Bowling alley

Your best friend and my best friend think we’d be really cute together and keep trying to set us up, I am so sorry.

“Steph, you need to stop doing this to us. Honestly”

“I know, but Gwen, you ARE perfect together. George keeps talking about Leo and he is just so damn adorable and he has your sense of humor and…”

“Ok. Fine. Shut up. We’ve been through this already. So the idea is that the guy and I are ‘compatible’, isn’t it?”

Steph nodded. She was way more excited than I was. We had been on four so-called double dates with her and George, only that they weren’t dating, they just really wanted Leo and me to get together somehow. I sighed. They were unbelievable but they were our respective best friends and apparently neither of us could say no to them.

“So where are we headed this time? You know, since I am driving it can’t be a surprise for much longer.”

“Oh right, we’re going bowling. George said it would be great, two against two, we could go boys versus girls and then Leo and you against George and me.” I smiled, there was also the issue that George secretly, or not so secretly, had a crush on Steph and she was oblivious enough not to notice.

I kept driving and turned left at the next corner. We got there a bit early, but the boys had been faster. George was bouncing up and down on his feet, waiting by the door. He was holding a purple tulip and a red poppy and his face lit up when he saw us get out of the car. He gave Steph the poppy shyly and then handed me the tulip.

“Leo told me to give this to you.” He was sort of blushing, but he was good at hiding it. “He’s inside, getting us shoes. Shall we?” He offered his arm to Stephanie and then smiled at me when she took it. It was incredible she could not see how much he liked her.

As they entered the Alley, Leo waved them over and they all settled down at a booth. They ordered a couple cokes and discussed the teams. The first round was girls against boys.

While George taught Steph how to throw the ball, Leo and I sat awkwardly sipping our drinks. I used to hate silence then, so I was racking my head for something to say.

“You know how the game goes, right?” He said. His voice was wonderfully soft and melodious.

“Yep, Steph and I used to come here a lot in Primary School.” I laughed. He looked at me, puzzled, then glanced back at our friends. “She doesn’t know, but she likes him enough not to say anything.”

“He likes her a lot too.”

“Oh, no, she doesn’t like him like that, at least not that I know” I giggled.

“Well, it wouldn’t hurt anyone if she did. They’d be cute together.” I couldn’t help but start laughing.

“You know they say the same thing about us, right?” He choked on his drink and started coughing. He nodded, avoiding to look at me.

“Don’t you think we would, though?” He joked.

“Yes, we'd be wonderful.” I winked.