|Riley|
With a confident twirl, I hopped on top of the strong coffee table. Andrew and Ayden were sitting uncomfortably next to each other, and right in front of me. My sneakers frolicked with the table’s edge as I raised my hand to balance my boasting buoyancy. This night will never be forgotten. These two musketeers will learn how to live with a girl—with the tomboy.
“Well, boys, the rules are the following,” my index finger arose, “No girls while I’m here. No drugs. No loud music—unless I like it. No alcohol. No strippers. And that’s all.”
Andrew angled his head to the side and lazily smiled, “If you just saw yourself from my point of view, I think you’ll be cleaning that table right now.”
“Dude, it doesn’t make any sense,” Ayden frowned at Boba and Andrew shot him a glare.
“From now on, I’ll sleep in Boba’s bedroom,” I gracefully ignored them and Andrew crossed his arms with a scowl.
“Where am I supposed to sleep?”
“You can sleep in my bed, Riley,” Ayden gave me a smirking wink that tickled my cheeks but I held my posture.
“No offence, Ayden, but let’s not cover the sun with a finger. We all know you’ve slept with half the world’s population—including men.”
“Hey!” he snapped with a vexed tone.
“Good one, Butch,” Boba started to laugh in an exaggerating manner at poor Ayden’s cute face.
“Your bed is not that clean, so shut it,” I snarled at him as I leaped off the table and headed to Andrew’s bedroom. “So, let’s organize the rooms!”
Andrew groaned and I started to cross the room when I halted at Andrew’s words,
“Are you going to keep ignoring me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Andrew,” Ayden idly said. “I’m not ignoring you.”
“Is there something wrong, boys?” I turned around and shot them an unfriendly look.
They both shook their heads and smiled, “We’re fine,” they said simultaneously.
“Hmm,” I huffed and continued to Andrew’s room.
Once inside, I started to take my pair of Converse off and my jean jacket. Sluggishly, I analyzed the room while some unsympathetic voices shouted from the living room. They were arguing and I know why. It’s because Andrew and I… “We’re not together anymore.”
My voice sounded so weak and quaky, I hardly believed it was Riley Benjamin speaking. After throwing my pair of sneakers and jacket somewhere around the manly room, I walked over the wall decorated with enthralling pictures. My fingers glided against the glossy surface of the joyful pictures. My body stopped moving, breathing, feeling when I saw the middle photo. The same portrait I saw yesterday. Andrew was grinning with a couple aside him.
Thump! Thump!
Unconsciously, I clutched my chest and felt a strong pulse, beating faster until I became conscious of its delusional speed. Unaware of everything surrounding me, I kept staring at his grin and my blood rushed faster.
“Hey, idiot,” a voice startled me as I gasped and rotated around to see him in flesh.
“For a stinking doodle!” I jumped and he chuckled. “W-what are you doing here, Boba?”
He tilted his head and smirked, “Why are you so jumpy?”
My instinct shoved my body against the wall as I covered my chest with my hands. “W-who says I’m j-jumpy?” Don’t know why and don’t dare to ask me, but I’ve felt this urge to hide myself away from Andrew’s piercing eyes since this morning—since he kissed my neck.
He grinned mischievously and abruptly leaped closer to me, “Boo!”
“Ah!” with a terrified flinch, my throat freed itself through a cry as I looked at him aghast. “You are a fudging awful Oreo!”
With both hands on his knees, he bent down, laughing and enjoying with all the amusement of the world. “Oh, dear,” he straightened—after minutes of laughing—and wiped a tear away. “Relax, Butch, I only attack in the morning.”
My eyelids became heavy but he tore my sudden exhaustion with an intent stare and eerie words. “What do you want anyways? It’s late and I’m tired.”
“Hours ago you were crying, minutes ago you were giving me orders inside my house and now you’re nervous,” he laughed again but I decided to change the subject.
“Hey, um, where did you take that picture?” I pointed at the one I only beheld.
“Oh,” he chuckled, “that was last year. I went to Mexico as a volunteer and met awesome people down there. That’s Julio and Sully. They’re good people. I will never forget them.”
“You volunteered? Why?”
“Either I volunteered or I had to spend my holiday with my grandma up in freezing Colorado, so I chose Mexico. It was horrible, but it changed my life, ya know?”
“Hmm,” I moaned, engrossed by thoughts.
