Just Friends

Chapter Thirty-Three

"And where are you off to?" Ellie says cheerily as she walks into the lounge. Ellie spent the morning in class before deciding to bunk off the rest of her afternoon lectures. When she came back, Ellie banged on the bathroom door until I came out of the shower.

After I told her everything, she was convinced that it was a date and believed now more than ever that we are going out. The only thing I forgot to mention to her was my plans for the afternoon.

"I said I would meet Braden at Strawberry Fields after he finished practice," I say as I slip my shoes on.

Despite not looking at her, I know she has a smug expression on her face as she says, "yup, you two are definitely going out!"

"We're not." I smile a little as I make an effort to disagree. "We've not had that 'talk' yet. We're just seeing where things go."

"And you're happy with that are you?" Ellie says, raising one eyebrow and looking sceptically at me.

"Yes," I say clearly, and I am okay with that. After everything with David, I'm not sure I want to jump straight into something, but I do like Braden. I smile at Ellie, "I'm going now. Have fun with Tyler tonight!"

"Oh, trust me, I will," She says suggestively, and sticks her tongue out at me.

"Eww," I grimace playfully and grin back at her. "That's gross."

"haha," Ellie mocks, "Bye, Jo!"

"Cya," I shout over my shoulder as I step outside.

It's been quite a beautiful day, and I'm happy to be able to go out in just jeans and a shirt, but when I climb into my car, the seats are on fire. The heat immediately causes a bead of sweat to form on my neck, but no matter how hot it is, I'll just be grateful I don't have to get the bus.

Strawberry Fields is only a short drive away. Honestly, if I'd have left myself more time, I probably could have walked it easy enough. By the time I park around the back of the building, the interior has cooled to a more manageable temperature.

The familiar, giant fabric strawberries are hung up by the door, and unsurprisingly for a Friday afternoon, it's busy inside. Staying around the back of the building, I walk through the bar's garden and take the first opportunity to claim one of the picnic benches.

I pull on a pair of sunglasses and dig out my phone from my pocket. On a day like this, I don't mind sitting outside, and by the looks of things, it definitely seems like a better idea than going inside. People seem to be spilling out of the doorway, and through the window, I can already see students start their weekend of partying.

Hey, I'm in the beer garden! X

I send the text to Braden and panic for a moment. I put a kiss. Should I have put a kiss? I ignore my worries as a group of students loudly make their exit and join me in the garden. Lighting up cigarettes, they stumble and spill their drinks along the path before settling at a nearby table.

"Hey, Jo!" Braden shouts from the door as he pushes his way through the crowd. He's tall enough that I can see him towering above the group of people lingering there and it doesn't take him long to fight his way to the bench where I sit.

"Hey!" I say with a smile.

"I got you a drink," he says, handing me a glass filled with a dark fizzing liquid.

"Thanks," I mumble awkwardly. "I drove here, so I can't. Sorry"

"Relax," he smiles, sitting down next to me. He doesn't bother to position facing the table. Instead, he sits with his back against it, turning slightly to look directly at me. His blue eyes are bright in the daylight, and his hair is clean and swept out of his face. I assume he showered and changed after practice, before coming to see me here, as he wears his usual jeans and black shirt combo. "It's just coke."