****Willow's POV****
"This is very sophisticated," Liv said as her, Digby and I sat in a rooftop garden terrace having brunch together. We picked the wrong day though as it was freezing and the only way I could get my teeth to stop chattering was to cuddle into Digby's side and snuggle into the blankets on the sofa. "I don't think I've ever been as excited to have brunch with my ex and my best friend, who are now dating."
"It is a strange world, but we're all happy and that's the main thing," Digby said. "I'm glad we can do this without it being awkward, I never wanted this to get in between your friendship."
"In your dreams," Liv commented. "I'm glad too though, it's clear to see how much you love each other and I'm just happy I can be here to witness that."
"Thanks Liv."
"So how was South Africa?" As soon as we got back from the Maldives, Digby went out to do some work in South Africa, where Tristan also happened to be staying.
"It was really good. It feels a bit weird to say but I actually had a little bromance out there with Tristan. But he also became quite good friends with a girl out there Emma, who is also based in London. It's just a bit awkward with the whole Ollie situation." The girl who he is referring to also had a thing with Ollie years ago which ended with her kissing Spencer and Ollie walking out on her.
"I don't think they've spoken since it all happened." I said. "It's weird to think about it now though because I've almost erased before Gareth out of my mind so to remember that he dated Emma is weird for me."
"Does that make it awkward for you?" Liv asked. "I guess she's friends with Digby, you're dating Digby but you've also got to think of Ollie."
"Honestly I hope it doesn't come to that, I'll always have Ollie's back and I do believe him when he says it was something between them both but I hope they can all just forgive and forget. It was years ago"
"Yeah I completely agree, I think Ollie will see that as well and hopefully Emma can maybe just apologise and let everyone move on." Liv agreed. "Are you coming on this night out tonight organised by Sam Prince?"
"Digby is forcing me to go."
"Hey I'm not forcing you to go." He said whilst placing a light kiss on the top of my head.
"Well you're going and I'm not sitting on my own like a little old woman on my own. Even Ollie and Gareth are going."
"I think Emma's going as well so that will be interesting." Digby noted. "I'd much rather stay in with you but I promised the boys and I can't be going back on that."
"Yeah I definitely need to come then to keep him in line."
****
That night I got all dressed up to go out, it turns out that most of the boys are coming out and then there's just a few girls there but I felt I needed to come for the whole Emma situation. I know that there are two ways Ollie could handle this and I hope it's the calm and measured approach rather than the stubborn one.
"Hey you two." We heard from behind us as Digby and I stood at a table, his arm wrapped around my waist as we turned to face Tristan, Rez and a girl who I knew to be Emma. "Willow you're looking amazing."
"Thank you," I said to him and then turned to Emma. "I don't know if you can remember me but I'm Willow."
"You're Ollie's sister right?"
"That's me."
"Wow it's been a long time and to think now you're dating Digby." That comment did take me a bit by surprise but I kept my mouth shut.
"It's weird to think that the last time the last time we were all together, you was in a bikini and we were in trunks on Cape Town beach." Tristan said. "The sun was out and life was just so much better."
"I feel like Rez and I are going to be in the dark about a lot of these little stories you're going to start coming out with now."
"It was amazing," Emma said. "You had to be there really to get just how good it feels to be out there. Like do you remember that time when those guys came over and offered us them free shots and we all got wasted, Tristan threw up on the way home."
"Sounds like such a good time." I don't know why but I just felt like the whole thing was a bit awkward and forced so I was glad when Digby squeezed my waist to bring our attention to him.
"Well guys now we're all back in London, my birthday is coming up." Digby said. "I would like to throw a little shindig and I wanted to invite you all."
"Definitely, just do not feed me tequila." Rez said. "But moving on to more important things, Emma how do you feel about Ollie being here tonight? Last time you were here you were kind of with him..."
"It's so uncomfortable...."
"But now he has a husband."
"It ended so badly but I honestly thought we were just friends. I'd just gone through a really bad break up and we were hanging out but then Spencer and I got together. That's when he said 'oh but I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend'."
"Did you ever kiss?"
"We kissed once on a drunken night out but like everything he said to everyone was not what he was saying to me behind closed doors."
"I'm going to be honest in saying I remember it as him liking you and then he was really hurt when the whole Spencer thing came out. I'm not saying either of you is right or wrong but maybe it's been twisted so you both think you're right."
"Was it left in bad blood?" Tristan asked her.
"Bad blood, he blanks me whenever he sees me, walks straight past me. But I'm hoping we can move on and not make this awkward for everyone, fingers crossed."
There seemed no better time than the present so I spotted Gareth and Ollie stood awkwardly around the bar and directed Digby and Emma over to them. I led the way and we exchanged pleasantries before they came to Emma.
"I thought I would just get you all together because it's inevitable you're going to be around each other and no-one wants it to be awkward."
"Thought I would just rip the band aid off and come and say hi." Emma said. "How have you been?"
"Good good."
"Not awkward at all."
"No it's fine."
"I think it would maybe be good to kind of discuss what happened and then maybe we can shut that chapter for the both of you." I said.
"It was a long time ago."
"But we're still not speaking."
"Not sure why we would really, I mean why would we speak?"
"Well things weren't left very nicely, I tried to reach out a few times to make that right and you just ignored me."
"I mean yeah, you were a bit of a nob." Here we go.
