Friends

Draft 2

The moment I return home, I get changed into the comfiest old shirt and pair of leggings I can find, dissolve an aspirin in an attempt to get rid of my now pounding headache, and turn the TV on to an episode of friends I must have seen a hundred times. Getting lost in the antics of Ross and Rachel is awfully appealing after realising the fact that I too can't seem to hold a steady relationship. I guess the difference here being that I'm still stuck in college and I can't even find a Ross to drive me insane. Sure there was Connor, but it has most definitely been established that there is no connection there, and my short-lived romance with Tyler is definitely something neither of us wish to revisit.

The fuzzy socks on my feet right now are the closest source of comfort to me, and after that date, I don't have a particularly strong urge to see other human beings. I mean it's 4am! But sleeping isn't exactly the first thing on my mind either. So when the apartment door bursts open, I am not only confused because Heidi is on vacation, but extremely pissed off that I now have to face people.

"Hey can we hang out tonight?" the British accent is something I for once am not excited to hear.

"Sure," I answer hesitantly, I'm giving up the one night I have to myself in over two months to spend it with a boy I happen to have a serious case of 'unrequited crush' on. "What's up?"

"I broke up with Olivia," maybe I shouldn't have gotten changed... at least I didn't remove my make up just yet. Despite his fallen, tired face, he manages to still look good. His hair his swept back effortlessly, and a small dusting of snow covers his coat as he shakes it off and makes his way over to me. He looks tired, it is obvious in the bags beneath his eyes, and the way he drags his feet as he walks, I guess he couldn't sleep either.

"Aw that's terrible," I move over on the couch to allow him to sit next to me. He slumps down and kicks his feet up next to mine.

"She said we were different or some shit - I wasn't in love with her - but she dumped me, just like that," he sighs.

"She wasn't good enough for you anyway," I try to assure him. I always thought she was a total bitch, but only because I was jealous, in reality she is perfect; star pupil, gorgeous, rich - she had everything, I can see why he's down about losing her. I've never actually seen him this upset over a failed relationship, he generally never cares when he broke up with a girl.

"Nah, she was too perfect to be human anyway, it felt like I was dating a piece of plastic," he smirks, looking at me and I laugh. Mental note that Olivia is a 'piece of plastic'. His eyes move to the fizzing aspirin in my glass. "Date night didn't go so well for you either?"

"I remember there was a guy, definitely some wine," this is putting it nicely. I feel bad for Connor considering I am possibly the worst girl to date in the history of the world.

"What are we going to do with us," he jokes and I giggle. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who made a complete mockery of their love life tonight.

"I don't know," I sigh mockingly. My body freezes when his arm wraps around my shoulders and gently squeezes my arm. Sure, it's friendly, and only accentuates the fact that I am caught in the friend-zone, but the butterflies in my stomach don't seem to understand that.

"Hey, don't worry, Heidi's science friends are usually total fuckwits anyway," he grins and I giggle.

"I guess so,"

"Hey, you know what we should do?" he jumps up and looks down at me. His usual six-foot stature that should intimidate me looks twice his usual height from my space on the couch.

"What?" I ask. He is so out of character; his usual quietness has suddenly evaporated in the midst of his break up. Maybe this is his way of dealing with it, but either way it is totally uncalled. I can't decide if I prefer his usual shady deepness, or this sudden burst of confidence.