“Hey, jumpy,” he chirped and with a twirl, he tossed his weight on the bed. Lounging, he smirked and patted the space next to him, “Let’s talk, shall we?”
Swallowing stiffly, my brain advised me that doing that wouldn’t be the best thing to do, but my heart drummed faster. And I was inclined by the rhythm of my heart. “Um, okay.”
Hesitantly, I climbed on the bed and lounged beside him. We both were looking up at the ceiling and the silence was the only noise that irked me to the core. Thankfully, he cut the thick silence with a throat-clearing and begun to chat, “We talked a lot about us tonight, but we didn’t talked about what happened this morning.”
My muscles stiffened and I barely felt my limps tightening as I clasped the navy-blue quilt underneath me, “Uh-uh.”
With a deep and masculine chuckle he glanced at me and sighed, “I shouldn’t have done it. It wasn’t my intention to scare you or make you feel uncomfortable with me.”
“Then why did you do it? Ayden told me it was because you missed Lora,” with an impulsive courage slipping within my bones I turned to face him, “Huh, Andrew? Do you miss her?”
He did the same, facing me with a small gape that separated our faces, “He told you that, huh? Well, let’s say that a man doesn’t always keep his savage side inside.”
“Do you regret doing it?” my bravery boasted as I whispered things that never even crossed my mind. What’s happening?
With a glazed look, he glanced away and then back to lock our gazes, “Do you want to hear the truth?”
A slow nod was my only response. But did I really want to hear that he regretted kissing me and invading my innocence? Did I want to hear him say that it was a mistake to explore my body and to make me feel new reactions arousing?
With closed eyes, he shook his head a no. And with that simple response, my heart took another level of quickness. Unluckily, I wasn’t able to hide my shocked look because he abruptly opened his eyes to reveal zealous chestnut-brown eyes that bore into mine. “No.”
Thump! Thump!
“Do you regret it?” he added.
My lips unlocked themselves to articulate a truthful no, but a loud knock was desperately heard, interrupting me.
“So, Andrew, didn’t you said you were just going to take your favorite pillow and go to my room to sleep?” Ayden’s voice was drenched in jealousy—which made me grin secretly.
“Uh, why, yeah, Ayden,” Andrew grinned foolishly and climbed off the bed as quick as possible. “I was just biding my bed an adieu. Can a man just say goodbye to an old lover?”
Ayden glanced at me and I felt a frozen midst tantalizing my skin. “Well, did you say goodbye?”
I hid my blushed face when Ayden wrapped his arm around my neck possessively. “Yeah,” Andrew’s smile hardened into a thin string, “Yeah, I did. I better get going.” He passed us by and before he took another step outside his room, he said over his shoulder, “Goodnight.”
“Um, Ayden?”
He ignored me and kept looking at the deserted doorway with a scowl on his striking face, “Yeah?”
“Goodnight,” I said hastily as I pulled myself away from him.
“Wait a minute. Where do you think you’re going?” he held my hand and forced me to sit down on the bed’s edge. “What was he doing?”
My eyes gazed up at his livid electric blue eyes, “Ayden, Boba’s my friend and we were just talking.”
“Snuggling next to each other in bed?” the grip tightened and my gaze fell to look at his white knuckles that enclosed my arm.
“Whoa, hold up, buddy,” I wiggled my arm free and he just glared down at me with hands on hips, “Who said we were snuggling? Are you jealous?”
“Damn right I’m jealous!” he burst out, “You’re mine, Riley and I can’t give over the fact that I saw you near him—“
“Well, get used to it because he’s my best friend, Ayden. He was the one making me laugh when you were the one laughing at me.”
“Riley,” he sighed and sat next to me, “I’m sorry if I ever mocked you—I was an ignorant! A stupid ass that didn’t saw the gem I had in front of my eyes!”
“Ayden, let’s talk tomorrow, shall we?”
“Come on, babe, I just want to—,” I interrupted him by standing up and pointing him the doorway. “Fine.”
“Goodnight, Ayden, sleep well.”
“Only if you visit my dreams,” he smirked and went on his feet to walk smoothly towards me. “You know… I bet I can kiss you without even touching your lips.”
“Oh, really?” I rolled my eyes and scoffed but my breath got stuck at my throat when he stole a smothering and passionate kiss from me.
