Chapter Three::Healing Hickey.
I can’t believe I was doing this all over again.
I headed back to the dining room table, a cup of tea in my hands for the sniffling blonde waiting for me.
Evelyn had cried so many tears, Moses himself wouldn’t be able to maneuver through them, and yet I couldn’t find make myself care.
“Did you add milk?” She questioned, grabbing the tea from my hands.
I nodded.
“Of course.”
“Good…good. Oh, gosh Aubrey. I can’t believe this is happening to me!” I made myself comfortable in my chair. “Like, I make one mistake and that’s it? He’s done?”
“You mean he broke up with you?” I asked.
“Well, no, he just stormed out…but what if he does? It’s so unfair! I mean, it’s not like I wanted to sleep with someone else!”
“Well, you must have seeing as how I doubt you just fell into bed with this other guy.”
Evelyn stared at me.
“Why are you being so mean?” she snapped.
I raised an eyebrow and opened my mouth to speak, but closed it before I actually said anything.
The last time we had this conversation, I had been the supportive best friend who had promised to do whatever I could to help her fix things…I guess I just didn’t want to run through it again.
But it’s not like I could explain that to her.
“I…I’m a little hungover, Eve. Sorry.”
“Well, you should be. I’m having a crisis! Gosh, why did you drink so much yesterday, anyways?”
I blinked at her.
“Because it was my birthday….which you missed, by the way.”
She frowned.
“I was there for you during the day! Sorry I missed the party, but you know I was hired to attend that club promotion! The life of a business woman isn’t easy, you know.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“You mean a socialite,” I corrected.
She rolled her eyes.
“Potato, patato. Anyways, are you going to help me or not?”
“Evelyn, I-”
“Because, seriously, it’s kind of your fault, you know? Like, I’m sorry, but if you hadn’t had that party last night then Blake would have been with me at the club promotion and I wouldn’t have cheated-”
“Evelyn, shut up. You cannot blame your mistakes on me!” I snapped. I didn’t remember her saying this last year…then again, the moment I started ‘being mean’ to her, I guess it’s true that this whole conversation took a different course than last time. But anyways, her blaming me made something inside my stomach feel heavy.
This girl who started dating the guy I was literally in love with cheated on him and then blames me for it?
While my immediate reaction would be to call Blair in and let her flip a shit and handle the situation, the fact of the matter is that Evelyn –no matter how selfish and self-righteous- has still been my best friend since we were children.
“Evelyn, I need you to leave.”
She looked about as shocked as I felt.
“…Excuse me? Aubrey, I’m having a crisis! You’re my best friend, I-”
“Yeah, but you just blamed me for that fact that you cheated on your boyfriend.”
Evelyn stared at me.
She sniffed and looked away.
“I…God, I’m sorry. Aubrey, you’re my best friend and I just…I just really need you right now.”
I felt myself soften.
Damn it.
I sighed.
“Listen, Ev. I love you, but I feel like you need to remember that your boyfriend is one of my best friends as well. I need some time to think before I decide to actually do anything...”
“But Aubrey-”
“I’m sorry, Evelyn.”
My blonde best friend stared at me for a moment before she swallowed and nodded.
She stood from the kitchen chair with more grace than I had even witnessed in her and nodded at me.
“I have to catch my plane to Tokyo so I guess it really is about time I leave.” Right. She was promoting something and I think she also had a guest spot in a movie –where she would be playing herself- so she would be gone for a few months. “I hope you make the right choice, Aubrey. You and Blake may be close, but you’ve known me almost all your life. That’s got to count for something.”
xx
xx
I was honestly ready and waiting for Blake when he came storming into my apartment later that evening.
Just like last year, he looked terribly upset.
And, just like last year, he instantly started ‘Evelyn Bashing’ the moment he stepped foot into my living room.
However, unlike last year, I interrupted him before he got too far into it.
“Yeah, I’m fine, thanks for asking,” I snapped as I lounged on my couch.
Blake blinked at me.
“Right…sorry…yeah, how are you? Well, you just said you’re fine…I…I’m sorry, Aub. I’m just all over the place right now, you know? Like I found out Ev was cheating on me and I can’t believe I le-”
“She came to see me earlier. I know you haven’t broken up with her, so clearly you’re not as upset as you look.”
He openly gaped at me.
I narrowed my eyes.
“What? Look, I’m tired of getting involved in your spars with her.” Especially if the end result is always the same and you'll be engaged in a few months time. “You’ll be back together in a matter of months and it’ll be as if this never happened.” Trust me, I would know. “So you’ll have to excuse me for not wanting to listen to you pretend you’re as upset as you should be.”
I stood from the couch and headed for the kitchen, only to be stopped when Blake grabbed my arm.
I looked up at him as he frowned.
“Uhh…are you feeling okay, Aub? Did something happen at your party last night that I missed?”
I looked away and shrugged.
I considered going off again.
I considered saying everything I didn’t say last year, but desperately wanted to.
“It’s just not fair,” I mumbled, my thoughts and words not really getting their queues from the same place.
“Aubrey,” Blake responded, his eyebrows furrowing together and he placed his hands softly on my shoulders and turned my body to face him again. “Aubrey, what’s not fair?”
I swallowed as I caught a glance into his hazel eyes before my gaze dropped away and back down to his shoulder.
When I was fourteen years old and went away to boarding school, I was a little freaked out about leaving home. While I had my twin sister, I was leaving behind my parents and my friends and the town I had grown up in, and I wasn’t so sure I was ready for that.
