"You know, when you sent me that text earlier, I really thought I'd have to pull out all the stops to cheer you up. Don't get me wrong, I am glad that you're feeling better but I have to ask, why the sudden change?"
Stepping aside so Alli could come into her apartment, Clare's smile was apparent as she sighed softly to herself. In Alli's hands now were plastic bags, one of which held Chinese food if Clare's sense of smell was correct. Her best friend knew her better than anyone else and Clare would always be grateful for it.
Following into the kitchen, she walked over to the island where Alli was taking the various items out of their respected bags. In no time there was a mountain of junk food consisting of ice cream, chips, Clare's favorite candies and even movies Alli figured Clare would want to watch.
"My god, how depressed did I sound in the text?" she asked, shock coloring her tone as her eyes widened at the pile before her.
"I didn't know what to expect. You mentioned feeling sad about Jake so I figured we'd be in for a night of shamelessly stuffing our faces and verbally bashing him. At least we can still do the first part because I'm starving and this food has been torturing me the entire ride over," she said, putting the ice cream into the freezer.
Leaning against a counter, Clare was still taken aback by how overly prepared Alli was but she appreciated the support undoubtedly. Picking up a few bags of chips, Clare placed them inside the pantry before taking two glasses out of the cupboard and setting them on the island. Alli grabbed a bottle of iced tea from the fridge, filling the cups up.
Once they were all set, Clare brought the food out into the living room, taking a seat on the ground as she placed the containers down on the coffee table.
"So, fill me in," Alli said as she got settled in. "What happened to you between one and now?" Reaching for the food, she opened up one of the lids to see what was inside, sliding it over to Clare when she realized it was her order.
Clare set her cup to her lips, taking a sip of her drink before she spoke. "Let's just say I started to see things with a new set of eyes."
"You're hiding something from me, Clarebear. Spill. Now," Alli demanded, tearing open the wrapper of her chopsticks and helping herself to some rice. Her wide eyes were set on Clare who was doing a terrible job suppressing a laugh.
"You should have been a detective. You always know when something's up."
"It's hard not to when you're such an open book. Even without knowing you, I'd be able to tell when you're keeping a secret. But enough chit chat, I feel like I'm missing out on something," she said, trapping her food between the two pieces of thin wood.
"Am I that obvious? Anyway, I sort of ran into someone. Or well, they found me. It was really weird but cool at the same time," Clare rambled, shaking her head. "Sorry, let me start over. Okay, so after I spoke to you, I went back to my desk and I really wanted to get that reply done- if only to prove to myself that I could. But as I soon found out, I wasn't able to. It was such a basic question but who was I to answer it when I'd been spending the last week pining over Jake, right?" she asked rhetorically, to which Alli nodded her head, still balancing her attention between Clare and her meal.
"And then something…unexpected happened. Remember that guy from the bar? Eli? He popped up out of nowhere at my desk. And he starts teasing me a bit about that night but before I knew it, we were actually having a decent conversation. Anyway, he saw the message and ended up answering it for me- in more ways than one. He gives better advice than I do without even having to try. But he was right when he said that I, well anyone after a breakup, shouldn't devote time to a person that loses interest. While you're sitting around miserable, they're out there and moving onto bigger and better things. So it got me thinking. It's about time I try pull myself up by the bootstraps and focus on me again. The last two and a half years have been spent practically orbiting around Jake and now that he's gone…it still feels strange, you know? I can't exactly erase his memory but I can't live in that shadow anymore."
Ending her speech, Clare let out a deep sigh and squared her shoulders as she waited for Alli to say something, anything. But Clare was only met with a curious expression on the girl's face.
"What?" she asked, opening up her wrapper and pulling her chopsticks apart. "Why are you looking at me like that, Al?"
After a moment Alli smirked to herself, shaking her head. "No reason. The best way to get over someone is to get under someone new."
"Alli! That is not what I meant at all. Did you not hear my profound monologue? Eli was right. I need to focus on myself."
"Just teasing…sort of but fine. I think it was solid advice. But for someone you don't know, you're really taking his words to heart, huh?"
Rolling her eyes, Clare speared a piece of chicken before stuffing it into her mouth and pointing an accusatory chopstick at Alli. "He had a very valid point, thank you very much. Jake walks around work like he's never met me before which is pretty crappy considering how long we were together. But it's like Eli said 'one day a person has to take stock of their life and see their true worth. That can't come from anyone else'," she quoted verbatim. Those particular words had resonated within her since he uttered them aloud.
