Because of My Best Friend

9. The Non-Date Date

Our trip is halfway through and I’d say we were both enjoying it.  It was great to hang out with Kelsey.  Sure, we live together, but with both of us working, we rarely hang out like this due to being tired or having other things to do.  We spent Sunday being lazy, watching tv and ordering in- just us.  No exes, no hot guys from bars… just us in our PJ's and Chinese.  It was amazing.

Yesterday we did some sightseeing and enjoyed the city.  We really didn’t have plans to do anything so we were just winging everything as it came, which is just how we like to roll. 

I was really enjoying this dream about Channing Tatum doing that hip thrust from Magic Mike, and was hoping to sleep in, but Kelsey took her phone off silent for whatever damn reason and it’s been going off nonstop.  I hear the shower going and groan to myself.  I blindly reach over and grab her phone, not even checking who it is.  “Currently on vacation.  What do you want?”

“Kelsey?” a male voice questions.

“No… who’s this?”

“Oh Justine!  Hey- it’s Tanner!  Could you let Kelsey know that I was able to get off work earlier and on my way?”

I sit up groggily and scrub the sleep out of my eyes.  “Why would you be on your way?”

“Umm… for our date?  Well, she said more like hanging out….  She didn’t tell you?  We talked about it this morning.”

I glance at the clock and it was almost 1:30p.  Welp, I guess I did get to sleep in.  “I’ve been sleeping all day apparently, but yea I’ll tell her.  She’s in the shower right now.”

“Thanks- be there soon!”

“Bye.”  I laugh to myself.  He seems genuinely excited, and damn, driving two hours just to see her.  they must’ve really hit it off.  I’m glad.

As soon as hung up the phone Kelsey comes out of the bathroom towel drying her hair.  She sees me up holding her phone and her eyes start to bug out.  I throw on a fake glare.  “Care to tell me about your date missy?”

She rushes over, throwing the towel in my face, which distracted me long enough for her to get her phone.  “I was gonna tell you, I swear!.... it’s not even a real date.  We’re just hanging out!”  She wildly looks through her phone and I just let out a laugh.

“Chill girl.  I’m happy the man is driving two hours just to ‘hang out’.  But I am not getting kicked out of the hotel again.”  I will stand firm on that one. 

She looks up and smiles while winking.  “Don’t worry, we have his car if he gets lucky.”  I laugh at that.  We both know he’s getting lucky.

I stand up to stretch and head to the bathroom.  “He says he got off work early and is on his way.”

“s**t! You know how long my hair is going to take!”  She runs past me to the bathroom and pulls out the hair dryer.  Guess she couldn’t wait until I pee.

*

**2 hours later**

“You crazy kids have fun and be safe!  Use protection!  I’m not ready for godmother status just yet!”

“Bye Justine!” Kelsey laughs, pushing Tanner out the room.

“Nice seeing you again!”

Ten minutes ago, the man shows up with flowers.  This is more than hanging out, but while helping Kels primp up, she said she just wanted to keep it casual and not put any expectations on anything.  She believes that’s what caused all her nasty break ups- by moving too fast and putting the men on pedestals, which sounds ridiculous to me.  So what if you have high expectations?  That just means you have standards.  And Tanner seems to be a really great guy. 

But now, what the hell am I supposed to do with the rest of my night?  I’ve already straightened up the room and showered.  I guess I can just leave my PJ’s on and order a movie.  All the sudden, my phone beeps.  The only people that really text me are my family and Kelsey, so I rush over to make sure it wasn’t important.

I grab my phone and it’s a text from an unknown number.

Unknown:  Want to meet me halfway and hang out?  Only if you’re bored that is….

Before I can even answer, another message beeps in.

Unknown: This is Aidan from the other night.  Sorry, just realized you might not know who this is.

I smile to myself.  He must know Tanner came up here for Kelsey and doesn’t want me to be alone, which is really super sweet.  Knowing the little of him that I do, it’s not a date.... simply hanging out, with him recently single.  Like Kelsey said, keep it casual- no expectations. 