His lips grazed mine and with a slight bit, he pulled away, smirking, “Looks like I lost the bet. Guess I’ll have to take you to dinner. You. Me. At Joelle’s after your last class.”
“Is that a date?” I blinked three times at his simpering aspect, happily surprised.
“Well, I lost the bet, didn’t I?” he twirled a lock of my hair and kissed my cheek, “I’ll pick you up.”
“Um,” I fought a grin with colored cheeks, “okay?”
He was on his way to the door when he suddenly turned around and smirked, “Oh, and don’t hide from me, Riley. I’ve kidnapped you before and I’m not afraid to do it again.”
As soon as the door was closed, the feeling that nudged me to grin disappeared. It was gone and all that I did was grimace, strip and roll myself to bed. With a loud clap, the lights turned off and vaguely, I heard shouts in the distance—accurately in the Ayden’s room. Now, pulling the covers up to my nose became a grueling task.
Today I was manhandled physically, emotionally, and mentally. I kissed Ayden for the first time, but I broke up with Andrew. Sounds weird and wrong, right? Hell! It is wrong! I should be happy, but when I think of the last dance… a throbbing pulse booms my heart to disappointment.
Maybe I feel like the slug-like Jabba the Hut because I’ve never broken up with somebody and though our relationship was not real… with time, it started to feel like it. I guess…
A stinging salty liquid threatened to spill out of my eyes as I clutched a pillow closer to my face. With a deep inhale of Andrew’s manly and alluring scent, a loud and choked sob slipped out of my mouth. The tears streamed down like a river as I buried my face in the pillow—in his aroma.
Is this how girls feel like when they broke up? Is this normal?
Thoughts like that kept on roaming its boat down the river of my sense of right and wrong while some loud crash lowered my cries.
“You bastard!” one of them shouted along with a loud clatter.
“I swear I’ll kill you,” the other one barked back, “You piece of—“
And their argument and fight went on… just like my tears and confused emotions. They were crossed and mixed with sadness and elation. But they were my feelings. Though I never thought I’ll be this pathetic, I acquired slumber like most cloying girls do… and I felt like a girl for the third time in my life.
That night, I cried myself to sleep.
♦♥♦
“… Lord Advert was this hot psychopath that sought for her smile. Can you imagine that, Riley-san? It’s fair to think that he loved her… but he didn’t, he just loved her smile. It’s such a cruel world that Cosmo Planet,” Skittles kept on rambling while we strolled around campus’ grounds. “Am I crazy for thinking that Tony could ever love my smile?”
I glanced up at her and tried to see the spark behind her big glasses, “Yes, you’re crazy to think such things.” She lowered her hopeless gaze and I smiled, nudging her with my elbow, “But I’m sure Tony loves them crazy.”
She brightened again, “Really? Well, then I’m crazier than an old crazy tomato!”
“Hey, Skittles,” I stopped and hauled her around to face me— air drenched in solemnity and weightiness, “Never sacrifice what you are for somebody who has a problem with it. Even if Tony doesn’t do anything, keep being who you are. That’s my secret.”
“Riley-san,” she sighed happily.
“Now, don’t think I’m being all stupid and pathetic with corny—,” I couldn’t no longer breathe when she wrapped herself around me and suffocated me with a hug. “I’m too young to die, Skittles. Air. Please.”
“Riley-san, you’re a good friend. I’m glad we decided to be friends,” she giggled as she pulled out of the squeeze.
“We? Since I remember, you came out of nowhere and said that,” I started to laugh while she began to twirl, “that we were friends because—would you stop moving?”
“Aw, come on, Riley-san. You know you love being my friend. You enjoy being with me.”
“Whatever,” I laughed, puffing a strand of hair away. “Hey, Skittles, have you noticed that people are looking at me weirdly?”
She abruptly stopped and turned around with a tilted frown, “No, Riley-san. Are they?”
My eyes drifted back at the girl that was gawking at me since I was near. “Hell balls flitz to the yeah,” I said like a state of matter.
Skittles drew my sight back to her when she cupped my cheeks with a mothering touch, “Of course they’re staring at you, Riley-san. You’re dating one of the hottest men from these grounds. Let them girls be jealous!”
“He-he,” I chuckled and she closed her eyes in a playful grin, “You’re something else, Skittles.”
“Of course! Wouldn’t be boring if we were all the same?”
