All Just Pretend
Under Control
She knew the guys were going to be running around like chickens with their heads cut off, so after Blake finished messing around on her computer she got up, showered, got ready, and headed out. She didn't say anything to anyone because she knew they were all busy and instead snuck out without a word and headed to the tattoo shop.
Because it was a Wednesday afternoon, the shop was pretty quiet. James was in the back working on a new client so Blake didn't bother him and instead went to his fiancée at the register.
Blake liked Emily. Emily had been with James since Blake had started coming to England to stay and had been his fiancee for the past year or so, James having proposed only shortly after Blake had moved to Sheffield. Emily helped run the tattoo shop, taking care of books and things like that considering she had gone to school for business. She and James were the perfect match. Of course, she was extremely nice, which helped Blake like her. She was pretty sure the girl didn’t have a mean bone in her body unless absolutely necessary, which was refreshing to Blake and actually reminded her of her cousin. Em was the total opposite of James looks wise though--she had dark brown hair whereas James had strawberry blonde locks, and Emily didn’t have a tattoo on her body (yet, James always claimed) and of course James was covered. They worked though; they were really and love, and anyone could see it.
"'Lo, Blake," Emily greeted her with a smile when she walked over to her.
Blake smiled back. "Hi. Busy day?" he joked, motioning to the empty parlor.
Emily laughed and gave her a small shrug. "Jus' one of those days. 'ow was the party?"
Blake rolled her eyes and pulled a seat up next to Em. "The guys had fun I think, but it was ridiculous. They're all running around getting ready to leave tomorrow and none of them are anywhere near ready." Blake shrugged and pulled the calendar resting on the top of the counter over so it was in front of her. She peered at it do see if she had any appointments coming up while saying, "Their problem though, not mine. It'll be weird not having them around to bug me for two months though," the blonde joked.
"Yeh'll 'ave Tommy though," Em mentioned, and Blake nodded. The older girl had a point. At least she'd have Tom, and Ashley every once and awhile too, so she wouldn't go completely insane.
"Can I tell you something?" Blake asked the brunette, lowering her voice significantly.
Em laughed her light, twinkly laugh. "O'course, love. Wha's on yehr mind?"
"Oli and I slept--"
"Don't even finish tha' sentence," Em cut her off quickly, darting her eyes to her future husband in the back. "'e'd kill Oli."
Blake sighed and rested her elbows on the counter, resting her chin in her hands and letting out a breath of frustration. "It's not that big of a deal though, which is why I'm telling you! If I kept it from people, it'd be like I was keeping a secret. And I'm not."
Emily shrugged. "Oli and yeh 'ave neva 'ad a normal relationship though lovely. I mean..." she trailed off, choosing her words carefully. "Yeh aren't jus' friends."
Blake rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in frustration. "That's the problem though! We are just friends. I'm not even remotely attracted to Oli that way, and he's not attracted to me either. We got drunk, we made a mistake. It happens!" the blonde exclaimed, getting fired up and frustrated.
Em rested her hand on Blake's shoulder. "Shush, love. Yeh're gettin' fired up 's not doin' anyfhing. Are yeh sure though?"
"Positive. Plus, Oli and I have been fighting a lot, always the dumbest shit but still. I feel like he's tired of me being there."
"Well yeh should talk ta 'im, yeh know? Yeh've neva been one to beat around the bush," Em smiled at Blake.
She nodded, knowing Em was right. She'd talk to Oli when she went home.
***
"Tha' the delivery lad?" Blake heard as soon as she stepped through the door of the flat.
She rolled her dark green eyes. "Unless he grew boobs and long hair and suddenly has a key to the flat, then no," She called back, not sure where anyone was.
Matt's head peeked over the couch, Ashley situated beside him. He grinned at her. "Tha' would be my kind of delivery!" Ashley whacked him on the chest and his laughter echoed through the flat.
Blake set her purse on the counter in the kitchen and walked into the living room, taking a seat on the love seat diagonal to Ashley and Matt. "Where did you go?" Ashley asked her curiously.
