[Complete] Noise and Kisses {chicklit}

4

On Thursday evening, whilst in my room listening to Ed Sheeran and Bring me the Horizon, Leila texts to tell me we'll be meeting the guys at the cinema tomorrow and to be ready at 6:45pm.

I groan. I'll never understand the cinema as a location for a date. As much as I love movies, spending the entire time in the dark, in silence with a potential boyfriend sounds awful. I'd much rather go somewhere to talk. I decide against telling Leila this though as the date is hers really, not mine.

On Friday, I practically run home from college to give myself enough time to shower and get ready. Leila's dad has insisted on driving us there and back, which pretty much removes any flexibility in the evening.

Freshly showered, I take my time to straighten my long mane into submission and once again settle on the only skirt I own. I make a mental note to buy some new clothes. After agonising about what to wear with it, I settle on black tights, a red roll neck sweater and bomber jacket. It's pretty casual, but since we're going to the cinema, it feels appropriate. I choose to elevate the look with a smoky eye and a slick of lip gloss.

At 6:45 sharp, I jump in Leila's dad's car. He's short - taller than me by only a couple of inches, with kind eyes, a receding hairline, and a love for David Bowie. He's a real laugh and always happy to chauffeur Leila wherever she wants to go.

The traffic is light, and we make it to the cinema with plenty of time to spare, so we pop into the toilets to use the mirrors. At 7:15, we head back outside to wait for the boys to arrive. I'm excited at the possibility of seeing Ben again and my stomach is full of butterflies.

The doors of the pub opposite us opens and out steps Mark and - not Ben. My stomach sinks a little, but I try not to let it show as we cross over to meet them. "Hey" says Mark, smiling brightly between Leila and me. "This is my mate, Pete."

"Peter - hey" he shares, reaching his hand out to shake mine. I do and he smiles shyly. I feel like I saw him at the party last week but can't be sure.

"Hi, I'm Holly - nice to meet you".

Pete is tall and lean with dirty blonde hair that hangs messily to his shoulders and a light stubble. He's wearing a simple black t-shirt and loose-fitting ripped jeans worn low. Not normally my type, but very attractive.

"So, Pete thought it might be better for us to sit in the pub instead of seeing a movie?" Mark asks, appearing a little nervous.

"I just thought that the movies aren't exactly the best place to get to know each other." Pete adds, jibbing Mark in the arm.

"Erm, I don't mind... Hol?" Leila asks, shifting uncomfortably.

"Yeah, Sounds cool." I reply, silently thankful for the change in location. At least this way, Mark and Leila can get to know each other better in a relaxed setting.

We head back into the pub they just exited and walk straight to the bar. I can hear Black Sabbath playing in the background, which reminds me of my dad and sets me at ease. "What can I get you both?" Pete asks, producing a tattered leather wallet from his back pocket. We both ask for rum and diet coke and make our way over to an empty table.

An hour later and three drinks in, I'm having a great time. Leila and Mark seem at ease in each other's company, and I'm enjoying getting to know Pete a little more. He's the youngest of three brothers, lives in Friern Barnet and goes to Barnet College. He's a big skateboarder and talks passionately about it. "I'm afraid I know nothing about skating," I admit, taking a sip of my drink.

"You'll have to come and watch us sometime," he says casually.

"Yeah sure, I'd like that." I smile.

After chatting about Mark and Pete's time at school, and my recent move to the area, it's almost time for Leila's dad to collect us. As we're preparing to say our goodbyes, the doors of the pub swing open, and two more guys walk in. I immediately recognise one of them. Ben. He looks confusingly between the four of us and raises an eyebrow in surprise before walking over to our table.

"Well, well, well... what do we have here?" he says, leaning on the back of Mark's chair.

"Hey man!" says Pete, standing and patting him on the shoulder. He grins and nods at Pete before his eyes drift to mine, and I suddenly feel nervous.

"How's it going, tiger?" He asks, raising his chin to me.

"Good, thanks." My voice is a little shaky and I silently curse him for having this effect on me.

"Hey, I'm James," the second guy says, and I smile. He's slightly shorter than Ben, with olive skin and a dark brown fauxhawk.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Holly" I reply, and he flashes a look to Ben that I can't quite figure out.

Ben introduces himself to Leila and I watch as he interacts with everyone in the group. He's so enigmatic, and I can't help but be drawn to him.

"Shall we join you guys, or would that be weird?" James asks and Ben smirks.

"That would be great, but we're actually about to leave..." Leila replies sadly.

"That's a real shame, but we'll bump into each other again..." Ben returns cheekily, and briefly looks to me. I'm sure I'm blushing.

Aware of the time, we hurriedly say our goodbyes and rush over to the front of the cinema just in time to see Leila's dad turning in. As I hop into the back of the car, I briefly glance back to the pub and think I see Ben at the door. As the car pulls away, I look again, but he's gone.

Buzzing with excitement from her first date with Mark, Leila asks if I can stay at her house, and I quickly call home to tell mum. Back at Leila's, we get ourselves ready for bed and she offers me a pair of her loosest PJ bottoms and a vest top. They cling awkwardly to my curvy body, but they'll do for the night. We stay up watching Friends and talking about the date in minute detail. She's definitely into Mark and it's incredibly sweet how smitten she is already.

"So, what did you think about Pete?" She asks, wrapping herself in her blankets.

"Yeah, he was nice." I say, making myself comfortable on the makeshift bed on the floor.

"Just nice?"

"Well... I've just met him."

"I liked him, he seems like your type." She says, convincingly.

"I don't think I have a type..."

"Everyone has a type! You love an alternative guy, I can just tell." she says, giggling. I roll my eyes.

"How do you know Ben?" She asks, intrigued by our seemingly friendly interaction.

"Oh, I met him at Mark's party last week."

"... I'm not sure about him, seems like a bit of a fuck boy..." she says, eyeing me warily.

"He probably is... I barely know him." I reply, keeping my response casual.

"Probably for the best, eh?" Her phone lights up, as does her face.

"It's from Mark! He says: 'Had a great time, would love to do it again soon.'"

I watch her giggling as she responds. "Aww, that's sweet," I add encouragingly.

Seconds later, her phone springs into life again. She gasps. "Pete's asking for your number - can I send it to Mark?"

I shrug. " I guess."

She giggles again as she passes on my number.

Later, as I settle down for the night, my phone springs into life and I turn over to find a text from an unfamiliar number.

Hey it's Pete. It was great to meet you, hope to see you again soon x

I smile, save his number, and drop my phone back down. A little while later, just as I'm drifting off to sleep, the screen flashes again. I groan and roll across to see another notification from an unknown number.

Hello tiger