by Diana Nixon
“Um … we thought that….”
“We thought that sleeping in the car wasn’t comfortable,” Aiden said. And I desperately wanted to kill him at the moment.
Owen chuckled at the response. “Right. So are you ready to go back to civilization? Or do you need more time to…” His joyful gaze shifted between his friend and me. “Never mind,” he said, realizing that we were not in a mood for his stupid comments.
We got into Owen’s Jeep, and went to see how bad the situation with Aiden’s car was. It took us no more than ten minutes to rescue it. Aiden brought my shoes and gave them to me wordlessly. Then he got back to his car and followed us home.
“Is everything all right between you two?” Owen asked, looking into his rear-view mirror. My dad was driving with Aiden, so we were alone in the car.
“Yes. Why?”
Owen looked at me suspiciously. “The only thing that hasn’t changed about you, Sis, is that you are still the worst liar I’ve ever seen. So tell me, what happened?”
I sighed. “Nothing happened. Really.”
“Megan….”
“Nothing your dirty mind is thinking of.”
“Oh … um, okay. Shall I be worried about you? Shall I talk to Aiden?”
“Absolutely not!”
“Okay, okay. But still … what happened last night that the two of you don’t even look at each other today?”
“I’m so not ready to discuss it. We … quarreled a little. Nothing else.”
Owen shrugged. “If you say so; but you can always talk to me, you know?”
“I know.” I smiled, touching Owen’s hand. Apart from being my elder brother, he was my best friend. I always knew that whatever happened, he would be on my side.
Owen was six years older than me. He was smart and good-looking. We shared the same dark-brown hair color and honey eyes. But unlike his best friend, Owen never used his attractiveness to break girls’ hearts. And actually, Mary was the only girl that I remembered him ever dating.
Deep down in my heart I wanted someone to love me as much as he loved his fiancé. Every time a guy asked me out, I compared him to my brother — an example of everything that a woman might want to see in her man. But none of my fellows was good enough to make me say ‘yes’.
So here I am, with my hair messy after an awful, stormy night; dirty clothes and feet hurting from blisters; a heart full of emotions, tearing me apart; and my head full of thoughts about the guy that will probably never talk to me again. Did I miss anything? Nope, not a thing….
When we got home, I headed straight for my room. I didn’t even say ‘hi’ to Mary or her parents, or my mom. I simply wanted to be alone for a while.
When I got into the shower, the memories of yesterday’s rain came back to my mind. Aiden’s face, leaning so close over mine, his eyes, his hand, the warmth of his touch, the way he made me feel, the way he looked at me, the way I wanted to give up everything just to take a bite of a forbidden fruit … damn it!
Tears burned my eyes, and I never stopped them. I cried the way I hadn’t cried for ages. When I got out of the shower, I went straight to my bed, hid under the blanket and fell asleep in seconds. Mondays always sucked. And today I had the worst Monday ever.
When I woke up a few hours later, I realized that I wouldn’t be able to leave my room any time soon. My feet looked even worse than in the morning, every inch of them hurt.
I groaned and tried to find a first aid kit. When the blisters were plastered, walking felt like the biggest torture ever. I called Owen and asked him to go to the pharmacy to buy me some medicine. Meanwhile I got back to my bed and checked the messages and voice mails left on my phone and laptop. There were a few from my dean, who wanted me to write some articles for the university’s annual magazine. One message was from my friend who wanted to know if I was going to the graduation ball, but I still didn’t know if I wanted to go with him. The last message was sent from an unknown number, and it said the following, “I heard you are back. See you at the wedding.” It could have been sent by any of my school friends who knew about Owen’s wedding, so I didn’t pay much attention to it.
Twenty minutes later someone knocked at the door.
“Come in!” I shouted, sending an e-mail to my dean. “Did you get what I needed?”
“I wasn’t sure exactly what you needed, so I bought a few different ointments.”
I stared at my visitor. It wasn’t Owen. It was Aiden.
“Thanks,” I mumbled, watching him. He put a bag on my night table and took a step back, his hands in his pockets. He looked fresh, wearing slacks and a new white shirt with short sleeves.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“Not good. But I’ll be fine.” I put aside my phone and laptop, and reached for the bag.
“Let me help you,” Aiden said.
I sat on the bed and waited for him to unpack the ointment.
“The chemist said this one was the best.”
I took the tube and started reading the description, as I didn’t know what else to do. Apparently Aiden wasn’t leaving.
“How bad are the blisters?” he asked, taking a seat next to me. I felt as if I were paralyzed. “Megan?” he asked again.
“What did you say?” I tried to remember his question. “Oh, the blisters. Not as bad as you think.”
“Let me have a look,” he said. And before I could protest, he kneeled near my bed and took off one of the plasters. I grimaced at the pain it caused.
“You sure you don’t want to call the doctor?”
The only thing I was able to think about now was Aiden’s palm caressing my ankle, and his soft fingers touching my foot. The pain was immediately forgotten.
Aiden took the ointment from my hands and started salving the blisters. Jeez, if only I knew it would be so….
