Second Shot (Bastille)

5: Second shot

*Freddie's POV*

*Later that week* 

I checked myself in the mirror for a fifth time that morning, assessing my outfit critically; a plain white t-shirt hidden under a pair of baggy dungarees that were tatty at the ankles. I tucked a flyaway bit of hair behind my ear before picking up a tube of lipstick and painting my lips a matt nude. 

"You going over now?" Sam asked, entering the living room with her camera hanging round her neck and tripod tucked under her arm. I nodded and continued to analyse my appearance "You look lovely sweetie don't worry" My roommate reassured me as I sighed uncertainly "You like him don't you?" She quizzed playfully. 

"I barely know him." 

"But you've gotta admit you're attracted to him, right?" I shrugged untellingly "Fine, don't tell just remember, I know you better than you know yourself. Your mouth may not be saying anything but your eyes are telling a whole different story" 

"Sam what have I told you over and over again? I'm not ready for anyone new, I'm still trying to get past all the Rowan shit." 

"Speaking of Rowan, did you reply to his text?" I'd finally got around to telling Sam about his offer to meet up and she had made sure to persuade me not to go but I hadn't been able to muster up enough courage to send a message back. Truthfully, I shook my head and caught Sam's reflection in the mirror. There was no particular emotion on her face and I guessed that she didn't really know how to respond. An uncomfortable silence floated until Sam spoke up again "Look Fred, think of it like this: if you take a photo and it doesn't turn out very well, what do you do? You don't pack up all your stuff and never take another photo again. You get rid of that shit photo and you go looking for another setting and when you find it- or it finds you-, you take that second shot before the moment goes or before someone else gets it." By now, Sam was stood right behind me with her arms draped over my shoulders. 

"Are you really using a photography analogy to convince me to go out with Dan?" 

"I really am. Are you convinced?" 

"More convinced than I was ten minutes ago" Sam giggled triumphantly and squeezed me tightly before picking up her equipment and heading out the door. It wasn't much later after that I made my way across the hall and knocked on the door. Dan quickly answered and grinned widely when he saw me. He too was dressed in slightly worn clothes; his black t-shirt was loose and splattered with paint from previous decorating projects and his jeans had certainly seen better days. After he invited me in he offered me a drink, I accepted, just asking for a glass of water.

We soon started painting, coating the walls in a frosty grey. I focused on lining the baseboard while Dan worked on the top (where I couldn't quite reach). We worked meticulously for a while until one coat of paint had been applied to the walls. Quiet music played from the radio as we stepped back and admired what we'd done so far. 

"We make quite a good team don't we?" Dan inquired, nudging me slightly and smirking. 

"That we do" I looked down at my watch then looked back at the wall "I think we've got time to do one more lick of paint then we could go to lunch, I know a nice little deli round the corner" Dan nodded in agreement and we moved back to the pot of paint. Then my phone chimed and the screen flashed on. 

1 new message: Rowan:

Listen, Fred, I really want to talk to you. Please answer, we need a chat. 

Oh God not now, anytime but now. 

"Rowan? That your boyfriend?" Dan's voice asked over my shoulder, startling me a little. I glanced up from my phone and rushed across the room, a flustered panic bubbled inside me; I felt my palms start to go clammy and my cheeks burned worriedly "Sorry, I didn't mean to be nosy." 

"No no it's okay, um no. He's not my boyfriend, in fact quite the opposite. He's my ex and he hasn't quite... uh-" 

"Moved on?" Dan cut in. Turning around, I saw him edging cautiously towards me with his hands tucked into his pockets. I nodded silently, embarrassedly almost. "I hate to say, I'm in the same boat as him" You're really not, Dan. I waited quietly for Dan to continue. "I'm uh, still kinda hung up on this girl. Although, I shouldn't be. She was only interested in me when she found out I was in a band and then... lost interest when she realised I wasn't this big rich pop-star.... Sorry I really lowered the tone, uh, how about we forget the decorating and get lunch now?"

"Sure" We headed out and wandered down the street, making our way round to the deli. It was warm for a February afternoon; the sun was shining strongly through the clouds, determined to let some heat warm our skin. We turned the corner and soon approached the deli. It was a small room hidden in the middle of the street, the majority of the space was taken up by the counter that was filled with all the different sandwich fillings and the varieties of bread. Once we had collected our lunch, we made our way back to Dan's apartment. 

"So I noticed your handiwork on the painting earlier, you done much decorating?" Dan questioned, catching my eye and we sat at the kitchen island and tucked into the sandwiches. 

"Yeah, when I was 10" I chuckled amusedly "When me and my mum moved in with my stepdad, I basically begged to help them decorate every room; me and mum spent an entire weekend decorating my bedroom. I dunno, there was just something about choosing how each room was styled that appealed to me." Dan listened intently as I spoke, keeping his attention glued to me and he smiled at the idea of a tiny ten-year old me splattering paint onto the walls. 

"So your- uh mum and dad they're, um, divorced?" Dan asked carefully. 

"You don't have to be cautious with that topic, I'm not sensitive" I reassured him, brushing his hand with mine "My mum and dad never got married, and they were going through a rough patch when mum found out she was pregnant but they tried to make it work. However, if you're not in love at the beginning then how do you suppose to be in love later on so it was for the best when they broke up and mum's a lot happier with my step-dad so it's us three, my step-brother and two half-sisters" 

"Wow, big family. Do you see your dad a lot?" 

"I did when I younger but he moved down south when I was about 14 so it's not like I could just pop over for dinner. I go and see him at least once a month, or when I need to get away from the city. Anyway, enough about me, what's your family like?" I asked, leaning in inquisitively. 

"Just me, parents and my younger brother, we're pretty close, mum's always checking in on me and worrying" Dan explained, I smiled warmly and finished my lunch before returning to the paint with Dan following in my footsteps, both of us knelt down and picked up our brushes, dipping the ends into the glossy paint. Just as Dan moved away from the paint pot and towards the wall, his brush glided across my arm, leaving a light grey line stretched from my wrist to the middle of my forearm. "Shit, sorry, I wasn't looking what I was doing" He apologised, his cheeks going slightly red.  

"It's alright," I brushed it off before joining his side and replicated the line on his own arm "Now we're even" Smirking, I turned away and continued working. 

-X-

"So, did you ask him out?" Sam asked, dropping next to me on the sofa later that night. 

"No Sam. I just had a nice day helping our neighbour decorate." 

"Okay, fine, but I think you're making a mistake by holding out"