"I thought you were a nob."
"What did I do?"
"What did I do?" She repeated.
"Got with Spencer when we were seeing each other."
"We weren't seeing each other."
"I can assure you we were."
"Ollie, we never had that conversation at all."
"Do you need a conversation with each other when you send each other photos, spend loads of time together, go on weekends away."
"I genuinely just thought we were really good friends. I'd been through a terrible time and I told you I needed a friend, that was a real surprise. The whole thing was just really hurtful"
"You knew that we were seeing each other or in that sort of thing."
"But if we were seeing each other that would have been a conversation and I would have known. Then that Spencer thing wouldn't have happened"
"Come on guys." I tried to intervene knowing neither of them seemed like budging. "It was five years ago."
"Six."
"Six years ago."
"But that doesn't matter, I don't want to be friends with someone who lies to me. I'm just going to go." Without even a look at me, he walked off.
"I'll try and speak to him Willow." Gareth said.
"Well that went well."
****Tristan's POV****
After the night out last night I blew the cobwebs away with a morning run with Rez. After the whole conversation with Emma and Ollie, everyone just wanted to forget about it and got a little bit more wasted than we had planned to.
"Didn't know you could move so fast on them little trotters," I said to Rez as we took a seat on the bench following our run.
"Do you know who's got better chat than you at the moment because he's happy? Digby."
"Yeah."
"He just seems really happy right now, especially when he's with Willow and I think she brings out that calm side of him but we all know she's then got that fiery and wild side to her."
"She's lovely and I'm glad that they're both happy and they really deserve each other. She's too good a woman to be left heartbroken by people like me."
"Is it weird to see them together?"
"Maybe at the start but I got with Liv so it's not like I can be jealous or anything. I'm probably a bit protective over her though so I would be annoyed if he hurt her."
"Why do you say that?"
"I don't know, when we were in South Africa, Emma's a lovely girl but I feel like she could try and maybe meddle with him, I feel like she's got a side eye on Tristan."
"Oh."
"Yeah and I don't think it's worth me mentioning to her because he was always straight up that he had this girl at home and he genuinely missed her."
"Maybe this is a bit of a chance for you though." Rez said. "You and Digby do look quite similar, you've shared enough girls to know that. Emma was looking at you quite a lot last night and it could have been seen as a bit of a seductive eye. I've seen her messaging you as well."
"Yeah it was a bit weird when I looked down and saw her messaging me one week and then the next I hear she's coming over here."
"This is your chance then, I could see this working out in your favour."
"I just need to make sure she's not going to spread any lies about Digby, he told me when we were over there that something had happened to Willow and they'd been on this holiday to have some time to themselves. I feel like this would really rock her." I told him. "Like I could almost feel the awkward energy in the room when Emma was talking about South Africa last night and bringing up all those memories."
"It is a bit awkward when you feel like you're the only one who doesn't fully get the joke."
"Mm."
"But as long as she's got full trust in him and he's been truthful to everyone then they should have nothing to worry about."
"But we know girls Rez and there doesn't always have to be something to set off before the fire is exploding in everyone's faces."
"I think we know that all too well mate."
****Willow's POV****
Digby was holding his party a few days later, his birthday wasn't for a week but he wanted to do something with the two of us and his family so he moved the big party forward. I had on a cute little midi length cream dress whereas he went for a simple black and white look.
I left him to be with his mates though and found Tabitha and Liv in the corner as Tabitha had been on a date the night before with Julius and we needed the gossip.
"So come on then, how was the date?"
"It was good, I enjoyed it. He asked me out on another date and I said yes, obviously."
"A single date?"
"A single date. just Julius and I." She confirmed.
"You two do make a really good match." I said.
"Well can I just continue because the plot thickens. So Verity and I were sat there having a drink before the boys arrived. Julius walked in and I thought he was looking fit but then behind him in walks Miles."
"Oh no."
"So Julius didn't know that you and Miles..."
"Julius didn't know." She confirmed. A few years ago Tabby and Miles did have a little something going on but we'd all just forgotten about it. "I wish them him and Verity all the best but I'm not sure where it's going to go."
"To the bedroom." Liv smirked. "I was just at the bar though and I saw Tristan and Miles were there with that Emma girl. How did it go the other night?"
"Terrible, I think what's happened is they've both interpreted the situation wrong but they're both now stubborn and hurt. Ollie especially. But I've got to be loyal to him and I get she's Digby's friend so I just want us to move past it now and move on, I mean it's been 6 years."
"He's married now as well and she was just a fling that he had in this twenties." Liv said.
"Exactly, but then I don't know she gives me bad vibes. At points it felt like she was excluding me from the conversation a bit by mentioning South Africa, all night that was the only point in the conversation she had."
"Kind of like reminding Digby?"
"Yeah, almost like 'see I'm fun and you're girlfriend stayed at home'. I trust Digby and I trust he's done nothing wrong but I don't like girls who give off that vibe when we've only just met - I know I knew of her 6 years ago but we never properly spoke."
"Digby adores you, he'd never do anything like that." Liv confirmed. "I'd just hate to see your relationship come down because of someone else sticking their nose in."
"Exactly but she's messing with the wrong person if she thinks she can worm her way in between us."
****Author's Note****
I hope you like this chapter.
Please vote and comment any suggestions.
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