"So just … take a seat and I'll crack this open." suggested Laura, pointing towards the sofa and raising the bottle of wine in the air.
Nodding her head and giving her girlfriend a smile, Sian took a few steps towards the couch, settling into the cushions as she followed Sophie and Craig's line of sight.
"So who're we watching?" asked Sian, trying to make some kind of conversation despite the lack of attention she was receiving from the pair.
"United." answered Sophie, her eyes remaining firmly glued to the screen for fear of looking directly at Sian.
Sian looked up at the score in the top corner and let out a chuckle, "Well it's a good job they're winning, their performance against City last week was appalling, I've never screamed at a television so much in my life."
Both Sophie and Craig slowly turned their heads as Sian finished speaking, a look of astonishment and slight bemusement gracing their features as they set eyes on Sian who was half watching the match, half looking back at them. From the second Sian had entered their flat, the blonde hadn't exactly given off the impression of being a football fan, especially not an avid one and it had taken Sophie and Craig aback slightly.
Swallowing hard and trying to ignore the fact the new information made Sian even more attractive in her eyes, Sophie raised her eyebrows, "You like football then?"
Sian ran her tongue over her lips and nodded, "Does that surprise you?"
Before Sophie had a chance to offer the blonde a reply, Laura stepped back into the living room, handing a glass of wine over to Sian who took it gratefully.
"Full of surprises aren't you babe?" stated Laura with a grin.
"Oh definitely." agreed Sian, taking a large gulp of her wine before setting the glass down on the coffee table.
A few minutes passed by and the full time whistle sounded causing both Sophie and Craig to exchange a high five at the result before they both stood up to grab a can from the fridge.
"Soooo …" started Craig, settling back on to the sofa and turning to face the new arrival. "Sian."
"That's me." Sian shot the older boy a smile, picking her wine up from the table and taking a sip, "Is this the part where you hit me with a load of questions to make sure I'm not some kind of axe wielding maniac?"
Craig couldn't help but chuckle, "If that's what usually happens when you meet your girlfriend's mates then I feel you're not quite giving off the right first impression."
"Can't be having that," started Sian, her eyes deliberately darting towards Sophie, "First impressions are everything, don't you think?"
Clearing her throat, Sophie nodded weakly and took a large gulp from her can, "Definitely."
"So how did you guys meet then?" asked Craig, the maintained eye contact and slight awkwardness between the other two girls going unnoticed as Sian turned back to face him with a smile.
"Sian works at Sinners in town and you know how much I love that bar," began Laura, grinning at her friends, "So we started chatting the last few times I'd been in and really hit it off."
Turning to face the red-head, Sian smirked, "The free drinks probably helped."
"You work at a bar and can give out free drinks?" asked Craig, beaming at the blonde beside him, "You've certainly won me over."
"Well I only give out free drinks to people I like." teased Sian, her eyes darting back to Sophie briefly, "And trust me there's a lot of sleaze balls out there who try to hit on you over the bar."
Laughing, Laura pointed her finger at Sophie teasingly, "Guilty."
Sian was unable to stop her smirk growing in size as a blush started to form on Sophie's face and she looked down at the can in her lap. "I take it Sophie's a fan of hitting on the bartenders then, eh?"
Craig snorted out a laugh, "Understatement. I'm surprised you haven't had to fend off her advances."
"I'll be sure to watch my back." teased Sian, biting down on her lip as her eyes flicking back to Sophie and flashed the brunette a wink.
"I'll just err …" Sophie cleared her throat, standing up from her seat and pointing towards the kitchen, "Another drink."
Sophie rested her hands against the kitchen counter tops, letting out a long sigh as she closed her eyes and tried to compose herself. She couldn't understand why Sian's presence was bothering her so much. Sure she'd had to face girls in the past that wouldn't take no for an answer, or she'd have to tolerate an awkward encounter with a girl who she'd had a one night stand with but this was different. Something about Sian was different. When Sophie had leant against the bar in Sinners and flashed the blonde her trademark winning smile, Sian had merely shrugged it off, seemingly unfazed by Sophie's charms. However, instead of irritating Sophie no end, the fact Sian was so immune to her flirting only served to interest the brunette further. There was no denying that Sophie loved the attention she got from girls, how just a few words and a confident grin could have them weak at the knees but if there was one thing Sophie Webster loved, it was a challenge and when it came to women the challenges were never too trying. Sian however, Sian had been a challenge and Sophie couldn't shake her fascination with the blonde.
"You alright?"
Spinning on the spot, Sophie leant back against the counter as she set eyes on the girl in front of her, folding her arms across her chest defensively.
"Yeah just … getting a drink."
Sian chuckled, stepping towards the fridge and opening the door as she took out her bottle of wine and a can of beer.
"Don't think you're gonna find one stood there Soph." teased Sian, passing the can over to Sophie.
Taking the object from Sian, Sophie stared down at the can in her hands and furrowed her brow. She mulled over her thoughts for just a few seconds before looking up at Sian who was watching her carefully.
"Do you …"
Sian smirked, "Remember you hitting on me?"
"Yeah … that." muttered Sophie, fidgeting with the can in her hands as she pursed her lips, "Are you gonna … well … have you … does Laura know?"
Chuckling at Sophie fumbling over her words, Sian took a step closer to the brunette, "Why would she know? It's not like I've told her about everyone who's ever tried it on with me."
"Are you gonna tell her?" asked Sophie.
Sian shrugged, "Why does she need to know? It's nothing … you tried it on … I said no … that's all there is to it."
