More Than Meets the Eye

Chapter One

"Let's not, and say we did" I suggested, taking a sip of the beer that was put in my hands upon arrival.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun" Aubrey whined, pouting.  She took the shot she had just poured in front of her, grimacing as the alcohol went down her throat. She opened her eyes, looking at me expectantly.

Aubrey was a bright girl. We were the same age, 26. We were both from the city, though we never crossed paths until I came across an ad on Kijiji; she was looking for a roommate and someone to share rent with. I was looking for something closer to work and deeper into the city I had grown to love. I wasn't an extrovert, but I also wasn't an introvert. Aubrey was your typical extrovert. She was kind hearted, got along with everyone she met, and was really a genuine person. Of course, this had its drawbacks. She was so kindhearted that sometimes she didn't see the bad in people. She actively sought out the good, and for that I was envious. She wanted to give people the benefit of the doubt; she was big on giving people chances.

I did not anticipate becoming as close to her as I did; the more I got to know her, the more I was glad I decided to take a chance on living with a total stranger. Here, almost a year later, we were far from strangers.

"You know I'm not much of a party person" I reasoned, trying to get out of this. It was Friday night, and of course she wanted to go out. Since we were still in a pandemic, clubs and bars really weren't on the up and up. Though the cases had been getting better, vaccines were being given, and restrictions slowly being lifted, I still liked to keep my circle close.

"Party really isn't the right word" she laughed, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "There won't be many people there" she pouted. "Aus already said he was going"

"Just because Aus does, doesn't mean I want to" I reasoned, and she rolled her eyes. Auston of course, was my "boyfriend". Though Aubrey was none the wiser, we had successfully pulled off six months of convincing fake dating. Though it was hard to wrap my head around at first, and though it took a little while to get use to, it actually turned out to not be a bad gig. I met quite a few new friends, and despite everything I actually enjoyed Auston's company. But let's not get it twisted; I did not want to actually date him. We were friends, who were pretending to date; nothing more.

"Please, I don't want to go alone" she pleaded with me. I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding, running my fingers through my staticky hair.

"Alright, fine. But I don't want to stay too late" I tried to say, but I don't think she listened to a word I said past the word "fine".

*****

Immediately after arriving at the party, I was ditched by Aubrey. Well, ditched really isn't the right word. We got there and immediately and her and the guy she's been pining for, Morgan, locked eyes and began to chat immediately. I had to admit, they would make a cute pair. Both genuine, understanding, good people. Mo was a leader on and off the ice, and seeing the amount of work he put into the community was truly awe inspiring. Though I wasn't close to him, I had a very high level of respect for him.

Upon looking around, Aubrey wasn't kidding when she said there wouldn't be many people. I felt a sense of relief at this. I looked around the room some more, trying to find Auston. After all, how strange would it be if I arrived and didn't look for my boyfriend? In no surprise to me at all, I found him in the corner of the room, looking like he was having an intense chat with Freddie.

Of all Auston's friends, I was definitely closest to Fred. He was a quiet, man of very few words. At first he really didn't say much to me, but the more we hung around, the more we spoke. He had this allure to him I really couldn't explain; another genuinely nice guy. To be honest, I was surprised at the amount of genuinely nice people Auston surrounded himself with. Why could none of them teach him to treat women with more respect? They sure as hell did.