"Tattoo shop. Everyone was busy so I just slipped out. James had a new client today so I wanted to check in and make sure it was going okay."
Matt shook his head. "Yeh're avoidin' a certain Sykes brofha."
Blake rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not. In fact..." she trailed off, getting up from the love seat.
"Where yeh goin'?" Matt asked, confused.
Blake didn't answer and walked back towards Oliver's room. His door was open and he was inside packing his things into a suitcase. "Want some company?" she asked him, not waiting for an answer as she made her way into the disaster area of his room.
He looked up from his luggage and shrugged. "Only if yeh 'elp meh."
She laughed but nodded.
Oli was on the ground next to his suitcase with clothes all around, so Blake took a seat on the bed. "You choose, I'll fold?" she suggested and he nodded.
They worked in quiet, the only sound coming from Oliver's laptop on his desk. His iTunes was open and music was playing quietly but Blake wasn't paying attention to it. She was focusing on folding and that was all.
Finally Oli broke the silence. "Yeh wanna talk abou' it?"
Blake rolled her eyes. "We slept together," she mumbled, still focusing on folding the clothes Oli was handing to her. "It's not a big deal."
When she noticed Oli stopped handing her clothes she looked up--or down, rather--at him. "What?" she asked.
He gave her a short nod, mainly because he couldn't believe her but also because he knew he shouldn't have been surprised. This was Blake. After knowing her for a year, he should have known better. "So tha's it, righ'? No hidden meanin's or messages or wha'eva?"
Blake barked out a laugh. She couldn't help it. Oliver had known her for how long now? Didn't he know her better than that? "No Oli, no hidden meanings."
He nodded. "Alrigh' then. So, yeh takin' us ta the airport tomorrow?"
Blake laughed and nodded, and then they continued to work. But Blake kept replaying the conversation she had with Emily regarding Oliver and she knew she had to say something. She sighed and stopped folding the shirt in her hands before she spoke. “Do you want me to leave?” she asked him bluntly. No sense in beating around the bush.
Confusion covered his face as he looked up at her. “Wha’ are yeh talkin’ ‘bout?”
“Exactly what I said. Do you want me to move out?”
Still, he was confused. “And why would I wan’ yeh ta move out?”
Blake shrugged and went back to folding. “I’m not exactly easy to have around. I know I’m a pain in the ass sometimes and I know we’ve been fighting a lot. I just figured I’d ask, make sure I wasn’t overstaying my welcome or something.”
Oli scoffed from his spot on the floor. “Blake, yeh overstayed yehr welcome about 9 monfhs ago,” he joked, a smirk on his lips. Blake laughed. “Yeh live ‘ere now. We fight but ‘s fine. Flatmates fight sometimes right?”
The blonde shrugged. “As long as you’re sure. Which is good because y’know, kinda don’t have anywhere else to go.”
Oli laughed at this. “Yeh’re mental,” he told her with a shake of his head.
She just grinned. “You love it.”
He nodded and the two went back to work.
***
Goodbyes were never a favorite of Blake's. She never cried or anything, she just hated the feeling they left her with, or rather without. She'd be the first to admit the guys were her closest friends and when they left, she just felt... Kind of empty.
But they were necessary when she was friends with touring musicians. And unfortunately, she just had to suck it up.
Ashley, Blake, and Tom were the only ones left at the airport after the goodbyes were exchanged. Ashley was feeling alright because she was going to be flying to Sweden in a week or so to visit, and of course Tom didn't care much, so that just left Blake. She wasn't overly upset, just... She just really fucking hated goodbyes.
Tom had driven there, so Blake offered to drive home. He climbed into the passenger seat and Ashley in the back and then they were off.
"Can you drop me off at home? I should probably make sure my roommate hasn't torched the place," Ashley asked, laughing but her undertone was serious.
Blake just nodded and before they knew it she was pulling up to Ashley's flat. "Thanks love. I'll call you tomorrow," she called to Blake before heading inside, away from the bitter English winter winds.
Tom and Blake were quiet at first. It was early in the morning and Blake was tired, and she just didn’t feel much like small talk. She had never been one for small talk though, and she thought Tom knew this. Until he spoke up.
