The Starting Line: Friends To Lovers

by Jennifer Hartley

  They collect their baggage and hire a lift to her flat, located in Shelton. The neighborhood is certainly eclectic, though Jude has his reservations about her safety. At least, he does until they enter her flat.

  A very large, very dark-skinned man with a booming voice greets them as they drop their bags in the entry.

  Jude is crushed against this giant's chest, his paw reaching out to pull Perry over.

  “Hi,” Perry squeaks once they're released. Hailey is standing to the side, holding in her laughter as Jude backs away, shell-shocked.

  “Karim, this is Jude,” she tugs Jude’s sleeve, “and this is Perry. Just a warning, their French is worse than mine.”

  “That will be okay,” he gives them a glowing white smile. “Hailey, we're making dinner on Saturday if you and your friends want to join us. Antonio offered to make paella.”

  “You just want me to be around because I bring the best wine.” Hailey glances at the pair who both shrug at the same time, indifferent. “Sure, yeah. I'll let you know if anything changes.”

  Karim waves as he takes his leave. Hailey merely smiles at the look on their faces and tosses her keys and purse on the counter. “Come on, let me give you the tour.”

  She shows them to the cleanest of the three bathrooms, the kitchen, the living area, the library and lastly, her tiny room.

  “Wow, Hailey, you weren't joking,” Jude sticks out his arms, only a couple inches on either side of him from wall-to-wall. It's long and narrow, with a large window letting in plenty of light.

  “So the sleeping will be average. I've got an air mattress, and then there is the futon in the library.”

  “Rock paper scissors for the futon?” Perry drops his bag and assumes the position opposite Jude. Best two out of three, Perry wins.

  “Ha! Karma's a bitch,” he shoves Jude in the chest as he returns to the library with his bags.

  “He lost before our flight this morning and had to sit in the middle the entire trip,” Jude explains as he takes a seat on her desk chair. Though organized, there are books of all types filling the single shelf that lines the length of the opposite wall. There are pictures from her recent travels posted everywhere, a couple of cameras sitting on a shelf above her bed. “So you live with a giant? That's cool.”

  Hailey shrugs out of her jacket, hanging it behind her door. “Karim? He's a human teddy bear.”

  “Where's he from?” Jude fiddles with globe paperweight on her desk, spinning in the chair.

  “Algiers. He's here for the architecture.” Hailey turns and takes a seat on her bed. “I figured you and Perry could use some food, then maybe we could walk around a bit, hit up some places we missed last time?”

  He smiles at her, nodding. “Sounds good. You don't have to entertain us though if you have things to do. Perry and I can cause our own mayhem.”

  “That's exactly why I kept my schedule clear. I do have two classes tomorrow, but I don't think you can cause too many problems in that short a period.”

  “Don't underestimate us,” Perry says from the doorway, leaning against it with his arms crossed. “I have a beard now. Who knows what trouble we might cause?”

  “Oh yes, we're international men of mystery now.” Jude nods, rising from the chair as they collect their coats to leave.

  Hailey leads the two of them out of her flat, sighing to herself. “What did I get myself into?”

  The trio hops on the tube and goes to Borough Market, spending a majority of the morning and early afternoon snacking on various food items, imbibing delicious brews, and catching up on what they've missed. They make their way out of the market, stuffed and feeling merry. Perry and Jude banter back and forth, deciding to do one of those city-tours the next day while Hailey's in class.

  “They're so cheesy though,” Jude frowns even as he agrees to it.

  “No, cheesy is doing that Jack-the-Ripper tour. This is just a convenient means for seeing the city in an efficient manner.”

  Jude and Hailey look at each other, sharing similar expressions of surprise. “Look who got all fancy once he went to University.”

  They continue on for a while, visiting Trafalgar Square and walking along Embassy Row. The weather takes a turn for the worse, causing them to return to Shelton. They pile into a pub a few blocks from her flat, order a stereotypical meal of fish and chips with a couple of pints and settle in as the rain pelts the windows.

  Hailey eases back against the booth, smiling at these two goofballs as they tell her about a recent golf tournament they participated in. Perry did well, Jude, not so much.

