"Finally made it, huh?" Louis snorts and jugs the last drop of his beer.
I merely roll my eyes at that comment and round the corner of the booth to take a seat across from them. Honestly, I'm not in the usual mood to drink, but I will look like a fool if I just get soda or anything that isn't alcohol. I don't know what to get, so I'm eyeing Jay's drink in front of him. "What did you get? Scotch?"
Jayson lifts his glass, swirling his drink before answering me, "Bourbon."
Not his go-to, but still a good choice. I motion to the bartender to get me the same one as Jay and she brings me one a few minutes later. I stare at my beverage for a good while before actually taking a sip. The ember liquor burns right through. Strong, but it's nice. Nevermind. I like drinking.
"Yeah, I don't get how you guys can drink highly concentrated alcohol like that. Making it look like you're jugging a glass of soda." Louis comments, ordering two more bottles of his beer. Cheapskate. We're in a fancy bar, at least get something more up to standard. But to each their own.
"And we don't understand how you get the shittiest beer in every bar we go What are you? A kid?" Jay says with a snort.
"Oh, shut up." Louis shoots him a glare before taking another sip.
I shake my head in amusement. These two are always at each other's throats for some reason. It's quite funny sometimes, but I'm not here to be entertained by them. So, I look around. It's a quiet today, which is a little surprising. It's Friday night, and I honestly expected more people, but the place is pretty empty, except for a few tables in the back and us, of course.
"Anyway," Jay turns to me with an eyebrow raised. "What's up your ass?"
I scrunch my nose, going into full defense mode. "What the hell? Nothing's up my ass."
Jayson scoffs, taking a sip of his drink. "Really? Then why are you so grumpy tonight?"
"Isn't he always grumpy? At least, around us?" Louis jokes, but my glare shuts him right up.
Am I grumpy? No. Just a little tired, that's all. Just then, an image of Charlie pops into my head. The way his cheeks flared up every time I made us lose in that stupid video game. The sound of his giggling whenever I pressed the wrong button on the controller.
"Oh! Now he's smiling,"
I lift my head to Louis, seeing that stupid smirk on his face and shrug him off. "Get off my back, you two. Aren't we here to enjoy the night?"
Though my enjoyment is short-lived, as a certain guy keeps my mind occupied. I could have played more rounds with Charlie, but no, today just had to be guys' night. Lucky for them, I love guys' night.
"Alright. Whatever," Louis says, throwing his head back with a sly grin. "How about we go to the club right down the street after this? Heard it's popular."
Jay nods, being all nonchalant like he always is. "Yeah, sure. Why not?"
They both turn to me, and I realize I haven't said anything. I'm pretty sure I have a scowl on my face too. Not to get me wrong, I do like clubbing. I go like once every two weeks to let some steam off, and quite frankly, I haven't been in a long time. But for some reason, I'm not feeling like going tonight.
"Count me out on this one," I say, shifting in my seat. "I'll head home right after this."
Louis' brows shot up in mock-disbelief. "What! You're refusing to go clubbing? Who are you and what have you done to Blake?"
Oh my god. I roll my eyes at his stupid comment. It's not that big of a deal. Okay, I never missed a night out trip, but I've got better things to do now.
"What? Got a partner now?" Jay shoots me a curious look, his lips hovering above his glass.
"Woah, is that it? You got a girlfriend, dude?" Louis asks, his stupid blue eyes piercing through mine.
No. Definitely not a girlfriend. "No, I just have some stuff I need to do."
"Like?" Louis prods, his brows wriggling in anticipation, which just looks absolutely weird.
I sigh, knowing telling lies to them isn't going to take me anywhere. So, the truth it is. "I'm working on a Web Comic with someone. I'm planning on drawing the first chapter tonight."