However, soon after arriving, I met Blake and I was surprised by how he was always there for me. When I fought with Blair or when I failed my first test, Blake was there with a grilled cheese covered in pesto from my favorite local café, and always had a way to make me smile again.
Blake had become a symbol of happiness and comfort in my life, and that one glance into his hazel eyes reminded me of that.
They reminded me of every reason why I fell in love with him when I was younger and, even though I moved on, I think a part of me would always love and want him.
That part of me was screaming to tell him that it wasn’t fair that two years ago, I told him I loved him and yet he dated my bestfriend and proceeded to come to me with all their relationship news.
That it wasn’t fair that he seemed oblivious to the fact that it felt like he was always twisting a knife that he had shoved into my chest.
However, that part of me that loved and wanted him was silenced when my eyes trailed to his neck and saw the markings of a hickey that was almost healed all the way.
It was obvious that he got that from Evelyn a few days ago and the thought reminded me that he was, in fact, still dating my best friend.
I stepped away from Blake and crossed my arms, my eyes drifting around the room since I refused to meet his gaze again.
“It’s just…it’s not fair that you come in here and start bashing Evelyn and expect me to agree and get involved,” I mumbled, putting a piece of long red hair behind my ear.
I could practically hear Blake frown.
“I don’t expect you to get involved…I just…I mean, you’re my best friend, Aub.”
Now I was the one frowning.
Right. Best friend.
“Well, Evelyn’s my best friend too, Blake,” I snapped before I turned away from him. “I think you should leave, I’m kind of tired.”
Blake reached out and grabbed my forearm.
“No, wait, I’m sorry, you’re right. I shouldn’t put you in the middle…how about we just hang out and watch a movie or something?”
I shook my head.
“No, like I said, I’m really tired and could use a nap so-”
“I’ll even cook you dinner.”
My eyes snapped over to his and narrowed.
I ignored the small smile on his face since he knew he had me there.
I loved to cook but was pretty bad at it.
Blake, on the other hand, hated to cook but was amazing at it. If he wasn’t already in law school, I would have probably harassed him into opening a restaurant or to go on one of those cooking competition shows since I’m obsessed with watching them.
I felt myself giving in but the healing hickey caught my attention once more and I felt my resolve strengthen.
I pulled out of his grip once again and gave him a forced smile.
“I already ate dinner so I’ll see you later, Blake, okay?”
I turned and started to walk to my room.
“Aubrey…”
I ignored him and let myself into my room, closing the door softly behind me.
I let out a small sigh as I leant back against the door but groaned once I saw Blair going through my closet.
“Blair, what’re you doing?” I asked as I headed for my bed and collapsed in it.
She turned and held up two of my shirts.
“Which one should I wear? Oh, you don’t mind, do you?”
I rolled my eyes.
Like it would matter if I said ‘no’.
“Wear the blue one. The white one has some weird green stain in the back and I don’t know what to do with it.”
She tossed the white shirt back into the closet before she proceeded to strip out of her own shirt and into my blue one.
“I’m going out with Pierce tonight! He’s taking me to a dive bar! This wish was the best thing ever, Aub!”
I raised an eyebrow.
“A dive bar, Blair?”
She rolled her eyes.
“Shut up, Aubrey. It’ll be fun. And he’s taking me on his motorcycle!”
I groaned and turned my head into the pillow.
“You’re going to die,” I complained. “And your hair is going to get dirty.”
Blair pointedly ignored me.
“Anyways, how’d the thing go with Blake?”
“The way things usually go: hopelessly.” I turned over and sat up so I could see my twin sister getting ready at my vanity table. “He has a healing hickey. Its like, make me hate everything a little bit more, why don’t you? Honestly, Blair, we need to talk about what we’re going to do…I don’t know if I can go through this again. It was hard enough last year.”
Blair turned in her seat to face me.
“We will talk about it…after my date. But, honestly, Aubrey, what’re you expecting to happen? We can’t make a wish for another year and-”
“I’m willing to bet the gypsies have other tricks and magic up their sleeves,” I interrupted. “We just need to find that grandmother lady!”
“Right, well, we can talk about looking for her later on since I’m about to head out. I’ll see you later, Aub. Love you! Thanks for the shirt!” She blew me a kiss and skipped out of my room, letting the door slam shut behind her.
Typical.
I fell back onto my bed and got under my comforter, snuggling into my bed for a little nap seeing as how it was only 7:00 PM.
However, no matter how early it was, it was fair to say that my day thus far had been a little tiring and it didn’t take long for me to fall into a comfortable sleep.
xx
xx
It was 9:28 PM when I woke up and I stumbled out of bed and into the living room as I looked for my computer.
Not finding it, I headed into the kitchen and saw it resting on one of the countertops.
However, what had my attention was the covered plate in the middle of the table.
There was a small note on top of it with my name written on it, which I snatched off the table and promptly opened it.
Aubrey,
Hope your nap went well.
Made you a midnight snack in case you wake up before morning.
- Blake
P.S: I really am sorry about everything
I put the note down and pulled the aluminum foil off of the plate, determined to leave whatever was on the plate for Blair when she got home: she tended to be a drunk eater.
However, I found myself smiling to myself a bit when I saw the homemade grilled cheese lined with pesto.
When I bit off a small piece, I realized it tasted even better than the one’s that little café used to make.
“Well played, Blake, well played,” I mumbled before I took another piece.
And another.
And another.
And then I realized Blair would have to make her own drunk food since I happily finished every last bite of that sandwich.
And suddenly, I found myself hating Blake a little less than I did three hours ago.
xx
xx
Hope you enjoyed it! Comment of vote if you did! :) I love hearing your thoughts!
Love,
Vi