Out Of The Friend Zone (6 page)

The ride to the arcade was quiet between Chandler and Brynn, but Barrett and Willow did enough talking for everyone. The two kids liked to spend all of their time together, and never ran out of things to talk about or say to each other. For once, Brynn was thankful for their incessant chattering, to make up for the lack of words between her and Chandler.

At the arcade, Brynn and Chandler both bought the kids twenty-dollar access cards, so they wouldn't have to worry about them losing their money, or coming back to beg for more. After they got the cards, both kids took off to the game area, leaving Chandler and Brynn to fend for themselves.

The two parents walked over to the restaurant portion of the arcade and got a couple of Pepsis to drink. They sat down at an empty table and looked out into the sea of kids. Neither one could look at the other, both of them thinking about their kiss. Chandler was the first to break the tension that was hanging in the air between the two of them.

"So, do we need to talk about what happened last night?" he asked.

"Well, I thought we were going to blame it on the alcohol," she said. "It doesn't seem to make it any easier though, does it?"

"It's not that the kiss wasn't nice, because it was...it really was. It's just that I like our friendship, and I don't want to lose that," Chandler said, his words now coming in a rush. "Say something more happens between the two of us, and then I suddenly realize that even though I thought I was ready to move on after losing Brooklyn, I really wasn't ready, then our friendship will suffer. I just can't do that to you, or to us. You are the first person who has made me smile and laugh, besides Willow, since I lost Brooklyn, and I don't want to lose that. I don't want to do something that will potentially hurt you in the end."

Brynn took a deep breath. She was glad the ice was broken, and they could talk about this like adults. "I agree. I don't think I'm ready for anything after what Nico did to me. I think I am going to have some serious trust issues, and I don't want to make you hate me for some stupid neurosis that I have because of him."

"So, friends then? We can move on after last night?" Chandler asked, offering his right hand for her to shake.

"Friends," Brynn said, as she shook his hand.

"Now things feel easier," he admitted.

"So, the kiss was nice?" she teased, a huge smile spread across her face.

Chandler laughed. "Yes Brynn, it was nice, or better than nice, but I thought we were moving on."

"We are, I was just making sure!"

"So, how are you feeling this morning?"

"Ugh, remind me not to drink so much next time. I have had the mother of all headaches this morning, and this arcade isn't helping much! How about you?"

"Actually, I feel fine, but I had a lot less to drink than you did!"

Brynn and Chandler sat around talking while the kids played in the arcade. When Chandler's cell phone rang, he got up from the table and walked outside to answer it. Brynn got bored when he didn't come back right away, so she picked up her phone and called Nyla.

"Hey girl, haven't talked to you in a while, where've you been hiding?" Nyla asked her.

"Oh, I've just been busy, you know, work and Barrett...How's everything with you?" Brynn asked.

"I've been good. How's that neighbor of yours, and when are you going to set me up with him?" Nyla asked. She had asked the same thing every time Brynn talked to her since she met him at Barrett's birthday party. Brynn had been pretty good about being able to brush her off each time, but lately she was getting persistent.

"Nyla, I don't think he is ready for any of that stuff. He's still trying to get over Brooklyn."

"Well, it's not like I'm looking for a relationship from him, just a night of wild sex. Everyone needs that now and then," Nyla told her.

"Not everyone," Brynn laughed. "I think you'd probably give him a heart attack or scare him away or something."

"Well, anytime he wants to take me up on the offer, I'm available for him," she told Brynn.

"I'll let him know, but I have to go now," Brynn said. They said their goodbyes, and Brynn hung up her phone.

She wasn't sure why she had never told Chandler about Nyla's offers. If she was being honest with herself, she would have admitted that she didn't want to have Nyla be the first person that Chandler had sex with since Brooklyn's death. She wanted to be the first. She wanted to be the woman who made him smile, who made him laugh, and who drove him over the edge of his orgasm.

