"no, no. it's harmless. just โ annoying." she exhaled a breath, gaze moving onto her sister as she stepped back from the blinds.
"why are we here again?" she questioned, head tilting.
"i think i just saw pete pass by." she muttered, glancing towards lucy. "i don't know what it is about that man, but we always argue. it never fails. since i've met him."
"not really," she muttered, chewing the inside of her cheek. "it's nothing to do with you. i've just had a really shitty day. nothing sounds good." she exhaled a soft sigh, fidgeting with one of her rings.
โ
scratching at the back of his neck , irises are averted .ใ soโ โm just guessinโ that by the look on ya face ya ainโt like the sound of that .แฃ ใhe questioned , although practically already knowing the answer .
โ
a shake of her head. "got into a text fight with an ex. kind of dimmed the mood." she motioned towards the gathering of everyone.
"figured i'd take a step out, recollect."
she stared at him for a moment, taking in his words before she exhaled a sigh, lifting her hands in defense.
"fine free drinks. i'll just tip the amount the drinks cost then." she beamed a smile.
"Nah, you don't owe me anything, trust."
He felt the need to take a mental step back and process what she had said. Nobody owed him anything, especially for free drinks
"Trust me, the drinks will be free and we get to talk more. Nothing else about it. I like what we have going
"i know that, dawson." she exhaled a snicker. "i meant where. that's key information for a road trip." she brought a knee to her chest. it was comfortable for her.
"iโm hungry." she murmured quietly.
โgoing on a road trip, right? thought maybe it would be fun. least where you can have fun.โ
he looked at her with a small sympathetic smile on his face while his gaze drifted back to look at the road.
"you're a bartender." she took a glance over his frame. "makes sense." she snickered quietly.
"i'd rather pay for them, but i might stop by, yeah." she dipped her head into a nod. "free drinks makes me feel like i'd owe you." she murmured, chewing the inside of her cheek.
"Yikes. Id ask what happened but I feel like that's a whole talk. Don't worry, my ex girlfriend cheated on me."
He let out sigh, not of relief or frustration. Just a much needed sigh.
"Well, this isn't a date but if you ever want a free drink, I work at that bar near the
"that's actually good advice. you could give that to someone." she spoke with a soft hum, gaze focused on beck.
"no, iโm not seeing anyone right now." gender neutral phrasing. "besides, i don't have the best track record with men. my ex boyfriend," +
"I learned nobody going to be confident for me so I might as well try for myself."
Leaning into his seat, he had an aura of calm and confidence but she decided to look any closer, maybe she would see it falter for just one moment.
"Well glad I found you. Pretty girls shouldn't
"love the confidence radiating off you right now." she motioned over his frame with a smile. she then sipped on her drink as she lifted her shoulders into a shrug.
"i dunno." she glanced around. "i came here with someone, but it seems they've disappeared."
"Fair enough. I can't exactly diss on Avan Jogia... but i am hotter."
It was mostly a joke... mostly. Taking a sip of his drink, he let the music hit him for the first time in a while. How long had they been talking? Five minutes? An hour? He wasn't exactly sure
"So Zoey, what
"hm," she pretended to think. "i dunno. he's looking real nice nowadays." she chuckled, shaking her head gently.
"thank you." she smiled. "for both compliments."
He let out a noise as if he heard that line more than a few times before but there was no heat to it.
"Yeah but let's be real, I'm hotter than him right?"
He joked, pushing back a few strains of his long curly hair, his smile always leaving
"Zoey, cute name for a cute girl"
โI think it will be. Itโs always fun, you know?โ he smiled lightly at her as he continued to drive, checking on her occasionally. Dawson didnโt force her to come along, but thought it would be a good idea.
"nice name. reminds me of that one nickelodeon show." she chucked, nose wrinkling upwards.
"iโm zoey. nice to meet you." she spoke with a genuine smile forming on her lips.
At a party, he began to talk to the new girl, laughing away as the rest of the world kept going. He had a soft, warm smile, his eyes locked with him as they talked about anything
"I almost forgot. I don't think I got your name. I'm Beck."
"i don't know. i am excited, to get away from everything for a while, but," a pause as she exhaled a sigh.
"it'll be fun." she forced a smile, glancing over towards him.
"don't look too excited now . ."
he joked as he was in the drivers seat driving while taking a few glances at her. he was trying for the past hour to convince her that this trip would be good for the both of them.