Falling for My Best Friend (Fated #1) (8 page)

There was no doubt in my mind.

I had to tell him what I knew. I didn’t even have to mention
that I saw her with Brad or accuse her of anything. I could just say she was on
Tinder.

I could even broach the topic innocently like “Oh, I didn’t know
Chelsea was on Tinder” and see how he reacted. Then I wouldn’t be hurting him
by omission like Alex had so quickly accused me of.

But even though I knew it was the right thing to do, I was still
conflicted about it because I wasn’t neutral. If anything, I was almost happy
that she was being unfaithful, and that made me feel twisted. I mean, I wasn’t
happy that she was hurting him, but I was happy knowing he would leave her.

Cause he would never put up with that shit. I’d never known
anyone who was more true to his word. If he told you he would be there, he
would be. If he made a promise, he didn’t break it. If he entered into a
relationship with you, you were given every benefit of the doubt until you
crossed him, and then it was like you never existed. His Dad was a lot like
that, too, for better or for worse.

And I didn’t want him to think I went out of my way to catch
Chelsea up to no good. I didn’t want him to see me as spiteful. I liked the way
he looked at me, like I was more innocent than I really was, happier. It made
me feel good that he didn’t think I was a mess even though no one had seen me
messier than he had over the years.

Yet if I were a guy, I probably would’ve told him what I knew
already. So why the hesitation? Was I afraid he would associate me with her
treachery? That it might ruin our chance at a future together?

No, that was ridiculous. We were way past that. We crossed the friends’
line so long ago I don’t even remember when it happened. I suspect it had
something to do with the fact that our friendship blossomed at a time when we
both found the opposite sex totally gross, and I’m sure it didn’t help that our
awkward stages kicked in just a few years later.

Of course, sometimes I wish we’d never crossed that line. It
would be a lie to say I’d never wondered what might’ve happened if I’d met Aiden
randomly in the present day, if our natural chemistry had been able to manifest
itself differently.

But I wasn’t stupid. He was an athlete from a family so wealthy
they didn’t even know what to do with all their money. And I was a broke but
hard saving hairstylist with a messed up family who always wore long sleeves.
If we didn’t have our shared history, he probably wouldn’t even do a double take
if he saw me in the street.

So as grateful as I was to consider him a dear friend, I learned
a long time ago that wishing for more was futile. Plus, his friendship meant
everything to me.

I would never do anything to jeopardize it.

If I did, I would just be one more girl he’d hooked up with. I
would become disposable overnight, and I’d rather settle for never seeing enough
of him then never seeing him again.

After all, no matter how lost I got, his smile always made me
feel found. It was like he saw me more clearly than other people, or rather, like
he saw me how I wished I was. 

I honestly couldn’t imagine my life without him. I mean, he was
the one person that could always make me feel grounded when the world around me
was a shitstorm. He was the one that would know what food to bring me and what
music to put on if I was suddenly paralyzed in a horrible accident and couldn’t
communicate.

He was the only guy I ever-

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” Fiona asked, ducking
her head in the utility closet.

“Absolutely. Why should you if you don’t have any more clients?”
I asked, grabbing the broom from the corner.

“Because if I leave now, you and Chuck will be the only people
here.”

I looked at her. “Oh.”

“So do you want me to stay? I really don’t mind.”

“No, don’t be silly. I’m not afraid of Chuck.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s not going to get handsy with you.”

I pursed my lips. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

“He rapes you.”

I laughed. “First of all, that wouldn’t be the worst thing at
all because then he would go to prison.” If I didn’t kill him in self-defense.

Fiona huffed and crossed her arms.

“Second of all, the guy’s a perv for sure, but he’s not a
fucking rapist.”

She shrugged. “Do you want me to stay or not?”

“I want you to go home and order Lou Pizzorno’s so it’s there by
the time I get home.”

She sighed. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Really.”

She pulled a pair of scissors out of her apron and handed them
to me. “Put these in your back pocket in case he gets fresh.”

I turned to face her and leaned against the counter. “I’m not
going to pull a pair of scissors on our boss, Fiona. Pack up your station and
go home.”