“Um … you don’t have to do this,” I said, swallowing hard. He didn’t answer. Instead, he started doing the same with the other foot, slowly moving his fingers over my injuries.
It was even better than being in his embrace. It felt like he was touching not only my feet, but every inch of my body. Because I could feel the warmth of those touches everywhere; even where it wasn’t supposed to be felt.
I bit my lower lip, suppressing the groan that was about to escape my throat. Aiden’s every move was so sensual. I wanted to die right then and there. And it would be the most pleasurable death ever.
For a second our eyes met, and the familiar fire flashed in his gray-blue oceans. When he was done with my feet, he brought a towel from my bathroom and put it on the bed.
“Don’t cover your feet for a while. The ointment needs to soak in.”
When he went to wash his hands, I put my feet on the towel and sank back against the pillow trying to catch my breath. It wasn’t supposed to be so freaking tempting. My heart was beating so fast, I was afraid Aiden would hear the sound of it.
He came out of the bathroom and leaned against the door frame. “Megan, I wanted to talk to you.”
His words immediately broke the fantasies in my head.
“About what?” I asked, trying to seem calm.
“About last night.”
Oh, no! “There’s nothing to talk about, Aiden. We are old enough to know how the chemistry between two people works.”
“Are we?” he asked, coming closer. “It didn’t work well in our case, did it?”
I took a deep breath. “Listen … nothing happened. So there’s nothing to explain. You don’t owe me anything, and I don’t owe you anything. Why don’t we forget about it? As if last night never happened. What do you say?” I tried to display a smile.
“You sure you are fine with it?”
“Of course. I told you, I don’t want to discuss it anymore. We are here to celebrate one of the biggest events of my brother’s life. So let’s do our best to help him turn this moment into something special.”
“I wanted to tell you something else as well...” His cell phone rang. “Sorry, I need t
o take this. We will talk later, okay?”
I nodded and Aiden left, wishing me to get well soon.
Chapter 6
Aiden
I looked at the number on the cell’s screen and frowned.
“Annabel? To what do I owe the honor?”
“Hey, Baby! I thought about Owen’s invitation, and I decided to come to the wedding!”
Oh, no … no, no, no!
“You what?”
“Well, yes. I thought a week in Britain would be great. I’m sick and tired of Scotland. So I’m already on my way to Owen’s.”
Oh, my God….
I leaned against the wall behind me. “How do you know where his house is?”
“I called him earlier today to get the directions.”
My best friend was about to be so dead.
“Okay, I’ll see you soon.” I hung up the phone and sighed.
Annabel was a daughter of my father’s best friend. We grew up together, and most of our friends thought that we had been engaged since the moment we were born. Far from it. Sometimes, when we had a chance, we would go on vacations together, though we never shared anything, but a cheek kiss.
I knew that Annabel would never miss Owen’s wedding. Especially when she got the invitation from Owen himself. She always had a crush on him. And that’s exactly what I wanted to talk to Megan about. I knew that she was the only reasonable person in the house, and only she knew what to do if Mary ever found out about Annabel’s secret affection. I told Owen it was a bad idea to invite her, but he was sure that she would never ruin his wedding, foolishly believing in her strictly friendly feelings for him. Well, now was just about time to think about the saving strategy. Because unlike my friend, I knew that Annabel would never miss her chance to have him for herself.
I heard footsteps, turned around and saw my friend.
“We need to talk,” I said.
“Yeah, I wanted to talk to you too.”
“You did? About what?” I asked, following him to his father’s office.
“About my sister.”
Oh….
I closed the door behind me, saying, “Did she ask you to talk to me?”
“No, she actually said it was the last thing she wanted me to do. But I’d like to make things clear.” He looked at me, smiling cunningly. “Do you like her?”
Well … what was I supposed to say? I almost slept with your sister a few hours ago? Did it mean that I liked her? I chuckled nervously at my mental question.
“It doesn’t matter whether or not I like her,” I said, running a palm through my hair. “Megan deserves so much better than me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can’t give her what she wants. I’m far from being an ideal boyfriend. And she needs perfection in everything. Though I’m sure that at this very moment she doesn’t need any boyfriends at all. She’s too busy studying and building her career.”
“Hmm…” Owen looked at me thoughtfully.
“What?”
“I thought that … never mind. You are not children any more. You will figure it out on your own. Only one warning, Aiden. You are my friend, and I really appreciate you being my best man, but if you ever hurt Megan, you will have to deal with me. Clear?”
“Crystal.”
“Good. So what did you want to talk to me about?”
“Annabel.”
“Oh, yes. I forgot to tell you that she was coming to the wedding.”
“Does Mary know about her?”
“Of course, she does. She read the guest list.”
“No, I mean, does she know about Annabel’s feelings for you?”
“I have already told you that Annabel is my friend. No more than that.”
“I hope your fiancé will think the same thing.”
We talked for about fifteen minutes more, Owen told me about his surprise for Mary and tonight’s beach party. He also asked me to make sure that his sister would be there too. Then he left, leaving me alone with my inner worries.
