1 - 'You look lonely.'-1

Chapter 1 - "You look lonely." There's something undeniably comforting about dating your best friend. You know everything about them, you trust them, and it's obvious they care about you. Communication is never an issue and the physical side of the relationship has an exciting edge to it, a sense of being forbidden, yet still feeling natural and easy. But then there's the romantic aspect—the need to make a special effort when you didn't before and not become complacent. Gossiping is rife around school with everyone speculating about how long something had been going on for, who made the first move, or why it had taken so long for such an obvious relationship to form. When Matt and I got together, after being best friends for seven years, there was a buzz around the school. Everyone loved a piece of gossip, and this was no exception. Some people found it insanely romantic, others debated whether we were together just for convenience. "Are you sure you don't want anything?" Jess asked me. "Positive." As my best friend headed off to buy herself some dessert, I turned my gaze to Matt's table. He was talking to his friends, laughing about something. Every now and then, his eyes would flicker in my direction but he remained in his seat. If you didn't know we were dating, then you wouldn't automatically assume it. Matt and I spent hardly any time together in school. While disappointing sometimes, I tried not to let it bother me; the time we spent out of school was good enough—great, in fact—and I was determined not to become one of those girls who constantly ditched her friends for a boy. "You look lonely." Sam, an old friend, took a seat next to me. "Jess just went for some dessert," I explained. "What's up?" "Nothing's up. I just want your company. Is that so hard to believe?" He shot me a wink. "Seriously though, Smith. Long time, no speak. Did you watch the final?" "Of course." "Who did you want to win?" "Nadal, obviously." He snorted. "Djokovic all the way." "Are you saying that because he won? Or did you actually support him?" "I actually supported him!" he exclaimed, pretending to be hurt. "You think so little of me. For the next few minutes, Sam and I dissected the game, debating whether skill or stamina was more important for a Wimbledon final. "You and I should have a game someday," Sam then suggested. "I don't think so." I shot him a small smile, not fancying my chances against his tall frame and male strength. "Why not? You used to play all the time. You were brilliant if I remember correctly." "I'm not so brilliant anymore. I haven't played much recently. My fitness is probably shocking, too." "I had high hopes for you to be the next big thing," he said in an earnest tone, even though I could tell he was joking. "Well, there's still hope yet," I said dryly. As Sam replied, my attention was diverted elsewhere. Seeing that I was occupied, Jess had headed over to her boyfriend, Alex. When he saw her approach, Alex stood up. She'd suddenly become the only thing important to him at that moment and the rest of the diner might as well have not existed. She smiled up at him and he wrapped an arm around her waist, bending to kiss her lips in greeting. To an observer, the pair appeared madly in love. However when questioned on it, Jess was very flippant about her relationship with Alex. She didn't like going into detail and just said they were enjoying themselves. It was far from a fling, though. They'd been dating a year, only a little longer than Matt and me. Plus, before Alex, Jess was very anti-dating. She said boys would just distract her from her work—and school was very important to Jess. Therefore, everyone knew things were serious between them. Jess' nonchalance was fooling no one. After spending the remainder of the lunch break together, Sam walked me to class. I'd never been an overly chatty person, being more of an introvert than an extrovert, but Sam made up for that with his non-stop nattering. It wasn't that he intimidated me—we'd been friends for a long time and he was very easy to talk to—but sometimes it was nice to just listen rather than talk. "What have you got?" he asked. "French." "Oh, Bonjour and all that." I sent him an amused smile. "We're sort of past that now, Sam. I'll see you later." He ruffled my hair affectionately and then continued down the corridor, every step oozing with confidence. For a moment, I felt a pang of jealousy. I'd give anything to be that confident and self-assured, yet it just came naturally to Sam. He was well-liked, lovable even, and always had something interesting to say. Part of my shyness definitely stemmed from insecurities and a fear that nobody would find me remotely interesting. It was one of the reasons Matt and I went so well together; after being friends for years, there was no need to worry about having to impress him. He was my first boyfriend, and pretty much the first boy who'd been properly interested in me. It worked out well for both us. Really well. - The afternoon passed slowly. My thoughts were already on tomorrow afternoon, which I'd be spending with Matt. Though it sometimes bothered me that we didn't see each other much at school, in a way it made the time we spent alone much better; I appreciated it more. And while I sometimes doubted Matt's affection for me at school, I never doubted it when we were alone. He hung onto my every word and kissed me like his life depended on it. Even though we never normally went out on dates together, spending time alone in his room gave us a chance to just concentrate on ourselves. "What are you doing this weekend?" Kat asked me as we headed to our lockers after the final bell. "Fancy going out tomorrow evening? We could stay local or head into London?" Kat was the third member of our little friendship group. Thinking back, it was strange that we'd all become such close friends because we couldn't really be much more different from one another. While Jess was hard-working and studious, Kat was carefree and rebellious. While Jess hated talking about her relationship, Kat loved bragging about her various hook-ups. Somehow, though, it worked for us.