“Call me if you need anything.”

“Will do,” I said, turning back to the counter. I took the
scissors and combs out of their antiseptic and rinsed them off in the sink.
Then I grabbed the broom and left the closet.

Chuck was at the register counting money. I started sweeping the
hair from the floor around the chairs, noting once again that the new girl
didn’t clean her station properly. I slung her hair dryer and straightener back
in their cubbies and resumed sweeping.

When I had all the hair in a pile, I grabbed the dustpan. As I
bent over the multicolored mess of hair, I could feel Chuck’s seedy eyes on me,
but I didn’t really give a shit. Let him look at my ass. Better than him
touching it.

“Can you come here for a second, Lucy? I need a second opinion.”

“Yeah, one sec.” I laid the broom against the closest chair and
dumped the contents of the dustpan in the trash before walking over to him. He
wheeled his rolling chair back to make space for me, and I stepped in front of
the piles of cash. I picked up the first pile and counted the twenties one by
one. Then I picked up the stack of tens.

I heard Chuck stand up behind me and look over my shoulder. I
could smell the stale smoke on his breath as he watched me count the money.

My heart started beating harder in my chest, but I didn’t want
to encourage him or let him get a rise out of me so I focused on counting,
laying the bills down one by one.

Then I felt him press his pelvis against my ass.

I could feel that he was aroused. “What the hell are you doing,
Chuck?”

“Just watching you work.”

“Watch with your eyes.”

He slipped his hands around my hips.

“Take your hands off me, Chuck. Right now.”

“Or what?”

I set the money down and picked up the phone. “Or I’ll call the
police.”

He grabbed my wrist and forced the phone back down,
pulling me against him with his other hand. “You’re not fucking calling
anyone.”

I wasn’t sure how I was going to confront Chelsea about whether
she was being unfaithful or not. I suppose I had to just come right out and ask
her. After all, no matter what I said, she would fly off the handle.

Then she would either punish me by admitting that she fooled
around on me, an admission that would probably piss me off to a frightening
extent, or she would deny it. No matter what, it was going to be a long and
exhausting night.

Needless to say, I was in no hurry to go home and have that
conversation. Which I figured was fine, especially considering that the more
time I gave her to decompress after her casting call earlier- if there even was
a casting call- the better.

I decided the best thing to do to prepare myself would be to
lift my spirits as high as I could before going into World War twenty seven, not
that I’d counted how many of Chelsea and my fights constituted World War
status. But I figured it was high twenties at least, maybe even more by her standards.

Anyway, since it was a weeknight and I wasn’t really in the mood
to get drunk, I decided my best option was to swing by and see Lucy. Maybe she
would give me a haircut. Maybe I could give her a ride back to her apartment.
Either way, I could count on her to take my mind off the epic bullshit that was
going to go down when I went home.

I pulled my car in the lot down the street from her salon and
walked around the corner. As I swung the door open, a little bell rang and I
stepped inside.

Lucy was standing behind the counter in front of her boss and
her face was whiter than I’d ever seen it.

“Aiden!” she said, running over and throwing her arms around me.
“How wonderful of you to stop by!”

“Nice to see you, too,” I said.

She lowered her heels down to the floor and looked in my eyes
just long enough for me to pick up on the fact that she was totally panicked.
Then she turned around. “Chuck, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, Aiden. He’s
one of those MMA fighters, the kind that kick the shit out of people for a
living. Isn’t that right, honey?” she asked, looking up at me and slipping her
arm around my waist.

“Yeah,” I said, wondering what the fuck Chuck was up to that
would cause Lucy to make such a claim. “That’s right. There’s nothing I enjoy
more than breaking a few ribs.”

“Oh, don’t make that face, Chuck. Aiden would never hurt anyone
outside the cage unless they did something to upset someone he cared about.”

“Of course not,” I said, putting my hand on Lucy’s shoulder.
“I’m a very peaceful man- unless someone hurts my Lucy. Anyone that upsets her
is going to get a trip to the hospital at the very least.”

Lucy let out a laugh so forced and ridiculous I started to
laugh, too.

