LIVING & GRIEVING

23. are we friends now?

"What was that all about?" Hannah whispered to me as soon as the boys were engaged in their conversations enough to not hear us. Harry had disappeared with his own friends too.

"I have no idea. Ronan rang Quinn and told him I was here with Harry."

"He definitely likes you!"

"He must do!" Olivia agreed. "There's no way he would show up for any other reason."

"Maybe just to make sure we got home alright like he's saying?"

"Oh yeah, because he's always been so protective," she scoffed.

"I think he might be now."

"Obviously. It's very clear things have changed between you two. Don't you find him attractive?"

"He's good looking."

"Ivy he's the best-looking boy in town, and I have a boyfriend!"

"Okay, he's very good looking. But I think we're friends now."

"Who?" Cliodhan slid in beside us.

"Ivy and Quinn," Hannah replied nonchalantly.

"I thought you hated each other?"

"We did!"

"And your just friends now?"

"Yes. If it even is friends."

"Do you think he'd be interested in me?"

"What?"

All three of us snapped their heads towards Cliodhan, not knowing what to say. I didn't want her with Quinn. But I obviously couldn't say that. I knew he would like her too.

"I said do you think he'd be interested in me? You know I fancy him."

"Umm, yeah probably."

"Maybe I should go over to him?"

"Don't you have a thing with Mark?" Olivia narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, no. We're just friends."

And with that she got up and made her way over to Quinn, who had taken surprisingly well to my advice of having a drink. I had seen him make his way back and forth from the bar with drinks in hand a fair few times already, fending off girls along the way. Maybe Cliodhan wouldn't be any different. Maybe he would send her off too.

Why do you care? I asked myself as I watched him do the exact opposite, leading her to the bar and buying her a drink.

"There's no way he's going to get with Cliodhan tonight, don't worry," Hannah assured me.

"Why would I be worried?"

"You have smoke coming out of your ears," Olivia tried to joke.

"Do not," I frowned.

"You know it's okay if your feeling towards him have changed? He's definitely been interested in you for a while now."

"Clearly not."

The pair were still stood at the bar, both with huge grins on their faces. Cliodhan was laughing at everything he said.  And Quinn wasn't that funny.

"Well, what are we going to do about it?"

"Shots." I declared.

We walked straight past our friends and downed a shot of tequila each, before heading to the dance floor. I couldn't dance. Being drunk didn't help that any either but we still managed to get Quinn's attention. If that's what the aim was. He was no longer paying any attention to Cliodhan, who now looked confused. Instead, he was watching us on the dancefloor. Watching me.

I tried my best not to look back at him, focusing on enjoying myself with the girls. So much so that I was completely unaware he had made his way over to me, Ronan, and the rest of his friend group in tow, who were all already dancing with Hannah and Olivia.

He rested his hand on my waist and leaned down, "I can't dance," he said in my ear.

"Me either," I laughed, as we started to move to the music together. "You like Cliodhan?" I looked up at him.

"Cliodhan?"

"My friend at the bar."

"Oh, her? No. I'm not interested in her," he shook his head, "I was being polite."

"You're never polite," earning a laugh from him.

"Cheers Ivy, great to hear."

He wrapped his arm a little tighter round my waist and started dancing again. It was the first time I'd ever seen a grin on his face - while he was around me anyway. He smiled plenty with his friends.

"I am trying more to be though."

"Trying to be what?"

"Polite. Nicer, I guess," he let out another light laugh.

"You're not doing too bad. We're getting on a lot better now."

"You think so?"

"Definitely," I smiled, "are we friends now?"

"You want to be my friend?"

"You don't want to be mine?"

"Not really."

I frowned at this. He never stopped confusing me. One minute he hated me, then we were getting along. One minute he liked Cliodhan, then he didn't know who she was and was dancing with me instead. Now, he doesn't even want to be my friend. We had both stopped moving and were stood looking at each other.

"I don't understand. I thought we were getting along."

"Ivy," he ran his hand over his hair, frustrated with me, "you want to be friends?"

"I don't see why we couldn't be."

"We can be. If that's what you want. We can be friends."

"You just said you don't want to be friends."

"I don't," he said, and before I knew it his lips were against mine.