A Story to Tell Your Friends

I fumbled with my keys and pass as I made my way out of the building, swiping my pass at every door I went by. It was the end of my second day, and I was already staying late at the office making sure I finished off everything we needed. Yesterday had been fairly slow and consisted mostly of tweaks everyone else had to make to old projects, while I got myself set up and took a look at the projects to come. Today, on the other hand, had been all hands on. We had a new project to run with and a lot of prep work to do. The perfectionist in me refused to leave until everything on my to-do-list for the day was done to at an almost-finished-project standard, despite the fact I knew I’d be giving a full overhaul in the coming days and would in fact hate it in the weeks to come. I was already ahead of almost everyone else. It was nearing 8pm and I’d been bombarded with texts from Tammy asking where I was, still not sure on staying in the apartment by herself once it started to get dark outside.
I pulled out my phone to text her, telling her I was on my way when I walked straight into the back of someone, dropping my phone for probably about the tenth time that day. I was not an observant texter.
“Oh, shit, I am so sorry. I’m such a frickin’ klutz,” I apologised, picking up my phone and looking up at the person I had just walked into. My stomach dropped when I saw a pair of brown eyes staring down at me, grin spread across his face.
“Long time no see,” Jack smiled at me. “You’re here late.” I nodded, swiftly checking my phone for damage and pocketing it.
“So are you,” I observed. I’d always imagined him to be a massive talker, but in the few times I’d run into him, Jack had said no more than five sentences to me.
“I left some things when I was in a meeting earlier,” he shrugged. “Alex is going to have a field day when he sees you.”
“Yeah, I got that from yesterday. What even was that?” Well, there’s nothing like being straightforward to get an answer to something that had been bugging you. I’d told the story to Tammy last night, who, after shrieking violently for a few minutes about how I get ‘all the luck’, proceeded to agree with my colleagues. Oh, and Sam and Anya had told the rest of our team too, so now I was getting repeated sly digs about how everything was ‘an all time low’ and how thrilling that must be for me. It wasn’t remotely funny, but I think it was the best pun they could come up with given the limited time frame they had to think it up over our ‘team building’ drinks and food last night that Clive had insisted on to welcome me to the team. The company credit card he’d had to hand had not made us hesitate at all.
“It’s kind of an embarrassing story,” Jack shrugged, blushing.
“Any more embarrassing than your brand new co-workers telling you that you’d best watch out for the guitarist?” Jack’s blush intensified at my words, and I assumed they’d hit the nail on the head a little.
“Kind of. I told Alex I thought you were pretty and he ran with it.” Jack rubbed the back of his neck nervously and I smiled softly. It was kind of cute. Like, when you were in middle school and your best friends arranged your relationship for you. “Hey, you wanna come out for drinks? Alex is picking me up soon and we’re hitting the bar.” I bit my lip, knowing that I would hate myself in the morning if I went for drinks, and that Tammy would murder me if I left her home alone tonight.
“I’d love to, but I’ve gotta get home to Tammy. She’s adamant something is going to happen if she’s left home alone in the dark.” Jack looked up at the sky and then back at me.
“But it’s not dark yet.” He pulled a confused face, making me laugh a little, realising he was right.
“Okay, fine, but I can’t stay out late. I have to be at work in the morning.”
“Hey, you work Promo, call it a business meeting.” Alex pulled up in the taxi to Jack and I laughing in the doorway to the building and flung the door open to the pair of us, wiggling his eyebrows. “Move over, douche bag, Clara is coming for drinks.” Alex’s eyebrows wiggled themselves into overdrive as I clambered into the taxi and I couldn’t help but continue to laugh. He flung himself into the other side of the cab, sitting himself next to a dark haired girl and allowed Jack and I to get in. The cab had a front facing and a rear facing back seats, comfortably seating the four of us in the back.
“Clara, this is Lisa. Lisa, this is Jack’s new crush,” Alex said, earning himself a swift kick in the shin from Jack. The pair started to bicker with each other as I turned to Lisa, intent on introducing myself properly.
