One day I'll have it all. // Williamson

Karaoke night

"You're gonna love it," Charlotte said, her head passing between my and Leah's seats.

"Shut up," I replied, looking at my best friend through the rare view mirror for just a second.

"You're gonna love it," Charlotte repeated, gently poking my side. I rolled my eyes at her words.

"Shut up," I mumbled again, miserably attempting to punch her with my elbow.

"Leah. Ain't she gonna love it?" Charlotte persisted, turning her attention to Leah, who was sitting quietly beside me in the passenger seat of my car.

Leah glanced over at Charlotte, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. "I mean, I never managed to make her go karaoke before, she always says she hates it," Leah replied.

"Yep. Cause I know I hate it." I retorted.

"It's gonna be so fun," Charlotte said, clapping excitedly. "And fuck, I'm gonna meet all of your team. Gonna be fangirling so hard."

"Hey. Don't embarrass me or I'm taking you back home." I warned, shooting Charlotte a playful glare through the rearview mirror. Despite my protestations, a small part of me couldn't help but feel a flicker of excitement at the prospect of spending the evening with my best friend, my team, and my girlfriend, even if it meant enduring a night of karaoke—a pastime I had always vehemently avoided.

"Yes, mom," Charlotte replied, rolling her eyes playfully as she settled back into her seat, her excitement undimmed by my warning. "Leah. Tell me Vale wasn't fangirling af when she met you guys." She asked, turning her attention to Leah with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Leah chuckled at Charlotte's question, her smile widening as she glanced over at me. "Not really, to be honest. She was rather calm and collected."

"Bullshit. No way. Even with Katie?" Charlotte pressed, her curiosity piqued by Leah's response.

Leah shrugged, her expression thoughtful as she considered Charlotte's question. "Well, maybe a little with Katie," she admitted with a playful smirk, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "But she tried to play it cool."

I shot Leah a mock glare, feigning offense at her revelation. "Hey, I did not fangirl," I protested, my voice tinged with mock indignation as I shot Charlotte a warning look in the rearview mirror. "I was just... excited to meet her. She's my idol, okay?"

Leah then gasped in remembrance, clapping her hand on her thigh. "When Viv talked to you for the first time! How did I forget about that? She was practically shaking!" Leah exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with amusement as she recalled the memory.

I groaned, feeling my cheeks flush with embarrassment at the memory of that encounter. "Oh god, don't remind me," I muttered, sinking lower in my seat as I tried to suppress the memory. "In my defense, Vivianne is very much intimidating. She's... I don't know, so tall and serious."

"She's 5 centimeters taller than me." Leah pointed out, her eyebrow raised in skepticism.

"Yeah, but you're not intimidating," I countered. "You're... perfect." I quickly mumbled, before changing the subject. "Anyway. You know I've got this weird-ass relationship with Vivi. Were like friends cause you and Beth are friends. Not that I'm complaining, she's very sweet once you get to know her. But still, meeting her for the first time was nerve-wracking."

Charlotte snorted at my words. "No fangirling my ass." She mumbled, and I rolled my eyes, sliding into a parking spot in front of the karaoke bar the girls and us had chosen to meet at.

As I turned off the ignition, I glanced over at Leah, a nervous smile playing at the corners of my lips. Somehow, things between us still felt weird. Like there was an invisible barrier between us that neither of us knew how to break through. If Charlotte hadn't been with us right now, I was fairly certain Leah and I would have been sitting in uncomfortable silence, lost in our thoughts and unable to bridge the divide that had grown between us.