Justine:  Sure.  That’d be great.  Wanna send me the address to where we’ll meet?

*AIDAN POV

When Tanner told me he was taking Kelsey out for a ‘get together’, I kept thinking of Justine being alone.  Not that she’s not a grown woman and could probably find something to do, but something just didn’t sit well with me knowing she’s on vacation with her friend and Tanner took Kelsey from her.

So, just trying to be nice, I asked if she wanted to hang out.  I still had her number from the group text.  I didn’t want it to look like I was asking for a date, which is why I suggested we meet halfway.  I’m not looking to date anyone, I’m not.  Especially someone like Justine.  That’s what I keep telling myself anyways.

Tanner is able to set his own hours- the lucky bastard, but I had to wait until I visited my last client before I could go home and get ready to leave.  I texted her the address of this awesome Asian fusion place that’s in a town between Dallas and home, so hopefully that’ll work.  Once I sit in my car ready to leave, I have to tell myself over and over that this is not a date.  We are simply acquaintances that get along well.  I’m just being a nice guy and taking her out so she won’t be bored on vacation.  It’s definitely not a date.

**

I pull up to the restaurant and I feel my palms beginning to sweat.  Why all of the sudden am I nervous?  We hung out most of the day Saturday and even shared a room the night before, so this should be easy right?

When I get out of the car, I look around and see that she’s headed my way, smiling as she does.  I swear my stomach drops at the sight of her, but I just end up pushing that feeling aside.  I’m glad she didn’t dress up though.  I’m only wearing jeans and a t-shirt, keeping it casual.  But her?  Those jeans were made for her curves and she layered tank tops, showing off her soft skin.  Casual, but sexy.  I feel like nothing could possibly look bad on her. 

“Hey you,” she says playfully.

“Hey…. You ready to eat?” I ask, turning in the direction of the front door.

“Starving!” 

I put my hand on the small of her back, like it’s supposed to be there, and she just smiles.  After we go inside and get a table, we both order a drink and look through the menu.

“Care to play 20 questions?” 

I look up and she’s still looking through her menu, but obviously waiting on my answer.  I already found what I want, so I put mine down and clasp my hands together.  “Sure, why not?”

“What do you do for a living?”  She puts her menu down and gives me her undivided attention.

“I work in advertising, mainly getting approvals for contracts and doing negotiations between clients, nothing fancy… you?”

“Security systems- answering phones.  I had to drop out of college and started working for my mom’s company.  Guess I just never left.  Family?”

She jumped topics really fast, and decided not to push her education information.  This isn’t a date, so it’s not like we need to know every detail.  “Mom and dad live on the west coast, in Oregon. Still together.  No siblings. You?”

“Mom and dad split.  He moved to Florida, I think.  Middle child.  I have an older sister- married with twins.  And a younger brother.”

“My turn…. Hmmm..  favorite color?”

“Ooo original….”

“Hey, it’s my question.  I like green.”

“I’m more of a pastel blue girl.” 

And it went on from there.  After we ordered food, I found out she broke her arm in high school.  She likes fall only because she can wear her favorite pairs of boots, but her favorite season is spring.  Her and Kelsey live together in their small town.  Throughout dinner, we shared our most embarrassing moments with our best friends, as well as how they came into our lives.  I told her that I like romance movies, probably because my mom had me watch them when I was growing up.  She hates mushrooms, and thinks it’s hilarious that I peed myself when I was 9 on a field trip.  Little by little, we learned more about each other and it was something that I was really enjoying.

“You don’t have to answer this next one if you don’t want to… but what was your recent relationship like?  Tanner said it was five years.  That’s a pretty long time.”

I sigh as I put my fork on my plate.  “Yea, it was.  Met at a friend’s get together, and we instantly clicked.  From there we went on dates, and eventually I asked her to be official.  Over the years we just kept at a steady pace.  I met her family, she met mine.  Over the last year, it just became a programmed routine to see each other at certain times, everything becoming predictable.  I don’t hate her, but I did lose respect for her as a person when she told me she’d been having an affair.  Still haven’t heard from her since she told me.  Now everything is just.. idk how to word it…. stale?  Honestly, I’m shocked I’m not more emotional about the whole thing.”

