Flat 64

Chapter 17

"Don't tell Drew." I plead with him, desperate for Marley to agree. He crosses his arms, and I can see how much he wants to argue with me. He looks between Jackson and me, before sighing heavily. "Look, I won't tell him. But you will have to say something at some point. If he hasn't already figured out that there is something going on, he definitely will soon." He replies, defeated. I know he is right, but I have no idea how to move forward from here. Jack and I haven't even discussed what we are, let alone what happens next. If I told Drew now, he would have so many questions that I wouldn't be able to answer, seeing as I literally have no clue myself, It's just better to wait and see what happens first before I tell him anything. I'm pulled out of my thoughts when Marley moves past me to open my door, but his hand freezes on the handle. "He is going to kill you." Marley says while looking directly at Jackson, who has been silent for this whole exchange over my brother. Marley walks out without another word, not caring to close my door behind him.

"I should probably..." Jackson says, looking towards my door. "Yeah," is all I can manage to say in response, so I nod my head in agreement. Jack walks to my door, stopping in front of me to say something, but voices in the kitchen steal our attention away from one another, and he quickly walks out, leaving me in my room alone.

I lean against my now-closed door, taking a deep breath to steady my thoughts. The last couple of weeks have left me feeling extremely overwhelmed. As glad as I am that Jack and I resolved our fight and seem to be on the same page about where we stand with one another, I can't help but worry about how this is all going to play out. Drew is going to freak out, no doubt about it, but there are other things playing on my mind as well. If this ends badly between Jackson and me, I can only imagine how awkward it will be to still live together, not only for us but for everyone else in the flat. I can't help but feel immensely selfish over what we are doing. Maybe Drew was right. I really am stupid for thinking that it might work out with Jackson, but the idea of forgetting the whole thing has become utterly impossible after last night. Knowing that he feels the same way as I do, I know I can't ignore this anymore. I don't want to.

My phone vibrates with a message from Lily, and immediately I know that talking to her will help clear my head.

'Hey, you free???' I message her, not even looking at what she sent me.

'Yhhh girl, wanna meet?' she replies immediately.

'Daisies? can be there in 20.' I don't think twice about suggesting Daisies. It's a cute little café down the road that, for the last year, has been our go-to hang out spot. I know everyone who works there, and they have the best lattes I've ever tasted.

'Already out the door xox'

I quickly get ready to leave, changing out of my pajamas and brushing my hair out, deciding to leave it down. Just as I'm about to walk out of the flat, I hear Drew calling my name. "Char, wait. Do you have a minute?" turning around, I see him leaning against the kitchen counter looking alot calmer than yesterday.

"Yeah be quick though, Lily's waiting for me." I reply moving to meet him in the kitchen. Drew peaks up at the mention of Lily's name, but quickly clears his throat shaking his head slightly. "I was just wondering about that guy, from last night…are you seeing him?" Drew asked me, strangely excited at the idea. "No, we're just friends. Why?" I answer, not sure where he is going with this. "Well I just thought that he seemed nice, that's all. You should get out of this flat abit more, you're always home or at work at the moment." He says, shrugging his shoulders, but I can hear the underlying tone in his voice. It's almost like he knows that something is going on behind his back, and this is his way of indirectly saying for me to cut it out and see someone else.

"Right, well I do really have to go. I'll see you later." I mumble, before rushing out the door.

***

Walking into Daisies is like walking into a hippie's dream house. The cafe is filled with flowers and the walls are sporting hot pink paint, decorated with records and random trinkets that busy up the place. Strangely enough, the quirkyness of the cafe has become one of my favourite things about coming here.

"Lottie!" Lily says, waving me over to join her at our favorite booth. Immediately when I slide in, she starts to berate me endlessly. "I can't believe I had to find out through your brother that you slept at some guy's house after the restaurant. Is that why no one could get a hold of you? You were too busy getting railed to think about everyone being worried over you practically disappearing?" She rushes out eagerly. I open my mouth to respond, but she continues her rant before I can get a word in. "And what happened to Jackson? I thought you guys were gonna walk back together, but then next thing I know he's storming into the bar, bringing the mood down with his bitchy attitude." Lily finishes, seemingly out of breath. She glares at me before raising her eyebrows expectantly, waiting for me to talk.

"So... you've been talking to Drew then." I say, trying to hide my smirk when I see her cheeks flush slightly. She opens and closes her mouth like a fish, and I can see how much she is dying to tell me something too. "I... Wait, no. You are not getting out of this. Explain." Lily huffs, and I can't help but laugh at her, but her glare becomes venomous, and I know if I don't start talking soon, she might throw her glass of water over me. Bracing myself for her reaction, I decide to just rip the Band-Aid off.

"Me and Jack have been... seeing each other." I say, shrugging casually as if I didn't just drop the biggest bomb of gossip our friendship has ever witnessed. Lily's eyes widen and her mouth falls open, but not a word comes out. Her left eye twitches, and she is sat frozen for so long that I start to worry that she might be having a stroke. Sighing, I carry on. "Well we aren't exactly seeing each other, that's a bit far I guess. But we have been doing bits, and last night we-"

"OH MY GOD!" Lily interrupts me, squealing loudly, drawing attention from other people in the café. "Lily shut up!" I quickly shush her, and she falls into a fit of giggles as she rambles words incoherently. When she eventually calms down, her face is full of shock, but the eagerness in her eyes to know more is unmissable. "When did this start?" She asks quickly. Biting my lip, I look away from her, knowing that she won't like my answer. "About 3 weeks ago now?" My reply sounding like more of a question than an answer. "WHAT?" She says loudly, gaining even more curious looks from other customers. "Lily, please keep your voice down." I say, looking around awkwardly at how many people keep watching us.

"Sorry, I just... you kept this from me for so long Charlotte! What happened to telling each other stuff and... wait, I thought you liked Danny?" My face recoils slightly at the mention of Danny, he so clearly likes me, and a couple of months ago I would have been thrilled, but the idea of him now is just strictly friendly in my mind. "No I don't. I don't think I ever really did like him. I mean, sure I was crushing over him to some degree, but I think it stemmed from the fact that I felt really lonely in the flat and he was the only one that really tried to make me feel comfortable, you know? Like I never felt for him what I feel now for Jack." I reply, getting quieter towards the end.

"So, this is like a feelings thing between you two then. Not just a roommate with benefits thing." Lily smiles at me gently, and I nod shyly at her statement. She flags a waiter over, and orders us a drink and some BLTs, before turning back towards me when they walk away.

"Tell me everything." She says with a grin.