  “I'm telling you, man. It's all in the beard. I think it balances me out or something,” Perry scrapes his hands along the scruff on his face, leaning back against his seat. Jude leans over and gives him a knuckle punch in the shoulder.

  “I swear to God, if you mention that beard one more time, I'm going to shave it off your face in your sleep.”

  Perry grabs his shoulder, gasping. “You wouldn't dare!”

  “Yes, he would.” Hailey nods. He did something similar to his older brother Roy when they were teenagers.”

  “You're just jealous,” Perry shoots back at Jude. “It's not my fault you've got that weird patchy swamp.”

  Jude mouths 'patchy swamp’ at Hailey, who is doubled over, laughing. “Alright, alright. I think we've met our limit. Clearly, it's time for baby Perry to go to bed.”

  They finish off their meal and make their way back, crammed under Hailey's umbrella. Exhausted, Perry and Jude wave at various people they meet within Hailey's flat, all of them blending together. All Jude remembers is brushing his teeth and his face planting on the air mattress on the floor in Hailey's room.

  Jude wakes to the feel of a cool finger rubbing the bridge of his nose. He cracks open one eye, finding Hailey kneeling on the floor next to his tiny air mattress.

  “Sorry to wake you, but I've got to head to class. There are coffee and scones in the kitchen for when you and Perry get up. I'll be tied up until lunchtime, so just text me your location, and I'll join you later.”

  “Mm hm,” Jude extends his body in a languorous fashion, feet dipping over the side. He reaches out and squeezes her hand, receiving a kiss on the back of his in return.

  When he emerges from her room ten minutes later, the first thing he sees is two women giving each other a very passionate goodbye kiss. One leaves through the large door in the entry, the other, clad in boy shorts and a very thin camisole, turns around and sees Jude. He tries to avert his gaze because he has no idea who she is, but she saunters towards him like he's a deer and it's open hunting season.

  “Bonjour, Jude,” her voice has a musical quality to it. She grabs a strand of her long yellow hair and twists it around her finger, head tilting to the side. He's unsure what to say, or do.

  “Hi,” he offers finally, faintly recalling her. She gives him an impish grin then brushes past, continuing down the hall to her room. He blinks hard, then moves into the kitchen to get some breakfast.

  When Hailey finally meets up with the boys, it's under less than pleasant circumstances. They went to a pub pretty early in the day, in hot pursuit of that silver beer mug. Two absolute idiots singing karaoke are what greet her upon entering what is possibly one of the oldest pubs in existence.

  They don't spot her yet, so she walks up to the aged wooden bar and talks to the bartender who looks as old as the pub.

  “How long have those two been here?”

  “Them?”

  Hailey listens to Jude hit an off-key note and scrunches her nose, deciding not to embarrass her homeland. “Yeah, them.”

  “About an hour. But they also decided to go for it,” the bartender points to one of the hundreds of silver mugs dangling from the ceiling. “They killed three pints in rapid succession. They've slowed down a wee bit now.”

  “Ah, that's just fantastic,” Hailey sighs. “What exactly is required to earn the silver mug?”

  “A pint of every beer on tap
.”

  Hailey scans the twelve-meter long bar, eyes growing wide. “There's got to be at least twenty beers on tap!”

  “One keg is down right now, so it's only nineteen. They actually only want one mug, so they're splitting it. Something about a 'mancation'. I swear, you and your made-up words...”

  Hailey looks at her watch and texts one of her friends, telling him to go on to the rugby match without them. She knew she should have given Jude a heads up this morning. The boys and testosterone-driven athletic events are a very bad combination.

  “Is that Hailey? Hailey! Come here, Hailey, come on. You can be our back up!” Jude waves her over, Perry wobbles slightly, and Hailey rolls her eyes.

  By the time they make it back to her flat late that evening, she went from sober to tipsy to sober again, doing her part for the cause. The boys plowed through the rest of the beer, both feeling worse for the wear. She gets some greasy food and plenty of water in them and tucks them into bed. Afterward, she wraps up a paper, trying to let go of her disappointment so it won't spoil the rest of their visit.

