College - Junior Year - Three Years Ago
Sid gasped as her back pressed into the metal shelf. The plates and cups rattled on it but the sound was drowned out by Aiden's lips on hers. Sid was dizzy trying to keep track of his hands as they roamed all over her body. She wanted to ask him to slow down or find out what had gotten into him but it had been so long...she was cautious not to say anything to ruin the moment. Aiden's body pressed into hers and her back met with the metal shelf again, this time causing a tin pan to crash to the floor. But no one could hear. They were wrapped in darkness. The loud bass from the DJ's speakers just a few feet away drowned out everything.
Their expansive dining hall had been transformed into an eighteen and over club for their Spring dance. Sid and the rest of her culinary class spent the better part of the day preparing hors d'oeuvre's and as exhausted as she was she managed to squeeze herself into skin-tight jeans and a black bustier. Earlier that week she took a trip to the mall with Tomi to buy black stilettos with a pointed toe. She spent the rest of that week practicing until she could take a step without her ankles quaking. About an hour ago strutted into the party with confidence. Aiden seemed to notice.
His eyes took in her curves several times during the evening. It was thrilling for her because she felt worried before. Like maybe they were drifting apart. She couldn't blame Aiden for being surrounded by a gang of people all the time, most of which were girls, but she could blame him for not taking her out on dates as often and forgetting to tell her that his parents were going out of town to visit family this past Thanksgiving. He left her to deal with her mother for an entire week and her anger still flared every time she thought about it. But right now the only thing that flared was the temperature in her body. Her body ached low and deep as he worked her jeans down over her hips, spun her around, and bent her over a stack of industrial-sized aluminum foil.
They both wore shit-eating grins as they made their way back to the party later. Sid clung to his arm and bumped her hip playfully into his.
"What was that about?" She looked into his eyes and ran a hand over a new beard that was starting to fill in along his jawline. Before their little rendezvous in the kitchen, she had been dancing with him, enjoying the night before he left to go get them drinks. When he came back drinkless and pulled her toward the dark recesses of the cookery, Sid was pleasantly surprised.
"Just saw you from across the room and...you look amazing." Sidney's lips twitched into an embarrassed smile as he spoke. He pulled her deeper into the snug spot in his arms where she fit so perfectly. They made their way through the thick crowd of students towards a familiar figure dancing in a strange swaying tree style in the middle of everyone while French Montana's Unforgettable blared. Sid joined hands with Tomi and swayed along with her.
"Still want that drink?" Aiden asked, his lips brushing her ear and sending tingles down her arms. She smiled and nodded before he took off. Tomi smiled.
"Ya'll look better." Tomi acknowledged the closeness that she witnessed between the lovers who she had begun to call 'estranged' as a joke. But Sid began to fear that it was becoming real. They were like two ships passing in the college night. Aiden spending copious amounts of time with his new friend group and her spending copious amounts of time in the kitchen and her room and with Tomi. They weren't exactly growing apart— they still spent hours late at night watching American Vandal and laughing until their stomachs hurt— but they weren't growing intimately. Sid feared at times that her relationship with Aiden was starting to look a lot like her relationship with Tomi. Best friends who loved spending time together but never touched one another beyond the occasional hand-holding.
But last night he showed up at her room with ice cream and a pirated HD copy of Jumanji. Tomi was back in the city with her parents for some mandatory soiree and the room was all hers. Kevin Hart had not even been dropped into the middle of the jungle yet before Aiden was all over her. They had breakfast together in the dining hall and spent the entire afternoon together before Sid had to leave to help prep the food for the event. She wanted to ask where his crew was but decided not to rock the boat. It was nice to just enjoy that time with him.
"We were just in the kitchen." Sid raised an eyebrow. Tomi stopped swaying like a tree momentarily.
"The kitchen where our food is made? You have no chill." She tried to feign disgust but she really looked giddy. Sid hugged her friend. Grateful to have someone that could revel in the joy of her getting laid in the dining hall kitchen. As Tomi grabbed her hands and pulled her into her offbeat swaying motion, Sid glanced over at the bar. Her eyes narrowed.