Brynn started to blush as she thought about bringing Chandler to an orgasm. She chastised herself as she sat there, blushing like mad at the thoughts in her head. She needed to stop thinking about that. It wasn't going to happen.

Meanwhile, Chandler was on his phone talking to his friend Zaiden. "No, man. I told you that Brynn and I aren't together. She and I are just friends. She's free to see whomever she wants." Chandler should have known that Zaiden would try to hook up with Brynn. He wanted to punch the wall behind him, frustrated that Zaiden was acting on his attraction to Brynn so fast, and that he was trying to go through Chandler to get to her.

"Well, if you and she are just friends, you think you could set up a date between her and me? You think she'd go for me?" Zaiden asked.

"Dude, I couldn't tell you. Why can't you just ask her yourself, and leave me out of it?" Chandler asked, trying to not let his irritation show.

"Because I don't know her that well. Besides, I need you to put in a good word for me, buddy," Nate said. "Well, that is, as long as you meant what you said when you told me you were just friends."

Chandler sighed. "I'll see what I can do. I'll talk to you later." He hung up the phone and walked back inside.

Brynn looked at the scowl on Chandler's face as he approached the table, and got worried. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. Zaiden just frustrates me sometimes. He was calling to ask about you."

"About me? And that put you in a bad mood?"

"I just hate it when he tries to use my friendship with him to get what he wants," he said, trying to cover up the fact that he was just annoyed that Nate had wanted to go out with Brynn. "So, he wants me to talk you into going out on a date with him, and I know he won't leave me alone until you say yes, so will you go, please?"

"Zaiden was the loud one, right?" Brynn asked.

"Yes," Chandler said, a little reluctantly.

Brynn saw where this was going and nipped it in the bud. "Well, I'll go, on one condition. You go out with Nyla and we have a double date. She's been bugging me about hooking her up with you since Cole's birthday," Brynn proposed.

"Ugh, she better not try to get me into bed with her," Chandler said, wrinkling up his nose.

"She will, but just be clear that you don't want to sleep with her," Brynn told him. After she realized how it sounded, she added, "I mean, as long as that's what you want...As long as you don't want to sleep with her," Brynn stammered.

"No, I definitely don't," Chandler told her, chuckling a little at how jealous Brynn sounded. "So, I guess it's settled. We have a double date."

Brynn wasn't looking forward to going out with Zaiden, and she was even less enthusiastic about Chandler going out with Nyla, but she was happy to know that Chandler didn't want to sleep with anyone.

"What are we getting ourselves into?" Brynn asked, and shook her head.

F
riday came all too quickly for Chandler and Brynn. Neither one was really looking forward to their dates, and on more than one occasion, both had tried to think of ways to get out of it. In the end, nothing worked, and the date was going to happen as planned.

Nyla showed up at Brynn's early, to help Brynn get ready. Brynn would have preferred to get ready alone, due to the fact that she resented Nyla for forcing this date on Chandler, and wasn't really in the mood to make nice with her. Instead, Brynn bit her tongue, and tried to act like nothing was bothering her.

While Brynn worked on her hair and makeup, Nyla busied herself in Brynn's closet, trying to pick out the 'perfect outfit'. She laid out a short black cargo mini skirt on Brynn's bed, along with a tiny red tank. When Brynn came out of the bathroom to get dressed, she looked at the clothes on the bed and got annoyed.

"Where are we going tonight, street walking?" Brynn cried. "I'm going to have people coming up to me all night asking me how much I charge for my services!"

"Oh, stop," Nyla laughed. "You're going to look great. No one will mistake you for a hooker. Just don't wear those over-the-knee vinyl boots that I saw in the back of your closet."

"You're funny, Nyla. You know I don't own anything like that!" Brynn grumbled. "Fine, I'll wear this outfit. Tonight is going to be such a mistake!"

"Not if I have anything to do with it," Nyla mumbled. "So, where are the kids staying tonight?"