  Feeling nature's call, Jude wakes early the next morning, his arm wrapped tight around a warm body. With a certain dread, he pulls away and finds Perry on his side, curled up tightly against him.

  “Ah, God. Not okay. So not okay,” Jude mumbles as he rolls off the futon, clutching his head and swallowing back a brief wave of nausea. He sees a bottle of water and Motrin sitting on the table for both him and Perry. Beside them sits the silver beer stein in all its glory. He's so proud of that thing.

  He takes a leak then returns to Hailey's room, strongly considering relocating her to the air mattress on the floor. Glancing at her desk, he sees three tickets sticking out of an envelope; They are rugby tickets to yesterday's match. He feels like an ass.

  Frowning, Jude looks over at Hailey, buried beneath a mountain of blankets and curled up in a little ball in the center of her bed - one leg sticking out. Checking his watch, he knows she's going to wake up soon. He takes a quick shower, and then goes to the kitchen, keen on making her breakfast.

  The smell of bacon draws Hailey from a dreamless sleep. Blinking into focus, she spies a cup of coffee sitting on her desk. Glancing at the floor, she sees the fully made air mattress and suspects that the wonderful smell is Jude's doing.

  “So, you thought it'd be a good idea to let me sleep with Perry?” Jude says by way of good morning. Hailey slides onto a barstool at the island, cradling her cup of coffee.

  “Hey, you wanted to be cuddle buddies. Who am I to stop true love?”

  “Ugh, you know how handsy I get when I'm drunk,” Jude scowls, placing a plate of French toast, bacon, and fruit in front of her. “Perry snores, you know that? Like a walrus.”

  Hailey chuckles as she eats her breakfast, rolling her eyes at him. “You looked pretty comfy last night. Holding your mug like a trophy.”

  “I want to be buried with that thing, by the way,” he replies as he turns to the stove. “So... I saw the tickets.”

  Hailey pauses mid-bite, eyes glued to him.

  “Sorry... about getting out of control yesterday,” his voice is soft and sincere. “I had no idea.”

  “Don't worry about it,” Hailey waves her hand as though the transgression never occurred. “I should have warned you. I know how you feel about surprises.”

  Perry enters, looking like death warmed over, squinting into the sunlight. Therese follows just behind him, dressed smartly in tennis attire.

  “Hailey, I had no idea your friends were so musically inclined,” Therese smiles, stealing a strawberry from Hailey's plate. “I particularly enjoyed your rendition of Tiny Dancer. The air piano was a nice touch.”

  Hailey is laughing into her hand while Jude gets vague flashes of the evening before; it was something about standing on the coffee table while Perry pirouetted around the living room. He glances at Perry who looks like he wants to crawl under the rock from whence he came.

  Therese and Hailey chat quietly, agreeing on plans for later that night while Jude makes Perry a plate of food. “Want some?” He offers Therese who shakes her head.

  “No, I've got a date with my tennis instructor,” she grins in such a way that indicates it's a date in more than one way. Hailey shakes her head at her, pulling her hair up into a bun.

  “Don't destroy this one, Therese,” Hailey calls after her as she walks to the door. “I can't look him in the eyes on Monday if you rip out his heart!”

  Perry and Jude exchange glances, then looked at Hailey, who turns back to her food. The three settle on plans for the day, agreeing to a casual morning and a visit to some of the less touristy spots. Though not quite at 100%, Jude feels great. He's with his two favorite people having a good time.

  “Hey Jude,” Perry is staring at his phone, frowning. “Did you take a picture of us wearing those beefeater hats yesterday?”

  Eyebrows quirked, Jude shrugs. “No idea, why?”

  “Apparently I posted it to twitter...”

  “No way, let me see,” Jude and Hailey stare at his phone, mouths open.

  “That's pretty amazing,” Hailey says, scanning down the comments beneath the tweet. “People want to know when you two are getting married. Also, you two are adorable. Something about a bromance too, whatever that means. Ah, one person wants to know why I'm not there and if we're even friends anymore.”

  “No, definitely not,” Jude quips. “Can't stand your face.”

  “Knew it, such a shame. We had a good run, eh?” Hailey grins at him, head tilted. He grabs her hand and twirls her around, dipping her slowly.

