Let's Be Just Friends

by Camilla Isley

  “I’m just curious. After all the strings she pulled to organize your romantic gateway in France, she must’ve been pretty stone-faced when you dumped her.”

  Tyler stared back at her in confusion.

  “You did dump her, didn’t you?” Rose pressed.

  The dark shadow that passed over his face was enough of an answer.

  “This is exactly why it’ll never work,” Rose said, turning away.

  “Rose, if this is about Georgiana, don’t worry. I can break up with her in a second.”

  “So why haven’t you already?”

  “Rose, it would’ve been awkward. We were in Paris, living in the same house—”

  “And did you sleep with her while you were in Paris, living in the same house?”

  Again, she could read the answer on his face.

  “It didn’t m—”

  “Don’t say it didn’t mean anything.”

  Tyler stood silent, petrified in the middle of the living room.

  “But Rose, I didn’t cheat on you. It’s not like we were together. If you give me a chance, I would—”

  “It doesn’t matter if we were together or not, don’t you see?” Rose could hardly keep it together. Tyler’s declaration of love had thrown her off, and now he was making her so angry. Rose didn’t like how worked up she was getting. “You say you’re in love with me. You say you’ve spent six months thinking about me nonstop. But that didn’t stop you from sleeping with your girlfriend, and that’s the problem.”

  “But we weren’t together,” Tyler protested.

  “It’s irrelevant. Love should be enough for you not to want to fool around with whoever else is available.” Rose’s voice trembled. “You shouldn’t want to sleep with other people if you’re in love with me. Period.”

  “You’re not being fair. Why can’t you give me another chance?”

  “Because if you blew it, then we’d be over for good, and I don’t want that. Plus…” Rose hesitated just for a moment. “I’m kind of seeing someone else.”

  “Who?” Tyler was suddenly cold.

  “Ethan.”

  The name took a moment to register, and Rose witnessed the shock in Tyler’s eyes when it did.

  “Georgiana’s brother?” Tyler hissed. “Are you kidding me? He’s a bigger player than I am.”

  “He’s not, at least not with me.”

  Tyler snorted. “Why does he get a chance and I don’t?” His tone was bitter.

  “Because if I break up with him, it’s just that: a breakup. If we broke up, I’d lose my best friend too, and I don’t want that to happen. Ever.”

  “It’s not fair.” Tyler pouted. “I would never hurt you, Rose, you have to believe that.”

  “Tyler.” Rose moved closer to him. “I do. I know you wouldn’t hurt me on purpose. And I know you think you can behave, but the fact remains… you probably wouldn’t. There’s too much at stake, and I care about you too much. Tyler, if you cheated on me, I would never recover from that. Never. And I’m not willing to take that risk. Plus, I’m happy with Ethan. Really happy.”

  At that, Tyler moved away and started pacing around the living room like a caged lion. “Bullshit, Rose. You care about me too much! If I tell you I can do something, it means I can. It’s all about that dude, isn’t it? Georgiana’s brother was all over you from the moment he set eyes on you.” Tyler sagged on the couch like an empty sack. “Do you love him?”

  The question made Rose’s legs unsteady. Did she love Ethan? She wasn’t sure, but if it wasn’t love, her emotions were something close enough. Rose sat next to Tyler, staring hypnotized at his legs twitching up and down. “Tyler… I honestly don’t know.”

  He looked at her with sadness in his eyes. “I always thought we’d end up together at some point. I never thought I’d blow it so big time, or that I’d be too late.”

  Rose didn’t know what to say to that. She’d felt the same for a long time. Even when she was with Marcus, somehow she’d sensed the relationship wouldn’t last forever. But something had changed between her and Tyler. Rose had had a taste of what her love life with him could turn into. The paranoia, the jealousy, the second-guessing. She hadn’t liked it, and it had made her not like Tyler that much either. Rose didn’t want to not like Tyler; she loved him too much. But Rose didn’t know if she was in love with him anymore, or if she’d ever been truly.

  A long silence lingered between them.

