This morning, I woke up early to take my time getting ready as opposed to every other day when I rush around.
After thinking about all this, I realize how silly it really is to obsess about this. No matter what happens, I already have a job I enjoy and I already work for this magazine, so why should I be so frazzled? Kimmy had her interview yesterday. She said they gave a few topics and she had to brainstorm some ideas for articles. Normally I'm pretty good with brainstorming, but I'm not sure how I will do with five people watching me, one of which I'm dating. Aly and Bre have their interviews tomorrow.
"Well, don't you look hot today," Bre says after she arrives forty-five minutes late. "Seriously, though, you only have to work on four of them, so don't try so hard."
I roll my eyes and let out a sigh. "Whatever, Bre. Why don't you worry about your own job? A little late today, aren't you?"
She glares at me but doesn't respond. What could she say anyway?
Aly is walking around as if she owns the place. She doesn't seem the slightest bit worried. It seems that her newfound confidence is here to stay.
As soon as I walk into the conference room, my heart starts to speed up. Of course I manage to trip on something invisible as soon as I enter. My clumsiness comes out at the most unfortunate of times. Thankfully I catch myself and try to laugh it off. When I see Aiden, I relax a little. He looks me up and down, and his mouth drops open. I guess he approves of my outfit. I silently pray that no one notices the chemistry between us. He's actually the only person on the panel that I know personally. The other people include his boss, Mrs. Smith, who I find very intimidating, Madeline Bufont, the editor in chief of our sister magazine Bleu Amour, the director of PR for both magazines, who also looks like a super model, and someone from HR.
The interview starts with introductions and some details about what the job will entail.
"Ms. Taylor, your work is rather brilliant," Madeline Bufont says, looking through a folder. "I'm impressed."
I thank her warmly, giving Aiden a side-glance, and he gives me a tiny wink.
Each person on the panel asks a different question. I notice that the questions seem to refer to me using my own creativity with different topics including self-esteem, trends, and even relationships. I carefully avoid eye contact with Aiden after answering that question. I admit that I'm impressed with my answers so far. When it comes time for Aiden's turn, he gives me a warm smile.
"Thank you for being here today, Ms. Taylor," he says playfully. I can feel my face getting red. I try my best to stay 100 percent professional.
"Thank you for giving me a chance," I reply. He's casually leaning back in his chair; he's wearing a suit coat with the top button of his shirt open. Why does he have to be so sexy? I try not to stare as he asks me his question. I carefully answer his question while trying to look at everyone on the panel. I'm starting to zone out when Mrs. Smith speaks up.
"Great job, Ms. Taylor. We will be in touch once we make our decision." I practically jump up from my chair, and all the members of the panel stand as well. I walk over to shake their hands. One by one they thank me for coming in. When I get to Aiden, he smiles and takes my hand in his tight grip. "Great interview, Ms. Taylor." At that moment, I'm considering yelling out "screw Paris" and kissing him, but I just smile and nod my head.
When I walk out, I lean my head against the wall. I seriously think I need a cold shower.
* * *
After such a great week, nothing could put a bigger damper on it than having to celebrate my brother's birthday. Liza has planned the whole celebration, and it may be bigger than Kylie's was. Does a thirty-one-year-old man really need a huge party? Not usually, but this is my brother we're talking about.
"Hey, little sister. Did you bring Wilbur tonight?" he asks obnoxiously. I push him away from me. "Happy birthday, dumbass," I exclaim.
He better not get my mother fired up about this subject. Thankfully, it's been peacefully quiet on all subjects with my mother lately.
"Come in, guys," he says, looking over my shoulder and running to greet his guests. I wander out the two tall French doors. Their backyard is absolutely breathtaking at this time of night with the sun starting to set behind the mountains. I considered inviting Aiden tonight, but things are going so well that I don't want one night with my family to scare him away. It's a little scary how much I like him. I mean, I knew I had this crazy schoolgirl crush on him, but never did I expect to be falling so hard for him.
"Hi there, sweet pie." I jump a few inches.