We resumed the stroll but she kept walking backwards, smiling and tittering at me. The sun’s splendor made this day one hell of a special day—in addition with the date I’ll have with Ayden.
The chirps of the birds reminded me of a summer poem, though the jagged, chilly winds spat me that we were falling through winter. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, but the colorful holiday decorations stirred my soul to break away. I could be grumpy, but I wasn’t a Scrooge, ya know?
“Skittles,” I beckoned her glance and she answered with a queried moan, “I’m not dating, Andrew anymore.”
“What?!” she spun around holding a shocked face along with a startled gasp. “Dungeons and Dragons! When did you guys broke up?”
“Yesterday,” I sighed with a smile. “It’s nothing, Skittles, some things are not meant to be that’s all.”
“But—did Lord Advert decide to withdraw from the bathroom even though her smile was always with him? No, Riley-san! Lord Advert promoted her smile to the corners of Cosmo Planet!”
“Wow, awesome reference.”
“This is not the time to be sarcastic! Lord Advert will be disappointed in you if he heard your sarcasm. He will cut your tongue and torture you in his secret chamber, “after a second of ponder, she continued with a brighter tone, “Isn’t that great? I heard his secret chamber is full of perverted toys. Can you imagine that? The girl who enters will be so lucky.”
“What the fudge, Skittles? Are you high or some—“
“So, finally we’re able to see you, Riley,” some sickeningly sweet tone of voice perturbed our wander. “Do you think so high of yourself that you don’t go around campus with a stupid sneer? Or is it because you’re dirty little secret is out and you don’t have the courage to face the world?”
My eyes lazily scanned her oval and freckled familiar face, “Colette, you’ve been a pain in the butt since middle school. What do you freaking want?”
Her red-rubicund hair swayed along with the wind as she showed me a perfect set of pearly teeth, “Would you look at that?” she grinned with arms enfolded beneath her breasts, “Tomboy thinks she’s riding a high horse.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Miss, I think you should continue with your business—,” Skittles tried to defend us but Colette isn’t the easy sweet pea, she’s more like a rotten cute beet.
“Shut up, you weirdo,” Colette spun her hand around Skittles’ face and waved her discharged, “Now, Riley… how’s that cute friend of yours doing?”
Oh… so it’s still because of him? “Tony? Do you still have the hots for him?”
“You know, you don’t seem like the slutty type, but inside—you’re worst than the typical whor—,”
“Lay off, Colette. If you don’t have anything good to say, just leave before this turns out ugly,” I barked and stepped in front of Skittles.
“Looks like you’ve made a buddy,” she guffawed mockingly, “Nerd with an easy tomboy. Not classic neither typical! Very original, guys.”
“Let’s go, Skittles, she’s not even worth listening,” I grabbed Skittles fragile tanned elbow and tried to jerk away from Colette’s sickly sweet presence.
“Scared, now, huh, Riley? Now that Tony isn’t around to safe you like back in High School, or middle grade,” she yanked my hand and spun me around to see her nauseating snarl. “You know why I hated you, right? Tony was always around you—protecting you and even kissing your feet! The fact that he turned me down so many times because of you was too much to bear! Do you know how hard it is for me to know that the man you want is in love with an ugly tomboy like you?!”
I gulped down everything as I tried to catch a glimpse of Skittles face. Colette doesn’t know how to keep her mouth shut, does she?
“Ha,” she scoffed, loosening the grip until I was released, “That’s right. You’ll never know because even if you treated Tony as your guard dog, you had to seduce Andrew Lukewood as well! And let us not forget about the detail that you’re now on the hunt for Ayden! Ayden?” she pooh-poohed again, “Do you use witchery or something? What is it that men see in you?! You’re not even pretty!”
“Enough, Colette, I think you had enough.”
That simple order dominated Colette’s vicious tongue. Her cruel and unrestrained stance was now submissive and fearful. The miracle queen bees do!
“Why are you bothering her, Colette,” Lora’s sultry voice echoed, “Don’t you think she has enough?”
Behind her bright-eyed stunt and poised posture, Miranda peeked at me with an evil amusement whirling around her ebony eyes. She smirked at my uncomfortable position as this was what she wanted—as if she could savor my humiliation.
“She cheated on Andrew, Lora, aren’t we going to do something?” Colette whined with pouted red lips.
