Swell (Complete)

Chapter Five (Part One)

"Do you believe in fate?
Do you believe in destiny?"

....

Brett had a thousand things better to do on a Friday afternoon than clean the bar and get ready for the Friday rush. Or what there might be of one.
Tara was in the fridges doing stock, the other Friday staff were still over an hour away, and there were two old regulars outside drinking from a jug of beer and smoking, laughing about their work week.
The door opened and Brett looked up hopefully, wishing for someone interesting. He grinned as Tom waved and came over to the bar.
"Wow, you look swamped." Tom said, his sarcasm deadpan in its delivery.
Brett and Tom were both on the soccer team and had gotten to know each other a bit during the first week. Brett had taken note that Tom kept his face clean-shaven where Will grew his whiskers a bit more.
"Run off my feet, mate." Brett grabbed a glass and turned it right way up smoothly. "What would you like today?"
"Hmmm," Tom actually looked at the chalkboard menu behind Brett for a few moments. "No, I'll stick to the Coke, thanks." He took a seat on one of the bar stools and looked around as Brett poured the soft drink from the tap.
"How was the first week now it's all over?" Brett passed the glass over the bar and leaned against the counter for conversation.
"Good. I like it." Tom turned from the pub's dining room area to Brett and took a sip from the glass. "So, I have a date tomorrow night, do I need to make a reservation to have dinner here on a Saturday?"
Brett snorted and shook his head. "Nah, not unless you plan to come in when the late night drinkers are in and make a bad impression."
Tom worked fast! Only here for a week and he had already sorted a date? Maybe Brett should take the advice he'd gotten during their first encounter.
Make it obvious, make the move.
What would it be like between two friends if he did make the move? Or even if he made it obvious?
"You've been in Wheeler Falls for a week and you already have a date... That's something." Brett smiled in admiration.
"I keep telling you, stop stalling. The longer you think about asking a girl on a date the harder it can get. I see a girl I like, I go and ask. Simple as that." Tom chuckled.
"So, who's the lucky lady?"
"Adora actually."
Brett's stomach dropped. Tom had asked Adora out and Adora had said yes?
He forced a smile and turned around to look busy as he tried to hold back his reaction. He didn't have a chance now, not that Brett ever believed he had a chance with his best friend.
Adora was amazing, and they'd grown up playing together, their parents were friends and he was in her cousin's grade all through school.
He remembered playing cops and robbers and detectives and murderers with Adora and Iain, he remembered his sister, Tara, babysitting them all once she had turned fourteen.
"Hey, you alright?" Tom's voice broke through Adora's face in his mind and he turned around with a big smile.
"Yea, just needed to get myself a drink." He pulled a bottle of water from the fridge closest to him and turned to look back at Tom. "Adora Dodgers, huh?"
"Yea, I asked her at lunch on Tuesday, in the library of all places." Tom was halfway through his coke and laughing at the location.
"Wow." Brett tried to seem interested, happy for his new friend, but all he felt was jealous; jealous that Tom had known Adora for a day and already asked her out. "So, just planning to have dinner here?" That the Taylors hadn't even been in town for a week and this had happened.
"No, I'm picking her up after lunch, she has to do this thing for her Mum, then she's going to show me some of the town."
She'll take him to the cove for sure, Brett thought. Adora loved the cove, it was one of her favourite places in Wheeler Falls. He swallowed a lump. "You'll want to wear comfortable shoes." He advised.
Tom frowned curiously. "Am I in for a rough day?"
"Captain's Cove is one of Adora's spots, it's only really accessible by some steep steps built into the cliffs on the other side of the main beach." Brett explained. He cursed himself for not trying to sabotage the date.
"Really? Thanks for the warning." Tom nodded and finished his drink. "What's the best time to come in for dinner?"
"Six is probably the latest I'd try and be here. The sports TVs go on about 6:30 depending on what games are playing. I can ask Tara if she can open upstairs if it looks like it'll be busy."
'Why are you helping someone who is taking the girl you want to date out? You idiot.'
His own voice was cursing like a sailor, 'because you're a coward who couldn't ask her.'
"Upstairs? Is it romantic?"
That made Brett laugh out loud. "Probably not to Adora."
Tom leaned back on the barstool. "Is anything going to be romantic to a local that's... local?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure." He had tried to think of ways he could woo Adora, he'd thought about asking her to be his date to the formal at the end of the semester. Had Tom thought about that too? Don't give him that idea, Brett, keep your mouth shut.
"Has she had a boyfriend before? She's a bit shy isn't she?"
"Erm, I don't think so. I know she had a crush on my cousin over summer, but he's a bit... too outgoing and loud for her taste I think."
No, she hadn't. His cousin Gus was definitely too loud and obnoxious for Adora, though that hadn't stopped her blushing around his attentions while he had been visiting.
Brett was pretty sure half the boys who knew them both could tell he liked her, why didn't she know?
"Hmmmm..." Tom suddenly looked deep in thought.
"Do I need to give you the obligatory warning about me tying you up in a tide cave and leaving you to drown if you hurt her? Has Iain or Dodge already given it to you?" Brett had a flash of the cove and it's deep tidal cave.
Tom grinned. "I don't know if they actually know, but don't worry, I'll be nice and gentle." He stood up and laughed. "I have to get going, I'll see you tomorrow for our date." He winked and left Brett standing frozen to the spot.
He watched as the door closed behind the other athlete and tried to will his stomach to settle.
'Nice and gentle? Gentle?!'
Oh shit, Adora would have to be a virgin... No way she would sleep with a crush like his cousin, Brett couldn't even imagine Adora liking such an outgoing guy like Tom. Yet she had said yes. Was Tom a virgin? Did he plan to sleep with her after dinner? Before dinner? At all?
Brett's stomach didn't seem to hear his pleas and Brett still couldn't make himself move. He thought about Tom kissing his best friend at the cove and felt his jaw tighten.
"Hey, Brett, are you alright?"
A hand waved in front of his face and he finally blinked and forced himself to take a deep breath.
"Tara, yea... I just... Zoned out." He gave his older sister a tight smile and she looked at him unconvinced.
"Right, that's really believable, but whatever, I need you to take the trash to the dumpster so the bins are empty for dinner." She instructed, using a thumb to gesture to a couple of black garbage bags tied up behind her.
"Yea, sure. Some... fresh air... will do me good." Brett joked as he moved past her and picked up the rubbish. He could feel her eyes following him as he walked to the back of the bar and out of her sight.
He couldn't do or say anything about Tom asking Adora out, he'd been too busy overthinking and missed his chance, it was his own fault and tomorrow night he'd have to watch the consequences.