"Yeh talked ya Oli aye?"
Blake nodded. "We're fine. Nothing blew up, things are still in one piece. You can stop watching me like a hawk now," she muttered, tightening her grip on the steering wheel. Ever since Tom had found out the other morning that Blake had slept with his brother, he was keeping a watchful eye on everything. He had his reasons, and Blake knew this, but it still annoyed the hell out of her.
She heard Tommy sigh from beside her but she concentrated on the road. "I wasn' tryin' to butt in, Blake, and I 'aven't been watchin' yeh. Yeh know as well as I do why sleepin' wiff 'im were a bad choice, aye?"
Blake rolled her eyes. "It was what it was Tom. It wasn't that big of a deal. But it's fine now. Everything's fine."
“Yeah, fine now tha’ ‘e left. Nofhin’ can ‘appen when he isn’t ‘ere.”
“I thought he was the one who wanted me to leave, but I think it’s you,” Blake grumbled, not bothering to look at Tom. She kept her eyes on the road, but she still heard Tom sigh.
“I don’ wan’ yeh ta leave, Blake. We’re friends. Who else would I show my photo projects ta?” The younger Sykes brother smiled at her, trying to get back in her good graces, but she wasn’t having it. He sighed. “I jus’ know ‘ow it is, Blake, and ‘e’s meh brofha. Jus’ ‘cause ‘e’s older doesn’ mean I won’t look out for ‘im too.”
Blake rolled her eyes, cracking her cold exterior. “I’m not the Big Bad Wolf, Tom. You don’t need to protect anyone from me.”
She finally pulled up outside of their flat and parked the car before she turned in her seat to face Tom. She looked him in his light blue eyes and said, “I know you think you need to watch out for him, but I’m just Blake, Tom. I won’t hurt him. He’s not interested in me and I’m not interested in him. We slept together but it’s fine now. Everything’s fine okay?”
Tom sighed but nodded reluctantly. “Fine. Everyfhing’s fine.”
Blake smiled and nodded in accomplishment. “Now, let’s go inside. It’s cold as balls out, and I just got a new bowl the other day I’d like to try out.”
Tom smiled. “Say no more.”
Because it was a Wednesday afternoon, the shop was pretty quiet. James was in the back working on a new client so Blake didn't bother him and instead went to his fiancée at the register.
Blake liked Emily. Emily had been with James since Blake had started coming to England to stay and had been his fiancee for the past year or so, James having proposed only shortly after Blake had moved to Sheffield. Emily helped run the tattoo shop, taking care of books and things like that considering she had gone to school for business. She and James were the perfect match. Of course, she was extremely nice, which helped Blake like her. She was pretty sure the girl didn’t have a mean bone in her body unless absolutely necessary, which was refreshing to Blake and actually reminded her of her cousin. Em was the total opposite of James looks wise though--she had dark brown hair whereas James had strawberry blonde locks, and Emily didn’t have a tattoo on her body (yet, James always claimed) and of course James was covered. They worked though; they were really and love, and anyone could see it.
"'Lo, Blake," Emily greeted her with a smile when she walked over to her.
Blake smiled back. "Hi. Busy day?" he joked, motioning to the empty parlor.
Emily laughed and gave her a small shrug. "Jus' one of those days. 'ow was the party?"
Blake rolled her eyes and pulled a seat up next to Em. "The guys had fun I think, but it was ridiculous. They're all running around getting ready to leave tomorrow and none of them are anywhere near ready." Blake shrugged and pulled the calendar resting on the top of the counter over so it was in front of her. She peered at it do see if she had any appointments coming up while saying, "Their problem though, not mine. It'll be weird not having them around to bug me for two months though," the blonde joked.
"Yeh'll 'ave Tommy though," Em mentioned, and Blake nodded. The older girl had a point. At least she'd have Tom, and Ashley every once and awhile too, so she wouldn't go completely insane.
"Can I tell you something?" Blake asked the brunette, lowering her voice significantly.
Em laughed her light, twinkly laugh. "O'course, love. Wha's on yehr mind?"
