Adjustments to be made.

At six o'clock, I was still standing in front of my bedroom mirror, trying to decide whether I'd made the right choice with my clothes. I'd settled on dark jeans, a clean black T-shirt and my usual Converse, which seemed like a reasonable compromise between looking presentable and not appearing as though I'd spent three hours getting ready for a film. Heather had already poked her head into my room twice to offer unsolicited advice, the second time suggesting I should borrow one of Dad's jackets to look more mature. I'd told her that if she came back a third time, I'd tell Mom about the weed stash she'd hidden in her room. That had bought me some peace.

I was just checking my phone when I heard the familiar knock on the front door. Rebecca lived next door, so there was no need for her to make some grand arrival in her car. She could simply walk across the short path between our houses, which was exactly what she'd done. Mom answered the door, and I heard Rebecca chatting with her for a moment before calling my name. I grabbed my phone and wallet and headed into the hallway, already regretting that I'd agreed to let her organise my Saturday evening.

Then I saw her.

Rebecca had clearly put more effort into getting ready than I'd initially expected. She wore a fitted top that showed off her figure, paired with a short skirt that made her legs look even longer than usual. Her hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders, and she'd done her makeup just enough to draw attention to her eyes. It wasn't an outfit I'd normally associate with a casual trip to the cinema, but it suited her rather annoyingly well.

She caught me looking and smiled. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“You're staring.”

“I'm appreciating the effort you've put into a cinema trip.”

Rebecca laughed and turned slightly, giving me an exaggerated little twirl. “Well? What do you think?”

As Rebecca spun, I couldn’t help but gaze as the hem of her short skirt lifted up and I caught a very quick glimpse of the base of her bare cheeks. I couldn't help but grin. “You look nice, Becca.”

“Just nice?”

“Very nice.”

“Much better.”

She gave me a satisfied smile before turning towards the door. I followed her outside, pulling it shut behind me, and we walked the few steps towards her house together. Her little hatchback was parked in the driveway, and she unlocked it before climbing into the driver's seat. I settled into the passenger side, still wondering why she'd dressed as though she were heading out to a much more elaborate event than watching a romantic film.

Rebecca settled behind the steering wheel and tried to adjust her position. She slid backwards, then forwards again on the fabric seats, before letting out an irritated sigh.

“What's wrong?” I asked as I buckled my seatbelt.

“Nothing. Mom's been driving this thing all week, and she's left the seat in a stupid position. I can't get it to move closer.”

“There's usually a lever underneath.”

“I know that, genius. I just can't find the bloody thing.”

She shifted in her seat, pulling her ridiculously short skirt down over her thighs before giving me an exasperated look. “Can you have a look? I can't reach it properly from here.”

I leaned across the centre console and looked down towards the space between her seat and the dashboard. The adjustment lever was tucked awkwardly beside the centre console, almost directly between her thighs.

“Seriously? Who designed this thing?”

“My mom, apparently.”

“Right. Well, I'm going to need you to move your legs a bit.”

Rebecca glanced down at where I was reaching, then back up at me with a curious little smile. “Go ahead.”

I reached across her lap, trying to manoeuvre my hand into the awkward gap beside the seat. My fingers brushed against her bare thigh, and I suddenly became rather more conscious of just how little space there was between us. Rebecca went quiet as I leaned further across her, my hand disappearing between her knees as I searched for the lever.

“Oh, there it is,” I muttered.

I managed to find it, but just as I began pulling it, Rebecca let out a small, unexpected sigh. Her knees drew together, gently trapping my hand between them.

I froze. Her legs felt impossibly smooth. Not a hair or prickle to mar them.

She looked down at me innocently, apparently just as surprised by what she'd done. For a second, neither of us said anything.

Then Rebecca gave me a rather sheepish smile. “Sorry,” she murmured. “I'm not used to having you between my legs.”

I stared at her.

She stared back.

Then the corner of her mouth curled upwards. “Don't look at me like that! You were the one who offered to help.”

“You asked me to reach between your legs!”

“To fix the seat!”

“I'm aware of that, Rebecca!”

She burst out laughing, finally releasing my hand so I could pull it back. As I did, I was again taken with how supple her skin was. I sat upright again, feeling my face growing warm, while she adjusted the seat herself easily this time.

“Right,” she said, clearing her throat. “Problem solved.”

I looked at her suspiciously. “You did that on purpose.”

“Did what?”

“Rebecca.”

She turned the key in the ignition, smiling innocently. “Honestly, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.”

I shook my head and looked out of the window, trying to hide my grin. “You're going to be the death of me.”

She laughed as she pulled out of the driveway. “Don't be so dramatic. You love me.”

The words slipped out casually, as though she'd said them a thousand times before. But then she glanced towards me, and for the briefest moment, her smile became a little more uncertain.

I looked back at her. “Yeah,” I admitted. “I do.”

Rebecca turned her attention to the road, but I caught the little smile that lingered on her face. “Good,” she murmured. “Just checking.”

“So… are you planning to make every other girl in the cinema feel underdressed?” I asked, wanting to fill the silence with something as Rebecca drove us to the cinema.

She glanced at me. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“You've dressed up quite a bit.”

She smiled and adjusted the rear-view mirror. “Maybe I wanted to look nice.”

“You usually look nice.”

For a second, she seemed caught off guard by the answer. Then she looked back at me, her smile becoming a little more deliberate. “That's a lovely thing to say.”

“It's also true.”

I couldn't shake the feeling that something about Rebecca's behaviour was slightly different. She'd been curious about Kat and me earlier, asking questions that had seemed innocent enough at the time, but now I wasn't so sure. Every so often, she glanced in my direction, and whenever I caught her doing it, she smiled as though there was some private joke I hadn't quite worked out yet.

