My best friend's brother and my brother's best friend (2016)

Drunken blips

"Come on, come on." Please don't pick up.

"Dani?" Shit!

"Oh ... hi."

"Don't sound so happy to hear from me," he laughs "wait, are you alright Dani?"

"Yeah I'm fine but I'm at the taxi rank and a taxi hasn't passed in like fifteen minutes and I can't get Internet to call one so ..."

"Hold on, tell me where you are and I'll come and get you."

I give him my address and thank him before hanging up. Why am I so weirded out about seeing him right now?

It takes about fifteen minutes before I see his familiar car pull up a few steps away from me. At this point I'm just grateful to be going home and I fumble my way over to the car.

"Where's your date?" I'm greeted with his suspicious question as soon as I shut the car door behind me.

"I told him to take the first cab home, unfortunately another one didn't come and you know the rest."

"Hmm."

"Are you pissed? It wasn't his fault," I protest loudly to him as I take off my, now painful, heels.

"Dani, not only did he leave you stranded on the side of the road in the middle of the night but you aren't exactly completely aware of your senses right now."

"I am not that drunk," I insist hearing myself slur slightly, "and that is quite sexist you know? You wouldn't have had a problem if he'd been in my situation just because he's a boy."

"Why didn't you get a taxi together so neither of you had to wait," Eli points out in annoyance.

"Because we live in completely opposite directions," I attest fiercely. "Look you didn't have to come if it bothers you that much."

"Hey," Eli glances at me with a hurt look in his eyes now. "I'll always be on the other end of the phone if you need me."

The rest of the car ride passes in silence with only the quiet sound of Kelly Clarkson's My Life Would Suck Without You playing on the radio.

We get home and in the house fairly quickly, Eli locks up and follows me as I start to head up the stairs as quietly as I can.

"Woah, woah!"

"What?" I turn to look down at him.

"You were about to go through the floor!" He's smiling now, that gorgeous, dangerous smile.

"Oh ... sorry," I half-laugh hovering on the stairs.

"Anyway you'll have to avoid Cara's room tonight," he says to me on the stairs, running his fingers through his hair.

"Why?"

"Um ... your brother is keeping company with her," he says shifting uncomfortably.

"What?" I almost fall down the stairs in shock.

"Yeah ... not like that, they said they were just watching films but it seems now that he's spending the night."

"Wow," I laugh, holding tightly onto the bannister.

"Looks like you're in with me, when you rang I went to get one of the spare rooms ready and mum's decided to strip all the beds." Excuse me?

"Sure," I respond hesitantly before following him up the extra flight of stairs to his bedroom.

I haven't been in here for ages but it smells of the same familiar, comfortable smell. His room still has the same grey walls above the hard wood flooring, his desk holds his mac and lots of frantic scattered notes and pens. His bed sits in the middle of the room, it's tidy navy quilt seems to organise the entire room.