  Tyler spoke first. “Am I?”

  “What?”

  “Too late?”

  Rose closed her eyes to search within herself and decide where she stood. She’d imagined Tyler saying all the things he’d just said to her a million times before. But in all her fantasies she’d been elated, giddy, out-of-this-world happy, and never… empty.

  “Tyler, it wasn’t meant to be between us. Not romantically. Even if I was willing to risk our friendship and give it a shot—which I’m not—the truth is I don’t want to. I’m with Ethan, and I want to be with him. Can we go back to being just friends?” As she asked the question, she felt a bit hypocritical. If she had to be honest, they’d never been just friends. There’d always been something deeper between them—a deeper bond that the sex had ruined. She hoped with all her heart they could find a way back to each other, but she was no longer sure it was possible.

  Tyler stood up from the couch without saying a word. He moved toward the door, opened it, and paused, his back to her. After a few seconds, Tyler stepped outside, slamming the door behind him, not once turning around.

  Twenty

  Ethan

  Ethan drummed his fingers on the leather wheel of his black Mercedes as he waited for the light to turn green. Another red light, and Ethan swore he’d speed through it. The drive through town toward Rose’s apartment was taking ages. Georgiana had just called him to say she was back, that she’d left France two weeks early to be with Vicky, and help her with her final wedding preparations. As happy as Ethan was to have Gigi back home, he was more scared of the three-hundred pound gorilla she’d brought along—Tyler Bronfman.

  Boston felt too small for the two of them, and Ethan didn’t like the idea of Tyler anywhere near Rose. After four months with her, Ethan was in a good place. But now the d-bag was back and Tyler and Rose would see each other every day at school, and possibly outside of it, too.

  The notion irked Ethan in a way he wasn’t prepared to handle. He’d known he was in trouble the night he and Rose met. Rose stirred something in him; she held a power over him that not even Sabrina had had. Ethan wasn’t the jealous type, but with Rose, he’d become possessive in a way he was ready to admit wasn’t normal. And Tyler’s return spiked this urge to new heights.

  Finally, Ethan parked outside Rose’s building and jogged inside, not stopping until he was standing in front of her door. When Rose answered, she had puffy eyes.

  “Have you been crying?” Ethan asked, entering the apartment. “What happened?”

  At once, he noticed a vivid red apple on the kitchen island. He didn’t like the new addition. The thing was too red, too in-your-face, offensive almost. Ethan liked it even less than Rose’s miserable expression, although he wasn’t sure why. Not until he noticed the Fauchon chocolate box next to the apple.

  “Nothing, I’m okay,” Rose said.

  “Found your red thingy?” Ethan asked, aware of the edge in his voice.

  “Mmm, yeah, it’s a present,” Rose replied warily.

  “From Paris?”

  Rose nodded.

  “How did Tyler know you were looking for something red?” Ethan asked between gritted teeth. “I thought you two weren’t talking.”

  “We weren’t, but Tyler knows me.”

  That was an even worse explanation, and Ethan lashed out. “Not twenty-four hours in the country and he’s already been here? What did he want?”

  “Ethan, please don’t get jealous. I’ve had a bad enough morning alrea
dy.”

  “Why? What happened?” Ethan’s hands curled into fists and his knuckles went white. But he was mostly able to stay in control, and he resisted the desire to punch the wall as he listened to Rose’s tale.

  Rose

  Ethan didn’t look good. Rose had wanted to tell him everything, but looking at the cold fury mounting on her boyfriend’s face right now, she wasn’t sure she’d made the right choice. His jaw was set tight and twitching, while his hands were turned into fists, clenched so hard the knuckles were turning stark white.

  “So let me get this straight,” Ethan hissed. “The only reason you’re not with Tyler is because you’re too scared he’d break your heart. Otherwise, you would’ve already run off into the sunset together.”

  “Ethan, that’s not what I said.” Panic flared in Rose’s chest.

  “I must’ve gone deaf, then, because that’s exactly what I heard.”

