though.
"Peachy!" Play it cool. "This is really good, thanks for inviting me."
Sammy shoved my shoulder, "Don't be silly, you're always invited. You'll have to come see my apartment next." With the way they were treating me tonight—I felt like I had made some actual friends. Potentially. They're demeanors were totally opposite to the ones portrayed at the diner that night.
I liked this version of them.
"I would love to see your place, Sammy Boy." The long haired brunette squeezed my bun in response.
When I glanced back at Jake, his eyes were glued to mine. A stoic expression on his face, once more. The hint of child-like amusement I saw a few seconds prior was wiped clean.
And for some reason, I really wanted to see him smile like that at me again.
