Chapter 8

Beck felt awkward.

He chased the food on his plate around with his fork, and periodically sipped his drink. Jared sat opposite him; throwing back his glass like there was a drought and stuffing his dinner in his mouth, in case it ran away.

Tori was sat at the end of the table between them, she looked from one to other occasionally and desperately searched her mind for conversation topics, wishing, not for the first time, that her brain would work like a search engine.

Tori sipped her water and sighed, "So, why the fancy meal?" Beck turned to face her, he realised then that he hadn't even shared his news. "I talked to my professor after class today," he began, Tori nodded, "he entered my film in a competition."

Tori smiled, "That's amazing! So he liked it?" Beck nodded with a smile. The rom became slightly more comfortable once the conversation started. Beck couldn't help but notice how Jared would look from the finger Tori had her engagement ring on, to Beck's own ring finger.

His eyebrows would crease together and then after a few seconds, smooth back down. Beck met Jared's eyes with a raised eyebrow as he asked, "Problem?"

Jared smiled, he had dimples on his cheeks that indented when he did so, "T for Tori, B for Beck?" the two nodded and Jared leaned back in his seat. "You didn't strike me as the cliché type." He commented, with a small chuckle.

Beck shrugged, "You do crazy things when you're crazy about someone." Now it was Jared's turn to raise his eyebrow, "I'm just glad it really was T for Tori and some random ex, that would have been awkward." The three of them laughed, "Even worse, it could have been a T for Trina." Tori joked, piling the plates on top of one another, Beck shuddered at the thought.

Jared just looked confused, so Tori explained, "Trina is my sister, she spent most of her high school life shamelessly flirting with Beck, convinced that she was his one true love."

They all laughed and Tori got up to put the plates in the sink. As she did so, the door to their apartment slammed and Trina's giggled echoed through the hall. "Speak of the devil." Beck muttered.

Trina appeared in the archway into the kitchen, an exhausted looked Chad behind her. "Tori!" she squealed, "You didn't tell me we were having company!" Chad came further into the room, in his hands he carried multiple shopping bags, dropping them to the floor he nodded at Beck and Tori.

"Chad." He stuck his hand out to Jared, the handshake was returned with "Jared." Trina had sat down in the seat next to Jared and out her hands around his arm, "Your biceps are huge." She exclaimed, "Um, thanks." Jared replied, he gave Tori a despairing look.

"Trina, stop manhandling our guest." Trina dropped her hand and went to stand next to Chad, with a smile Tori assumed was supposed to be seductive, Trina said to Chad, "We better go give my new…purchases a test drive." HE nodded enthusiastically and picked up the bags again. Without bothering to say goodbye, they headed for Trina's room.

Beck, Tori and Jared shared a horrified look before Beck ordered, "Go put the TV on, loud!" Tori obliged and went into the next room, MTV soon blared through the wall.

"Is she always like that? Trina, I mean." He asked, Beck nodded and Jared offered him an apologetic look, "I'm sorry for you, man."

They stood up and joined Tori in the lounge, the TV was playing Mackelmore's 'Thrift Shop' and soon they were all singing along, even if just to forget what was probably going on across the hall.

"I'm gonna pop some tags, only got twenty dollars in my pocket, I - I - I'm hunting, looking for a come-up, this is fucking awesome." They all sing-shouted.

"I wear your granddad's clothes,

I look incredible,

I'm in this big ass coat,

From that thrift shop down the road,

I wear your granddad's clothes,

I look incredible,

I'm in this big ass coat,

From that thrift shop down the road."

They sang till the end of the song, it soon swapped to one Tori hadn't stopped singing since she watched Pitch Perfect.

"Shorty get down, good lord, baby got 'em open all over town." She started, Beck didn't know the words as well as she did but joined in where he could, Jared however was just as big a fan, the three danced all around the room doing their best Blackstreet impressions.

The song changed again and they were singing Royals by Lorde.

"I've never seen a diamond in the flesh

I cut my teeth on wedding rings in the movies

And I'm not proud of my address,

In a torn-up town, no postcode envy

But every song's like gold teeth, grey goose, trippin' in the bathroom

Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room,

We don't care, we're driving Cadillacs in our dreams.

But everybody's like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece.

Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash.

We don't care, we aren't caught up in your love affair.

And we'll never be royals,

It don't run in our blood,

That kind of luxe just ain't for us.

We crave a different kind of buzz.

Let me be your ruler,

You can call me queen Bee

And baby I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule.

Let me live that fantasy."

Tori was now the only one that knew all the words, she even flipped all her wavy hair into a severe side parting and created one hell of a side fringe.

Tori fell to the sofa next Beck with a drained sigh, "I'm all danced out." She said. Beck, chuckled and put an arm around her shoulders, placing a soft kiss on her temple. "I'm gonna go to bed, you tired?" she asked him. Beck shook his head, "A little, but I didn't spend ten minutes asking to be called Queen Bee." He laughed, "What about you Jared?" they looked to the other side of the sofa where Jared was slumped over, fast asleep.

Tori stood up, "I'll get him a blanket and some pillows. Turn the TV off will you?" Beck switched off the TV and then the light, leaving just the lamp on in the corner. He made his way to the bathroom, brushing his teeth and pulling off his shirt, dumping that and his jeans into the hamper.

He went into the bedroom and climbed in bed in just his boxers. A few minutes later, Tori climbed in next to him. He rolled over and threw his arm over her waist. "Night." She whispered. Beck kissed her forehead and whispered softly back, "Goodnight, Queen Bee." She laughed quietly and they drifted off to sleep.