“That doesn’t mean we’re going to smother her with the ugly truth, Colette,” the leader spoke.
Ugly truth? What the hell was she talking about?
“Riley-san,” Skittles finally said something behind me. “I-I,” she whispered with sadness and disenchantment flooding her stutters. “I have to go. Please, take care. And I wish you the best with Tony.”
It was all too fast. And I hate when things are fast and let unexplained. When I was about to explain to her that she got it all wrong, Skittles lurched away and strode off into the brightness of the sunlit horizon—with maybe tears pouring down her cheeks. Yet her words reverberated, silencing the day song of the cicadas—of the ruthless trio.
“Aw, your bestie is gone,” Miranda evilly cooed.
“Both of you, stop it,” Lora shot a warning look at her disciples and their wicked sneer fell off, “Riley, I’m really sorry about what happened. Some people aren’t as considerate as I would like them to be.”
“Uh, it’s okay.”
Elegantly attired in her hot pink dress, the beautiful electricity she beamed was barely overwhelming. Her shiny ash-blond hair cascaded down her shoulders as her eyes revitalized her glamorous image. She’s beautiful…
“You know, I made a horrible mistake once,” Lora snapped me from my veneration, “We all make mistakes, and I know that you might want to think things over. Just don’t make the same mistake I made, Riley.”
Her voice was warm yet dreadful but it soothed my anxiety. “I don’t understand.”
“Lora, how could you say that to her?” Colette burst in temper, “She cheated on your man and slept with almost every hot man in the worl—ah!”
Her fit was dampened by a rain of trash that poured down on her. Rotten bananas, biscuits and revolting nibbled food were now resting on her “fashionable” garments. Now, Colette’s face was as fuming red as her hair. The smoke puffed through her flaring nostrils as she clenched her fists and turned around to meet the eyes of her transgressor.
But we all were shocked when we saw Andrew holding a trash can above Colette’s messy and dirty hair. “You need to cool off, Colette. Sadly, I didn’t find any water but I thought: ‘Eh, this would work’. And it did, just fine.”
A grin attacked my lips as I saw Andrew smirking at them like a proud superman. It was as if he was proud to rescue me. And I was relieved to be rescued. I felt pathetic but I had my reasons to be so vulnerable around girls. I could kick guys’ butt, but girls were a total different story.
“Andrew! What in the world are you doing?” Miranda demanded while she tended her trashy friend. Get it? Trashy! Ha-ha!
“Andy, what the heck? What was that for?”
“Tell her to buzz off, Lora. You should keep a muzzle on them. They talk too much shi—”
“Wah! Why?” Colette begun to cry as the food was carefully detached from her.
“She cheated on me; I cheated on her. Big deal!” Andrew threw the trash can to the side. “It’s not like your leader didn’t do it to me anyways.”
“Andy, you better watch it!” Lora pointed her finger at him, “It was a mistake—there’s no need to finger my faults in public.”
This silenced Colette’s ridiculous wailing and Miranda’s nursing. Both of them snapped their sight to their leader in horror-struck.
“And she’s the purest being you’ll ever lay your eyes on, Colette. Stop spreading those rumors about her impurity—because she’s as righteous as the Virgin Mary. Something, you’ll not able to comprehend, you slut.”
“Boba, you don’t need to—“
“Let’s go, Riley. They’re not even worth our time,” Andrew seized my hand and started to run like a rascal in trouble. “Oh, and before I forget.”
He turned around and flipped his middle finger at the humiliated trio. They gaped at him and Miranda initiated some laughable chaos—which included some air kicks and a childish fit.
“Run, Riley, run! Be like Forrest Gump for the first time in your life and run!” he laughed with a grin injected within his tone as he hauled my hand and started to take a sprint.
“Whoo-hoo,” I whooped as I put my hand over my head to hold my baseball cap tight. “Andrew, you-you—“
“Thank me later, Butch, we have to be out of sight, before it gets worse,” he panted as he led the race.
We headed to the soccer field—which held a practice—and landed behind the benches. Andrew looked sideways, as if somebody was watching his every move and I bended on my knees to control my hurried breath. “I need to do more exercise,” I blurted out in pants.
He looked back at me and wheezed a laugh with both hands wiping his forehead’s sweat off. “Ha, you sure know how to make a charming departure, Riley.”
“You take the profits,” I panted out, “Hey, are they following us?”
