Are we friends or are we more?

Chapter 28

No one is in the apartment when I get back from costa. I sigh slinging my bag on the floor and walking over to the kitchen counter to read the note he has left for me.

A

Gone out with Alfie! It will make sense soon, just do everything Zoe and Tanya tell you to.

J

At the bottom he has drawn a little picture of a guy with a big curly mustache. I frown flipping the piece of paper over. What does he mean Zoe and Tanya? They aren't even here, I look around the empty apartment expecting everyone to jump out on me and for it to be a practical joke, no one does. I look back down at the note and read it again. Why didn't Joe just text me like he normally does? I jump when there's a sharp knock at the door. "Who is it?!" I yell, all though I have a feeling this might be Zoe and Tanya.

"Tan and Zoe, we are here on operation Jaut." Tanya replies as her and Zoe burst into the apartment. 

"What?" I ask but my question is ignored and Zoe shoves a dress bag into my arms.

"Change now." She orders me.

"What?" I say again, this has to be a practical joke, what's operation Jaut? Why do I feel like something is about to go horribly wrong.  

"Go." Zoe demands pushing me through around the breakfast bar and into my bedroom, "And hurry up." She shouts through.

I stumble into my bedroom as Zoe closes the door behind me. I hang up the suit bag on the hook on the back of my door. "Alright." I mummer, I wonder why she's rushing about so much. I unzip the black bag in front of me to see a maroon dress with a peter pan collar, it's the kind of thing  I'd wear on a date, nothing too exciting. I quickly put on the dress before stepping back out into the living room/kitchen. 

"Lovely." Tanya claps her hands together. Tanya and Zoe are both stood at the breakfast bar, Tanya has a pair of hair straighteners in her hand and Zoe has set up her make-up, where are we going that needs so much effort putting into?

"Come on!" Zoe says walking over to me and dragging me to the breakfast bar. "We're on a time schedule."

"But I don't understand what's happening?!" I say as I slump down into a stool and Tanya starts to work on my hair. 

"Operation Jaut is all you need to know." Tanya says.

"That's great but I have no idea what that is." I point out as I close my eyes for Zoe to do my make-up. 

"You will know by the end of the night." Zoe says.

I now sit in the back of Joe's little red car, blindfolded. After about 5 minutes of me insisting I will not wear the blindfold Tanya shoved it over my eyes anyway. I have no idea what these guys are doing to me at all but I know I hate them and everyone involved in operation Jaut (whatever the hell it is.) I haven't noticed this before but Joe's car smells slightly of his aftershave which is always reassuring while being kidnapped. Zoe and Tanya are singing one direction to keep me calm but to be honest? It's not really working. 

"But baby if you say you want me to stayyyy." Tanya sings.

"Guyyyyssss." I groan, if this a practical joke they have taken it a bit too far. 

"I'll change your mind." Zoe sings over me, "We are just a corner away from where we are going Autumn, then everything will become clear."

"I can't wait a corner, this isn't funnny guys come onnnnn." I complain as they start to turn the music up. 

"So baby if you say you  want me to stay, stay for the night." One direction sing to me. I sigh when I finally realize that I am just going to have to wait till this whole joke is over.  I feel the car come to a stop and one direction get cut off mid line. 

"Here!" Tanya says excitedly as I hear 2 car doors open then close before the one next to me opens and Tanya and Zoe help me out of the car. It's cold out side, especially when I'm only wearing this dress but Tanya and Zoe have their hand on a arm each as the guide me down the street. I wait for me to end up in a muddy ditch or something and for this all to be just one big YouTube prank but suddenly we stop. 

"Okay." Zoe says and I feel her start to fiddle with the blindfold. "Open your eyes." Zoe says as the blindfold falls away from my face and my eyes flutter open. 

We are stood in a cute little park, I've been here before when I've gone running. It's one of the nicer places of London and when I get a bit home sick I always come here, I don't know why it just reminds me of home. In front of me is the old bandstand which, has seen better days and in daylight you can see the rusting and peeling dark blue paint. Now though you can hardly tell, it looks like something out of a fairy tale with the lights stung up around it glinting. In the middle of the bandstand stand a very sheepish looking Joe sugg. He wears black skinny jeans and a blue shirt that I told him looked good on him once. In case you're wondering it still looks great on him now. I feel my cheeks blush slightly.

"Hey." Joe says.

"Hi." I breathe out just a little then a whisper. 

Joe looks around at the lights, "Pretty cool huh? I didn't know this place looked so different at night."

I nod following his gaze as I walk up the steps to the bandstand and stand next to him. I try not to think about how romantic this whole thing is but there's a little part of my mind screaming at me 'This is it, he's going to ask you out.' I just don't want to get my hopes up. "It's so pretty."

Joe stops looking around at the lights surrounding us and looks at me. I look at him too and find myself studying his eyes again. In this light there seems to be even more gold flecks than there was before. For a moment I completely forget everything and everyone, I forget college and Emma and Zoe and Tanya and it feels like that it's only me and Joe, I want it to stay like this forever. Joe takes my hands in his and warmth spurs through my cold hands. 

"Cold?" Joe asks he looks a little concerned. 

"I don't feel the cold. I'm magical didn't I ever tell you?" I say.

Joe smiles at the memory of the day on the park, I smile too, it was the day we first kissed. Then it all goes quiet. I feel my palms start to sweat and the butterflies in my stomach fly around trying to break free. I didn't know it was possible for someone to make you feel this way about them. "Look Autumn, promise you won't kill me?" Joe asks. 

I frown slightly, worried this is all going to be a prank or something, "Why?"

"It's just.. I know we both kind of ignored the whole relationship thing and I know you think it's a bad idea because we live together now." Joe sighs, taking in a shaky breath. My heart races, is Joe Sugg, the Joe Sugg about to ask me to be his girlfriend. "It's driving me crazy Autumn, not knowing what this whole thing is... I know it's hurting you too. The thing is I gave it some thought and if us just being friends meant I had to stop kissing you then I don't want that. I want to kiss you Autumn and I want you to want me to kiss you. I realized that you are special Autumn I mean look at you, you're beautiful and then I had the terrifying thought of you kissing someone else and I don't want that,  I want to be the only one you kiss. Autumn, will you be my girlfriend?"

A grin spreads across my lips, I've been waiting for this day for a long time now. Joe likes me and I like him and that's the way I want it to stay forever. "Alright." I shrug trying to play it cool when inside my heart seems to beat faster then it ever has before.

Joe laughs at me shaking his head before bringing his hands up to my face. "You're crazy Autumn Rouge." He says gently before his lips touch mine.