“Remember that time I broke that guy’s jaw, honey?” I asked,
trying to stay in character. “Just because he hurt your feelings?”

She kept laughing hysterically and put a hand on my chest. “You
do have a tendency to overreact.”

Her boss stayed behind the counter, looking increasingly freaked
out by our giddiness.

“Anyway,” Lucy said, catching her breath. “It’s a shame you two
can’t get to know each other better.”

“Why’s that?” I asked, wondering if I should break his jaw.

“Because Chuck was just leaving,” she said in a tone I’d never
heard from her. “Weren’t you, Chuck?”

“Yeah,” he said, looking down and scrambling with some things on
the other side of the tall desk.

Lucy hugged her arm around my waist so hard I was afraid I’d
have to peel her off.

No one spoke while Chuck collected his things.

As he headed for the door, Lucy reached her arm out and he
dropped the keys in her open palm. “Have a nice night,” he said, not looking at
either of us.

“Nice to meet you, Chuck,” I said, sticking my hand directly in
his path.

“You, too,” he said, his eyes bulging out of his head as I
squeezed his hand in a vice-grip.

As soon as the glass door closed behind him, Lucy buried her
face in my chest and burst into tears.

I put my arms around her back and held her up against me.

As soon as her breathing slowed, she turned her head and pressed
her ear to my chest. “I’m sorry I dragged you into that. I just didn’t know
what else to do.”

I put my hands on her shoulders and leaned back so I could look
at her. “Dragged me into what? What’s going on?”

She shook her head. “He’s out of control. Like he doesn’t know that
no means no, ya know?”

“No, I don’t know.” I walked her over to the chairs by the front
window and sat her down. “What happened?”

“He’s just a fucking pervert. I told him to take his hands off
me. I told him I was going to call the cops, and he- he-” she hiccupped.

“He what?” I asked. “Did he hurt you?”

“He told me I wasn’t going to call anybody and then- then-”

“Spit it out.”

She lifted her watery eyes towards me. “That’s when you showed
up.”

I grabbed her and pulled her against my chest again, regretting
that I hadn’t broken his nose when I had the chance... Or at least his arms so
he’d have no choice but to keep them to himself. “I’m so sorry, Luce.”

“You don’t need to be sorry. It’s my fault. Fiona asked me if I
wanted her to stay, and I told her to go home and order pizza.”

I shook my head. “You need to readjust your priorities.”

“I know,” she said, straightening back up.

“Has this kind of thing happened before?”

She shrugged. “It happens all the time but-”

“What do you mean it happens all the time?”

“Like he’s always copping a feel when he shouldn’t but-”

“What?! Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

She put her hands in her lap. “It’s not the kind of thing you
tell people.”

“Yes it is,” I said. “It is definitely the kind of thing you
tell people.”

“Usually it’s harmless though. Like he’s never been aggressive
like that so I just put up with it because I know it’s only temporary. As soon
as I have my own place, I won’t have to deal with his shit.”

“Is it just you he’s inappropriate with?”

She shook her head.

“For fuck’s sake Lucy-”

“Please calm down, okay? This is my problem. You have enough to
worry about.”

“Nothing I have going on is more important than you being safe
at work.”

“I can take it from here. You’ve done enough. Honestly, the guy
is a total coward. You playing along just now probably sorted him out.”

“I want you to promise me that if he doesn’t cut it out, you’ll
tell me.”

“I promise.”

“Cause I really will break every bone in his body if that’s what
it takes to keep him from harassing you.”

She smiled. “I know, Aiden. Thanks.”

I sighed. So much for feeling better. I was coursing with so
much adrenaline I was flying.

Then again, maybe that was a good thing. Maybe a little perspective
was exactly what I needed. After all, I was way more pissed at Chuck than I was
at Chelsea. And now that I’d had a chance to think about it, I realized that
nothing Chelsea did or didn’t do could ever hurt me as much as someone hurting
Lucy would hurt me.

Lucy was a like a limb to me, an extension of myself.

Which is why upChuck better hope he never runs into me again.

Because there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to protect her.