Tell Me The Truth and I'll Let You Go - Chapter 6

I slipped into my shoes and exited the room. I could smell the aroma of coffee and hear the silence that was middle-aged woman in the morning. This morning, I actually had the effort to smile.

I waltzed into the kitchen and sat myself opposite the two semi-conscious adults, hung over their coffee.

"Morning." I said trying to hide the cheer and suppress my grin. I failed.
Kate eyed me up suspiciously and turned towards my mum. "Grace, why is your daughter so happy?"
"The real question is; Why is she so happy in the morning?" They both leant in past their cups and closed in on my personal space.
I extended my smile and let out a short laugh. "I have youth that keeps me going in the morning."

"She hasn't even had her tea!" My mum exclaimed and took a long sip from her drink; as if the shouting of a sentence took the energy from her.
I shrugged my shoulders and tried even harder to turn off my smile. I got better at it. My eyes focused on a section on my knee and didn't look up: If I saw those inquisitive stares again, then I may just have cracked.

But why was I so happy? I gained a friend. Friend being the operative word.
A friend that hurt me so much in the past that whenever I saw him my stomach turned like a windmill. So why did I care? I had no clue. The only thing I knew for sure was that I did, very much, care.

"Grab your coat." Kate told me as I went and collected my bag. The one time that I decided that may be a day in the pub may be interesting, in a good way, Kate decides to explore the town and then eat dinner out. I couldn't complain.
Maybe a few hours away from my nerves may do me some good.
The weather was quite dry outside, but it was still early winter. The cold was still harsh and the predictions for snow pretty early on would only come back and bite me if I didn't take a jacket.

Scooping up a black coat, I closed the door behind me and trailed down the stairs to meet Kate, my mum and Liz. The muttering of voices got louder with every step and by the time I was before the door, the mumblings had transformed into moans.

"But I love food!" I heard clearly as I stepped into the main pub room. All eyes glanced at me quickly but back to Joe, the source of the moaning.
Kate rolled her eyes as I walked up to her. "We're going girly shopping too. Unless you feel like holding our bags, you will stay here and work."
His faced turned grumpy and he slumped down behind the bar. "What if I close up early and come and meet you just for the meal?" He smiled smugly and kept eye contact with Kate.

"Get someone to cover for you, for free, and you can come." She emphasized the 'for free' and kept the contact as if to weaken him down.
He thought for a few seconds before replying. "Done. Where are you eating?"
"The restaurant opposite the town hall."
He winked and then proceeded to serve a customer that had walked in during their debate. Kate shook her head in disbelief and signaled for us to go to the car. I followed slowly and gave one look back. Joe smiled subtly at me as I gave him a questioning look. He simply winked at me this time and then turn to get the customers change. What was he up to?

As we left the car, I felt something that I hadn't felt in a few days. Ease.
And although the fresh air, change of scenery and easy conversation was a refreshing change, I couldn't help but miss my stomach doing loops inside of me. I had grown accustomed to it.

The shops all blended into one and another. Patterns and colors and aesthetics flashed before my eyes. Normally, I would be thrilled to be amongst the fashions of town; but I wasn't. My mind blanked out the sizes and prices and just wandered around freely in my thoughts.

I wonder if Joe found someone to cover him, my mind would think repeatedly. Then I'd tell my own mind to shut up and my consciousness would dissolve back into reality.

My fingers skimmed the fabrics that hung from the rail. Kate was showing my mum a top that she thought would suit her and Liz came over and browsed next to me.
"It's quite chilly today." She stated and pulled out a random coat hanger.
I laughed at the simple sentence and nodded.
"Come with me." She ordered and I followed her trail as she walked off into the changing room with the top.

