Out Of The Friend Zone

by Stephanie Nicole

  "Oh, is there any chance I can convince you to let them stay here tonight?" Nyla asked.

  "Nyla! They are staying at his house tonight. It's not negotiable," Brynn said, starting to get angry with her friend. "You need to calm down and understand that Chandler isn't ready for what you're offering him. Just relax and be happy that he even agreed to go out with you tonight."

  "I guess," Nyla said, defeated. "I'll go downstairs and let you finish getting dressed. The guys will be here soon." Nyla left the bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

  Brynn groaned and began to get dressed. She was not looking forward to a whole night of Nyla's flirting, and she hoped that Zaiden wouldn't try anything with her. The things she did for her friends! After she was dressed, she took a look in her full-length mirror and was surprised she didn't look as slutty as she thought she would. She turned around, looking at herself from all angles. She found herself wondering if Chandler would like it, then chided herself for thinking that way.

  The sound of her doorbell brought her out of her thoughts. She grabbed her purse and headed downstairs to greet the guys.

  Nyla opened the door to see a tall, very built blonde guy standing there. He had the most beautiful crystal blue eyes, definitely Nyla's usual type of guy...too bad he was Brynn's date for the night.

  "Hi, I'm Nyla. Come on in. Brynn will be right down," she said, as she reached out and grabbed his arm to lead him inside. He was wearing crisp khakis and a white polo shirt, filling both of them out well.

  "Hi, I'm Zaiden. Nice to meet you," he said, as his eyes swept over Nyla from head to toe, then back up again. Zaiden smiled in appreciation for what he saw. Nyla was wearing a little brown leather mini skirt with a cream-colored halter top. Her long blonde hair was left down, reaching the middle of her back. She had styled it in big curls, so it was all bouncy when she moved.

  As the two stared at each other, they almost missed Brynn walking into the foyer. Thank God for the loud noise her shoes made on the slate floor, or else they never would have known she was there. Zaiden broke the gaze first, then turned to look at Brynn. "Wow, you look great," Zaiden said, a little less than enthusiastic.

  "Yeah, you look so pretty," Nyla said, a little too cheery, as if she was trying to hide something.

  "Thanks, I think," Brynn said, getting more and more annoyed by the minute. Thankfully, the doorbell rang again. "Why don't you two go sit in the living room and I'll get the door. It must be Chandler, so we'll be right in."

  Zaiden and Nyla walked into the living room and made themselves comfortable on the couch, while Brynn went to answer the door. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Chandler. He was wearing a red button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up his forearm a little, with nice black pants. His hair was gelled to perfection, and his brown goatee was trimmed short. He looked nothing short of...hot!

  "Wow!" was all Brynn managed to get out of her mouth.

  Chandler stood at the door, not able to move. He saw Brynn and was taken aback by how great she looked. "Yeah, I could say the same for you. Aren't you the same girl I went out with last weekend? The one who keeps hiding my little Brynn away?" he asked.

  "Glad to see that someone likes the way I look tonight. I think our dates are over before they even started," Brynn laughed.

  "What do you mean?" Chandler asked.

  "Well, I think that Zaiden and Nyla have hit it off. I came down earlier, and the two could barely pry their eyes off each other to look at me when I came in," Brynn laughed.

  "Cool, maybe we should go with this. It might just work out better for both of us if they take a liking to each other," Chandler said, as if he was calculating a plan in his head. "Let's just run with this. If they end up liking each other, then good for them, and better for us. We can't make it obvious that we know though, or that we're trying to get them together."

  "Sounds good to me. Zaiden kind of scares me, anyway," Brynn laughed, and led Chandler to the living room, where Nyla and Zaiden were already waiting. "Hey guys, are you ready to head out?" Brynn asked the two people sitting rather close together on the couch.

  "Yeah, let's go." Nyla jumped up off the couch as if she was a fifteen-year old caught making out with her boyfriend by her parents. "Oh, how cute. You two match," Nyla said, pointing out that Chandler and Brynn were both wearing black and red.

  Brynn rolled her eyes. "So do you and Zaiden. Weird, huh?" she said flippantly.

  Nyla gave her an odd look.

