Matches | √

Chapter Six

ignite |arouse or inflame

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2/4/17

"PLEASE FRANNY," I beg at my best friend as we sit at our regular table at the coffee shop.

"I don't know," she drawls. "Doesn't seem that fun," she sighs before she sips on her large cup of coffee.

"It's a band, playing at a bar..." I trail off confused at how this doesn't sound fun to my best friend. Drinking and cute boys playing music is right up her alley, pretty sure it's actually her definition of a good time.

"Are you into Brooks or something?" she questions with drawn eyebrows.

"What?" I exclaim, taken back by her random question. "Of course not! We're just friends," I tell her truthfully, but my words come out defensively for some reason. Like I have a reason to cover up my feelings, feelings I know don't exist.

"Why not?" Francesca asks with a small smile. "He's cute in that boy next door kind of way," she says with a shrug as if he's not her type but she could see him with someone like me. Someone simple.

Her assessment of Brooklyn makes me feel weird and I don't know why, so I shove it away and move on. "I don't know, I just don't like him like that..." I trail off not feeling like I need to explain my words any further.

"But you like someone?" she pushes as the smile on her face widens with a touch of excitement brightening her eyes.

"No, I don't," I scoff as my arms cross over my chest.

"Why not?" she questions. "You hear me go on and on about boys all the time, tell me about the boy that makes your heart pitter patter," she chuckles at her use of words as she tosses me a cheesy wink.

"Yeah, sorry no pattering over here," I say with an eye roll.

"Hmm..." she mumbles not quite believing me but also not pushing any further on the topic. She knows me well enough to know to stop when she's ahead or I tend to shut down. More than I already do.

"So will you go or not?" I inquire trying to get back to the main conversation at hand.

"Fine," she relents, settling back into her chair. "But that means you need to go to the next big party Asher throws with me," she bargains with a smirk touching her pink lips.

"Fine," I huff now me being the one to give in. "You drive a hard bargain you know?" I tell her dryly though a smile pulls at my cheeks as I tuck a stray hair behind my ear.

"I know," she agrees with the tilt of her head. "My parents think I should become a lawyer," she informs me.

"You would be great at that," I confirm honestly as I lift my drink about to bring it to my lips.

"Why thank you best friend," she smiles brightly before raising her large coffee cup and clinking it against mine before we both take a swig.

* * * * *

"Okay, this might be fun," Francesca admits once we walk into the small dive bar downtown.

"Really?" I chuckle sarcastically knowing she would have a great time if she just gave in.

"Thankfully you're hot enough the bouncer didn't even check my ID," I tell her tucking my wallet back into my purse. The bar is eighteen and older and I'm sadly the last seventeen year old on this earth who has to sneak her way into grungy old bars to just listen to some music.

"You're welcome," she sings with a dramatic flip of her long hair over her shoulder.

A small laugh escapes my lips as I shake my head at my best friend. "I'm going to say hi to Brooks," I tell her as I toss my thumb over my shoulder to point towards the area the band is setting up. I let my eyes scour the dark corner before they finally land on the brown haired boy I'm searching for, a smile tugging at my lips before I can stop it.