If it's Meant to Be

Chapter Three

—---

"Hold up" She said, raising her right hand to stop me midtalk, "and when exactly did this happen?" She asked, wrinkling her eyebrows

"Oh I went for the interview on Thur-"

"You know damn well that wasn't what I was talking about" she said bluntly, impatiently tapping the tip of her fingers on the table, looking at me expectedly

Puffing air out of my cheeks, I mumbled, "more or less a month"

"And you didn't tell me?!" she exclaimed, her face looking just as bewildered as it did when Branislav had told her of his foot fetish

"I just didn't want you to make a big deal out of this" I exasperated, looking at her in pleading to understand though her narrowed eyes only made me steep in further guilt, " I just didn't expect anything to come about it so in my eyes, there was nothing to tell" I babbled

She motioned her hands in a dismissing manner, losing her intense gaze making me all the most relieved

"whatever, tell me about him" she asked, her green eyes looking at me like a dog looks at a bone - all she was missing was the tail flapping behind her

Taking a deep breath in, I told her everything. From the night of Sandra's party to the texts to the voice recordings, careful to not miss a detail, somewhat scared she'd find out if I did. Her eyes would occasionally widen in size or the corner of her lips would twitch upwards til reaching a painful grin though, through my entire telling, she didn't peep a word. Only silently listened til I was finished.

"Oh my God" she squealed, "He fucking remembered you from a year ago?! This is like a movie" she shrieked having me slunk lower into my seat

God, I thought, scrunching my nose as though there was a pungent smell lurking through the air but she was too engrossed with the thoughts spiraling in her head to notice

"Or he just has good memory" I argued, quirking an eyebrow up and though I didn't try to have a defensive tone, I just know I did

" Well, what're you thinking? Do you like him? Are you going to date him?" She pestered, seemingly oblivious to how each question was making me more and more weary

"You know I don't date" I frowned at her, fumbling with the ends of my sleeves awkwardly while her face instantly softened

"You're still on about that?" she softly asked, her hand instinctively reaching for my own

God, I probably seem like such a lil pussy right now, I thought chewing on my bottom lip before clearing my throat and shaking my thoughts away

"No no" I reassured, letting out a much more tender chuckle than I intended, "Honestly, I think it's safe to presume I am the happiest single. I like being intangible" and it was true. I did.

"Are you sure?" she questioned, looking at me skeptically prompting me to give her a weird look

"Well, duh" I said, "You remember how I was. Dating is emotionally taxing at best" I admitted

she studied me for a minute before her hesitancy melted away, nodding lightly in acknowledgement

"So are you going to cancel or?"

"Nah, I mean I'll still go. It's nothing serious so why not" I responded indifferently with a slug of my shoulders prompting a grin to reappear on her face

"I think that's a great idea" she added in approval with a cheshire grin making me snort

Shocker, I thought sarcastically

"Oh my God, I'll come over and help you get ready" she enthused eagerly after letting out an excited gasp

I could feel my face contort in a daze at the suggestion before I drew my mouth into a straight line

"Well I might be busy prioly" I finally muttered after clearing my throat and giving her a weary smile at best

She creased her eyebrows further together, "What will you be doing?" she asked, looking at me rather puzzled

Playing with the food on my plate, I let out a nervous chuckle

"So many questions, so many good fucking questions", I muttered under my breathe before locking my dark eyes with her green ones, "Um, can I get back to you on that once I figure out a solid lie?" I stuttered, giving her a rueful grin though the death glare she was throwing my way suggested she wasn't the most amused

"Really" She retorted unimpressed, crossing her arms, making me feel as though I had just been sent to the principal's office

I let my head dramatically fall upwards, the dingy ceiling now being of my view

"I just don't want this to be a big deal" I repeated, returning my gaze back onto her

"And it won't be" she assured though the roguish grin that she was trying to bite back told me otherwise

—--

Ivan: Hey (: what's your address so that I can pick you up?

My forehead wrinkled reading the message

"You're going to get wrinkles" Jasmine stated matter of factly,her eyes hyper fixated on the blush she was sweeping onto my cheeks

"He asked to pick me up" I replied dryly, bitterness resting on my tongue

"What a dick" she sarcastically chimed in prompting me to give her a flat look in response before my thumbs hovered over the phone

Aurora: Nah, that won't be necessary. We'll meet there (:

I knew I shouldn't be irritated with the message but I was. I knew he was just trying to be nice but God, I fucking hated when guys asked to pick me up. It made the ordeal feel like it mattered, like it mattered so much that now they have the privilege to know where I live.

I scoffed at the thought before shaking my head as though it would simultaneously shake my thoughts away too

"Oh yea" she muttered sarcastically, "please, continue flopping your head. Maybe this time I can actually poke your eye out" she scowled with a curl of her lips

My face instantly flushed before I mumbled a 'sorry'

Putting the brush down, she reached for the pins propped in my hair before removing them, letting my black hair cascade down my shoulders. Her hands stroked the front pieces of my hair more to the side, having my face now feel bare. The beam of light that stubbornly went through the curtains glared onto her face making her smile of approval even more prominent.

"You're so pretty" she complimented

I softly smiled at her before redirecting my gaze onto the mirror placed in front of me. My straight black hair fell like a silk curtain draped over my head, overflowing just past my shoulders as if it was wrapping me like a scarf to keep me warm. My bottom lip was a tad bigger than my top, acting as a cushion for the top lip to rest itself. She had kept the makeup fairly natural, accentuating my features. A satisfied smile vacated my lips, revealing a faint hollowed dimple now visible on the left side of my cheek.

Come on, this is supposed to be a good time. Stop being so apprehensive I chanted to myself before giving myself one last look over in the mirror and grabbing my keys