  "Oh, hey, did you remember to give the babysitter money to get the kids some pizza for dinner?" Brynn asked Chandler.

  "Yeah, I remembered. But that reminds me. I have to stop at home real quick before we take off."

  "You forgot, didn't you?" Brynn laughed.

  "Yup."

  Zaiden and Nyla looked at each other and rolled their eyes. They didn't enjoy the joking between Brynn and Chandler as much as Chandler and Brynn did. They also didn't really like the tight bond they shared. It didn't help that neither one of them had kids themselves. They just didn't understand what it was like to be single parents.

  After Chandler brought the babysitter the money, and he and Brynn said goodbye to their kids, they piled into Chandler's SUV and headed to the restaurant. Nyla had made reservations at a nice Chinese place. Conversation over dinner was fluid between the two dates, as Brynn and Chandler never seemed to run out of things to talk to each other about, and Nyla and Zaiden were enjoying their conversations too.

  After the meal, the waitress brought over four fortune cookies and placed them in the center of the table. Zaiden reached for the first one without hesitation. Everyone looked at him with annoyance, but he didn't notice. He was too busy opening his cookie to get his fortune.

  "Ladies first," Chandler said, looking at the girls and the last three fortune cookies. Nyla picked one, then Brynn got hers. Chandler took the final cookie and opened it.

  "What? I don't get it!" Zaiden exclaimed. "It says 'A liar is not believed, even though he tells the truth.' What kind of damn fortune is that? This sucks. I got ripped off. I want a real fortune!"

  "What are you going to do, cry and hold your breath until you turn blue? Man, even Willow acts older than you right now," Chandler told him, and laughed.

  "Ha-ha. What does everyone else's say?" Zaiden asked.

  "Mine says 'Sometimes you must spark a crisis to get results.' I think I can do that," Nyla said, then winked at Zaiden and gave him a playful little smirk. The wink and smirk didn't go unnoticed by anyone at the table.

  "My fortune says, 'Answer what your heart prompts you to do.' Hmm, interesting!" Brynn said. "What about you, Chandler? What does yours say?" she asked.

  Chandler slid his fortune across the table to show it to Brynn. "It says 'The challenge you are facing is just what you need.' Wow."

  Brynn caught Chandler's eye and saw him blush.

  Neither Nyla nor Zaiden heard what Chandler's fortune said. They were both engulfed in another conversation about their jobs and their lives. They seemed to be hitting it off well, much to the enjoyment of Brynn and Chandler.

  Shortly after, they paid the bill and headed out to a club. Once inside, Chandler led them all to a table, then went up to get everyone drinks. Brynn followed him to help carry the order back to the table.

  "Please, don't let me drink so much this time," Brynn begged him.

  "Don't worry. I'll take care of you tomorrow if you do. Besides, it's not like we have to go to the arcade again," he laughed.

  "So, you think that they're going to hook up?" Brynn asked about Zaiden and Nyla.

  "I'd be willing to bet. Are you okay with that?"

  "Yeah, I'm fine with it because I don't really like Zaiden, and I know you don't like Nyla. It's just how they're doing it that bothers me. I mean, we are supposed to be on dates with them and it doesn't seem like either one cares about that fact. The least they could do would be to ask if we minded or something," Brynn said.

  "Yeah, they are playing it
pretty dirty, huh?" Chandler said. "Well, let's get back to the lovebirds."

  They carried the drinks over to the table, where Zaiden and Nyla were getting closer by the minute. When they looked up to see that Brynn and Chandler had come back, Zaiden stood. "Hey Brynn, how about a dance?"

  Brynn looked at Chandler, a little confused. He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head as if to say he had no idea what was going on.

  "Sure," she told Zaiden.

  As they were walking away, Nyla grabbed Chandler. "How about we dance too?" She smiled with her lips, but it just didn't reach her eyes.

  Chandler stood up and linked his arm with hers. "Let's go."

  Though they all started out dancing fast, the music quickly turned to a slow song. Zaiden pulled Brynn into his grasp and pressed his body tightly to hers. Brynn cringed, trying not to show her feelings to Zaiden. His hands were making trails up and down her back as he kept nuzzling his face in her hair. Brynn looked over to Chandler to see if she could get some help from him, but Nyla was keeping him pretty occupied.

