Are we friends or are we more?

Chapter 29

As I pull away from Joe Tanya and Zoe run up to us and surround us in a group hug. Zoe whoops at the top of her voice, "Joe has got a girlfriend that I actually like!"

I laugh, in the distance I hear the cheers of Jim and Alfie, I have no idea where they have come from but it's not long before they join in on the group hug and crush Joe and I in the middle. "Struggling to breath guys." I cough and everyone laughs as they pull away from the hug. 

"I'm so excited, he finally asked you out!" Tanya squeals grinning at me. 

"It only took you like 4 months." Zoe says turning to Joe.

"I was waiting for the right moment!" Joe defends himself  slipping his arm around my waist and pulling me close to his body. 

"I think you found it." I say to him smiling.

"Awwww." Alfie puts his hand on his heart, "They're so cute." I blush a little not used to everyone paying me this much attention. 

"Where to now?" I ask, I'm getting kind of cold and hungry just standing in the middle of the park. 

"Nandooosss!" Jim shouts grabbing Tanya's hand and waving it in the air.

"Nandos! Nandos!" Joe and Alfie start to chant.

"I wonder why we put up with them sometimes." Tanya says.

Zoe smiles shaking her head, "If you don't be quiet now no one will get any nandos."

"Nandos?" Joe stops chanting straight away and whimpers as if the idea of nandos being taking away from him could ruin his whole world.

"Knew that would shut them up." Zoe smiles, she looks quite pleased she actually got them to be quiet. 

I smile, "Come on then." I say, "I'm getting hungry and though it might nearly be spring it's really cold out here." I say and we all start walking down the steps of the pretty bandstand and towards the exit of the park. Joe still keeps his arm around my waist and it feels slightly weird to be showing affection for each other in public, especially in front of these guys but it's defiantly something that I could get used to. 

"I think Joe should lend you his jacket." Jim says, "After all he is your boyfriend." He puts emphasis on the word boyfriend. 

"I would but I don't actually have a jacket with me today." Joe says, "Sorry." 

"It's alright." I shrug, "Just remember to get  Zoe and Tanya to pack me a jacket next time." 

"We were not giving enough notice!" Zoe says as she grabs hold of Alfie's hand. "It normally takes at least 2 hours for me to plan a decent outfit, I put that together in like half an hour."

"Yeah well just so you know for next time you decide to kidnap anyone." I say.

Nandos is fairly busy when we get there but they find us a table right at the back for us all to sit around. I end up sitting down next to Joe and across from Zoe. Next to Zoe sits Tanya, next to her Jim and Alfie sits opposite Jim. After making our order, I went for a chicken wrap like I do every time, the boys have started to discuss cars leaving me to quiz Zoe and Tanya.

"So," Zoe says, "On a scale of one to ten how surprised were you?" She asks. 

I think about it, to be honest I really wasn't expecting it at all. I guess a tiny part of my brain was hoping that it would end up with Joe asking me out but only a tiny part. "Like a nine, I thought it was going to be some prank for YouTube." 

Tanya laughs, "When Joe was planning it Alfie said it sounds like the blueprint for a prank video."

"How did you plan it all out?" I ask taking a sip of my coke.

"What do you mean?" Zoe asks. 

"Well what happened, when did the idea come about?" I ask, curious to how my friends planned this all.

"As soon as you left for costa Joe rang us all up. He knew Tanya and Jim were in London for some work stuff so he told us all to meet at your apartment." Zoe explains. I think back to when I shouted by to Joe and how he was on the phone before I left for costa. 

"Then he explained to us about how he wanted a way to ask you out and he needed our help. Alfie and Jim went on a search for the perfect location, Zoe and I rushed back to her apartment to get the perfect dress and Joe stayed at the apartment to get ready." Tanya explains the second part of it all. 

"Oh." I say piecing it all together in my mind, I guess it all makes sense. "What does operation Jaut mean?" 

"Jaut, like Jautumn, your ship name we came up with." Tanya says.

"I thought you would of guessed that."  Zoe says smiling at me.

"Oh yeah." I laugh, I probably should of guessed that to be honest, I feel a little stupid that I didn't piece it all together. To be fair I was blindfolded in the back of a car being drove around London.

"Chicken wrap with chips and sweetcorn?" A waitress stood at the other end of the  table asks causing us to stop our conversations and sort out who ordered what.

Joe and I walk into our apartment, everyone has parted and gone home after sitting in nandos for about 2 hours. Tonight has been perfect, it's reminded how much I love my friends and more importantly how much I love Joe. We both sit down on the couch at the same time, collapsing from exhaustion, though it's been good it has been a really long day. I curl my feet up onto the couch and lean on Joe, he smiles wrapping his arm around my shoulder.  "You alright?" He asks.

"Just a little tired." I say sleepily as I rest my head on his chest, "It's been a long day, good though." It feels so right sitting like this with him. I've never felt so comfortable around someone before.

"Yeah." Joe agrees, "I'd say it's in my top 10 favorite days." 

"What are the others?" I ask.

"Well, most of them are the ones I've spent with you." Joe says.

I smile, he can be so cheesy when he wants to, "Can someone get me a bucket? I think I might throw up." I tease.

"I'm just trying a little romance after all, I am your boyfriend." He says.

"You won't be for very long if you keep saying stuff like that." I joke.

"Alright." Joe says, "I'll tone it down, but only a little bit." I smile and we both sit in silence for a little while, it's not awkward at all it feels like it's supposed to be. I know that Joe will just be replaying all the vents from today in his head, a bit like I am. It's crazy to think this has gone from a mini argument to him asking me out. "You know this?" Joe asks quietly after a while.

"Yeah?" I nod sitting up normally again, I'm semi expecting him to start asking about boundaries and setting some which I don't want to talk about right now, I'm too tired.

"Is it official enough for me to kiss you?" Joe asks looking into my eyes.

I smile, "No you have to wait until we've been married for 25 years." I joke, Joe laughs gently before I lean across the couch so our faces our are nearly touching.

"That's a very long time to wait." Joe says. 

"Some things are worth waiting for." I say before leaning in and sharing another kiss.