"Hi, Daddy," I say, giving him a big hug. "Where did you come from?"
"We just got here," he says, putting his hands on my shoulders. "Are you going to tell me why you're out here by yourself?"
"I was just admiring the view," I say, pointing at the gorgeous sunset.
He gives me a skeptical look. Of course, he knows there's more to it than just the view. I'm not surprised that he's skeptical. I think he's one of the only people in my life who I think really gets me.
"And?"
I look at him and take a deep breath. I'm about to tell him about Aiden when something suddenly occurs to me. "Daddy, you said we just got here. Who did you come with?"
He shifts from one foot to another. I never noticed he did that before. Now I know where I get it from—I do that a lot when I'm nervous.
"Your mother and I came together," he says nonchalantly.
This is so strange to me. What's going on with those two? I mean, it's great that they're still friends…that's if that's all that they are.
"Oh, you did?" I ask playfully. "That sounds fun." I try to hide my smile.
"Okay, daughter, you can cut that out," he says as one side of his mouth curls into a smile.
I raise my arms innocently. "I didn't say a word."
Just then, my mom and Liza walk outside. "Here they are," she calls back into the house.
"We were wondering where you ran off to," she says to Dad. "Hello, honey," she says, giving me a hug. "Would you two like to join the party? After all, we're here to celebrate your brother."
She hurries back into the house, and we follow.
Two hours down and not a single mention of Will. Just when I think I'm in the clear, my mother brings him up just as I'm about to devour a huge piece of one of Liza's amazing cakes.
"Mom, everything is the same. We're just friends."
Her face falls, and I can see how disappointed she is. "Anyway, that's enough about my love life. Let's talk about you," I pause, "and Dad."
I can see that she gets a bit uncomfortable. "What about me and your father? We came to our son's birthday party together. That isn't exactly unusual."
I nod in agreement. "That's true, but is there more to it than that? You guys seem closer all of a sudden, like even closer than you were when you were married."
This is a weird moment for us. We've never been the type to talk to each other about relationships other than when she's been trying to set me up on horrible blind dates.
"Erin, I'm hardly going to discuss my relationship with my daughter," she says awkwardly. I shake my head and let out a sigh.
"Mom, you seem to forget that I'm an adult now. There's nothing wrong with us discussing your relationship. Not to mention you have no problem talking about my relationships."
Liza rushes over to us. "Come along, ladies, it's time for presents." Mom takes that exact moment to get out of this conversation. I wander into the parlor—actually, it's a living room, but Eric and Liza insist on calling it a parlor—how very pretentious of them.
I sit down on one of the huge fluffy couches and pull out my phone. My heart starts to race when I see that there are two text messages from Aiden.
I'm bored.
Want to hang out tonight?
OMG…yes. I quickly respond.
Sure. At a family party now but need an excuse to get out of here.
My heart continues to beat a mile a minute as I wait for him to reply. Eric unwraps
a new Rolex watch. Not like he needed another one. I think he has four already. He passionately kisses Liza, and I'm about to yell get a room when my phone buzzes.
I'll gladly be your excuse. I can come over if you want or you can come here.
I tell Aiden to meet me at my apartment in an hour. Thankfully, the torture of watching Eric opening presents is over. I take advantage of this time to make my exit, quickly hugging my family and practically racing to my car.
"He's coming over in an hour." I called Mya on my way home to give her a quick rundown of what's been happening with Aiden.
"This is amazing news," she exclaims. "Now, young lady, do I need to give you a talk about the birds and the bees?"
She starts to laugh hysterically. Before we hang up, she makes me promise to call her after he leaves. I remind her of the time zone difference, but she still insists I at least send her a text. I'm pretty sure she thought I was a lost cause, so she may be even more excited about what's happening with Aiden than I am. Well, maybe.
