Char

by Amare, Mercy

  “Absolutely. I can’t wait to see you. But I have to go. I’m pretty sure there is about to be a round two.”

  “Ew! Remember to wrap it before you tap it.”

  He laughs. “Trust me, I will. This ones a little crazy.”

  “Later,” I say.

  “Bye.”

  I hang up the phone, and fall back onto my bed. I wonder for a moment if I should feel jealous that Aaron was with another girl, but I’m not. It would be stupid to be jealous, because he’s my best friend. I definitely don’t see him as anything more, but part of me is sad because it feels like we are both moving on. I’ve been here two days, and already I have a new friend… and he’s already found somebody to share his bed with.

  My phone vibrates, and I look to see a text from Aaron.

  Aaron: You will always be my favorite girl. She’s just a filler until you finally realize that you’re in love with me.

  Me: LOL. I do love you. Always.

  Aaron: Just remember that. And do me a favor. Don’t fall in love with Tristan.

  I don’t know how to respond. I read his message about ten times. But I can’t reply. I want to tell him that I won’t. Because I won’t. But for some reason, I can’t type the words. My phone vibrates again. This time, it’s a text from Tristan.

  Tristan: Will be in front of your place in 10 minutes. We are getting breakfast, and you are spending the WHOLE DAY with me. Be prepared.

  Me: What if I say no?

  Tristan: You won’t. 9 minutes.

  I look down at my pajamas and run to my closet. I’ve got nine minutes to look cute. Or at least look like I didn’t just wake up.

  11am

  Filler girl.

  I get dressed, brush my teeth, and fix my hair in record time. Twelve minutes later, I am sitting in Tristan’s limo. Not bad. I’ve never gotten ready so quickly before.

  “You’re late.”

  “You can’t expect a girl to get ready in ten minutes,” I say, scooting beside him.

  “Well you certainly managed just fine. You’re very pretty.”

  Pretty? No girl wants to be pretty. I want to be hot. Or sexy. “Um, thanks.”

  “So today, we are going to be tourists. What is it that you want to see?”

  I think about his question. “Jersey Shore.”

  “Jersey Shore is still pretty messed up from the hurricane that hit,” he tells me. “We could go to the empire state building?”

  “Meh. Seen one big building, you’ve see them all.”

  He laughs. “Well, we could go see the Statue of Liberty.”

  “I did that when I was a kid.” One of the times I actually visited my dad he took Chloe, Candice, and I. Then he got called into the office, so we had to go back home. That was when I realized that my dad didn’t care about me or my sisters.

  “Times square?” he asks.

  “Yes! But lets go at night.”

  “Okay. Let’s start with breakfast, and we’ll go from there.”

  The limo stops in front of a cafe, and the driver opens the door for us. We get out and walk inside. On the inside, it looks more like a ball room than a restaurant. The ceilings are tall, and matching chandeliers hang down from each section.

  “Tristan Becker,” he tells the hostess.

  Really? We had to have reservations for breakfast? I look at the time on my phone and see that it’s actually closer to lunch time. Still, who makes breakfast or lunch reservations?

  “Right this way, Mr. Becker.”

  We follow the hostess to a room in the back… A private room. Really? He does know this isn’t a date, right? Maybe I should clarify.

  “My dad owns the building,” Tristan tells me as the hostess leaves. “They always go out of the way to make us feel like royalty.”

  Oh right. Becker Industries. I wonder what else they own.

  After we order breakfast, I excuse myself to go to the bathroom. I got ready in such a rush that I didn’t have time to go before I left the house. The bathroom is… immaculate. Probably one of the cleanest public restrooms I’ve ever been in.

  When I get back to the table, Tristan has my phone in his hand.

  “Your phone keeps going off.” He hands it to me.

  I look through the texts. They’re all from Aaron.

  Aaron: I’m not at all liking your silence.

  Aaron: Please, just text me back. And tell me that you’re definitely NOT going to fall in love with him.

