Friends ForNever

by Melissa Baldwin

"So, tell me what happened between you and Aly? I thought you girls were best friends."

  I hold out my glass to toast her. "Hmm…let's just say I was wrong about Aly. She totally used me to further her career. I gave her advice and was her friend when no one else gave her the time of day. How does she repay me? I'm pretty sure she was the one behind me losing the position. She denies it, but I think she exposed the fact that Aiden and I were seeing each other."

  Kimmy's eyes get wide. "You really think it was her?" She pauses. "I don't know."

  I smirk. "That's not even the worst of it…she kissed Aiden."

  Kimmy spits out some of her blue drink. "What? When?"

  I tell her everything that happened with Aiden and our fight. Kimmy and I have never really been close, but she's always been nice, and now I feel like we have something in common with our rejection.

  "I can't believe this. So, you and Aiden really haven't gotten back together?"

  "Not yet. I want to, but it feels weird."

  Kimmy and I are still talking when Aiden arrives. He heads straight towards me. He stares intently into my eyes, and my mouth drops open.

  "I should probably leave you two alone," Kimmy says loudly. "See you later, Erin."

  She walks away, leaving me with Aiden.

  "Hey," he says.

  "Hi."

  This is horrible. I feel like we're complete strangers.

  "You look amazing," he says, eyeing my dress. Ha, all my hard work paid off.

  "Thanks."

  "I didn't think you would be here tonight," he says.

  I give him a surprised look. "Why? Even though I'm not going to Paris, I still need to show support for our magazine."

  Just then we see Bre and Harry walk in, and they're holding hands.

  "Looks like things are moving quickly for your brother and Bre." I guess they fit well together.

  Aiden gives a shrug. "I guess. We'll see how long it lasts." I can tell that Aiden doesn't think they will last long. Who knows? We stand there awkwardly for a few seconds, so I make up an excuse that I have to talk to Chelsie. I need to collect my thoughts and walk outside. I know I need to get over what happened between Aly and Aiden. He's gone out of his way to show me that he wants to be with me, and I'm just being stubborn now. I need to tell him that I miss him and that I'm ready to move forward.

  I head back inside with plenty of built-up courage, ready to run straight back into Aiden's arms. Before I take two steps inside, however, someone calls my name.

  "Erin, is that you?"

  I turn around, and there's Will with his usual cheesy grin.

  "Will? How are you?" I'm so surprised to see him that I forget for a minute what I was about to do.

  "Doing good, buddy," he says, giving me a hug. He introduces me to his friends. Of course, I will never remember what their names are.

  "I'm here for a good-bye party. Remember I told you about that project with our sister magazine? The team leaves tomorrow."

  "Wow, that's great. Were you not planning on calling me to say good-bye? I'm going to have to tell your mother," he says sarcastically.

  My face falls a little, and Will must sense what's coming. "Oh, sorry, I just assumed you were going. My bad."

  I wave my hand. "You don't need to apologize. I'm not upset…anymore. Sometimes things aren't meant to be."

  He nods. I feel like I haven't talked to him in forever, and he has no idea about what happened with Aiden and Aly…oh crap, Aly! I quickly look around, and sure enough, I spot Aly staring at me from across the bar. I quickly scan the room to see where Aiden is, and I see him talking to his brother and Bre. He's making his usual "Bre is driving me crazy" face.

  "What are you looking at?" Will asks. I turn back to him, and in frustration, I shake my head and exhale loudly.

  "Do you remember Aly, the girl we ran into at lunch?" He nods his head. "Yeah, you were asking me if I thought she was the devil."

  "Ha-ha," I reply. "Well, she is the devil, and she's about to wreak more havoc on my life once again." I quickly explain what Aly's been up to, and he glances over at her. She's pretending to ignore us, but I know she's been watching the whole time. She would give anything to destroy my relationship.

  Before I can think, Aiden spots us and is walking toward us. I feel like I need to do something and quick. It would be too obvious for me to tell Will to run away, and I certainly can't run away, so I stand still and sweat.