* * *
Clueless is one of my favorite movies of all time. I love the part where Alicia Silverstone's character invites a guy over, picks out her sexiest outfit, and drops an entire roll of cookie dough on the cookie sheet. It's a great idea in theory, but I have no intention of prancing around in some slutty little dress or attempting to have any baked goods waiting for Aiden. Instead, I pick out my favorite Lululemon yoga pants along with a pink tank top. I put out some cheese and crackers on a serving plate, check that I have a variety of drinks in the fridge, and finish getting ready. I'm straightening up the apartment when I hear a knock. I run my fingers through my hair and casually walk to the door. I take a deep cleansing breath as I open it.
Aiden must have been thinking the same thing as me. He's wearing Adidas workout pants and a tight T-shirt that says Stop Staring. Really, of all the shirts he could have worn.
"Nice shirt," I say sarcastically. He looks down as if he doesn't understand why I said that. He gives me a questioning look.
"Staring, are you?"
Of course I'm staring, I think to myself. I shrug my shoulders and quickly look away. "I don't know."
As Aiden walks in, he leans over and kisses me on the cheek. I can feel my face getting hot, and I mentally remind myself that I need to calm down.
"Wow, you really do have an amazing view," he exclaims as he walks over to the window.
"Thanks." I follow him over to the window. "As soon as I saw this view, I knew I had to have this apartment."
We both stand silently and look out over the gorgeous skyline.
"So, can I get you a drink?" I ask finally. "I have wine, Diet Coke, water, and Yoo-hoo."
He turns around and looks at me curiously. "Did you just say Yoo-hoo? Really?"
"Yeah," I say, looking down at the floor. "Don't judge me, okay? It's my favorite drink of all time, even though I know it has about a thousand grams of sugar in one bottle."
I can tell that Aiden is trying to keep from laughing. "What?" I ask, folding my arms.
"Nothing," he says. "You know what, I think I will have a Yoo-hoo. I think I was eight years old the last time I had one. Why not live a little dangerously tonight?" He closes his lips tightly to keep his laughter from escaping.
I scowl. "You're funny."
When I return from the kitchen, I find Aiden sitting casually on my couch, flipping through a magazine. He looks so perfect here in my living room. I wish I could take a picture and send it to Mya. I sit down next to him and hand him his Yoo-hoo. Our hands touch as he reaches for his drink. I pull my hand away quickly.
"Are you hungry? I brought some snacks, too." I lay everything out on the coffee table. All of a sudden, I feel a little awkward. I'm not sure if I should initiate the conversation or not.
Aiden takes a long sip of his Yoo-hoo and then holds up the bottle. "Damn, I forgot how good this stuff is. Do you always have these here?"
I nod as I take a sip. "Always. But believe it or not, I don't drink them that often. It's just good to have in case I want one."
He leans back and puts his arm on the back of the couch behind me. "Thanks for inviting me over. I hope I didn't interrupt your night. You said you were at a family party?"
I tell him how happy I was that he did interrupt my night. Of course, I have to give a little background information on my latest fun family night. As we're sitting on the couch talking, I notice how Aiden intently listens to every word I say. He plays with my hair, which I absolutely love. We talk for what seems like hours, and as the time goes on, somehow we move closer together on the couch. I start to yawn, but I don't want to go to sleep even though I know I will be a zombie tomorrow. I don't want this night to end.
"I should go. It's late," he whispers. I nod sadly. Neither of us moves from our places on the couch. "I'm glad you came over," I tell him. He looks into my eyes. "Me too."
Once again, our faces are a few inches apart, and I want more than anything for him to kiss me again. Neither of us says a word, and he catches me off guard when he pulls me into his lap. "Is this okay?" he asks me.
"What do you think?" I boldly lean in and kiss him. I have no idea where my newfound courage has come from. Normally, I would have let him make all the moves, but it just seemed like the right thing to do. His arms are wrapped tightly around my waist and the moment is intensifying rapidly. "I know I need to go," he says without pulling his lips away from mine.
"Mm-hmm."
A little while later, I pry myself away from him to catch my breath. Both Aiden and I lean our heads back on the couch.
