Chapter 9 – Cole's POV

Beth dragged me by the hand in the pub. I followed her obediently, trying not to overthink this and freak out.

I had never gone out as Beth's boyfriend before. I had no idea how her friends would react and if they would like me. Was I supposed to do everything I could to win them over, or should I just act normally? I never had a girlfriend before. I didn't know what to do.

And it wasn't just about her friends liking me. It was also about how we should interact with each other. Maybe we wouldn't be fun together as a couple.

I looked down at our hands, my fingers interlocked with hers.

I smiled. Everything was going to be okay.

I easily spotted the table where her friends were sitting. They were waving enthusiastically at us.

Nikki was there too, so it was nice to know Beth wouldn't be the only one I knew there.

"Hey everyone, this is Cole," Beth said as soon as we reached the table.

Her three friends introduced themselves quickly around the table. Nikki also made a show of articulating her name slowly to introduce herself, like I didn't already know her.

They all looked friendly. I wasn't exactly surprised though. Beth wouldn't make friends with just anyone.

"It's nice to finally meet you. We've heard of you, but not much about you," Deirdre said.

I pressed a hand to my chest while sitting down beside Beth. "Are you telling me that when I'm not there, Beth is not constantly bragging about me, and only talking about me all the time? I'm quite disappointed."

That made Beth's friends laughed.

I was happy.

"So, what do you do when you're not in town distracting Lili simply with your presence?" Mila asked me.

"I work at a law firm in New York that specializes in humanitarian cases. We're trying to help change adoptions laws right now so it's more accessible to everyone," I explained, rambling a little, to make sure they knew I wasn't a shady lawyer working for a big corporation.

"That's pretty neat," Lucas said.

I thanked him. He looked like an easy-going guy, someone I could probably be friends with too.

A waiter came to our table to ask about our order. I skimmed through the simple menu quickly and ordered a burger.

"What do you want to drink?" he asked me.

"Oh, just water is fine," I answered.

I heard disappointed moans all around the table.

"Just water?" Deirdre asked.

"I'm not much of a drinker," I explained.

"Bring him a glass, we'll get a pitcher," Lucas answered for me.

"Is this that peer-pressured drinking I've heard so much about?" I laughed.

"Aw, poor American," Lucas crooned.

"I love the way that in Europe you say American like it's an insult," I said, amused.

"Oh, it's not just in Europe honey, it's everywhere in the world," Deirdre teased me.

"Fine. I'll have whatever you're drinking," I conceded.

"Your strongest stout it is!" Lucas told the waiter.

I leaned down a little towards Beth, "Strongest stout?"

"I'll drink for you if it's too much," she told me, and to her friends said, "give the poor American a break, he's just used to drinking sad beer."

"That's fine. Tonight, we shall educate him in the art of drinking," Lucas announced.

I smiled at their antics.

I enjoyed seeing the friendship between Beth and her friends. I was used to seeing her interacting with her brother and Maika and with Nikki, but not so much with people unrelated to her, people she hadn't known her whole life.

She felt like a different Lilibeth somehow, but still entirely herself too.

It was hard to explain, but one thing was sure, I loved seeing her, smiling effortlessly around her friends, exchanging inside jokes and laughs, getting along and being happy.

Once we had our drinks and our food, her friends started to get curious.

"Who kissed who first?" Deirdre asked.

"She kissed me first," I answered.

"Ooooooh!" everyone said around the table.

"Who said I love you first," Mila asked.

"He did. But I totally loved him first," Beth answered this time.

I shook my head, not agreeing with that entirely. "She did not. I loved her first."

Beth laughed, shoving my arm playfully. "You didn't."

"I did."

"Eh no."

"Do you feel unbearably single right now? Because I know I do," Deirdre told Lucas.

He rolled his eyes at her. "I'm not single."

"Your girlfriend is still in France. You're single honey," she told him, patting his cheek, leaning against him.

"You're single. I'm in a long-distance relationship."

"Oh, I'm also in a long-distance relationship with the girl of my dreams. She just doesn't know it yet and I have no idea who she is," she ranted, making everyone laugh.

"That's fair," he nodded.

"How long have you two been dating anyway?" Lucas asked us.

Beth frowned, looking at me like I had the answer. "Oh, how long?"

I shrugged. "I don't know... like, all our lives?"

"I gueeess," Beth said, her eyes narrowing, nodding a little.

Mila chuckled. "What are you two saying?"

"Well, I never really asked her to be my girlfriend officially. It was kind of always implied that she was," I told them.

Nikki just sort of snickered beside us. She already knew all the gory details of our relationship.

"What?" Deirdre said, snorting.

"So, like we don't have an official anniversary," I admitted.

"True," Beth nodded, and drank from her glass.

"We'll have to wait for me to propose to have an actual anniversary, I guess."

Beth almost spit out her beer. She wiped her mouth. "You did not just say that."

I laughed. "What?"

She laughed too, pressing her forehead against my shoulder.

I kissed her hair with a smile.

Her friends made gagging sounds all around the table.

And suddenly, I wasn't worried about us out as a couple at all anymore.

Her friends kept ordering more and more booze, like it was just normal to drink so much.

I was never a good drinker. Even in college, I was usually the one keeping an eye on Jayden and being a responsible good boy.

I was also a lightweight.

Lilibeth Eaton could drink me under a table quite easily. The few times we'd drank together, we realized this very sad fact.

Still, I tried to keep up as well as I could with her friends, while they roped me into their silly drinking games.

When it was time for everyone to leave, because they had classes tomorrow, I was not sober anymore.

Her friends were just happily tipsy. I was a drunk queen.

Everyone headed in different directions. Nikki wasn't walking with us.

"Hey, you're not coming home with us?" I yelled after her.

"No thaaaaank you," she replied, flipping me off.

I just waved at her. "Byyyyyyyye. Bye Nikki. Byyyyyye NIKKAY!"

Beth covered her eyes with her hand. "Jesus."

I gave Beth a silly proud grin and she laughed at me.

It felt like I could feel the Earth spinning. Maybe I was getting a superpower after drinking so much.

Everything was spinning, and my head was heavy, but it was warm in my chest and I couldn't help grinning and feeling happy and giddy.

I started to sing in the streets, while Beth just laughed, holding my hand, to reel me back to her every time I tried to stray away to dance around.

I wasn't complaining. I loved her hand in mine. I loved everything of hers against anything of mine.

I stopped walking and grabbed the back of her head, kissing her.

I took a step back, and stumbled on my feet a little. "I'm drunk in love babaaay, just like Beyoncé," I told my girlfriend.

Beth just shook her head, amused. "Yeah, you definitely are, now, come on you drunk cutie," she said, leading the way.

____________

Happy Tuesday my little Pumpkins! <3

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Beth and Cole are out and about. Tipsy Cole always amuses me so he's going to be fun in the next chapter to. hehehe

Anyway, I have to go to bed now!

See you guys tomorrow! :D