  "There you are." He looks at Will and holds out his hand. "Hi, I'm Aiden Thomas."

  Will smiles. "Hey, man, Will."

  I hold my breath, and sure enough, I can almost see the little light bulb going off in Aiden's brain. He looks at me and back to Will.

  "You're Will, as in family friend Will?"

  "Yeah, that's me. Small world running into Erin here," he says nonchalantly. He looks at me and smiles. "Anyway, I better get back to my friends. Good seeing you again, Erin, and nice meeting you, Aiden."

  He saunters away, leaving Aiden and me alone again. I look at him and hold my head up high. I'm prepared to defend myself if I have to. I can be friends with whomever I want.

  "So that's Will?" he asks awkwardly.

  "Yeah, funny how we ran into each other here. I haven't spoken to him since we had lunch. He was asking if I was going to Paris."

  "I told you, Aiden," Aly interrupts. "You really think it was a coincidence that they both showed up here tonight?"

  Ahhhh…if only the stars would align and I could see Aly at a non-work event. I would love to really tell her what I think of her, but this is not the time or the place to do that. I hold my tongue and look at Aiden to see his reaction.

  "I'm sorry, Aly, but we were having a private conversation," Aiden says while looking at me. "Let's walk outside." He grabs my hand and leads me to the door, leaving Aly fuming behind us.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  As soon as we get into the cold air, I start rambling.

  "Aiden, it really is a coincidence that Will is here tonight. I already told you that we're just friends."

  All of a sudden, he pulls me toward him and kisses me hard. At first I don't move, and then it happens…I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back. I have no idea where this comes from because a few minutes ago, if he were to question me about Will, I was going to tell him to go to hell.

  We stand there kissing on the street in front of the restaurant, where anyone could see us. And right at this moment, I don't care. I don't care about Paris, or the big office, or Aly, or anyone. It's almost as if we are the only two people in this city, and I know this is how love is supposed to feel.

  "I'm so sorry for everything," Aiden says when he finally pulls away. "This whole thing is my fault. I should have told you a long time ago that I just wanted to be with you. That day you told me about your mother setting you up with Will I was dying inside, but I was afraid to say anything. I wasn't sure how you were feeling, and I didn't want to act jealous."

  I'm completely surprised by his admission. So he did care about me going out with Will.

  "I should have told you that I was hanging out with Will, even as friends," I tell him. He shakes his head.

  "I should have never defended Aly over and over again like I did. I feel so bad about what happened with her." He looks down at the ground. "I kept being nice to her because I thought you guys were good friends. Wow, was I wrong about that."

  I take his face in my hands. "You were not the only one to be fooled by her. But I don't care anymore. She's out of here tomorrow, and it will be five wonderful weeks without her or Bre."

  We stand out on the street for a while talking and kissing. When it's time to go inside, he takes my hand. "Are you sure you want to do this?" I say, holding up our hands.

  "Absolutely. I'm done hiding my feelings for you." He kisses my hand and leads me back to the party.

  Aly spends the rest of the night giving me dirty looks. I think I'm in the clear until we run into each other in the bathroom, or
maybe she followed me inside. She stands next to me in front of the mirror where I'm reapplying my lipstick. She takes out her makeup bag and leans against the counter.

  "Doesn't it bother you that Aiden was kissing me just a few weeks ago?" she asks. She even makes a point of making kissy faces in the mirror. I see that her immaturity is finally starting to shine through amongst her many other undesirable qualities.

  I look straight ahead in the mirror and ignore her. "You know that you're always going to wonder if he really drank that much or if he just wanted to kiss me."

  I'm not going to let her get to me.

  "Maybe," I say when I finally look at her. "But the best part is that it must not have been that great because we're still together and we're better than ever."

  Her smile fades.

  "After everything that's happened, I'm glad I'm not going to Paris. I'm glad I get to stay here with him." I turn and get right in her face. "As I said before, I hope you can make it on your own." I walk out of the bathroom feeling like I'm on cloud nine.