“I’m Clara, I met these two while shopping a week ago and they haven’t left me alone since.” Lisa cracked a smile before responding.
“I’m Lisa, I met these two in High School ten years ago and they haven’t left me alone since.” The pair of us laughed lightly, the two boys still too busy bickering with each other to pay us any mind, though neither Lisa nor I were paying any mind to anything they were saying to each other.
“Hey, sorry I look like a tramp: I got cornered outside of work,” I said, picturing my messy bun and probably far too smudged and faded make up. I eyed her perfectly waved hair and the flawless make up she sported, feeling a little out of place. I couldn’t even look like that if I had six hours to work on it, though in all fairness I probably couldn’t concentrate on one thing for six hours if I tried. Lisa laughed, assuring me I looked fine, as the car slowed to a stop in front of whatever bar the guys had been going to. Jack grabbed my hand, helping me out of the car as I slung my bag back over my shoulder and observed where we were. It looked a little fancy considering I was in work clothes, though only in the ‘I should be in a nice pair of jeans’ way. I could hear a little Green Day playing from inside and grinned. This was going to be my type of bar.
I came back from the bathroom, finally with fresh make up and a slightly less messy bun, finding Jack and Alex sitting at the table with drinks. I sat down opposite them, Jack handing me what looked like a vodka and Red Bull, which I accepted. Despite the fact I had work tomorrow, I knew that this was going to be one of maybe two drinks I would have tonight, so it wouldn’t be an issue, as long as it wasn’t too strong and I drank it at a reasonable pace.
“So, how long have you been in LA?” Alex asked me as I took a sip of my drink.
“Since the day I ran into you guys in Walmart,” I shrugged. “Me and Tammy have just moved into our first place together. New jobs, new city, new start. She took it as a sign we’d made the right decision when we ran into you guys out of nowhere.” It was true, Tammy was adamant that this had been the right thing to do, telling me that there was no way we would have met her idols in any other city we could have picked. I’d argued that maybe Baltimore would have something to say about that, but she’d ignored the joke.
“You know, you’re being a creeper again,” Jack told me, laughing.
“It’s what I do best,” I replied. I edged my chair up closer to him as Lisa sat down, returning from a phone call out front. I heard Jack’s chair scrape across the floor as he shuffled closer too. This was the most I’d ever heard him speak and he was finally starting to live up to the guy I’d heard so much about over the last few years. I leaned back in my chair, watching Alex and Lisa converse and wondering just how they’d managed to find each other so early in life and make it work so well. God knows I’d never had a relationship that anyone could define as ‘strong’ or, you know, even healthy. I was 24, most of my friends had had some form of long term relationship, whereas my longest had been 6 months, and half of that he’d been on the other side of the country chasing after girls in college, forgetting that he was supposed to be in a relationship. Needless to say, I wasn’t heartbroken over that one. “Don’t you think they’re lucky?” Jack glanced at the couple, nodding.
“Of course I do. All the girls I went out with in High School were crazy, and he got to find her.” I nodded, he’d hit the nail right on the head there. I took another drink, noting that it was half gone already and reminding myself I needed to slow down. “What about you? Were all your boyfriends crazy too, or did you get lucky like Alex?”
“Bat shit, absolutely bat shit. I wasn’t good at picking boyfriends, or keeping relationships going. Never have been.” Jack gave me a sympathetic look, but I shrugged. It was no skin off my nose. Yeah, sometimes I felt a little lonely when I heard all my friends back home were getting engaged and having babies, but I just hadn’t found the right person yet, and that didn’t bother me. I had plenty of time to settle down yet.