"Oli and I slept--"
"Don't even finish tha' sentence," Em cut her off quickly, darting her eyes to her future husband in the back. "'e'd kill Oli."
Blake sighed and rested her elbows on the counter, resting her chin in her hands and letting out a breath of frustration. "It's not that big of a deal though, which is why I'm telling you! If I kept it from people, it'd be like I was keeping a secret. And I'm not."
Emily shrugged. "Oli and yeh 'ave neva 'ad a normal relationship though lovely. I mean..." she trailed off, choosing her words carefully. "Yeh aren't jus' friends."
Blake rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in frustration. "That's the problem though! We are just friends. I'm not even remotely attracted to Oli that way, and he's not attracted to me either. We got drunk, we made a mistake. It happens!" the blonde exclaimed, getting fired up and frustrated.
Em rested her hand on Blake's shoulder. "Shush, love. Yeh're gettin' fired up 's not doin' anyfhing. Are yeh sure though?"
"Positive. Plus, Oli and I have been fighting a lot, always the dumbest shit but still. I feel like he's tired of me being there."
"Well yeh should talk ta 'im, yeh know? Yeh've neva been one to beat around the bush," Em smiled at Blake.
She nodded, knowing Em was right. She'd talk to Oli when she went home.
***
"Tha' the delivery lad?" Blake heard as soon as she stepped through the door of the flat.
She rolled her dark green eyes. "Unless he grew boobs and long hair and suddenly has a key to the flat, then no," She called back, not sure where anyone was.
Matt's head peeked over the couch, Ashley situated beside him. He grinned at her. "Tha' would be my kind of delivery!" Ashley whacked him on the chest and his laughter echoed through the flat.
Blake set her purse on the counter in the kitchen and walked into the living room, taking a seat on the love seat diagonal to Ashley and Matt. "Where did you go?" Ashley asked her curiously.
"Tattoo shop. Everyone was busy so I just slipped out. James had a new client today so I wanted to check in and make sure it was going okay."
Matt shook his head. "Yeh're avoidin' a certain Sykes brofha."
Blake rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not. In fact..." she trailed off, getting up from the love seat.
"Where yeh goin'?" Matt asked, confused.
Blake didn't answer and walked back towards Oliver's room. His door was open and he was inside packing his things into a suitcase. "Want some company?" she asked him, not waiting for an answer as she made her way into the disaster area of his room.
He looked up from his luggage and shrugged. "Only if yeh 'elp meh."
She laughed but nodded.
Oli was on the ground next to his suitcase with clothes all around, so Blake took a seat on the bed. "You choose, I'll fold?" she suggested and he nodded.
They worked in quiet, the only sound coming from Oliver's laptop on his desk. His iTunes was open and music was playing quietly but Blake wasn't paying attention to it. She was focusing on folding and that was all.
Finally Oli broke the silence. "Yeh wanna talk abou' it?"
Blake rolled her eyes. "We slept together," she mumbled, still focusing on folding the clothes Oli was handing to her. "It's not a big deal."
When she noticed Oli stopped handing her clothes she looked up--or down, rather--at him. "What?" she asked.
He gave her a short nod, mainly because he couldn't believe her but also because he knew he shouldn't have been surprised. This was Blake. After knowing her for a year, he should have known better. "So tha's it, righ'? No hidden meanin's or messages or wha'eva?"
Blake barked out a laugh. She couldn't help it. Oliver had known her for how long now? Didn't he know her better than that? "No Oli, no hidden meanings."
He nodded. "Alrigh' then. So, yeh takin' us ta the airport tomorrow?"
Blake laughed and nodded, and then they continued to work. But Blake kept replaying the conversation she had with Emily regarding Oliver and she knew she had to say something. She sighed and stopped folding the shirt in her hands before she spoke. “Do you want me to leave?” she asked him bluntly. No sense in beating around the bush.
Confusion covered his face as he looked up at her. “Wha’ are yeh talkin’ ‘bout?”
“Exactly what I said. Do you want me to move out?”
Still, he was confused. “And why would I wan’ yeh ta move out?”