There was quite a long line and if it was even worth it for a dull looking shirt. "How much is it?"
She looked into my eyes disappointingly. "You and I both know that this is not about the shirt." Oh, right. Well I guess she was wrong there. "This is about Joe."
Even thirty minutes away, he still seems to be the subject of the topic. "Is it?" My voice questioned wearily. She didn't know. Even if she did; it happened a long time ago.
"You still love him." She stated blankly.
How easy it was for her to say that. How easy it would've been for me to deny it. But these days I only seemed to be convincing myself. "We're friends." I told her blatantly with a small smile. If that even.
Cocking her head to one side and tutting, she placed the hanger-on the nearest rack and motioned me to walk back with her. "Kate!" She called. She didn't seem to care that everyone in the store, regardless of his or her names', looked round. She seemed determined to get her attention as quickly as possible.

We found her a few paces from where we left her.
"Yes, my dear." She fluttered and my mum slunk towards a rack to give them some privacy. Screw privacy! I needed to know what this was about.
Liz looked towards me and then smiled sweetly. "Instead of the town restaurant, I thought we could go somewhere fancy. My treat."

Kate looked suspiciously for a moment and then her face lit up. "That's very generous of you Liz. Now we have a reason to be shopping!" She exclaimed in her eccentric attitude. My mum laughed at her as they flounced out the shop and most likely into the nearest dress shop.

"What are you doing?" I asked in disbelief. Her green eyes bore down on me and she tsked once more.
Her arms wrapped around my shoulder in a comforting manner. "I'm playing cupid." She laughed and pulled me out the doors.

Three shops, twelve dresses and four pairs of shoes later I stood in another changing room with another piece of fabric clinging to my skin. "What's wrong with this one then?" The three women looked at me judgingly as they pondered the dress.
"You're not a pink person." Kate told me and I sighed. I had told them that three pink dresses ago. "Try the next one. It's the best one I believe."
I gave a small grunt and went back into the booth. As I stepped out of the dress, I heard their excited chatter. I had the feeling that I was being set up on a blind date: A blind date with my mother and two other middle-aged women.

Slipping into the black fabric, I pulled the zip up behind me and pushed down the material. Well at least they had one thing right; the dress looked nice.
Almost like a corset top with a lace bottom that came mid-thigh. It wasn't slutty and it wasn't boring. I thought it complemented my personality quite well. And as I stepped out of the booth, I knew they thought the same.

The women bustled into the pub and rushed through in order to get upstairs to change. I, on the other hand, was not bothered. All I had to do was pull on a dress and change my shoes. I was not seeing the fuss.
"Isn't shopping too girly for you?" A voice called from behind me before I could walk through the doors to upstairs. I turned round and smiled at Mitch.
He pulled the bag from my hand and peered inside.
"Isn't a dress to girly for you?" He smiled playfully and I snatched it back.
Frowning, I responded sullenly like a child. "No." He laughed and glanced towards the bar. Joe was still on shift. "What are you doing here? Don't you have better things to do?"
He widened his eyes. "I was planning to get some much-needed rest."
"But..." I pried.

"But I decided to work five hours unpaid so my friend can go out and eat." I blinked in disbelief at him.
My mouth couldn't even spit out the words that my brain struggled to form. "You're covering?!" It came out louder than expected. "Why?"
"So my little sister can have a dinner with her crush."
"Friend." I interjected.
A small smile appeared on his lips. "Friend." His tone mocked me.
"You're getting nothing out of this?" Unbelievable. As secretly glad that I was that Joe was going to be there to make things awkward, it seemed unfair on Mitch.
He smiled largely and nervously. "Yeah, well..." He stuttered. A disapproving look took over my face. "I tried to be a step up from cupid."

"How?" I snapped angrily and hushed as Joe was only paces away now.
"I, kind of, made Joe think that I was interested in you."
I loved Mitch but the thought repelled me. He was like my brother and the look on my face alerted him to my thoughts.
"He agreed to talk me up to you in exchange for working tonight."
Again my lips pulled out in reaction. "Mitch, you know I love you..." I began but he flustered his arms and pulled me to one side.

"Rore, I love you too. But not in that way."
My mind stumbled over the conversation. "What?" was all I managed to squeeze out.
"Do you have any idea how a guy's brain works?"
I shook my head in disbelief knowing where the topic was heading.
Why couldn't people let this go? Why couldn't they just leave us to be friends?

"Jealousy." He smiled devilishly.