He gasped for air before he answered with a shrug, “They could tell her or she might be watching.”
“Who?”
“The Hush girl I told you last night,” he spat irritated.
“Sorry for asking,” I mumbled as my breathing equilibrated, “Um, Boba?”
“Yes?” he shot me a bothered look. “What is it?”
“Thank you for helping me out.”
His face suddenly softened. “I told you that next time it would be me helping you kick asses. Though, I couldn’t do kick thembecause they’re monsters disguising as women.”
“Even Lora?” If I covered my mouth after saying that, he’ll think I’m jealous or hurt. And I’m not. Totally not. So I decided to keep my blank face exposed at his intent honeyed sight.
“She’s … she’s another case. Can I ask you a favor?” he waited for my nod, “Please, stop talking about her. You keep asking questions about her. It’s annoying!”
“Fudge you, you slumber slayer! I couldn’t sleep last night because you and Ayden decided to have a little wrestling party. You are just like kid! You’re the one who’s annoying!”
What a big fat liar, Riley, why don’t you tell him you cried yourself to sleep?
“Me?!” he held his strong chest in shock. Little did he know that the simple movement sent his captivating scent—mixed with manly sweat—whirling around to swipe my nostrils.
I was swiftly relaxed with a self-effacing inhale of his sweet-smelling company. Even though my breathing was now calm, my heart was erratic. “Me?! You are an ungrateful butch! I saved your dignity and you say I’m annoying?!”
“Shut up!”
“Don’t yell at me! You can’t yell at me because you’re not the boss!”
“See?! You’re just like a damn kid,” I crossed my arms and looked away.
“Hmm,” he moaned pensively, “Talking about kids, I’m visiting Olivia right now. Do you want to come with me?”
I looked at him with disbelief all over my aspect, “Seriously now?”
“What? Are you coming or not?” he mimicked my stance, “Huh?”
“No, I can’t.”
“Why?”
Should I tell him? “I have a date with Ayden at Joelle’s. Maybe tomorrow, okay?”
“Oh,” his gaze fell to the ground while he nodded. “Okay.”
“Yes, now if you excuse me I’ll—“
My tongue coiled inside my mouth as my heart took a leap up to my throat. Ayden was leaning against the benches with an amused look on his sky-like eyes. “You guys are funny.” He bounced off the benches and walked slickly to where we stood. “You guys look like little kids arguing.”
“What up, man?” Andrew chuckled with puckered brows.
“Hey, thanks for lending me your chem book, man,” Ayden retorted casually while he swung his sport bag off his shoulder and took out a book.
“No problem,” Andrew replied with the book now in hands, his eyes staring at Ayden’s with a rebellious air.
“Riley, meet me at the parking lot,” Ayden said with a wink and shortly, he was gone.
“Hey, Andrew,” I was going to bid a goodbye but he glared at me with such an intensity I was uncomfortably overwhelmed. “Um, calm down.”
“I’m pissed off, so leave me alone,” he took the book and hid his face behind it. “Maybe tomorrow.”
And when I felt that my heart went back to normal, I acknowledged that I was standing alone like an idiot.
“An idiot that’s gonna be late for her date!”
And with that, I started another sprint towards the parking lot.
♦♥♦
“So…” Ayden said awkwardly, while I chomped the hamburger. “…um.”
“Crap, I’m so freaking Huggins hungry,” I notified him with my mouth full of food, “Great choice, by the way. I love Joelle’s dinner. Best hamburger in the whole universe! Bam! Right here!”
“Um… okay?” he raised a golden brow as he scrunched his nose and glanced at my plate. “At least somebody’s enjoying.”
I took a long inhale of the diner air along with a napkin, and rubbed it all around my face. “Okay, what did the green grape told to the purple grape?”
He slightly smirked and leaned closer to table, “What?”
“For Yoda’s sake, breathe, man!” I started to laugh and to smack the table loudly.
“Okay, Riley, calm down. I get it.”
“Why haven’t you eaten?” I pointed his plate with my glance, “Aren’t you hungry?”
“Let’s say that I lost my appetite,” he faintly thrust the plate away. “Riley, have you been in other dates before?”
“Nope. Oh, wait, yes, with Andrew.”
“I see,” he thought out loud. “So, do you have a year’s resolution? I’m looking at mine right now.”