Aiden was waiting in a short line but he wasn't alone. He was now flanked by Aubrey. Her hand resting comfortably on his arm. She didn't like it. Over the past year, she learned to put up with Aubrey's presence but she always got the feeling that the girl tensed up around her. Like she was on edge, making sure she didn't cross some line. That made Sid wonder had she crossed the line before. Her and Aiden even went on double dates with Jamal and Aubrey but no matter how buddy buddy they acted Sid never forgot that girl hanging on her man like more than a buddy. She suspected Aubrey was using Jamal to get closer to Aiden on the low.
"Look, he's here. Oh my, God." Tomi all of a sudden went rigid and grabbed Sid's chin, turning it away from Aiden and Aubrey and toward the entrance where the six foot three guy with startling hazel eyes and a surprisingly nice handlebar mustache that she had been obsessing over for the past three months walked in. Tomi was typically all confidence and be yourself vibes but around this guy, she turned into an idiot. Sidney grabbed her shoulders.
"He's already looking over here, girl. You look beautiful! You are smart. He'd be fucking lucky to have you. Don't go dumb on me, champ."
"I won't go dumb. I will not go dumb."
"OK, let's keep dancing. He's coming over." Tomi nodded and started moving again but her sway was replaced a robotic version of the floss. Lord help her, Sid sent up a prayer for her friend. The guy obviously liked her and she wasn't sure why Tomi couldn't see that.
"Is he still looking?"
"Nope." Sid told her. Tomi's face dropped. "Because he's almost over here. Hiii, Sean."
"Yo, Sid! You look amazing." They exchanged a brief hug before Sean's attention turned completely to Tomi. "And you. You are radiant." Sid watched Tomi beam and throw him a sly smile. Thank god, she's not going dumb, Sid sighed with relief. Just as a smile was spreading across her face watching the two flirt, a roar erupted from the other side of the dining hall. Sid tried to find Aiden again in the last spot she saw him but all she found was Aubrey's angry and terrified face. She looked like she was debating whether to throw herself into between the shoving match that Aiden and Jamal were in the middle of. Sid's feet took off before her brain could catch up and her heels wobbled beneath her threatening to throw her to the floor. But like a determined baby giraffe she got her shit together and she made her way over to space where Jamal had a finger pointed no more than a quarter-inch away from Aiden's face. Just before Aiden could release his clenched jaw and react, Sid stepped between them.
"What the hell?" Sid asked, seemingly to herself, because neither party answered. Even Aubrey remained a hushed figure off to the side. Sid's eyes skated between Jamal and Aiden.
"Nothing." Aiden finally said.
"You fucking serious, man?" Jamal shouted and stepped toward Aiden, but Aubrey was in front him in a flash, blocking his death glare. After a few moments, she was able to lace her fingers between Jamal's and whisper something into his ear that made him settle down. Calm enough so that she was able to usher his tall figure through the gawking crowd toward the exit. The DJ put on an old school reggae joint and as quickly as the uproar gained attention it lost it to grinding pelvises and twisting hips.
"What happened?"Sid asked. Aiden was stock still. Like he was trying his best to regain his composure but Sid knew better than anyone when he was shocked and that — whatever just happened — had unnerved him. She could feel her insecurity jumping up. That same feeling returned again. The one that made her feel like an outsider with a person she had known her whole life. It caused anxiety to spill down to her belly. She grabbed his arm. The same one that Aubrey had held a moment ago. Sid held tight.
"Aiden?" He finally looked at her with eyes that were filled with sadness.
"Can we go?" He asked. Sidney didn't want to go. She wanted to stay and dance with her friend and her boyfriend. But she knew that if she didn't leave, Aiden would surely leave on his own and it worried her where he might end up. If she left with him she could at least make sure that he ended up with her. Wrapped in her arms. Physically close even thought she felt like he was slipping farther and farther away from her. Away from them.
"Yeah. Let's go."