Having Your Jelly Baby

4: Dates

Teenagers and other prepubescent creatures littered the high street, with too much makeup and too many flat caps blocking my vision. On the other hand, apparently some of them had gone and become sophisticated enough to actually go to Starbucks (not that you had to be particularly classy, but that’s sort of a whole point in itself), despite the fact they were caked in orange stuff and were most likely staining the seats with… orange stuff.

Although he looked like an idiot, Drew sat in a booth in the very back, his hair peeking over the top of a newspaper that he may or may not have been reading. To be fair, I was pretty sure that I would’ve recognised his hair anywhere, considering I had spent an entire night running my hands through it. (…Okay, so maybe I am a bit of a slut.)

I waded my way through a sea of chairs and a couple of people to Drew, sliding into the seat opposite him.

‘Ciao ciao,’ I greeted, giving him a little salute as he dropped the newspaper. Admittedly, that was my awkward greeting – come on, everyone has one, don’t they? – when I didn’t know what else to say or do.

‘Hey there,’ Drew smiled crookedly back at me. Oh, that smile. Now was not the time to remember that article on Daily Mail about “Drew Turner’s Head-Turn(er)ing Smile”. Hey, they were well known for their bad puns and horrific journalism.

‘I didn’t know whether you thought me asking you out was a bit out of the blue and you thought I was weird or not. I’m glad you came though,’ he said after half a second of contemplating whether to say it or  not, the rather sweet moment ruined by the irony of the fact that The Wanted’s song came on straight after he uttered the words.

Pointedly trying to ignore the song which suddenly seemed to have become much louder and more distracting, I shook my head. ‘I’ll be honest, I didn’t have much else to do except mope-’ I clamped a hand over my mouth when I realised what I could have given away if I hadn’t shut myself up at that moment, although throwing a hand over my mouth obviously suggested that I was trying to hide something.

Drew cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrows. ‘What?’

I waved my hand airily after I removed it from on top of my mouth, annoyed at myself.

‘Is there some sort of secret I should be in on?’ Drew queried, leaning in close, one side of his mouth quirked up in a half smile.

‘No,’ I replied hastily, sounding a little like I was being strangled, being abrupt.

His face seemed to fall a little at my sudden snappishness. ‘Okay…’ he said, and I scolded myself for ruining the atmosphere so quickly that I was left wondering what the hell was wrong with me.

I sighed and scrunched up my nose. ‘Shall we start again? I feel like I’ve ruined this thing before it’s even started. I’m acting like a bit of a hormonal whore.’

Drew laughed easily and nodded. ‘Sure. One sec,’ he said, standing up and putting a pair of shades on which he took out from somewhere, putting them on and looking all suave and cool.

I almost laughed when he took two steps away before turning around dramatically and doing two long strides back towards me, sliding in beside me this time and draping his arm around the back of my seat.

‘Ciao ciao,’ I greeted him this time, waggling my eyebrows at him.

He grinned. ‘Hey there – do you believe in love at first sight or do I have to walk by again?’

What?

‘Er…’ I said, looking at him bemused by the pick up line which it took me a moment to get. ‘Have you suddenly become a little bit drunk, Drew?’