“Cheese!” I heard, Lisa squishing into the side of me and my third glass of vodka spilling down my front. I glanced up at the camera and grinned, Jack and Alex to the left of me and Lisa to the right. “Ooh, I like this one! It’s cute!” Lisa continued to tap into her phone, putting herself firmly back into her own seat. It was still only around half past 9, though the guys had been occasionally putting a new drink down in front of me that I’d been forgetting to politely refuse. I was still drinking at a steady pace, though I’d passed my 2 drink limit and didn’t plan to stop. I was going to hate myself in the morning. Tammy hadn’t text asking where I was, and I’d not updated her on where I was either, knowing she’d freak. Besides, I could still see the sun through the windows, so, as Jack had pointed out, it wasn’t dark and she had nothing to be afraid of yet. I’d spent the past hour getting to know everyone, though interrupted occasionally by people wanting pictures with the guys, which Lisa and I had happily taken for them. The others had been drinking a little more heavily than I, probably now each on drinks number 4 or 5 and were all a little tipsy, laughing at almost everything and Alex was still making digs and receiving kicks under the table. I still couldn’t help but laugh at them, which Lisa had assured me would not lessen, as she laughed at them with me. My phone vibrated on the table, telling me I’d had a mention on Instagram. I was a little confused, as I didn’t follow any of the guys on there, nor had I posted anything myself in over a week.
I thought you were at work @claraparapie?!
I laughed to myself, looking at the comment from Tammy on Lisa’s picture titled ‘New friends and old friends make the best nights’.
“Thank you so much, Lisa,” I laughed, showing her what I’d received. “Tammy is going to flip out.”
“Aw, cute, you’re on there?!” Lisa asked, sticking her nose into her phone and sending me a follow request.
“Ooh, me too!” Jack shrieked, his nose going into his phone also, sending me another request as well, Alex following not long after.
“Guys, you’re not helping!” I laughed again, accepting them all. “This doesn’t solve the issue of bombardment when I get home!” Jack stuck his tongue out at me, continuing to type away on his phone.
@tammybxo sorry, @claraparapie is at a business meeting and can’t talk right now.
I snorted when the notification came through, putting my phone swiftly into my bag to avoid the inevitable backlash I would receive via text message and finishing the rest of my drink, standing up and using the table as support, which thankfully no one noticed.
“Are you going?” Jack pouted, noting that I had stood up and was in the process of turning around.
“No,” I snorted. “Tammy is going to flip when I get home, so I’m getting another drink. Anyone want one?” Jack broke out into a grin and nodded, Alex and Lisa soon asking for a drink too. I nodded and made my way to the bar, cash and ID in hand. I’m going to continue to be ID’d at the bar until I was 40 with my baby face. I felt a slight jab in my side and jumped, turning to see that Jack had come to help me with the drinks. I smiled up at him and couldn’t help but thinking how much I was enjoying tonight… and how much more attractive he was in person than in photographs. I’d never really had a thing for any of the guys in my teenage years (which I’m thanking God for right now, because I would feel hella awkward), but the more time I was spending with Jack, the more I had to admit that he really was quite an attractive guy.
“Hey, uh, sorry we’re getting you in trouble,” he grinned sheepishly.
“It’s fine, she’ll live. Like I said, she loves you guys, she’s mainly just jealous she’s not here.” I told him, shrugging. It was true. She wasn’t really concerned I was out drinking, just that I was out with two of her idols and she hadn’t been invited along. Then again, it was her first day at work tomorrow, so I wouldn’t dare invite her out tonight.
“She’ll have to come along another night then.”
“Oh, so, there’s going to be another night, is there?” Jack’s arm flung back to the back of his neck, showing his nerves. I turned to the bartender, who had just put the last of our four drinks down and handed him the money.
“Well, I’m having a good time, so are Alex and Lisa, so I can’t see why not.” I bit my lip, smiling and handing him his and Alex’s drinks. He was kinda cute when he was nervous.
“Well, as long as it’s not a work night and you allow me to not look like a total tramp, I’m cool with it.”
“Guess I need your number then,” he winked.
“Smooth, Barakat, real smooth.” I picked up mine and Lisa’s drinks and made my way back to the table, Jack in tow.
“No, but seriously, how would you expect me to make plans with you if I don’t have your number? I mean, it’s not like I know where you live.”