“So,” she said eventually, “have you thought any more about what you and Kat are doing?”

I looked across at her. “What do you mean?”

“You know. Dating.”

“We've talked about going on a proper date.”

“And you're looking forward to it?”

“Yeah, I am.”

Rebecca nodded, keeping her eyes on the road. “Good. I'm happy for you.”

She sounded sincere, and I didn't have any reason to doubt her. Still, there was something about the way she'd asked the question that made me wonder whether she was trying to work out how serious things were between us.

“Why all the questions?” I asked.

She looked at me briefly. “Because I'm your best friend, and I'm curious about your love life. Is that a crime?”

“Not yet.”

“Good. I'd hate to have to find another hobby.”

I laughed, and she reached over to give my leg a playful squeeze before returning her hand to the steering wheel.

We arrived at the cinema a few minutes later. Kat had said she'd meet Rebecca there, and I spotted her almost immediately near the entrance, standing beside the posters with her phone in one hand. She'd dressed for a comfortable evening out, wearing loose grey track pants, an oversized top and trainers. Her hair was combed back casually, and she looked as though she'd expected to spend the night eating popcorn and watching a film with her best friend. When she saw Rebecca's car pull up, she smiled and started towards us. Then I climbed out of the passenger seat.

Kat stopped.

Her smile vanished for half a second before returning in a rather uncertain form. She looked at me, then at Rebecca, then back at me again. “What are you doing here?”

I barely had time to answer before Rebecca appeared beside me, looking completely untroubled.

“I invited him.”

Kat stared at her. “You invited him?”

“Yeah.”

“To our girls' night?”

Rebecca shrugged. “I thought it might be fun. He's going to be dating you, isn't he? Seems silly not to spend some time together.”

Kat's cheeks turned pink, and I could see the moment she became conscious of what she was wearing. She glanced down at her track pants and oversized hoodie, then looked at Rebecca's outfit. The difference between them was fairly obvious. Rebecca looked as though she'd dressed specifically to catch someone's attention, while Kat looked as though she'd been planning to spend the evening curled up on a sofa.

“Oh, my God,” Kat muttered.

Rebecca frowned at her. “What?”

“You didn't tell me he was coming!”

“I didn't think you'd mind.”

“Of course I mind! I would have worn something different!”

Rebecca looked genuinely puzzled, or at least did a very convincing job of appearing that way. “Why? You look fine.”

“Fine?” Kat repeated, her voice rising slightly. “I'm wearing track pants!”

“And they're lovely track pants.”

I had to look away to stop myself from laughing.

Kat caught me doing it. “Don't you dare.”

“Sorry.”

“You're not sorry at all!”

I raised my hands defensively. “I haven't said anything.”

“Exactly. You're standing there thinking it.”

Rebecca slipped her arm through mine. “He thinks you look lovely too, don't you?”

I looked between them, suddenly realising that I was very much in the middle of something I didn't fully understand. “Yeah,” I said carefully. “You look nice, Kat.”

Kat gave me a suspicious look. “Are you just saying that because you feel sorry for me?”

“No. I mean it.”

She studied my face for a few seconds before giving me a reluctant smile. “Okay. Thank you.”

Rebecca watched the exchange with a smile that seemed a little too pleased for someone who'd supposedly arranged the evening purely for our benefit. She'd certainly succeeded in getting my attention with her outfit, and I couldn't help noticing that she'd positioned herself beside me while Kat remained on the other side of the car park. It wasn't anything particularly obvious, but there was an almost competitive quality to the way she carried herself, as though she wanted to remind me that she was still the girl I'd spent years falling for.

The thought made me uncomfortable.

I'd been honest with Kat that morning. We were going to give dating a proper chance, and I didn't want to start that relationship by treating her as though she were competing with my best friend. At the same time, Rebecca was still Rebecca. She'd been part of my life for thirteen years, and I couldn't simply switch off every feeling I'd ever had for her because Kat and I had kissed.

“Right!” Rebecca announced, clapping her hands together. “Enough standing around. We've got tickets to collect, and I want popcorn before the film starts.”

Kat shook her head, but she was smiling again. “You're unbelievable.”

“Thank you.”

“That wasn't a compliment.”

“I chose to interpret it as one.”

I laughed as the three of us headed towards the cinema entrance. Rebecca stayed close beside me, while Kat walked on my other side, occasionally bumping her shoulder against mine as we talked. For a few minutes, the awkwardness faded into something more comfortable, and I began to think that perhaps the evening might actually work.

Then we reached the ticket counter, and Rebecca immediately announced that she'd booked the seats. “Three tickets,” she told the attendant, giving our names.

Kat looked at her. “You booked the seats already?”

“Of course.”

“Where are we sitting?”

Rebecca collected the tickets and handed one to each of us. “Middle row. They're good seats.”

I looked at the ticket. Then at the seating numbers. Then at Rebecca. She smiled sweetly.

Kat leaned over my shoulder to look at mine. Her expression changed almost immediately. “Rebecca!”

“What?”

“You've put yourself between us!”

Rebecca took a step towards the entrance, looking entirely unapologetic. “Well, I didn't want to be left out of the conversation.”

Kat stared at her. “You're going to be sitting between two people who are supposed to be trying to date!”

Rebecca turned and smiled at me. “Don't worry. I'll try not to cramp your style too much.”

I looked at Kat, who was shaking her head in disbelief, and couldn't help laughing. I had a feeling Rebecca was going to cramp our style quite a lot.