"Wow, ET, thanks for seducing me. That was pretty amazing," he says, giving me a mischievous grin.
I glare at him before I playfully punch him on the arm. "First of all, you know I hate that nickname, and second, I believe you were the one who pulled me into your lap. I'm pretty sure that means that you seduced me." I sit up straight and fold my arms.
"Oh, you think so?" he asks playfully. "Well, I didn't detect any hesitation from you. Besides, you look so amazing tonight that I would be an idiot not to try to make a move on you. What would my friends say?"
I let out a giggle. "I see your point." Is this really happening? I have hoped for this moment for so long, and here we are, Aiden and me, making out on my couch, and it's better than I ever hoped it would be.
"I better get going or I may never want to leave," Aiden says, grabbing my hand. That would be okay, I think to myself.
When I walk Aiden to the door, he gives me a long, passionate kiss. "I had the best night tonight. When can I see you again?"
"Well, you'll see me at work tomorrow," I remind him. I know that wasn't what he meant by that, but I just want to hear him say it.
"You know what I mean."
I nod quickly. "I know, and to answer your question, the sooner the better."
He kisses me again and presses his forehead against mine. "I'm so happy to hear you say that. Good-night."
I close the door behind him and lean up against the door as if I'm in some sappy romantic comedy movie. I totally get why they do this now. This feeling is real, and it's awesome. I skip off to the kitchen to clean up and get ready for bed, although I have no idea how I'm going to fall asleep now.
CHAPTER TWELVE
"I can't believe you didn't text me at all. I stayed up all night waiting for your call," Mya says firmly.
"Oh, that's bullshit," I insist, rubbing my eyes. Mya can never seem to remember the time difference when she calls me so early. It's five thirty in the morning California time, and of course I didn't get to sleep until the wee hours of the morning. After Aiden left, I was so wired that I ended up lying on the couch watching Friends reruns.
"So, are you going to give me the scoop or what?" she asks impatiently. I can barely hold my eyes open. "Ugh. Mya, it's 5:30. Can I call you back in a few hours? I hardly got any sleep."
"Oh really, and why is that?" she says excitedly. It's way too early for this, I think to myself.
"You might as well start talking now because you know how impatient I am, and I will just keep calling you back," she reminds me. This is true. Besides, now that I'm starting to wake up, I'm remembering every amazing detail of my evening with Aiden.
"It was…perfect," I say softly. I tell her all about our date and wait for her to give me her two cents. When I finish talking, she doesn't say anything, and for a second, I think we got disconnected.
"Mya? You there?" I ask.
"I'm here," she says finally. "Are you falling in love with Aiden?"
What? Where did that come from? This girl knows me better than that.
"Have you gone mad? Of course not, we've hung out like three times. I think it's a bit too early to talk about falling in love."
Thankfully, she backs off. I'm just starting to enjoy our time together—there is no need to complicate and mess things up with talking about getting serious. Besides, when it comes to deeper, more serious relationships, that's usually when things start going wrong for me.
"I have to get ready for work, so can we talk again tonight?" I say, trying to cut the call short.
As soon as I start to get ready, I think about what Mya said. I know I really have strong feelings for Aiden, but I don't know if it's love…yet.
* * *
When I arrive at work, I feel confident and excited. I took my time getting ready after my early morning phone call from Mya. I must be pretty transparent because Bre notices right away.
"Damn, girl, you must be hoping to run in to Aiden today," she says, giving me the once-over look.
I make a face at her. "Don't be ridiculous, Bre. I don't need a reason to dress up for work," I say, looking down at my dark skinny jeans, ankle boots, and black tunic. I don't think my outfit is obvious at all, and I refuse to let her make me paranoid. "I know this may shock you, but not everyone's purpose in life is to impress men." She rolls her eyes, but she knows I'm right.
"Anyway, what time is your interview?" I ask, trying to change the subject. Both she and Aly have interviews today, and that will wrap it up. Next week the decision will be made, and we can move on from this annoying competitive vibe that's been in the office for weeks.
Friends ForNever Page 9