A small smile started to tug at Sophie's lips at Sian's words, "Yeah … don't remind me that you said no."
Patting the brunette on the shoulder, Sian turned towards the living room with a grin, "Nothing personal Soph … Although A for effort, you certainly went all out to charm me."
"Mind if I ask why it didn't work?" asked Sophie, taking Sian slightly by surprise.
Sian considered the question for a second before pulling a face and shrugging, "Same reason I turn most people down who hit on me at work."
After a small pause, Sophie realised Sian wasn't about to elaborate and frowned, "What's that then?"
"Cause they're only hitting on me for one reason." answered Sian, raising the bottle of wine and gesturing towards it, "Liquid confidence."
"I wasn't even drunk." muttered Sophie with a frown.
"Sometimes one drink's all you need." stated Sian as a smirk grew on face, "Plus … I've heard all about you Sophie Webster."
With that, Sian grinned a final time before turning her back on the brunette as she headed back into the living room towards her girlfriend and Craig.
"You were a while." stated Laura, smiling gratefully as Sian handed over the bottle of wine and she began refilling their glasses.
Sian nodded, smiling at Sophie as she re-entered the living room and settled back into the couch, "Was just telling Sophie about how working in a bar has ensured I've heard all about her reputation."
"Oh yeah?" asked Craig, letting out a laugh as he noticed the discomfort on Sophie's face, "Surprised you haven't seen her in action."
"Yeah our Sophie's notorious … you should surely have seen her about, breaking ladies hearts and such." teased Laura, Sophie's obvious uneasiness only serving to amuse her further.
Craig laughed, "You should have seen her this morning trying to dispose of this blonde lass … She actually believed Sophie was gonna call her. Poor girl."
Sian turned to Sophie, biting down on her lip to try and suppress a grin at Sophie's tinged pink cheeks as she took an interest in her lap, "I'm sure I've probably seen her around before."
"Can we stop talking about this now?" muttered Sophie, itching the back of her neck uncomfortably under Sian's gaze.
Nudging her girlfriend with her foot, Laura nodded at Sophie, "See she might be confident and cocky when she's hitting on some girl in a bar but take her out of her comfort zone and she goes all shy and embarrassed."
"It's not that …" objected Sophie, scrunching up her nose at her friend's words, "It's just I don't wanna talk about it … there's more to me than that and I don't want that to be what everyone thinks about me."
Sian smiled genuinely, her smirk disappearing somewhat at Sophie's words, "Well come on then Soph … what do you suggest we do for fun if we're not gonna discuss your antics?"
Sophie closed one of her eyes for a second, frowning as she tried to think of a good suggestion although her mind was mostly clouded with the fact Sian wouldn't stop calling her Soph and it was making her head spin.
"I'm all for just putting a film on or something." stated Sophie, slouching back in to the couch cushions and looking across at whatever was on the television screen.
She knew she was coming across as rude and she knew she was going to get a grilling from Laura later for her behaviour but she didn't care. Something about Sian made Sophie lose her cool and the brunette refused to accept it was merely the fact she had been turned down by her. There was something else. Something Sophie couldn't quite put her finger on. Despite not knowing what it was, Sophie couldn't deny she was intrigued by it and that alone made Sophie feel incredibly uncomfortable. Sian was dating her best friend and under no circumstances would Sophie allow herself to be drawn into any kind of interest in Sian that wasn't completely, one hundred percent platonic. She was sure she'd get used to the way things were and had convinced herself that her attitude towards Sian that evening was merely the shock of the way things had turned out and given enough time, she would be able to get along with her friend's girlfriend just fine. However, for now, it wasn't easy to endure being in the same room as the blonde let alone entertain a conversation with her.
Laura and Craig had both suggested Sian pick a film as she was a guest and Sophie had merely grunted her agreement. It wasn't going unnoticed by Sian that Sophie didn't seem to be herself. Despite it being the first time she'd officially 'met' Sophie, she'd of course seen her in the bar and knew the brunette as an out going, confident, energetic person, a stark contrast to the moody, quiet girl beside her on the couch. However, not wanting to draw attention to Sophie's seemingly foul mood, Sian had slipped a DVD into the player and settled back on the couch, trying her hardest to keep a pleasant atmosphere in the room as she chatted with Laura and Craig.
About half way through the film, Sophie felt the weight shift in the couch and as Sian's thigh brushed against her own, she was unable to stop herself from jumping to her feet and clearing her throat awkwardly.
"I'm gonna … head to bed." mumbled Sophie, itching the back of her neck uncomfortably as she threw her empty can in the direction of the bin.
Looking at her watch, Laura frowned up at her friend, "Webster it's like ten o clock."
"Yeah what's up?" pressed Craig, his frown matching that of the red-head, "You're practically nocturnal most nights."
"Sorry guys … I'll be more fun next time." stated Sophie, a forced smile gracing her features as she switched her gaze towards the blonde on the sofa, "Was nice meeting you Sian … sorry I haven't been very … talkative tonight."
Sian nodded her head and smiled, "Maybe next time we can get to know each other a bit better … I'd like to find out what Sophie Webster is really like when she's not picking up girls in bars."
Sophie snorted out a laugh, "I'm not sure she's as fun."
Saying her good nights to the rest of the group, Sophie let out a long sigh once she finally crossed the threshold to her bedroom and flopped down onto the mattress.
"What are the fucking chances." muttered Sophie under her breath as she raised her arms, resting her hands behind her head as she lay back on them and closed her eyes.