“Now who’s the creeper?”
“If I was being a creeper, I’d remind you I know where you work and have access to the entire building.” Alex cocked his head at us, a smug smile pulling at his lips as he listened. This was definitely one of those moments that he was going to use against Jack, I could see it already.
“Wow, really Jack? I mean, not that stalking isn’t really attractive a girl and all, but I’m pretty sure my roommate would kill me in my sleep for your phone number.”
“Then it’s a good job you’re giving me your number and not the other way around.”
“Honestly, Clara, I would just give him what he wants. He’s known to be quite stubborn,” Alex stated and Lisa nodded to confirm.
“Yes, but can you honestly tell me that’s more fun than teasing him about it?” Alex laughed and shook his head, though Jack pouted at me and protested. “Tell you what, I’ll follow you on Twitter, that way you don’t need my number to make plans!”
“Oh, ha ha, you’re hilarious. Because I’m going to sift through all of the notifications I get on a daily basis to find you.”
“Hey, that’s your problem, not mine,” I told him, holding my hands up defensively and smirking at the others as they laughed. I could see Jack’s lips moving, muttering something under his breath with a dark look on his face. “Aw, poor baby. Are you upset the pretty girl won’t give you her number?” I asked, mock baby voice on and pulling a face.
“Who said you were pretty?” He growled.
“You did,” Lisa and Alex chimed in before I could open my mouth. Jack shot them a dark look.
“Okay, okay, new plan. I give Lisa my number, and you try your luck getting it off her?” I chuckled as Lisa threw me her phone, inputting my number and sliding it back across. “See, best of both worlds. Now I won’t be murdered and it’s not my responsibility!” I felt my phone vibrate in my bag on the table and looked outside. The light was starting to dim, meaning that was probably Tammy reminding me I said I’d be home before it got dark. I sighed, taking a rather large gulp of my vodka. Four isn’t pushing it too much when you’ve got work in the morning, right? I picked up my phone, seeing that, yes, it was in fact Tammy, for the fourth time.
“You bailing?” Jack asked, peeking over my shoulder as I read my texts.
“Unfortunately. You know, because some of us have real jobs.” I opened my phone to order a taxi, suddenly realising I didn’t even know where we were. “Uh, where even are we?” Jack snorted, telling me the name of the bar and street and I smiled sheepishly, thanking him. You’d have thought I’d have paid attention to where the Hell I was being taken.
I finished up the last of my drink and went to wait outside, giving Alex and Lisa a hug each and turning to do the same for Jack, only to see him ready to walk out with me. I smiled, leading the way out. I peeked up at the sky as we left the building, realising it was much closer to being fully dark than I had realised, mostly likely due to the dim lights inside making the outside seem lighter. Tammy was going to murder me with a baseball bat the moment I walked in, half because I was so late and half because she thought I was a psycho killer coming to murder her.
That girl is crazy.
“So, you know Lisa will cave first thing tomorrow morning, right?” Jack asked, leaning against the wall outside the bar. I chuckled softly. Of course I knew, but it was fun to tease.
“Even if she didn’t, you know where I work.”
“Touché. But you could hide if you wanted.”
“I could, but then how would I keep my eye on the guitarist if I didn’t know where he was likely to pop up?” My head felt woozy, so I leaned on the wall next to him, immediately feeling half as tall as I usually did. I saw a small smirk make its way onto his face. “You can keep your ‘that’s what she said’ jokes back in 2008, Jack.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“No, but you were going to.”
“I love a girl with a dirty mind.” I snorted, feeling my phone vibrate with a notification saying the car was nearly here and seeing a blue taxi pull up in front of us.
“This is me.” I moved in for a hug, Jack putting his arms around my shoulders, reinforcing the smallness I had felt a couple of minutes before. At 5’5 I wasn’t exactly small, but Jack was a giant.
“We’re making plans again,” he told me.
“Definitely,” I smiled, pulling away and placing a small kiss on his cheek and getting into the car.