Suddenly everything that usually didn’t bother me at all, turned into one serious, but a very beautiful problem, named Megan. If last night I thought it would be easy to stay together, under the same roof for the next six days, I was definitely wrong. And today’s feet-curing session proved my worst fears. I was attracted to her. When I was with her, I couldn’t think about anything else, but to have her in my arms, kiss her lips and make love to her….
I could still feel the warmth of her skin touching mine, as if I was back to the old Peterson’s house, lying on the couch with her breath tickling my neck. Surprisingly enough, apart from the wild desire burning in me at the moment, I felt a quiet comfort I never thought I would find in being with anyone. It overshadowed even the electricity passing between us.
I remembered every small detail about her, as if we had been together for ages and not hours. The hint of a smile playing at the corners of her mouth; the way her eyes were changing colors when the illumination changed; or the way she was looking at me waiting for my responses. The memories of her scent, enveloping me with its freshness and softness never left my mind. And no matter how hard I tried to switch my thoughts to something else, all I wanted was to cross the distance between the office and her room and see her again.
I didn’t notice when that thought pulled my body to the door, and a few moments later I found myself standing in front of Megan’s bedroom. I knocked, but no one answered.
“Megan? May I come in?”
When she didn’t reply, I opened the door and let myself in. She was sleeping, curled up under the huge blanket that made me smile. She looked like a little girl, lost among pillows and toys; though her toys were not bears and dolls, but a cell phone, a notebook with a pen hidden in between the pages, and a laptop. It was opened, with a new message flashing on the screen. The first line caught my eye, and I started reading it.
“Hey Sweetheart,
I hope your flight was okay, and you got home safely. I wanted to make sure that you remember about our plans. Miss you like hell! Come back here ASAP!!!
Love you
Z.”
What did she say about a boyfriend? She didn’t have one? Yeah, right … I closed the laptop and stormed out of the room, not even bothering to be quiet.
How could I have been such a fool! I ran down the stairs as fast as I could. I knew she was hiding something, but who would have thought that it was a boyfriend!
“Aiden, would you help me with….”
“Not now, Owen!” I snapped, getting into the car. I started the engine and speeded to the quay.
I was so freaking angry: at Megan for lying to me; at myself for trusting her, for feeling guilty about what happened or not happened last night, for upsetting her. Well, looked like I was angrier at myself.
Serves you right, man, I thought to myself.
I stopped at one of the cafés, sat at the table facing the ocean, and ordered a cup of coffee. I would gladly order something stronger, but I needed to get back to Owen’s, and I needed to be sober, so as not to ruin his surprise for Mary.
I cursed and sighed. Why didn’t she tell me about the mysterious Mr. Z? Did she think it would compromise her in the eyes of her family that truly believed in her hate for men? How ridiculous!
What surprised me most was my own reaction to the damn message. It pissed me off. As if I had any right to be pissed off. Megan wasn’t mine, so why would I be angry? She couldn’t have gotten so deep under my skin, could she?...
I didn’t want to think much about that. I never thought too much about the women I dated. And I never dated Megan, so there was no point in bothering myself with the questions I couldn’t answer.
The moment my car stopped at the porch of Owen’s house, I saw Annabel standing there. She was wearing a short red dress and high heels that made her look like a real Barbie. Oh, man, no sane woman would ever believe that that human creature was just a friend of her fiancé. Poor Mary.
I to
ok a deep breath and went to greet the guest.
“Hey, Sunshine! I always knew it was impossible to talk you out of something that you wanted to do so badly.”
“Good to see you too,” my friend replied, kissing me on both cheeks. “Have you already seen Owen’s fiancé?”
“Yes, why?” I ask suspiciously.
“No reason.” Annabel shrugged, but I knew her well enough to see that she was nervous. “Is she beautiful?”
“I think you and I have different opinions about the definition of beauty.”
“So she is.”
I smiled, took her suitcase and opened the door. “I thought you said you simply wanted to wish Owen a happy wedding.”
“Well, and that too.”
I stopped abruptly, and Annabel ran into me. “Don’t ruin anything. You promised, remember?”
“Relax, Aiden. You know that I can be a good girl,” she said in a sweet voice.
“That’s exactly what worries me most.” I needed Megan’s help, and the sooner the better. “Why don’t you wait here? I’ll go and find Owen?”
“Sure, no problem.” Annabel went to the living room, and I rushed upstairs to see if Megan was awake. My plan about staying away from her was ruined in seconds.
The moment I stopped at her bedroom door, I heard her saying the following, “Don’t worry, I’ll be there on time. Yeah, miss you too. Will call you later. Bye.”
Another wave of anger rushed through my body. The weird feeling that I tried to suppress all the way back to the house appeared with new intensity. Who would have thought that I knew what freaking jealousy meant?...
“Come in!” Megan replied to my knocking.
“Hey,” I said, opening the door. “How do you feel?”
I wish there was someone to ask me the same question, because the view of Megan’s messy hair, spread all over the pillows, reminded me of the things that I shouldn’t be thinking about.
“I feel much better,” she said, smiling slightly. “Thanks to you. The ointment you brought did real magic to my feet. I can barely feel the pain.”
