Jo [COMPLETED]

W

The restaurant was grand and stylish. It took them an hour to get there and an hour back, but it was worth the long drive. Alec could still feel the food in his stomach pressing against his pant belt and loosened it to the third to last hole. The food kept coming and coming, but Alec couldn't stop eating it. Or staring at Ali. He kept up conversation to make it seem more normal, but Charlie's burning gaze could be felt from across the table at all times. He had convinced his girlfriend to hate him, too, because she couldn't stop glaring in Alec's direction.

Alec turned to the right in the backseat of their shared Uber and gulped uncomfortably. He was pressed to the side of the car with Charlie's girlfriend, Eden, between him and Charlie. Eden was a simple-looking girl, neither pretty nor ugly. She was the definition of "neutral" in every sense of the word. Her brown hair wasn't shiny, but it wasn't ratty either. Her eyes weren't big, but they weren't small either.

She wasn't even exceptionally smart. That was what bothered Alec so much; why would Charlie, who's exceptional in many things, date someone as boring as Eden?

Thoughts jumbled in Alec's head to the point that he could no longer think clearly. The car wasn't helping either. His car sickness and full stomach did not get along and it took all his willpower too keep it all down. He shut his eyes tightly in an attempt to pretend he was somewhere else; anywhere besides a moving vehicle. It was safe to say that, judging by the bike rising at the back of his throat, it wasn't working.

"--here," Alec barely heard the driver speak. His heart lurched and he opened the door before the car came to a full stop in order to breathe. He didn't even bother to thank the driver before he speed-walked over to the house and sat on the swinging bench on their patio. His stomach lurched, resulting in a long grown escaping Alec's clenched teeth.

"You should take some Dramamine next time," he advised.

Alec placed a mental note in his head and continued to breathe deeply with his eyes shut and his head resting against the wall behind him. In two minutes, the pounding headache had subsided and he couldn't feel the food churning in his stomach. Still, Alec did not move until Ali tapped his forehead. He opened one eye at a time, trying to keep them on her face instead of on her chest.

"Your carsickness is that bad?" she asked skeptically.

"Yeah it is."

"Might as well walk everywhere you go."

Alec chuckled and pretended to be too weak to swat at her. "Fuck off," he muttered when she burst out laughing.

Unable to stop himself, Alec eyed her a little. She had worn a slightly low cut bright red dress with a rounded skirt that reached just above her knee. Her lips were the same bright red color and her hair was swept back into a sleek ponytail at the base of her neck. Even her red heels matched. And somehow, it wasn't too much red. She managed to play it off well and it suited her self-tanned olive complexion.

Ali rolled her eyes and pointed to her face. "Eyes up here, dumbass. Keep your hormones in check."

Alec's entire face flushed red with embarrassment and he dug his hands deep into the sides of his face. Ali's laughter only made things worse, since he couldn't believe that he was caught checking her out. They were supposed to be friends, not pervs.

"Anyway," Ali dragged on, "let's watch a movie. I have this really good one saved to my Netflix list."

He followed her into the house and stopped when Ali bent down and took off her strappy heels. Alec licked his lips and tried not to stare at her toned legs. Obviously he failed, because every time his eyes closed he could perfectly see every line, every curve, and every detail of Ali's legs. Alec swallowed uncomfortably and continued up the stairs in order to get in front of her, but then waited for her to get in front of him and watched her diligently.