  Nyla had her arms wrapped tightly around Chandler's neck and was whispering in his ear. He had his eyes shut tightly, and his hands were barely touching her waist. He seemed as if he was just as annoyed by the situation as Brynn was. That thought gave Brynn some enjoyment, since it wasn't often that a guy wasn't in bliss being in Nyla's arms. To make it even better, it was Chandler who didn't enjoy being hugged so tight to her.

  Brynn gave up looking for Chandler to save her, and tried to get out of this by herself. She backed up from Zaiden a little, and looked up to his face. She was going to tell him that she wanted to sit back down, but he misinterpreted her movement. Zaiden thought she was looking to kiss him, so he leaned down and brought his lips to hers. Before Brynn could stop what was happening, he had shoved his tongue into her mouth.

  Brynn was disgusted, and pushed him away with all her might.

  "What the fuck were you doing?" Brynn yelled. Chandler had seen the whole thing and came running over.

  Zaiden rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't play innocent. We're on a date. What else do you expect? Besides, I saw you kissing Chandler last week during your date with him, so I figured why not?"

  Chandler stepped in. "Zaiden, why are you being such an asshole? You have been all over Nyla all night, and now you expect Brynn to just kiss you and have everything be okay? Not to mention the kiss between Brynn and me last week was a mistake. We both had too much to drink, and we weren't even on a date. We just went out as friends."

  Zaiden glared at him. "It sure as hell didn't look like friends," he said.

  Chandler sighed. "Why don't you go sit down with Nyla. We'll talk about this later."

  Zaiden grabbed Nyla's hand and led her back to the table. Chandler turned to Brynn and hugged her. "I'm sorry that my friend is such an ass. I don't know why he's acting like this tonight."

  Brynn shook her head. "He just really took me by surprise. I figured that with the way he was acting towards Nyla all night, that he didn't want anything to do with me. I had my guard down, and he took advantage of that."

  "Come on, we need to go figure all this out. Why don't you take Nyla into the bathroom and ask what's going on between them, and I'll talk to Zaiden," Chandler suggested, leading her towards the table.

  Back at the table, Brynn looked at her friend. "Nyla, I need to use the ladies room. Will you come with me?"

  "Sure," Nyla said, and followed Brynn down the hall towards the bathroom.

  Once inside, it was a lot quieter. They sat on the couch that was in the 'waiting room' area of the restroom. "So, you want to tell me what's going on tonight? You beg me forever to fix you up with Chandler. Then when I do, you ignore him all night, and fawn all over my date."

  "Well, it's not like either one of you cares." Nyla shrugged. "Besides, Zaiden is more my type, and it just seemed like we had this instant connection between us."

  "What do you mean, it's not like we care?" Brynn asked.

  "Oh, come on. It's so obvious that you and Chandler are into each other. You have all these inside jokes, and the way you two look at each other, it's like there is no one else in the room. No other woman can compete with that," Nyla whined.

  "I don't know what you're seeing, Ness. Yeah, we have inside jokes because he's one of my best friends. You and I have inside jokes too. That all comes with being friends."

  "And what about that kiss last week that you conveniently forgot to tell me about?" Nyla demanded.

  Brynn blushed. "I didn't tell you about it because Chandler and I agreed it was a mistake, and it only happened because we had too much to drink. It wasn't a big deal. We both agreed to be friends and nothing more. It happened and it's over."

  "So the kiss didn't mean anything?"

  "No." She hoped that Nyla couldn't tell that she was lying. The kiss had been wonderful. She had thought about it all week, and could still feel his lips against hers. It was nothing like the kiss that Zaiden had just given her. There was no tingling feeling, no breathless feeling, no heart-stopping moment. But it was all there in the brief kiss she shared with Chandler.

  "Well, no matter how much you say it didn't mean anything, I know it did, so I'm backing off," Nyla announced. "Besides, I think I do like Zaiden. Does that bother you?"