"Maybe Eli should write a book then, huh?" Alli mused. "In all seriousness, I'm glad you're working on moving past this. It won't be easy but it is possible. I thought Jake was a good guy but clearly he's an asshole," she said bluntly. "But question, what in the world was this guy doing at your job? Please tell me he's not stalking you."
"He could if he wanted to," Clare said, more so to herself. "Thanks, Al. I just hate how much it still hurts but I know it's normal. Above all else, I want to know why he broke up with me but of course he's sweeping it all under the rug. It's pathetic at best." She could hear the bitterness in her tone but didn't care too much to salvage it. Around Alli, Clare was always free to show her true thoughts and emotions. "Ha, that's the same thing I said to him. It freaked me out having him there but it turns out he's being featured in next month's edition."
"Jake will come around eventually. Guys are really strange when it comes to these things but I bet every time he sees you at work, he feels guilty- or at least he should. As much as it sucks, it will be a bit of a waiting game until he gets his act together." Frowning a bit at the thought, Alli wished she had better news to give her best friend but it was the basic truth of the matter.
"Why is he being covered? This city is too small. What are the odds of that happening?"
"According to Janis he's the one to watch in the theatre world. He's working on this play that everyone's talking about. I'm curious about it but I don't know if I'll see much of him again, aside from if he drops by the office again." For some reason this made her a bit sad but the feeling was fleeting. "Trust me, I'm still reeling from it but it was a welcomed turn of events for sure."
Raising a brow, Alli didn't say anything as she ate but the silent gesture didn't escape Clare's notice.
"What is it now?" she asked, leaning back against the couch as she poked around at her rice.
"I didn't say a word," Alli retorted, her expression feigning innocence.
"You didn't have to. What are you thinking now? Do you think I'm smitten with this Eli guy and we're going to ride off into the sunset together?"
"Maybe not all of that but you do have mentionitis so you could very well end up liking him. That wouldn't be a bad thing. He's seems like a nice guy. You two get along. He was there for you, twice. He has the makings of a fine suitor," she said, placing a hand over her heart as she spoke the last two words.
"You're forgetting the fact that I don't know anything about this guy, aside from what he does for a living and where he works. He could have some crazy past, done some terrible things. Besides, I'm fresh off a breakup and I doubt he'd even be interested."
"You can learn more about him, Clare. If he turns out to be a creep then cut him loose. But you'll never know unless you try," Alli said smoothly. "Okay, say you get over Jake and Eli was interested, would you go for it?"
"I feel like I'm on trial here," Clare groaned, shaking her head. "That's all hypothetical stuff. I may never see this guy again. You do realize that, right? I can't like him. We're barely even friends. We're one step above strangers. That hardly constitutes as anything of importance. I need to work on myself firs before I even think of dating someone else."
"You're not on trial, relax. I'm your best friend so I reserve the right to be a pain in your neck and drill you with these sorts of questions. You could see him again, if you wanted to. You said you know where he works. You could always casually drop by or get the number. There are tons of options. I'm not saying to jump his bones or anything," she laughed with a sly smile, "but you guys could actually end up being friends and that's always a plus, right? I vote you give it a shot. It couldn't hurt. Plus, he seems to be good at giving advice so he can come in handy if I'm not around," she said simply, pushing up her shoulders and going back to her food.
"Okay. I already accused this man of being a stalker and you're telling me I should dig around and get the number of his theatre or 'casually' drop by? There's no such thing as a casual drop in at this stage, Alli. I would look like a certified whack job and call me crazy but that's not how I want to come across. He's already seen me drunk. Let's not give him more ammunition."
"I don't see the problem with that at all. It's not like you're popping up at his house. It could be cute! You could thank him for helping you out or say that you wanted to see what all the fuss was about over him and this play. God, Clare. You would be so lost without me, I swear," she said jokingly though Clare sincerely agreed with what the sentiment. "You're over-thinking it. It's just friendship. There's no harm in that at all."
When she said it plainly like that, Clare could actually begin to buy into the notion that there wasn't anything to worry about. They had ended their conversation on a promising note, one that made Clare a bit more confident but still, she wasn't sold entirely. It would be something she had to think about but if she were being honest with herself, she did genuinely enjoy speaking with him.
"Just friendship. I can work with that."