  Ethan and Rose glared at each other from opposite sides of the room, neither able to talk. Both were panting as if they’d just run a marathon.

  “Ethan, please.” Rose broke first. “Can you calm down? I don’t want to argue with you. I’m just trying to be honest. Can we talk about it without shouting or getting mad?”

  Rose watched him struggle to keep cool—Ethan was clearly beyond mad at this point. He flared his nostrils, paced around the room a couple of times, and finally settled on a stool at the kitchen bar. Rose was actually surprised by how quickly he’d calmed down—for the first time, she appreciated what it meant to be with someone older, more mature. Ethan might be mad, but he wasn’t out of control.

  “I’m listening,” he said. “But I hate the power Tyler still has over you.”

  “Ethan, it’s impossible not to be affected. If Sabrina walked through that door right now, you’d be upset even if you haven’t seen her in five years. We’re humans, not robots.”

  “I’m not in love with Sabrina,” Ethan said pointedly.

  “And I’m not in love with Tyler.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “Listen, I care about him, and I always will. But no, I’m not in love with Tyler. I’m not sure I ever was.”

  Ethan’s shoulders relaxed.

  “The nerve of that dude,” he grumbled. “He still hasn’t broken up with my sister, and he came here to get all over you. Makes me want to punch him.”

  “Please don’t. I’m happy with you, and I don’t need anyone else. But Tyler is still a big part of my life.”

  Ethan shrugged, annoyed.

  “I know you don’t like our friendship,” Rose pressed, “but can you accept it?”

  Ethan was silent for a few tension-charged minutes, making Rose wonder what was going on inside his head. Finally, he looked up and pinned her with a hard stare.

  “Talk to me,” Rose whispered.

  “I’ve been in this situation before.” Ethan shook his head. “With Sabrina, I’d noticed one stare too many between her and Max, but I didn’t trust my instincts. I couldn’t believe what was right before my eyes. I didn’t want to. And I ended up being made the fool. I won’t make the same mistake twice.

  “Rose, I trust you, so I’ll ask you one last time: Are you sure Tyler is just a friend to you? After everything that happened? And please, be honest. I couldn’t stand walking in on you and him together. So if you’re not one hundred percent sure, if you need time to think things through, just say so. I’d much rather we end things now, clean. If you say there’s nothing between you two, you have to mean it.”

  Ethan’s speech was so full of passion it made Rose’s tingle all over. Her body practically sang with warmth.

  “Ethan, I do mean it,” she said. Rose closed the distance between them and cupped his face in her hands. She didn’t need to think about it, she was sure. “I want to be with you. Only you.” Rose leaned in and kissed him.

  He tugged her into a bone-crushing hug that told Rose how scared he’d been over possibly losing her. She smiled.

  “I prefer you when you smile,” Ethan said.

  “I prefer you when you’re kissing me.”

  “Ah, Miss Atwood, I must oblige you then.” He kissed her again. And after breaking the kiss, he added, “What do you say we make it official?”

  “How?”

  “My sister, Vicky, is getting married in two months. She’s been pestering me to know if I’m going alone or with a date. Would you like to be my plus one?”

  “Whoa! And meet the entire Smithson clan, are you sure?”

  “As I’ll ever be. I promise they don’t bite.”

  Rose hesitated, and Ethan stiffened in her arms.

  “I mean, if you don’t want to, I completely understand. You don’t have to come. I can go alone.”

  “No, I want to… but…”

  Ethan raised his brows.

  “Will Georgiana be okay with me coming? I mean, I don’t want to create an awkward situation at your sister’s wedding. Everyone in your family should be relaxed and able to enjoy the day, Georgiana included. If she still hates me…”

  “As long as she’s with Tyler, I don’t see why she should have a problem.”

  “You think Georgiana will go with Tyler?”

  “She already told Vicky she would.”

  “And don’t you think that’s going to be even more awkward?”

  “To be honest, I don’t care. Georgiana is my sister, and you are you. If we stay together, you girls will have to learn how to talk to each other while keeping your claws sheathed. And I want you to meet my family.”

