Chance of Change

As soon as I had opened the door to my apartment Mabel and Bilbo came jumping up to me clearly missing me, I grabbed their leads and took them down for a walk around Eel Brook Common having a cigarette along the way. I hadn’t wanted to smoke in front of Harry, but going for five hours without one was really making me crave the sweet nicotine.
I was slightly confused by the way our date had ended and was glad I was meeting my girlfriends to be able to talk through what had happened. We often met for ‘after work’ drinks on a Saturday to discuss what had happened since meeting mid week for after work drinks. Although of course I wasn’t working so I was free all of the time for drinks.
Going to be a bit late but I have goss for you all so buy me a drink for when I get there babe x I sent to Lizzie, I had refrained from telling any of my friends about my date as I didn’t want them to get all excited unless I knew it was going somewhere. But I had landed in one of those situations where I just needed the advice of my girlfriends and their opinions based on all of our different dating histories.

I got back to my apartment, fed my dogs and quickly grabbed my bag lighting up again as I made my way to Fulham road to grab a taxi.
“You can’t smoke in ‘ere sweet’art” the cabby said to me as I hailed him down, I sighed and put out my cigarette
“Chelsea Potter on the King’s Road please” I asked while I wondered to myself why people were so against smoking, in the famous words of Carrie Bradshaw ‘it’s fabulous’.
I paid my fare and made my way into the bar where I saw Lizzie Tessa and Georgie sitting in a booth with 4 cocktails, I smiled to myself as I made my way over to my wonderful friends.
“Evening ladies, thank you for the drink” I said kissing my three closest friends
“Okay brilliant Sophia’s here” Georgie said as I sat down, “I need guy advice” I smiled to myself thinking about how often either Georgie or I would sit and complain about guys to the loved up Lizzie and Tessa. “I’ve started dating someone and I think he wants it to become more”
“What’s the problem?” Tessa asked, I rolled my eyes at my brunette friend
“Georgie doesn’t do relationships Tessa, she can’t even stay committed to dinner arrangements let alone a man” I said digging at the fact that she had stood me up earlier on in the week
“Sorry” Georgie said grinning, “anyway I do like him, but I don’t want to settle down and be boring like you two” she said pointing at Lizzie and Tessa who were sat opposite us
“Starting a relationship doesn’t mean you’re committing yourself to marriage. Nothing has to change other than you’re not allowed to kiss random guys when you go out” Lizzie said sipping her drink
“Whose the guy anyway?” I asked
“Remember blond Alex from the New Years Eve party?” she asked, Tessa’s face lit up with recollection but Lizzie and I had clearly been in a far worse state than her that night and couldn’t remember him
“He was cute, I remember he was really tanned” Tessa commented
“You’re going to have to show us a picture, get his Facebook up” I said
“I don’t remember a lot of New Years Eve, and none of you lot should either. It’s a time for drinking yourself into oblivion and doing stupid things because there is a new year at midnight” Lizzie argued
“Well I think Soph has the stupid things part covered” Tessa said
“Yeah it’s no wonder you can’t remember Alex, you were preoccupied doing other things weren’t you Soph?” Georgie asked me causing me to make a face to all of my friends and sipping my drink
“Yes he is cute” Lizzie said once we had all had a little perv on his Facebook page
“So what should I do?” Georgie asked
“Well if you like him what’s the harm in seeing where this goes and how it develops?” Lizzie said
“I know, you lot are going to have to make sure I start behaving myself when I go out then”
“Oh good we’ve got one less person to look out for” Tessa joked, “Just you and Cheska now Soph”
“Is Cheska working tonight?” Lizzie asked
“I assume so” the way they were talking as if I was unable to get a date annoyed me slightly so I just blurted out what I had wanted to say as soon as I had arrived.
“I went on a date today, that’s why I was late meeting you guys”
“With whom?”
“Was it good?”
“Are you going on another?”
“Is he hot?”
“Did you kiss him?”
“Did you sleep with him?”
I had all of these questions bombarded at me and I remembered why I hadn’t planned on telling them in the first place, too late for that now
“It was actually, erm, do you remember when we were out last week Georgie?” I said awkwardly
“You’re joking” she said looking amazed
“Wait, this isn’t who I think it is, is it?” Tessa asked also looking amazed and impressed
“Who?” Lizzie whined not liking not knowing
“I may have gone to lunch with Prince Harry” I said trying to act cool, but realising how amazing that sounded and getting all excited myself
“Oh my god, Soph I’m so jealous” she said also looking at me amazed
“How was it then? What happened?” Tessa asked
I explained to them quickly what had happened on our date and the odd way in which it had ended
“Well of course he wasn’t going to kiss you in front of his driver” Tessa said as if explaining that 1+1=2
“How awkward would that have been for both of them” Georgie said
“I suppose so” I said feeling rather embarrassed that I hadn’t thought of that
“Are you seeing him again?” Lizzie asked
“I don’t know, I think so” I mumbled trying to remember what he had said to me, “I hope so”
“Wait what is this, is Sophia developing feelings for a man?” Tessa joked
“Shut up” I replied sheepishly
“You’re going all coy” Lizzie yelled pointing at me to emphasize her point
“People are looking” I said putting my head in my hands, but still smiling
“I can’t believe this, I thought you said feelings are for idiots and they ruin relationship” Tessa said beaming knowing that she was right
“I don’t know if I like him yet, I fancy him, but it’s difficult to get the prince thing out of my head and I thinks that’s clouding my judgment”
“You fancy a ginger?” Tessa asked making a face
“Yeah he’s really hot, don’t you fancy him?” I asked
“Yes”
“No”, Lizzie and Georgie agreed with me, but we all knew Tessa only had eyes for her boyfriend.
“I’ll just wait to see if there’s another date where I can get to know him better before I decide if I actually like him” I said sipping my drink not daring to look any of the three of them in the eye
“Why don’t we get her really drunk tonight so she’ll text him” I heard Lizzie say to the other two
“No!” I shouted, secretly liking the idea. The amount of times I had sent embarrassing texts and just been able to wipe it away the next morning by saying I had been drunk was very high indeed.
Once they saw my reluctance to continue talking about the hot prince Lizzie, being the wonderful best friend she is, changed the subject, “what are you taking to Marrakesh, I think I need to abuse my staff discount an buy a whole new wardrobe just for a long weekend”