I've been putting it off for a while now, not finding the right time, because I'm juggling between classes and work. But tomorrow's the weekend, and all my shifts are done for the week. I'm lucky enough that Charlie is so chill about it. He never stresses me about it either. For some reason, I thought he was going to annoy me with it, but he hasn't pressured me at all and always tells me to work on the Web Comic in my free time. However, it still doesn't shake off his stupid happy expression whenever we're meeting up to talk about the comic. He just gets all giddy, making me feel all happy that I'm part of this project.
"A web- what now?" My images of Charlie fade as I look at Louis and his dumbfounded face.
"A Web Comic," Jay answers for me, tilting his head towards Louis. "It's a comic. You know, a comic you read online. Hence why it's called a Web Comic."
Louis hums, not getting it, but I'm too lazy to inquire any further, and it seems like he isn't that interested anyway.
Though Jayson seems to be rather intrigued, leaning closer to me. "A Web Comic, huh? Since when did you want to make one? Didn't you say you draw for fun only?"
I shrug, letting out a little sigh. "Charlie asked me if I wanted to make one with him. I saw no problem and agreed."
"I see," Jay says in this weird tone, and I know exactly what that look means.
I swallow the rest of my drink, hissing before I turn my gaze back at him. "I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong. Nothing's going on, Jay."
Jayson rolls his eyes, telling me exactly he isn't believing shit I'm saying. I just flip him off, noticing how Louis watches us with a confused look on his face. But I ignore them both, ordering some shots instead. I wasn't lying, though. Nothing's going to happen between Charlie and me. He's just so much different from the guys I've hooked up with before. And he definitely doesn't swing that way. I keep telling myself, so why do I find it hard getting him out of my head? It's probably the alcohol. Yeah, blame it all on the alcohol, Blake.
"Come on in." I smile, gesturing for Charlie to come in.
He seems shy at first, but eventually lets himself into my home. Yeah, my home. My house. I don't know how it came to this, but he's here right now. Not that I'm complaining. I texted him earlier, saying that I started working on the first episode, and he was whipped. Excited was an understatement. Charlie literally didn't stop texting me, asking for all the details and how it was going. So, as a joke, I said he should just come over and watch me, or even better, help me. But I didn't think he would take it seriously. Again, I'm not complaining, though.
"So…" Charlie speaks, his eyes still roaming all over my place. "How do you want me to help you?"
Quite frankly. He doesn't need to. Really. But those big eyes staring at me, waiting for a command coming out of my mouth, it's hard to bring myself to deny his help.
"I was just kidding. I didn't think you would actually show up," I say and head towards my kitchen to offer him a glass of water. Charlie follows me, his hooded eyes never leaving me.
"Oh…" his sentence trails off, and I instantly regret my choice of words. He looks like a kicked puppy now, with his gaze locked onto the floor.
"I'm not kicking you out, Charlie."
He grumbles, cupping the back of his neck. "No, I know. I mean, I still want to help you out. But I can also leave if I'm in the way."
I shake my head, "You're not in the way, Charlie. I just never worked with someone before or let someone help me with drawing, you know? I'm not sure what to task you with."
Charlie nods, a flash of understanding in his expression. He hums, shifting from one foot to another, and I'm content just watching him like this, all focused and serious. Then he moves his alluring black eyes from the counter to meet mine. "You're already done with the art line on a few panels, right?"
I nod. Mostly done but not quite there yet.
"I could, if you don't mind," he stops, licking his bottom lip as if he is unsure of my answer, before he continues. "I can fill in the base colors. Do some basic shading and all that. What do you think?"
I raise an eyebrow in curiosity. "You know how to do that?"
Charlie snorts in response, waving his hand and looking all proud. "Of course, I do. I told you I tried to make my own comic before, but I suck at drawing. Though I did learn how to do the basics."
I chuckle, amused by his confidence despite saying he sucks at drawing. I mean, there's no harm in letting him do it, right? We are doing this Web Comic together and it will surely be to my advantage if he helps me. Besides, I can't deny that pouty but adamant expression of his.
