Everything Has Changed

Why Do Parents Have to Be So Embarrassing?

A/N Long chapter this time! This one was really fun to write :)

Unfortunately I barely have the time to reply to comments anymore, but to anyone who comments, you have my entire heart! Y'all are so funny and kind, and thank you for being such great readers!

AIDEN

Of all the ways Aiden had imagined waking up this morning, it wasn't with his best friend yelling at him.

"I cannot believe you, Aiden Acharya!" Brynne yelled over the phone.

Aiden cringed, holding his cell phone further away from his ear. He'd made a mistake leaving his phone on silent last night after the movie was over. Brynne had spammed him with texts, and then left a voicemail threatening him to call her in the morning, which he'd done. At the moment, he was regretting it.

"Brynne," he said, stopping her halfway through her next sentence. "For the millionth time, Aru came up with the idea of fake dating! We both agreed to it!"

His best friend sighed, some of the anger leaking from her voice. He imagined her rubbing her forehead. "Aiden, you don't understand. This was not a good idea. But I suppose it's too late now."

Aiden flopped against his pillows, staring at the ceiling. Years ago, he'd scattered constellation stickers across it. His mother had come up with the idea, giving him a pack of them as a gift. She claimed it would brighten up his room, but Aiden knew she just wanted to cheer him up in the days after the Divorce. In his mind, the event was always capitalized.

"Why is it a bad idea?" he said, shaking off the past.

"I know you like to hide your feelings--don't even deny it, Aiden--but you can't hide from them forever. I know how Aru used to feel about you, and I don't know how she feels now, but that doesn't change the fact that you're not ready for something like that and neither is she, even if it's not real. You can't just fake care for someone and not end up actually caring for them."

Aiden processed this. He thought he knew what Brynne was saying, but he didn't want to acknowledge it because that would make it real. And this was all supposed to be an act. "You're saying..."

Brynne muttered something unintelligible. "I'm saying that this isn't going to end well, for either of you. See you later."

She hung up. Aiden stared at his phone, mulling over his best friend's words. Did she mean that Aru still liked him? He didn't want to lead her on if that was the case. But maybe he wouldn't have a choice, if it was part of the fake dating.

Aiden heaved a sigh and rubbed his eyes. Aru had said yes to this plan, but maybe she hadn't considered everything. Maybe he would ask her again, later. She didn't know what his dad was like. And she didn't know what he really feared--that he would someday be just like his parents, ruining any relationship he was in for too long. Even if this one wasn't...real.

- - -

As Aiden was eating breakfast, his mom came in and planted a kiss on his head. "Good morning, Ace-Cakes."

Aiden rolled his eyes. "Morning, Mom."

"You seem a little under the weather lately," she noted, studying him with some concern. She was probably seeing the shadows under his eyes. "Is everything all right?"

"Not really." Aiden stared into his cereal. "Dad wants me to come visit him."

Malini's face immediately sobered. Like Aiden, she knew that it wasn't a request, but a demand. "I'm so sorry. He didn't tell me about this at all."

"He didn't?"

"I suppose he thought you would tell me," she offered half-heartedly, but Aiden knew the truth. His dad never contacted his mom unless absolutely necessary. And apparently, this wasn't one of those cases.