"Alright, so tell me one more time. You actually met with Clare again? I knew you would end up seeing her there. How could you not?" Adam boasted over his plate, his wings completely devoured.
It always amazed Eli how such a small guy could pack away the food like that but he had long since learned that the stomach of Adam Torres was not like anyone else in existence. It was a black hole that did away with anything it came into contact with.
The boys took to having a guys' night whenever they could manage it and with Eli's first interview completed, Adam wanted to commemorate it somehow. As per usual, they found themselves at Above the Dot, taking in a night of greasy food and pool. It was a ritual as old as their friendship and one Eli would never grow tired of.
Taking a sip of his beer, Eli rolled his eyes at how captivated his friend was. Ever since Eli told Adam about the night at the bar, he was quick to bring up Clare. It only got worse when he came home last week and showed him the letter he'd received from The Edge. According to Adam this was slated to be some type of cosmic occurrence, fate as he labeled it but Eli begged to differ. He wasn't one to believe in any of that hocus pocus, chalking it up to a bare coincidence and nothing more. But Adam held his ground on it no matter how many times Eli spoke against it.
"You have to admit it, Eli," Adam had said to him that very same morning as he looked over the letter during breakfast. "Of all the magazines in this city? They could have covered you before you even met Clare and you guys would have continued on your own way. But come on, Goldsworthy. Open your eyes!"
Eli refused to see Adam's point of view on this. Perhaps years ago, before he had given up on the idea of such things he would be inclined to agree but as far as he was concerned, it was just strange luck. He could admit to himself that he was glad to see Clare there at the office but he doubted if it really mattered in the grand scheme of things. He wouldn't have minded a friendship with her but if she was content with only seeing him in passing, it wouldn't have been a true loss to him.
But Adam was persistent, eager to jump at a possible match for his best friend. Eli knew his intentions were good so he couldn't find it within himself to get upset but he knew it would be wasted. Adam was seeing far past friendship, almost ready to plan out a wedding for them if need be just to see Eli happy in a relationship again but Eli didn't have the heart for that and sincerely doubted Clare would either.
"For the millionth time, yes. I did see Clare today and we talked for a bit. It was cool. She's cool," he said indifferently with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. Setting his bottle down, he cracked his knuckles and looked to Adam.
"You're killing me with that wounded puppy face, Torres. What are you expecting me to say? That I've up and changed my ways because I had one successful talk with this girl I don't know?" He didn't mean for his words to come out harsh but it was the honest truth.
Shaking his head, Adam swiped a napkin off the stack in the center of the table and wiped off his slightly orange tinged fingers. "I know you're plenty stuck in yours, to a damn fault if you ask me," Adam countered. "But I still think it's pretty neat you guys were able to run into each other. What'd you guys even end up talking about?"
"You can't teach an old dog new tricks, right? There's truth in cliché, my friend. And that saying certainly holds true for me." He knew he was being stubborn but that's how he'd always been and nothing and no one would ever stand a chance of changing that. "Honestly? I inadvertently gave her advice on how to get over her ex-boyfriend," he said, almost questioningly as if he was unsure.
"Since when have you of all people bought into clichés? Either way, I think anyone could change if they truly wanted to or found the right person. But that's just one man's opinion." At the rest of Eli's words, Adam's face twisted up in confusion. "How did you manage to do that?"
"It damn near killed me to say that but it was the best I could think of on short notice, sue me. Maybe that's true but I'm yet to come across someone that'd be worth the effort it takes so until then, I'm staying put as is." Taking another swig, Eli pushed his bangs from his eyes. "Well, when I went over to her, we were talking for a bit and then I saw this message she got for her advice column. The person was in the same boat as her, hung up on an ex that didn't give two shits about them once the relationship was over so I just answered it on the spot with my honest opinion on it."
"Some writer you are. You can put on plays but you can't avoid clichés? Such a disgrace," he joked, Eli shooting him a mocked glare. "I'll keep my mouth shut on that last tidbit because you already know what I have to say on that." Adam listened intently as Eli spoke, genuinely intrigued by this. "Seriously? Okay, one more time just for posterity, you and Clare are meant for each other. And I don't mean that romantically…necessarily but you guys have too many connections for you all to remain strangers.
"I'll go hang my head in shame and cry about it later. Will that appease you, your majesty?" Eli wasn't sure when he'd ever hear the end of Adam's campaign for him to reclaim a romantic life but he sincerely hoped his friend wasn't holding his breath. "Alright, I'll relent and say that it's interesting that we're in each other's lives but that's subject to change at any given moment. Sure, she said she'll see me around but that's customary when ending a conversation. Hell, that's what I said to her that night but I didn't think I actually would."