  “I don’t have claws,” Rose protested.

  “You sure?”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “So you’re coming?”

  “I guess so. I mean, it’s only a day. How bad can it be?”

  “Oh. I should’ve said the wedding is on Martha’s Vineyard… for the entire spring break.”

  “You bastard.”

  “I’m sure you can survive.”

  “Isn’t the middle of March too early to go to Martha’s Vineyard?”

  “What can I say, my family is weird. And Vicky loves the island at the end of winter.”

  “How can a wedding last for a week?”

  “I’ve no idea.” Ethan tucked her in closer to him, and Rose felt reassured that with him by her side, she could endure an entire week of Georgiana. And maybe after France, Georgiana didn’t hate her so much. Rose could only hope.

  Twenty-one

  Georgiana

  Georgiana pulled on a hairband to keep her hair out of her face. “Can I use your concealer?” she asked Vicky.

  They were doing their makeup in Vicky’s hotel room on Martha’s Vineyard. The same way they used to when they were younger and both lived with their parents. A giant mirror lined the upper half of a wall with a cozy shelf underneath that now resembled a beauty booth. Downlights in the ceiling completed the setup, making it better than a professional dressing room.

  “Use this one,” Vicky said, passing her a stick with a built-in brush. “It’s the best.”

  Georgiana and her sister shared the same pale complexion, dark hair, and sparkly blue eyes. Same as Ethan, same as their father when he was younger, before stress and age turned his hair to white.

  Georgiana flicked the brush all around her eyes and while she waited for her skin to absorb the liquid concealer, she turned in her chair to look at Vicky.

  “What do you think of the stray?” she asked.

  On their second night on the island, after a day of studying Rose and Tyler interact, Georgiana wanted a second opinion.

  “Come on, Gigi,” Victoria said. “Rose isn’t a stray. She seems perfectly nice to me.”

  “She’s a sneaky little ho. I can’t believe Ethan brought her here, and that he dumped Alice for that bitch.”

  “Who’s Alice?”

  “One of my best friends and my sorority little sister,” Georgiana explained. “
You met at Christmas, the year before last. Madison’s friend who came to the house?”

  “Yeah, I remember her.”

  “Anyway, Alice was dating Ethan when Rose stole him. That’s what she does.”

  “I don’t know. What if Ethan was over your friend? After Sabrina, he’s gone through so many girlfriends.”

  “Exactly. So why stick to the stray? He must be out of his mind.”

  “He seems a little out of his mind,” Victoria agreed. “But in a Sabrina-out-of-his-mind way.”

  Georgiana lowered the sponge she was using to apply foundation and threw her sister an evil glare through the mirror. “You think he’s in love with her?”

  “Gigi, you’re blind if you haven’t noticed.”

  “I hoped he wouldn’t be so stupid.”

  “Why? I haven’t seen Ethan this cheerful in years. You should be happy for him.”

  “I would be if it was anyone but her.”

  “Didn’t you ask him to go out with her a while ago?”

  “Yeah, but only because he usually chews girls up and spits them out in the blink of an eye. I never thought he’d be so dumb as to actually fall for her. And that was before he was dating Alice, anyway.”

  Before her sister could reply, there was a knock at the door. Only one eye done, Vicky closed the mascara stick she was using and went to answer.

  “Hi,” Madison, their younger cousin, said.

  “What are you doing here?” Georgiana asked.

  “I invited her.” Vicky gave her a pointed, be-good stare in the mirror.

  Madison blushed. “If you were talking, I can come back later.”

  Geez. Her cousin was such a pushover Georgiana almost didn’t enjoy teasing her. It was too easy.

  “Actually, yeah,” Georgiana said. “We were having a private conversation. So if you don’t mind…” She made a shoo gesture.

  Madison was already turning toward the door when Vicky stopped her. “Don’t be silly, Madison.” Victoria took Madison’s hand and made her sit in front of the giant mirror. “We were only discussing Ethan’s new girlfriend.”