for June

17. Dancing Queen with two left feet

Chad heard June's giggle well before the front door swung open and her silhouette shimmied into the lounge. "Maybe Chad's not home yet," she was saying to someone walking in after her.

Chad shot up, roused into action, an action that gave June quite a fright. Such a fright in fact that she let out a shrill scream before turning on the lights.

"Jesus, Chad. What are you doing in the dark?" She closed the door behind her guest. Chad recognised the barista from the café, the one who had leered at June's mile-long legs.

His eyes darted from June to her 'friend' and back to June again.

"What are you doing sitting in the dark?" she asked again, stepping closer. He could smell the scent of coffee wafting off her. "You okay?" She stepped closer still, eyeing the kitchen and the many bags still sitting on the floor, untouched.

"I was making us dinner," he spoke and his voice cracked husky for this was the first he'd spoken since calling Terry.

"I'm eating out with the guys from work." She eyed the groceries with a guilty look. "We thought we'd grab drinks and food at a pub. Get to know each other a bit."

Chad eyed her friend again, his shoulder slouching involuntarily.

"You can come with us if you like?" she added quickly. "I mean you have to eat too and I'm sure it'd be fine with Ben."

"Ben?"

"Our manager," his uninvited guest volunteered. "He's meeting us at the pub."

June nodded. "I accidentally spilled coffee all over myself today. Lin gave me a lift home so I can change."

"I don't know." Chad hesitated. He wanted to go because he didn't quite trust Lin or this boss of theirs, Ben, but he didn't want to be a pesky tagalong either, the unwelcomed third, or fourth wheel in this case.

"What's wrong?" June stepped closer, eyeing him studiously.

He shook his head and smiled. "Just work stuff, you know. Nothing you need to worry about." He turned to Lin and saw the man agree with a nod.

"Well, you're welcome to join us," she repeated, finally heading for the stairs.

Chad glanced at the kitchen, at the cold oven, and then to Lin. "I am hungry."

"It's settled then. Get ready and we can go." She smiled sweetly from the steps. Chad could tell she was being courteous, and he should have declined, ordered home delivery and spent some time with his friend and ally, Bridget. It was June's first time out with work folks and he should let her have the night to herself without sticking his twiggy neck in the middle. But he also didn't want to be home alone tonight.

"I'm already ready." He stepped into the light of the lounge proper and sure enough he was still in his polo and Chino from the day.

"Great! Give me a few." She ran up the stairs and the boys awkwardly stared at each other with half crooked smiles.

"She's a lovely girl," Lin said nervously and Chad suddenly felt like a chaperone, or worse, her brother. Her protective brother tagging along because mummy asked him to. This is what the friend zone feels like. I'm officially in the friend zone if I go tonight.

'You want to stay home and worry about what Cassie might do to June instead? All night?' Jo's cynically sweet voice mocked him next, and Chad pursed his lips and swayed on his heels. Lin had no idea what was going on in his head, which was good.

"Yeah, she is." Chad reached for his wallet and keys, checked the back door and finally introduced himself to his guest. "I'm Chad. June's...flatmate," the word flatmate tied his tongue, and he had a hard time pronouncing it. Here he was, hours after realising June was perhaps more than a 'flatmate', and now he was about to join her friends as a 'friend or flatmate'. Things couldn't get worse today, could they?