“Did you buy her a ring?” she asks suddenly.  I look at her puzzled.  “You know, For engagement?”

“No…”  Honestly, I think we never really discussed getting married.

“Then you weren’t truly in love.”  She shrugs her shoulders.  “I don’t know, but I would assume being with someone that long, you would have plans for the future, unless you don’t want marriage and kids, ect. …..”

I did want marriage and kids.  Thinking about it now, that’s something you would discuss with someone you’ve been with forever…. But we never did.  We just ‘were’.  At that moment, I realized my age.  I’m 34 and single.  I feel like the years with Olivia have gone to waste, and that’s more upsetting than the breakup itself.

“Sorry for going in too deep there… ready to head out?”

After I pay the bill (with a lot of arguing on her part), we head out of the restaurant.  It’s close to 8:30, and I do have work tomorrow, but I can’t seem to want this night to end.  Before she walks towards her car, I grab her hand, causing her to look back.  When she sees our hands linked, she looks up to me with a smirk and raises her eyebrows. 

“Let’s take a walk.”

She doesn’t argue with me.  We cross the street and stroll through the town- looking through windows and talking about anything and nothing at all.  When a couple of kids on skateboards zoom by us too closely, she backs into me and my arm finds its way around her waist… and we just keep walking like that.  I don’t know if she even realizes it, but I’m comfortable holding her. 

We head into the park as the lamppost lights come on.  Fireflies can be seen around the wooded areas, and there are families or couples just walking along. 

“Look Aidan!”  Justine quickly takes my hand from her waist and drags me to the center of the park where they are inflating a large screen.  “Movie in a park!  Should we sit down for a bit and see what they’re playing?”

The light in her eyes, as excited as she is, is my undoing.  I could never say no to that face.  “Sure thing- pick a spot.”  The soft giggle has me smiling like a goof.  As much as this is feeling like a date, I need to remind myself it’s not, which sucks.

By the time she finds a spot that she deems worthy, the movie starts up.  We sit down next to each other and I laugh when I see what’s playing.  “Steel Magnolias?  My mom would highly approve.”

“Oh don’t act like you haven’t memorized some of the lines….”  She isn’t wrong.

Tuning in, we laugh out loud with the crowd as the wedding scene rolls through, and our bodies seemed to have moved closer.  After 15 minutes or so, I see her shiver out of the corner of my eye.  “You cold?”

She nods her head.  “A little.”  Without a second thought, I maneuver my body around hers, and place my legs on the outside of hers and bring her back to my front.  After feeling her go stiff, I realize what I’ve done, and I curse myself internally.  I can’t see whether she’s embarrassed or cringing from the close body contact, but after a breath, her body relaxes and she grabs both of my arms- crisscrossing them across her body as if I were her own personal blanket.

The move brings my face right on top of her shoulder, and her soft scent greets me like an old friend.  Another funny part has us laughing and I get more comfortable embracing her, and she gets more comfortable snuggling into me.  I let out a hard sigh.  “This is not a date.”

She laughs out loud.  “Whatever you say sir.”

My eyes bulge out.  I thought I said that to myself.  And don’t even get me started on her saying the word ‘sir’.  This is not the time to think about bedroom talk.  Dammit, what is this woman doing to me?

After another half hour, we call it quits.  Neither one of us wanted to see the sad parts of the movie, and I did have to get home for work.  We walk up to her car, and before I can tell her bye, she turns to me with that beautiful smirk on.   “I had really fun time on our date Mr. Evans.”

“This was not a date Ms. Spencer,” I smile out. 

She walks closer to me, hands behind her back as she leans forward.  “Oh, it was totally a date.  A fun one.”  Ugh, too sexy for her own good.

On instinct, I place my hands on the sides of her neck, thumbs gently massaging...watching her skin pebble at my touch.  “Nope, definitely not.”

“Yup. One of the most perfect da—"

I can’t help it anymore.  I kiss her.