  “Such a good run,” he whispers, a little too softly. Her smile falters as he brings her up, both following Perry when he starts walking away, immune to their antics.

  “We should post a picture and blow up the internet,” Perry decides assuredly. “It would be pretty awesome, you know.”

  Jude glances at Hailey who's biting her lip, looking down. “Hailey? What do you think? I'm game if you are.”

  She looks up at both of them and gives them a mischievous grin. “Well, if we're going to do it, we better do it right. Because if we don't take pictures, then clearly... it didn't happen.”

  Thus begins the journey on the cheesy red double-decker tour bus and how they stopped at every well-known tourist spot in the city. There are pictures of them in front of Big Ben and Parliament, The Eye, London Bridge, The Old Globe, Buckingham Palace, back to Trafalgar Square, each time in poses more ridiculous than the last: prom pose, hands on waists or feet popped with adoring looks, head-locks, and the goose.

  “I can't believe you lot did all of that in just a few hours,” Therese sips her wine from her seat at the island. They've just recounted their day to her and Karim, both completely enthralled. “You must be exhausted.”

  “Oh, it was pretty fun. Though I'm pretty sure that one guard was going to punch Jude in the face,” Perry says as he sips his water.

  “Whatever, like he hasn't had worse done to him before,” Jude shakes his head, stopping when the front door opens and the amorous blonde enters, followed by three others he vaguely recalls. Hailey follows Jude's gaze and smiles as Marta comes up to her and grabs her wine glass, taking a sip as she gives Jude a lascivious look.

  Taking mercy on him and Perry, Hailey re-introduces them to her the roommates they don't recollect. “Jude, Perry, this is Marta,” she elbows Marta to get her to quit staring at Jude, “Antonio and his girlfriend, Celeste,” Jude looks at a tall, dark-haired man who flashes a smile as he tugs his very short girlfriend along with him down the hallway.

  “And I'm Kris,” the remaining person sticks his hand out, shaking both Jude and Perry's hands. If Jude could describe this guy in one word, it would be pale: straw-blonde hair, light blue eyes, and very pasty, nearly translucent skin. He has a friendly smile, though. “You are Hailey's friends, right?”

  Jude nods as Perry smiles at him. “Where are you from?”

  “Estonia, a great c
ountry. Have you been there?” His accent is thick, but his English is fine.

  Both shake their head, “Sadly, no. What brings you to England?”

  Kris launches into a lively tale of how he came to England to work as a financier while Karim and Hailey set up the tables for dinner. It’s not an uncommon occurrence at their flat; several friends they've collected along the way will be joining them for a communal dinner.

  Marta sets to work, opening bottles of wine and passing out glasses while Therese and Antonio begin making dinner. Hailey returns to her room for a moment, grabbing her sweater. She turns and sees Jude standing in her doorway.

  “What's up?”

  “Nothing,” Jude replies. “You seem quiet. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  Her eyebrows draw together as she pulls on her cardigan. “I'm good. Just chilly.”

  Jude nods, watching her closely. “What's the deal with the blonde one? Marta?”

  Hailey leans against her desk, chuckling. “She's harmless. She enjoys getting under people's skin. It’s kind of a hobby for her. I made the mistake of telling her I grew up with you, so she's just going to try and lure you into a false sense of security before trapping you.”

  Jude's eyebrows shoot up. “She sounds... interesting.”

  Hailey shakes her head. “That sounded much worse than I intended. She's got a heart of gold. But she makes a living studying others and she... she knows how to get to people. She finds the easiest method is by using her sexuality. It’s not uncommon, and from what I've seen, it is very effective too.”

  “When it's a poor unsuspecting fool, yeah.” Jude runs his hand through his hair. “I saw her making out with some chick yesterday morning and then she turned right around and nearly jumped me when she was returning to her bedroom.”

  Hailey nods. “Yeah, that sounds about right. She enjoys sex as an act, but I think she's still trying to understand the emotions behind it.”

  “Got it.” Jude nods as she reaches under her bed to pull out a couple of bottles of wine. “Are these dinners pretty common?”