"Alright," I huff a smile and make my way into my office. Charlie follows me close behind like a damn puppy, his eyes all over me as I grab my iPad and Apple pen from one of the drawers of my desk. "I'll give you my iPad to work with. You know how to use it?"
Charlie nods and grabs the iPad from my hands. "Yeah, I do. It's literally just an iPad."
"That's not what I meant," I chuckle, and with a flick of my finger, I unlock the tablet, opening the art app I use to draw. "You don't need to change the brush settings or anything like that. I'll send you the panels that are ready for flat colors, and you can fill them in."
I continue to explain some more details on the app, things he should take note of or tips that make drawing a little easier, such as showing him the bucket tool or how to use layers efficiently. Charlie listens to all my instructions, his eyes glued to the device while nodding after each word I utter. If I weren't so immersed in this as well, I would've definitely cracked a smile by now.
Charlie quickly makes himself comfortable and goes straight to work. I watch him for a few moments before turning my attention to my computer. I have a drawing tablet attached to my laptop and continue to draw the art line of the remaining panels of the first chapter.
Occasionally, I look over my shoulder to take a glance at Charlie. From the looks of it, though, there is nothing to worry about. He's just scribbling and doodling away like a kid. It's weird. I've never let anyone contribute to my art before. Not even Jayson, not that he's interested anyway. But for some reason, I have no issues when it comes to Charlie.
"Do you live alone?"
That question came so sudden and unexpected that I had to stop drawing for a second. It was so quiet for the longest time, just us two of us minding our business, working on our devices. I don't know why he suddenly had the urge to ask.
"Yeah, I do," I answer, keeping my hand busy again and my eyes never leaving my computer. I can hear from behind me how Charlie stopped drawing. So, I turn around thinking something is wrong, but I just find him looming all over my office now, his eyes wide in curiosity.
"I've been meaning to say," he starts and walks closer to me. "Your apartment is huge. Not that I'm saying it's not cosy, but it's so large for one person."
That makes me think. I've never really shown him my place properly. What kind of host am I? I set my pen down and get up from my chair. "I know it's late, but do you want a tour?"
Charlie turns to look at me, his lips curling up and eyes gleaming. There it is. He's so bad at hiding his expression whenever he's excited. I nod towards the door and we both head out of the office. My apartment isn't that big, or at least I never thought it was, but seeing Charlie's eyes roam all over my place, maybe it really is a little big for one person.
"Why do you have two bedrooms if you live alone?" Charlie asks after I finish showing him my place.
"My sister often crashes here when she's in town," I reply as we make our way back into the office.
Charlie hums, his eyes widening. "You have a sister?"
"Yeah, she's older than me and works in Glasgow, but she often comes to visit me."
"That's so sweet," Charlie smiles, and I could swear he has dimples. It's just so small and faint that it doesn't pop out whenever his lips tug.
"Nah, it's not sweet at all," I sigh and sit on my chair, leaning my head back. "She always shows up unannounced and it's annoying."
"I get that," he laughs. My heart's doing backflips seeing him so soft and laughing. "My brother also always shows up at my place at random times. I always tell him to text me in advance, but he just doesn't. I guess all older siblings are like that, huh?"
I chuckle and nod, "Yeah, I guess so."
Then Charlie goes on and talks about how annoying his older brother is. Telling stories of when they were kids and how he always got what he wanted since he was the youngest. I could relate for the most part, I'm the youngest too, but unlike Charlie's brother, my sister is just straight up mean. A devil. Still love her, though.
It always takes me by surprise how time passes by so fast whenever I'm with Charlie. All we did was talk and draw, but I honestly don't want the day to end yet.
"Can I come again some time?" Charlie asks, and I nod almost immediately. "So, we can finish up the rest of the panels?"
Ah, right. He wants to come over for the comic. Of course, that's the case, so why did my heart just drop? Well, if he comes over again, then I get to see him again. So, a win is a win.
I lean closer to him and just nod, "Yeah, I look forward to it."
The Web Comic, of course. I look forward to working on it together again, not because Charlie's coming over.