  Aaron: Okay, seriously? Now I’m freaking out. I’m about to get on a fucking plane and fly to NYC.

  Oh right. I forgot to text him back this morning. Crap. I look up at Tristan. “Did you read any of that?”

  “Just the part where he told you not to fall in love with me, and you didn’t reply,” he says. “I might have also read something about him flying to New York if you didn’t reply.”

  Right. Of course.

  “I take it Aaron is your ex-boyfriend?”

  “What? No way. He’s been my best-friend since I was five. In fact, I was dating somebody else for the past year. I broke up with him a few days ago when I found him cheating on me. Aaron doesn’t like me like that.”

  “Sounds like he does.”

  “No way,” I say. “I called him this morning, and he was totally in bed with another girl.”

  “Right. The filler girl.”

  “He always talks like that with me. He’s definitely not in love with me. He’s my best friend, and nothing more. I promise.” As the words leave my mouth, my phone starts vibrating. Aaron is actually calling me.

  “Are you going to get that?”

  I sigh, and answer it. “Aaron, what’s up? I’m busy.”

  “Oh my God. Are you with Tristan?” Aaron asks. I can hear the disgust in his voice.

  “Yes. I am with Tristan. What’s the big deal? I thought you were having round two with that girl…”

  He laughs. “Actually, that was more like round four. But whatever. I kicked her out after I banged her.”

  “You’re a jerk.”

  “Whatever,” he says. “But seriously, why are you hanging out with Mr. Columbia?”

  “Because Mr. Columbia is my friend. Get over it. I’m hanging up now.”

  “Wait!” He says. “Just promise you won’t fall in love with him.”

  “I don’t feel like I should promise you anything. You do know I just caught my boyfriend of one year cheating on me like five days ago, right? I’m not falling in love with anybody right now. I’m hanging out. With a friend. And I’m being rude. So I’m hanging up.”

  I end the call, and look up at Tristan. He looks amused.

  “Sorry. Aaron is… overprotective.” Overprotective. Crazy. And extremely annoying sometimes. “But he’s my best friend. So yeah, I deal with it. Maybe you can meet him on Labor Day. He’s coming to visit. I was thinking about going to my dad’s house in Hamptons.”

  “My dad has a house there too. Actually, it’s right next to your dad’s house on the beach.”

  I’ve been to my dad’s house a few times. It’s a nice house, and it’s big. But the house next to it is like enormous. Bigger than a lot of hotels I’ve stayed at. “Um… You live in that museum?”

  “My dad likes to show off,” he says.

  “Your dad must be loaded.”

  Tristan looks uncomfortable, so he changes the subject. “So since you wanted to go to Jersey Shore, I was thinking we could go to Coney Island instead. It was affected by the storm, but they’ve cleaned it up, and repaired most of it.”

  “Sure. Coney Island sounds fun.” I haven’t been to Coney Island before. Dad promised to take us when I was a kid, but then he ditched us… as always.

  As we eat breakfast, the topic definitely goes to a lighter subject and my mind goes to Aaron. I don’t know what is up with him, but I really hope he stops acting so crazy. We’ve been friends for a long time, and I really hope he doesn’t have more than just friendly feelings for me. I don’t want to throw away ou
r friendship. Ever.

  And mostly, I hope he doesn’t have those feelings for me, because I don’t feel the same way. I mean, I’m attracted to him. He’s extremely cute. But I’m not in love with him the way a girl should love a guy she’s dating.

  I push the thoughts to the back of my head and decide to just enjoy the rest of my day with Tristan.

  8pm

  Coney Island

  We spend the whole day at Coney Island riding roller coasters, eating junk food, and playing carnival games. The sun is going to set soon, so we are about to leave for Times Square.

  “There is one more thing I want to do before we leave,” Tristan tells me. “We have to ride the ferris wheel. The sun is about to set, and it’s the perfect time.”

  My eyes get big. “I’m scared of heights.”

