What About Now

Chapter 19 - Friendly Chat

Taylor's P.O.V.
The heat from the coffee shop greeted me with warm arms, pulling me in with its rich cinnamon smell. The heat tickled my cold nose and cheeks, making them tingle slightly. A fire was lit in the open fireplace, and its bright orange flames flickered and danced in the breeze from the open door. I watched them distantly as we were lead to a table.

"Right, who wants coffee?" Dylan grinned, sitting down.

"Mm, I might go for a hot chocolate actually," I said as I picked up the menu.

"Ooh that sounds good!" Thomas said excitedly, rubbing his cold hands together, "With marshmallows and cream!"

"You're making my mouth water! Stop it!" Dylan whinged, playfully hitting Thomas' arm, "Now, where is this waitress?"

"Hello stranger," A female voice said behind Thomas, tapping him on the shoulder. Smiling, Thomas turned round in his seat to face the girl. I recognised her long blonde hair, fair skin and bright green eyes. The smile on her face was irreplaceable as she wrapped her arms around Thomas and kissed his cheek. It was Bella.

"How's your day been?" Thomas asked her as she took a seat beside him. I couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. Her skin was flawless, and she wore hardly any make-up. Her hair was perfectly straight and hung down by her sides, swaying a little in the breeze from the door. She was stunning.

"Oh, I can't complain," She sighed, taking his hand in hers, "Although you've cheered me up coming here though! And you brought Dylan and Taylor with you!" She turned to both Dylan and I and grinned.

"Hey!" We both said in unison. Dylan and I instantly pointed at each other and cried 'Jinx!', receiving a laugh from both Thomas and Bella.

"You two are so weird!" Thomas chuckled.

"Yeah, but you love us all the same!" Dylan laughed, putting his arm around me, "Right, now what about these drinks?"

"Oh yes of course!" Bella laughed, taking out a notepad and pen, "What can I get you?" Later, when Bella had brought back our orders and told us that she was on break, the four of us sat around the small table, talking about our lives. Whilst Dylan and Thomas were discussing sleeping arrangements for tonight at Thomas' place, I got talking to Bella. It turns out that the pair of us actually have quite a lot in common. She liked Disney (although not as much as I did) and suggested that one day we should have a Disney slumber party. Of course, I accepted! Disney slumber party? I'm there! Aside from Disney, she was a fan of writing and art, and told me that she liked to spend a lot of her time outdoors. As I listened to her, I couldn't help but try and find something that I really didn't like about her. After all, she was going out with my ex-boyfriend, and I couldn't help but feel a little like she'd taken my life away from me. But of course, that was Molly. No matter how much I tried to find just a little something about Bella that I didn't like, everything she said about herself made me like her even more. She really seemed like she genuinely wanted to be friends.

"So how'd it go with your boyfriend, Ben was it?" She asked, sipping her drink.

"Oh great thanks!" I was impressed that she'd actually bothered to remember his name, "Yeah, I went to see him at his hotel yesterday, and well-"

"She got engaged!" Dylan interrupted, looking over Bella's shoulder at me and winking.

"Oh wow, thanks for ruining the ending!" I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

"You're engaged? Congratulations!" Bella cried, getting up from her chair and giving me a hug. Wow. This girl really loves hugging people. Not that I minded - I was quite a huggable person myself.

"Yeah, I'm having a little dinner celebration with Ben tonight," I explained, turning to the boys, "Until these two decided to invite themselves along!"

"That is so not true!" Thomas cried, pointing at me, "You invited us?"

"Oh, okay maybe I did," I giggled, looking back at Bella, "Why don't you come too?"

"No, I can't just come and ruin your dinner with Ben!" She stuttered, but I cut her off.

"No no no, you wouldn't be!" I laughed, "I've already got these two coming along to meet him, so it would be nice to have some female company! I can only stand boys for so long!"

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Thomas asked with raised eyebrows. Bella and I exchanged glances before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"We love you all really!" Bella grinned at the two boys. Dylan smirked.

"Well thanks, but Taylor's not really my type so it's going to have to be a no. Sorry, love!" I gasped and placed a hand over my heart.

"Okay one, she's already off the market," Thomas started, "And two, since when do you call people love?"

"All the time!" Dylan exclaimed, turning round to face an old man who had just come into the shop, "Hey love, how are you?" The guy rolled his eyes at him, and when he was out of ear shot, we all burst into laughter.

"You idiot!" I laughed, hitting Dylan's knee.

"What? I was proving a point to this jerk over here!" He nodded his head in Thomas' direction, who hit him across the back of his head.

"Rude." Thomas said bluntly, quickly returning to his hot chocolate as Dylan turned to him with a shocked expression. Once I'd finished my drink and said a quick goodbye to the rest of them, I quickly hurried home. I had a lot to do.