A rioted army of blushes attacked my entire face at his sudden flirt. Dang, is he good. “Um, well, I want to be a better aunt,” I pretended like he didn’t affect me.
“So… what’s your father’s job?” he hid his grin behind the straw as he slurped the coke.
“He was an astronomer,” I smiled while I let my eyes slip down to shield the hint of sadness that could be visible.
“Was?” he held my greasy hand and clasped it tight, “I’m sorry. I know what is like to lose a dad, Riley.”
My sight rested back on his beautiful, warm, and reassuring smile. It’s like everything’s a sweet dream. “Ahem,” I cleared my throat, “t-thanks, Ayden.”
“Well, he must’ve been a thief,” he blurted casually, always holding a tempting smirk.
“What?!” I almost died when he ruined the beloved and romantic air.
“Because he stole the stars from the sky and put them into your eyes.”
There was no way I would hide my vulnerability from him anymore. Flattered, I grinned at him and allowed him to see me blush. “Ayden, stop.”
“No can do, missus, “ he smirked and drank another sip. “You know I’m crazy for ya and—“
“Aunty Riley!”
My body froze at the sound of a squeaky voice. No… it couldn’t be her.
“Aunty Riley! Aunty Riley!”
“Olivia?” I spun around on the booth and saw Olivia skipping to my table and Andrew smirking behind her. “What are you doing here?”
“Aunty Riley!” she swung herself around my neck and got comfortable next to me. “I got an A plus in my math exam.”
“Um, that’s great, Olivia, congrats,” I tried to smile at her but I tore it off by glaring at Andrew. “What are you doing?”
“Didn’t you just hear her? She got an A! We had to celebrate and I decided to take her to dinner,” he casually said and sat next to Ayden—who ran his hand through his face, clearly upset and mad.
“Aunty Riley, Andy asked me out on a date! And I said yes!” Olivia giggled with her bouncing curls while she kicked the table.
“That’s right,” Andrew shot Olivia a wink and grinned at me, “And what better place than Joelle’s?”
“Well, you can go to another booth,” I angrily whispered at him and he simply grinned.
“But we’re having a double date!” He pouted. “Hey, you, come here,” he gestured the waitress, “I’ll have mozzarella sticks with a large coke and whatever the cute kiddo asks for.”
“Unbelievable, Andrew. Are you for real?” Ayden exhaled hoarsely while both of them exchanged glares. Andrew was the one who shrugged it off and went back to his happy mood.
“I want the same!” Olivia chirped and the waitress went away.
“Oh, aren’t you gonna eat that?” Andrew signaled Ayden’s plate and placed it in front of him. “Thanks, bro.”
“Andrew—,” he was going to explode but a glimpse of Olivia’s innocent grin and he held it back. “I’m not going to say anything because it’ll probably be rated R.”
“Wise choice, my friend,” Andrew patted his back and Ayden shot him a warning look.
“Yeah, yeah, wise choice, my friend,” Olivia mimicked Andrew and they both started to laugh while Ayden and I traded confused looks.
“Check this out! Olivia, give him the evil look,” Andrew ordered.
She laughed along until she abruptly stopped and looked at Ayden wickedly, though quickly afterwards, she went back to her giggles. I glanced at Ayden and he wore a startled and shocked face poured in terror. It was a fact that he hated kids… and Andrew wasn’t helping.
“Riley, I think we should let them have their ‘date’,” Ayden raised himself from the table and grabbed his jacket. “We probably should leave.”
“No!” Andrew yelled all the sudden. “You can’t leave.”
“Why?” I asked him.
“Because…” he trailed off, “because… Oh, my gosh! Didn’t you tell him, Riley?”
“Tell him what?”
“That you’re pregnant?” he smiled shamefacedly.
“What?!” I stood up with my hands engraved on the table. The dishes collided, clattering as I beheld his incredulity.
“Wow, Andrew. You really went far this time,” Ayden nudged him and said calmly: “Excuse me. I’ll be in the car, Riley.”
“What is wrong with you, Boba?!” I yelled after Andrew slipped off the booth to let Ayden flee. The looks the other people gave me were only telling me that they believed what Andrew shouted and that I was a hood bimbo or something.
“Hey,” Olivia tugged my shirt, “Aunty Riley, where do babies come from?”
I shot Andrew a glare while he shrugged.
Oh, please, may the earth crack open and swallow me whole!