  He laughs. “You rode the roller coaster, and you definitely didn’t look scared then.”

  “That’s because on a roller coaster you’re only high for a second, and there are all those straps that secure you. On a ferris wheel there really isn’t much keeping you from falling out.” I bite my lip.

  “Oh, come on Char. I’ll be there, and I promise you won’t fall.”

  “No way.” Absolutely not happening.

  I can tell from the look on his face that he’s definitely not going to take NO for an answer. “You’re Charlotte York, and you’re not scared of anything… Besides, the best way to conquer your fears is by facing them.”

  “Maybe…” I really should face my fear. I’ve always wanted to ride the ferris wheel.

  He grabs my hand. “Come on. We’ll just do it, and you’ll be glad you did.”

  I nod. “Fine. I’ll do it. But if I fall off, it will be on your conscience for the rest of your life. And be warned that my ghost will haunt you.”

  He grins. “You won’t regret it. I promise.”

  We get in line, and he holds my hand. Maybe I should pull away, but I don’t. I like it there. His hand is bigger than Landon’s. For some reason, when I hold his hand I feel less nervous.

  “So tell me about your ex-boyfriend.”

  Oh wow. I didn’t expect Tristan to ask that. “Well, his name is Landon. His brother is Steven Tate—”

  “Steven Tate? Like the guy from Paper Fences?”

  I nod. “Yeah. He moved to California when his brother’s band started making it big. I liked him because he was normal. The best part was that he didn’t know me or my sisters. He treated me like a normal human, but at the same time, he has always been a jerk. Like he would take me to our school dances and not dance with me. And then he would complain if I wanted to dance with any of my friends. I overlooked it because he was awesome in other ways. And he was sweet. But then money started going to his head, and he started acting like he was the shit. I continued to overlook it. Aaron was so mad at me for it. I honestly started getting sick of it too, but instead of talking to him about it I just spent more time with my friends. I guess I thought it would get better, but it didn’t. A few days ago I went over to his house early in the morning and he was in bed with another girl. He wasn’t expecting me because I usually surfed at that time. And honestly, it has probably been going on for a long time. I just didn’t care enough to notice.”

  “I’m sorry that he cheated on you,” Tristan says. “Sometimes you can’t help who you like. Even if they are a jerk.”

  Tristan TOTALLY gets it. So why couldn’t Aaron? “Well, I thought I liked him. And it hurt when I found him with the other girl, but it honestly didn’t break my heart like I thought it would. I almost felt relieved.”

  “I think you felt relieved because you knew eventually that you’d have to break up with him and he saved you from that. You have a soft heart beyond your rough exterior wall.”

  “Oh, I have a rough exterior wall?” I ask.

  “Yes. Electric fence, barbwire, twenty-feet tall… the works. You’re more guarded than a high security prison.”

  I want to deny. But I know he’s right. “I’ve been hurt a lot in my life. And not just by stupid boyfriends. By parents, sisters, friends… It’s inevitable that everybody you let close to you will eventually hurt you.”

  “That’s true,” Tristan says. “But I’m sure you’ve hurt people too. Love is about forgiving though. It’s about moving forward. When you love somebody, you can’t just love the good parts.”

  “I’ve been hurt more times than I care to count.”

  “You’re stronger than you think,” he says.

  Now it’s our turn to get on. Tristan distracted me all the way to the front of the line. And now I’m scared, but he doesn’t give me a chance to back out. He gently nudges me inside, and gets on beside me. He grabs my hand and squeezes it.

  The ferris wheel moves to let the next person on. The cage suddenly feels smaller. “Guess it’s too late to back out now,” I say.

  The butterflies in my stomach intensify and I’m not sure if they’re from the fear of heights or because of the beautiful boy sitting next to me. No. Tristan isn’t a boy. He’s a man. I finally conclude that my nerves are the result of both.

  “You will be fine.” He puts his arm around me, and I bury my face against his neck. “No, you can’t close your eyes. That’s against the rules. I promise, this won’t be bad.”

