In Your Corner | ✓

Twelve

"I can't believe that we've actually never heard of this place," Jonny exclaims, sitting opposite me in the booth and turning his accusatory gaze towards Andrei. "Or, more to the point, why you knew about this place and didn't ever tell either of us."

Andrei, who's sitting next to him, looks a little sheepish. "Sorry."

"I can't believe that's the only defence you've got," I tag-team with Jonny. "All this time we've been friends and yet you somehow neglect to mention this."

The dark-haired boy in front of me turns on me then. "Well, Natty, you're supposed to be the trendy college student out of all of us. A little behind then, I'm guessing."

I narrow my eyes at him, knowing he's caught me out. "Shut up, or I'll rat you out to the bartender."

He glares back, knowing fine well I won't tell anyone that he got in with a fake. "You know, that'd get you kicked out as well. Would be a shame if that happened before you managed to actually try any of the beer you're so buzzing about."

Jonny chuckles, sliding the beers that he'd ordered across the table. "Children, children, calm down."

Andrei huffs. "You know, I don't blame you for not knowing about Thirty Taps. You're such an old man now that it's hardly your fault that you're so behind the times."

That earns him a still-friendly punch on the shoulder and a scowl, while I try to suppress my laughter at the exchange.

The three of us decided to grace Thirty Taps, the beer bar that Josh told me about a couple of weeks ago, with our presence on this fine Tuesday evening.

I had a pretty full day of classes and just want to hang out with my friends. Drinking wonderful beer while doing so is just a bonus. The original plan had been for just Andrei and I to come here, but Jonny had kicked up such a fuss when Andrei and I had arranged it on Sunday evening, that we'd relented and allowed him to crash our time.

Not that he was really crashing it. We're a trio; we just happen to work well as the three different varieties of a duo, as well.

I take a sip of the bitter that Jonny ordered for me and close my eyes. "This is beautiful. I'm definitely coming back here more often."

Jonny hums in the back of this throat, nodding eagerly. "Definitely. Remind me how you actually heard about this place in the end?"

"One of my friends told me about it," I reply.

Andrei grins, leaning forward in his seat and rests his elbows on the table, beer forgotten to the side. "Don't tell me it's the same friend whose car you pretty much fixed for free the other week, Nat?"

Busted.

Annoyance curdles in me a little. "What's it to you?" I ask suspiciously, knowing full well that I've given myself away.

He looks the definition of triumphant. "You know, I didn't think it was actually going to be him. I just wanted to find a way to ask you what the deal is there."

"There isn't a deal!" I cry, exasperatedly. "I've literally never commented when you've brought in a friend's car before, so why am I in the firing line now?"

I know that I'm giving them exactly what they want, by letting them wind me up like that. It is annoying, though, that I've had so many questions about helping Josh out, as though I wouldn't do that for any of my friends.

"Because it riles you so easily," Jonny teases, taking another sip of his blonde beer. "It's all about the reaction, Nat."

The pair of them are sitting there, smug as anything about the situation.