Blake shrugged and went back to folding. “I’m not exactly easy to have around. I know I’m a pain in the ass sometimes and I know we’ve been fighting a lot. I just figured I’d ask, make sure I wasn’t overstaying my welcome or something.”
Oli scoffed from his spot on the floor. “Blake, yeh overstayed yehr welcome about 9 monfhs ago,” he joked, a smirk on his lips. Blake laughed. “Yeh live ‘ere now. We fight but ‘s fine. Flatmates fight sometimes right?”
The blonde shrugged. “As long as you’re sure. Which is good because y’know, kinda don’t have anywhere else to go.”
Oli laughed at this. “Yeh’re mental,” he told her with a shake of his head.
She just grinned. “You love it.”
He nodded and the two went back to work.
***
Goodbyes were never a favorite of Blake's. She never cried or anything, she just hated the feeling they left her with, or rather without. She'd be the first to admit the guys were her closest friends and when they left, she just felt... Kind of empty.
But they were necessary when she was friends with touring musicians. And unfortunately, she just had to suck it up.
Ashley, Blake, and Tom were the only ones left at the airport after the goodbyes were exchanged. Ashley was feeling alright because she was going to be flying to Sweden in a week or so to visit, and of course Tom didn't care much, so that just left Blake. She wasn't overly upset, just... She just really fucking hated goodbyes.
Tom had driven there, so Blake offered to drive home. He climbed into the passenger seat and Ashley in the back and then they were off.
"Can you drop me off at home? I should probably make sure my roommate hasn't torched the place," Ashley asked, laughing but her undertone was serious.
Blake just nodded and before they knew it she was pulling up to Ashley's flat. "Thanks love. I'll call you tomorrow," she called to Blake before heading inside, away from the bitter English winter winds.
Tom and Blake were quiet at first. It was early in the morning and Blake was tired, and she just didn’t feel much like small talk. She had never been one for small talk though, and she thought Tom knew this. Until he spoke up.
"Yeh talked ya Oli aye?"
Blake nodded. "We're fine. Nothing blew up, things are still in one piece. You can stop watching me like a hawk now," she muttered, tightening her grip on the steering wheel. Ever since Tom had found out the other morning that Blake had slept with his brother, he was keeping a watchful eye on everything. He had his reasons, and Blake knew this, but it still annoyed the hell out of her.
She heard Tommy sigh from beside her but she concentrated on the road. "I wasn' tryin' to butt in, Blake, and I 'aven't been watchin' yeh. Yeh know as well as I do why sleepin' wiff 'im were a bad choice, aye?"
Blake rolled her eyes. "It was what it was Tom. It wasn't that big of a deal. But it's fine now. Everything's fine."
“Yeah, fine now tha’ ‘e left. Nofhin’ can ‘appen when he isn’t ‘ere.”
“I thought he was the one who wanted me to leave, but I think it’s you,” Blake grumbled, not bothering to look at Tom. She kept her eyes on the road, but she still heard Tom sigh.
“I don’ wan’ yeh ta leave, Blake. We’re friends. Who else would I show my photo projects ta?” The younger Sykes brother smiled at her, trying to get back in her good graces, but she wasn’t having it. He sighed. “I jus’ know ‘ow it is, Blake, and ‘e’s meh brofha. Jus’ ‘cause ‘e’s older doesn’ mean I won’t look out for ‘im too.”
Blake rolled her eyes, cracking her cold exterior. “I’m not the Big Bad Wolf, Tom. You don’t need to protect anyone from me.”
She finally pulled up outside of their flat and parked the car before she turned in her seat to face Tom. She looked him in his light blue eyes and said, “I know you think you need to watch out for him, but I’m just Blake, Tom. I won’t hurt him. He’s not interested in me and I’m not interested in him. We slept together but it’s fine now. Everything’s fine okay?”
Tom sighed but nodded reluctantly. “Fine. Everyfhing’s fine.”
Blake smiled and nodded in accomplishment. “Now, let’s go inside. It’s cold as balls out, and I just got a new bowl the other day I’d like to try out.”
Tom smiled. “Say no more.”