  When I return to Aiden, he wraps his arm around me and kisses me on the cheek. Harry starts clapping in our direction.

  "It's about time you kids got it together," Harry says sarcastically. "I was starting to think my little brother had issues."

  He laughs, and Aiden reaches over and hits the back of his head.

  "I'm not the one with issues, bro," Aiden says with a laugh. "You're dating Bre, otherwise known as the queen of high maintenance."

  I try to hide my giggle, and thankfully, Bre doesn't hear this conversation. Harry doesn't seem phased by anything Aiden says about Bre. I think he likes the fact that she's so high maintenance.

  "Bre keeps life interesting," he says with a mischievous smile.

  "What do I do?" Bre asks, obviously overhearing what Harry said. She looks at Aiden and me and raises her eyebrows.

  "It's about time, you guys," she exclaims. I really do need to give Bre more credit. She was the one to push Aiden to make a move, and she was right about Aly. I can't believe I felt so sorry for Aly when Bre was so hard on her.

  "Yes, it is," I agree. "Bre, let's talk for a minute," I say as I pry myself away from Aiden. I lead Bre over to an empty bar table.

  "I just wanted to apologize to you before you leave. You were right all along about Aly."

  She gives me a curious look. "Ha, you've finally seen the light. Took you long enough."

  "I know. I can't help it if I give people the benefit of the doubt and that I'm not so quick to make judgment on people."

  She gives me a smug look and takes a sip of her wine. "Whatever. Learned your lesson, didn't you?"

  Unfortunately, she has a point.

  "Yeah, I guess the fact that Aly took advantage of Aiden when he was drunk says it all."

  Her mouth drops open. "What?"

  "Yep. You were right about her."

  She pretends to act shocked, but I know she's gloating inside.

  "Well, it sure seems like you're over it now," she says. I glance over at Aiden who flashes me one of his amazing smiles.

  "Yeah, I think everything is finally moving in the right direction. I guess it was meant to be that I'm not going to Paris after all. If I ever find out who exposed us, I will have to thank them." I laugh.

  "Really?" Bre says, sounding surprised.

  "Sure. It seems like they did me a favor."

  For the first time in a while, Bre isn't getting on my last nerve, but I'm dying to get back to Aiden. I think we've spent enough time apart.

  "Thanks for listening," I tell her. "Have a wonderful time in Paris with Aly." I start to walk back to where Aiden is waiting for me.

  "It was me, Erin," she calls.

  I turn around and give her a curious look. "What are you talking about?"

  She lets out a loud sigh. "It was me. I'm the one who told HR about you and Aiden. I was mad that they didn't choose me, and I thought that if I told they would probably take you off the project. I wasn't sure I would get chosen, but I didn't care." She stops.

  I'm completely speechless. I had my suspicions, but I was so preoccupied with the Aly and Aiden drama that I just figured Aly was behind everything,

  "And that's not it. Remember when you lost a part of your article? You left it open on your desk, and I went in and deleted some of it."

  I totally forgot about that. She was acting really shady that day. What the hell? I wonder what has brought on this sudden attack of conscience. She looks sincerely sorry, but I'm still trying to let it all sink in.

  "Say something. You just said that you wanted to thank the person who told."

  I look at her as if she's lost her mind. "You can't be serious. Sure, I said that, but I didn't expect it to be my friend, or rather someone who I thought was a friend. But were you ever really my friend? I've always given you the benefit of the doubt, even through all your nonsense. How could you do this to me?"

  She looks down at the floor and doesn't say anything.

  I shake my head in disgust and head toward the door. I can't believe that within a few days I found out that two people I trusted are not really my friends after all. One was out for my job and one for my man. I walk outside to gather my thoughts.

  "Erin, what's wrong?" Aiden joins me outside. I turn to him with tears in my eyes. "I just want to go home."

  * * *

  I never thought I would feel so sad cuddling with Aiden on my couch. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that Aiden is here with me, but I'm just so hurt by both Bre and Aly.

  Aiden insisted on driving me home then he insisted on coming inside until I calmed down.