Puffing up his chest, Adam scratched at his chin. "That will do for now, peasant. As you were," he said in a horrendous fake British accent before laughing and relaxing his stance. "Maybe it wasn't all talk on her end? Maybe she really wants to see you? You might have to go back to The Edge one day or you guys could even run into each other at the bar again. OR," he stressed obnoxiously, "you could reach out to her. I swear you're just looking for any reason to get out of this, aren't you?"
"Never do that again, please. I don't think I can withstand that torture another time," he cringed jokingly. "Why are you taking up this as your new mission? You've never even met her before and yet you're practically her mascot. Anyway, I'm not pushing this further than it has to go, seriously. She is a great girl and she's fun to joke around with. I wouldn't mind being friends with her but I'm not going to go out of my way or bend over backwards for it. Cliché saying number two for the night and I swear I'm done, but if it's meant to be, then it'll happen. Until then, we'll just have to play it by ear."
With a quick roll of his eyes, Adam punched him lightly in the arm. "I'd rather be her mascot than a cheerleader so thanks for sparing me on the title," he deadpanned. "I don't see what the big deal is here at all. You just said you would be up for being friends so why are you still so closed off? It wouldn't kill you to get her number one day and invite her out for a cup of coffee. If I weren't mistaken, I'd say you actually did like her and that's why you're avoiding contact."
Eli stayed quiet for a moment, drinking the rest of his beer before pushing the empty bottle aside. His arms rested against the table, folded before him. "I'm not making it into the big deal, that's the thing. I'm playing it cool is all." His eyes widened at Adam's comment, a hearty laugh leaving him. "Avoiding contact because I like her? Honestly, where do you come up with this stuff? I don't do the emotions thing, you know that. And either way, she just got out of a relationship and I'm not the guy that wants that sort of thing. So she and I will remain friends. That's that."
Adam let out a heavy, defeated sigh as he sat back in his chair. Crossing his arms over his chest, he shook his head. "You're ridiculous, you know that? For your sake, I hope she decides to further this friendship since you're so adamant about stopping it before it even starts. And before you object, not making an effort is just as bad, if not worse than shutting down the chance. You guys get along. She's seems chill. What's the problem?"
It was clear to Eli that they'd be stuck at this deadlock, neither of them willing to budge or see the other's standpoint. "The problem is we're sitting here on our asses when there's a free table over there. Come on, let's play," Eli said, completely changing the subject and standing up. He didn't check to see if Adam was following behind. In all honesty he just wanted to leave the heaviness of the talk at the table and focus on something fun.
As he arrived at the pool table, he racked the balls, organizing them inside the triangle before getting a cue stick. He was glad to see Adam heading over, even if he was trudging the entire way.
"I'm sorry, man. Really. Let's just drop the Clare talk and get a few rounds of pool in for the night, yeah?" he said, handing a cue stick over to Adam.
A small smile was working its way onto Adam's face as he accepted the stick, leaning casually against the pool table. "Don't worry about it. I know you hate talking about things like that personally. I just want the best for you is all and I want you to be happy. One more thing and then the name Clare Edwards will be erased from my vocabulary. If she gets in touch with you after this, just be her friend. Guys and girls can be actually be friends without it turning into something more. I'd actually like to meet her. She seems cool," he said, chalking the tip of the pool stick.
"That was actually two things, slick bastard," Eli joked, running a hand through his hair. "But fair enough. I give you my word, I'll see how it goes with her and if we realize we can actually be friends, I'll be sure to introduce you guys. I think you'll like her. It's sort of hard not to."
Adam held his tongue, resisting the urge to call Eli out on what he just said. Instead he centered the rack, removing the triangle and casting it aside. "Do you want to break first?" he asked.
"No, it's fine. Either way I'm going to win so it really doesn't matter to me. Video games are your forte but we both know I'm the better pool player."
"And you always rag on my trash talk? Always the smug guy, I swear. One of these days, I will shut you up," Adam said as he leaned over and set up his shot. It was meager to put it mildly as he scratched, hanging his head in embarrassment.
"Maybe you will but clearly today is not that day."
A/N: Reviews make me a happy camper so I'd love to hear what you guys think. The next chapter should be up soon. [cue dramatic music]