Oh shit, Teddy has a crush on me!
“Do you have a crush on me, Edward?” I say, leaning against the kitchen island. I’m trying to tease him, but it just comes off as flirty. What is going on with me tonight?
“I’m not saying anything without my lawyer present,” He jokes, sipping on his cider again as he looks anywhere but my face.
I think the alcohol has already reached my head - I don’t really drink anymore. The buzz is giving me confidence I didn’t know I had in me. Now I remember why I used to drink the wayI did. It may also be the fact that I feel so comfortable with them already. Everyone’s being so friendly.
I can’t lose control, though. One or two glasses will do just fine.
We play Mario Kart for an hour. I won a lot of the races, much to everyone’s dismay. Elijah was outraged as he used to be the “Flat Champion”. I told him I’d like my trophy please. He didn’t like that.
It’s all in good fun, though. I think I’ve made a good first impression. Everyone seems to like me, unless they’re lying.
I try to put that thought out of my head.
I go into the kitchen to grab another drink, Teddy follows behind me.
“Thanks for inviting me, I’ve had a lot of fun so far,” I tell him, pouring myself another Rosé. I’ve ended up having a couple more than I thought I would.
“Of course, I think you’re cool. I don’t hire people if they’re just going to be work colleagues; that’s weird. I want someone I can be friends with, you know?”
“Does that mean you’re going to stop introducing me as ‘Work Colleague’?” I ask him, playfully punching him in the arm. He dramatically pushes himself back, as if I hit him really hard. He’s rubbing his shoulder while breathing through his teeth.
“Oh, grow up, I didn’t hit you that hard,” I laugh, my cheeks are beginning to hurt, but I can’t stop laughing and smiling.
“I think you broke it actually,” Teddy says, looking at me with a straight face, but soon breaks with a small laugh.
“Oh no, how will you ever play with yourself now?” Elijah pipes in, laughing at his joke. Teddy gasps, his eyebrows raised.
“I don’t play with myself!” He shouts, watching Elijah grab himself another cider from the fridge. He takes a sip before facing me.
“He forgets that I literally live with him.” We laugh at him as he goes bright red. It’s cute how embarrassed he is. I love how funny all his friends are. They just take the piss out each other, and they’re letting me join in! I’ve never felt so honoured.
“Me and Cat are going out for a cig, do you want one?” Elijah asks, a cigarette hanging between his fingers. I nod.
“Enjoy getting cancer,” Teddy laughs as he heads into the living room.
“Yeah yeah, fuck you too man,” Elijah curses, giving him the middle finger. I notice he has an arrow tattooed on it. Daisy sets up a game of Mario Kart for the two of them. Cat gives Daisy a kiss before she joins us. There’s a balcony at the back of the flat that we squeeze into. There’s a small table that fits two, but we choose to stand.
“So we haven’t scared you off yet, that must be a good sign,” Cat tells me as she struggles to light her cigarette.
“Hold on,” I say. I stand next to her and make a wall around her cigarette with my hands. The palms of my hands light up orange as the tip finally lights. She begins to inhale and gives me a thumbs up before exhaling.
“Thanks, Noah.”
Elijah and I light our own, and we all lean against the balcony. The sound of waves from the beach across from us creates a beautiful atmosphere. The street looks so peaceful from up here.
“So, how are you liking the bookshop?” Elijah asks me, blowing his smoke out the corner of his mouth as he faces me.
“I really like it, to be honest. I always wanted to work in a bookshop,” I tell him, my head thinking back to days on the beach with my mum. We would read romance books and eat snacks all day in the sun. We always had a nice tan, although I did get burnt quite a few times. I think it was probably her who made me like books so much.
“He worked so hard to get the place open. A lot of sleepless nights,” Cat tells me, flicking her ash off the balcony.
“Yeah, it’s his baby for sure,” Elijah laughs. I smile softly at him, the alcohol is making me sleepy. I yawn, covering my mouth with my hand.
“Can I ask you a question?” Cat asks me. I nod before she goes ahead and asks. “Do you like Teddy?”
“Yeah, he’s lovely, he’s made me feel so welcome. Well, all of you have,” I tell them, the two of them smile.