  "So, are you going to offer me a drink? I've been thinking about Yoo-hoo since the last time I was here."

  I know he's trying to cheer me up. I crack a smile. "Sure. Help yourself." He runs to my kitchen, and I pull the warm blanket tightly around me. He returns with two Yoo-hoos and the package of Oreos. He sits on the couch next to me and pulls my legs onto his lap.

  "I can't believe Bre did this to you. I'm going to tell Harry because he needs to know what he's getting into." He takes a sip of his Yoo-hoo.

  "I should have known," I wail. "I feel so stupid. And the worst part of it is that she kept telling me how horrible Aly was. Ha! And she was right about her, but it turns out that she's just as bad."

  Aiden listens patiently as I complain about my so-called friends. Every so often he pushes my hair out of my face or kisses my hand.

  "It's hard to concentrate on my pity party when you do that," I tell him. He smiles.

  "Good. I've wasted enough time being stupid, and I have a lot to make up for." He leans in and gently kisses me again, and I forget all about Bre and Aly.

  * * *

  "Isn't it a glorious day?" Kimmy says when she arrives at work. It's been two days since the Paris team left, and the office has been so peaceful.

  "Yes." I agree. "It's amazing how different it feels around here with um…less people."

  She giggles.

  "I actually wrote Chelsie an email telling her that I hope Aly and Bre stay in Paris forever, but I decided to delete it."

  "I love it," Kimmy exclaims. "You really should have sent it." I have to admit it really did make me feel better to type it out even though I didn't send it. I think that's some kind of therapy tactic, and it really does work.

  Bre tried to contact me several times, but I ignored her. I have nothing to say to her, and right now, I don't care if I ever talk to her again.

  I'm trying to get some work done, but I'm also in the middle of a dilemma. It's time for another Taylor family dinner, and I really want to bring Aiden. I know it would make my mom's year if I actually brought a man home, but I don't know if I'm ready for that. Not because of Aiden—things are fantastic right now—but who knows if a night with my family would change all that? My brother has been known to rub people the wrong way on more than one occasion.

  My mom answers right away when I call her. "Hi, Mom."
r />   "Oh no. You aren't calling to cancel out on dinner, are you?" I roll my eyes, but thankfully, she can't see me.

  "Well, Mom, it's nice to talk to you, too, and no, I'm not calling to cancel." I pause. "I was actually calling to ask you if it was okay if I brought someone to dinner."

  At first I think we got disconnected because there's not sound on the phone.

  "Mom?"

  "I'm still here," she says. "Who were you planning to bring? I'm hopeful that it's Will. He really is very sweet."

  I can't disagree with her. Will is a great guy, but he's not Aiden.

  "Sharon is going to be thrilled. Maybe I should invite her, too."

  "Mom," I interrupt. "I'm not bringing Will. I've told you a million times we are friends, and that's it."

  "I know, I know." She huffs. "That doesn't mean that you couldn't bring him to dinner. Why do you get so defensive when I bring this up?"

  I'm trying to keep my cool, but she continues to test my limits. Instead, I remind her of a few weeks ago when we were having our brief fleeting moment of mother-daughter bonding time.

  "Don't you remember I told you about Aiden? When I started crying and you actually comforted me." Okay, that was a low blow, I think to myself. Thankfully, she doesn't catch on to my insult. "Well, we're working things out, and I was thinking of inviting him to dinner if that's okay. But, I have some guidelines we need to talk about."

  "Is this the same man who you said was jealous of you and Will?" she asks.

  "Mom, there is no me and Will, and yes, this is the same one." I'm already starting to regret bringing this up to her.

  "Of course you can bring him. I look forward to meeting him," she exclaims. "And don't worry about guidelines. I know exactly how to handle myself."

  Ugh. What am I doing?

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  "It's going to be fine. And I promise not to embarrass you in front of your family," Aiden says. He has no idea what he's in for. I have tried my best to prepare him for my mother and my brother. Granted, I'm sure there are more dysfunctional families out there than mine.