  "Bother me? No, not at all. I'm actually relieved. The thing that bothers me is that you didn't tell me at the beginning of the date. I think the way you both handled it was rude to me and Chandler, but I think both of us are happy that you two like each other," Brynn told her. "So, how about we go out there, and you take Zaiden off my hands and keep him away from me for the rest of the night?"

  "I think I can do that," Nyla said. "No hard feelings?"

  "No hard feelings, Nyla," Brynn said, and hugged her friend.

  Meanwhile, out in the club, Zaiden and Chandler were talking. "Dude, why the hell did you kiss Brynn?"

  Zaiden shrugged. "I thought she wanted me to. She looked up at me, and I thought I was giving her what she wanted."

  "Dumbass, has she given you any clues at all tonight that she liked you, or that she wanted you to kiss her?"

  "No, but who wouldn't want a kiss from me?"

  "Well, obviously Brynn!" Chandler laughed. "Seriously though, you and Nyla have been flirting all night. Why don't you just go for her, and leave Brynn alone?"

  "Ah, so you can have Brynn to yourself? I knew you wanted her," Zaiden laughed.

  "No, it's not like that. I mean, yeah it drove me crazy to see you kiss her, but not for the reason you're thinking. She's my friend and I don't want to see her get hurt."

  "Well, whatever you want to think. Don't worry, I'll leave her alone. I think Nyla and I could have a lot of fun," Zaiden said with a mischievous grin. "And here she comes now."

  The girls walked back over to the table, and Zaiden stood up to greet them. He reached his hand out to Brynn."I'm sorry, Brynn. Can we forget about this and be friends?"

  Brynn took his hand. "Sure, that'll work."

  Zaiden bent his head to her hand and kissed it chastely, making her smile.

  "Good. Now Miss Nyla, would you do me the honor of dancing with me?" Zaiden asked.

  "I thought you'd never ask," she said with a smile.

  Zaiden and Nyla headed off to the dance floor and left Brynn and Chandler alone at the table. Brynn suddenly laughed. "Why does there always have to be so much drama in my life? Can't things ever go smoothly?"

  "Ah, but then think of how boring life would be!"

  "So, Nyla said that she and Zaiden thought there was something going on between us, but I straightened her out, and told her we were just friends."

  "Yeah, I had to do the same with Zaiden. I think we might have disappointed them a little when we told them that," Chandler chuckled.

  "Well, how about we go out there, and give them a show to keep them guessing?"

  "You're a little devil in disguise when you get drinking, aren't you?" Chandler gave her a wink as he
grabbed her hand. "Take it easy on me, though. I don't know if I can handle your wicked ways!"

  Brynn gave him an evil smirk as he led her to the dance floor. They chose a spot not too far from Zaiden and Nyla and started dancing. As the music played on, the more provocative their dancing became.

  As Chandler was dancing behind Brynn, he wrapped his arms around her waist, and whispered into her ear, "Have I ever told you that you're a really, really good dancer?"

  Brynn turned in his arms and put her arms around his neck, grinding into him. "Just think what else I'm good at," she whispered back into his ear. Chandler felt a shiver run from the tip of his toes to the very top of his head.

  "You better be careful, or else I won't be able to control myself," he growled into her ear.

  "Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing after all," Brynn moaned, then looked into his eyes.

  "How much have you had to drink tonight?" he asked.

  "Not as much as last week. Why?"

  "I was just wondering whether we were going to blame our next kiss on the alcohol or not," he said, and then brought his lips down to hers quickly, before she had time to object.

  Brynn wasn't objecting, not in the least. Actually, she was enjoying herself immensely. Her body felt as if it was floating. She closed her eyes and saw sparks behind them, fireworks running through her veins. The kiss was so gentle and passionate. Brynn made the move to deepen the kiss, and felt Chandler moan in her mouth. The sound lit a fire right between her thighs. They were both so taken by the moment that neither one realized they had an audience of two whistling at them.

  When Brynn finally broke the kiss, she looked over to see Zaiden and Nyla watching them and clapping. Both she and Chandler blushed madly, their matching embarrassment clear on their faces.

  "You ready to get out of here?" Chandler asked Brynn.

  "More than you know," Brynn said.