  I open my eyes, and see that we are still fairly close to the ground. But then the ferris wheel starts moving up again. I watch as the sun slowly starts to set. I rest my head against his shoulder.

  “This isn’t so bad,” I say, but I don’t release my grip on his waist.

  “I knew you’d like it.”

  “Maybe New York really isn’t as bad as I thought it was.” I know that I have nothing against the city, I just have bad memories with my dad here. Actually the memories are of him not being here… So maybe I can give this a chance.

  “I told you that once this year is up you won’t want to leave.”

  Why am I starting to believe that? “I’m a California girl.” I’m not sure if I am trying to convince him or me. “I love surfing too much to live in the city. I belong on the ocean.”

  “You can still surf. Your dad has a house at Hamptons, New York. And it’s not like you can’t visit California anytime you want.”

  “My family is there. Chloe’s show, Drama Queen, is recorded in Hollywood. And Candice’s reality show, Shores of Malibu, is obviously based in Malibu. I want to be close to my sisters. We’ve always been close,” I say.

  “And they’re only a five and a half hour plane ride away. I bet you will see them just as much here as you did there.”

  He might be right. We had family dinner once every two weeks, but even then Candice would bail half the time. I already miss Chloe. We had dinner once a week, but that would probably change now that she has Phillip. I’m not sure if he’s her boyfriend yet, but I bet he will be soon.

  The ferris wheel comes to a stop when we are at the very top, and we have the perfect view of the sunset.

  “I want to kiss you,” Tristan tells me. His confession causes my heart to race. “But I’m not going to because this is really cliche and I am not a cliche guy. And also because you just broke up with your boyfriend, and I don’t want to be your rebound.”

  Tristan could never be a rebound. But I don’t tell him that. “I’m glad you’re not cliche.”

  “But you still want to kiss me.”

  Yes. “No.”

  “Like I said before, you’re a really bad liar,” he says.

  “So what if I want to kiss you. You’re really cute, and I had a really nice day. Just because I want to kiss you doesn’t mean anything.”

  “I think it does mean something,” he says. “And if I kiss you once, you’re going to want to kiss me again.”

  “You’re pretty confident.” He’s also very right.

  “I am, but I know that you’re not over your ex. I know that you think you are, but you’re not. And you definitely need to figure out your feelings for your best friend bec
ause he is definitely in love with you.”

  He’s right about Landon, but I don’t want him to be right. I want to just forget everything and start over. But he’s wrong about Aaron. “But I still want to hang out with you. Even if there is no kissing involved.”

  “Definitely.”

  “And you won’t ditch me when you go back to Columbia?” I ask.

  “Never.”

  “Not even for a hot college girl?”

  He laughs. “Let’s just say that I don’t need a filler girl. You are worth the wait.”

  The ferris wheel starts moving down again, and we get off. The magical moment is over, but I am still reeling.

  “To Times Square?” he asks.

  “Yes!” I get excited. The whole day has been awesome, and going to Times Square is the perfect end to the perfect day. I have to admit, I love being a tourist. It’s kind of fun.

  10pm

  Times Square

  Only in New York City would it be this crazy at night. Not that it feels like night. The whole sky is lit up with the lights from the city, and it feels magical. NYC really is the city that never sleeps.

  “This is amazing,” I tell Tristan, taking in the scene surrounding me. For a moment, I feel like I’m in a movie. We are almost to ending credits, and everything is coming together for the final scene. This is where everything gets fixed — this is the happy ending. Unfortunately for me, the movie is just starting, and my romantic interest hasn’t stepped onto the screen yet. Or maybe he has. Maybe I’m the girl everybody is sitting on the edge of their seat, waiting for her to realize she’s in love with the guy. Geez, even in my head that sounds stupid. But I wish I knew who I was going to spend my life with. Maybe I’ve met him. Or maybe I haven’t. But I want to know.