"Oh, they're staying at Chandler's house. They stayed here the last time we went out, so he thought it would only be fair for them to stay at his house this time," Brynn told her. She knew that wasn't the only reason they were staying over at his house. Chandler had begged to let the kids stay with him, so that Nyla wouldn't get any ideas about trying to go back to his place after they went out. He was trying to do everything he could to let Nyla know that he didn't want to sleep with her, without coming right out and saying it.

"Oh, is there any chance I can convince you to let them stay here tonight?" Nyla asked.

"Nyla! They are staying at his house tonight. It's not negotiable," Brynn said, starting to get angry with her friend. "You need to calm down and understand that Chandler isn't ready for what you're offering him. Just relax and be happy that he even agreed to go out with you tonight."

"I guess," Nyla said, defeated. "I'll go downstairs and let you finish getting dressed. The guys will be here soon." Nyla left the bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Brynn groaned and began to get dressed. She was not looking forward to a whole night of Nyla's flirting, and she hoped that Zaiden wouldn't try anything with her. The things she did for her friends! After she was dressed, she took a look in her full-length mirror and was surprised she didn't look as slutty as she thought she would. She turned around, looking at herself from all angles. She found herself wondering if Chandler would like it, then chided herself for thinking that way.

The sound of her doorbell brought her out of her thoughts. She grabbed her purse and headed downstairs to greet the guys.

Nyla opened the door to see a tall, very built blonde guy standing there. He had the most beautiful crystal blue eyes, definitely Nyla's usual type of guy...too bad he was Brynn's date for the night.

"Hi, I'm Nyla. Come on in. Brynn will be right down," she said, as she reached out and grabbed his arm to lead him inside. He was wearing crisp khakis and a white polo shirt, filling both of them out well.

"Hi, I'm Zaiden. Nice to meet you," he said, as his eyes swept over Nyla from head to toe, then back up again. Zaiden smiled in appreciation for what he saw. Nyla was wearing a little brown leather mini skirt with a cream-colored halter top. Her long blonde hair was left down, reaching the middle of her back. She had styled it in big curls, so it was all bouncy when she moved.

As the two stared at each other, they almost missed Brynn walking into the foyer. Thank God for the loud noise her shoes made on the slate floor, or else they never would have known she was there. Zaiden broke the gaze first, then turned to look at Brynn. "Wow, you look great," Zaiden said, a little less than enthusiastic.

"Yeah, you look so pretty," Nyla said, a little too cheery, as if she was trying to hide something.

"Thanks, I think," Brynn said, getting more and more annoyed by the minute. Thankfully, the doorbell rang again. "Why don't you two go sit in the living room and I'll get the door. It must be Chandler, so we'll be right in."

Zaiden and Nyla walked into the living room and made themselves comfortable on the couch, while Brynn went to answer the door. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Chandler. He was wearing a red button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up his forearm a little, with nice black pants. His hair was gelled to perfection, and his brown goatee was trimmed short. He looked nothing short of...hot!

"Wow!" was all Brynn managed to get out of her mouth.

Chandler stood at the door, not able to move. He saw Brynn and was taken aback by how great she looked. "Yeah, I could say the same for you. Aren't you the same girl I went out with last weekend? The one who keeps hiding my little Brynn away?" he asked.

"Glad to see that someone likes the way I look tonight. I think our dates are over before they even started," Brynn laughed.

"What do you mean?" Chandler asked.

"Well, I think that Zaiden and Nyla have hit it off. I came down earlier, and the two could barely pry their eyes off each other to look at me when I came in," Brynn laughed.

"Cool, maybe we should go with this. It might just work out better for both of us if they take a liking to each other," Chandler said, as if he was calculating a plan in his head. "Let's just run with this. If they end up liking each other, then good for them, and better for us. We can't make it obvious that we know though, or that we're trying to get them together."