“Aaron is a lot different than I thought he’d be,” she says, and I do my best to hide the smug smile on my face.
“Explain.”
“He asked me out.”
My jaw tightens.
“He did?”
“Yep.”
“Well,” I rub my hands against my thighs. “I thought that was the goal.”
“But he thinks you and I are dating.”
“I told you it would work.”
I’m surprised when she hands me an Arnold Palmer iced tea and lemonade bottled drink out of her fridge. My favorite. I didn’t think she drank these.
“Sure, it worked, but what kind of guy asks out his cousin’s girlfriend?”
Aaron has always been a competitive dick when it comes to me; so competitive that the minute I turned my back, he made his move on Willow. Sure, the two of us have had our bets over girls before, but we were new to the school and enthralled with the amount of good-looking women who were throwing themselves at us on a daily basis.
But this is different. Willow is different. She’s not some random frat house skank. She’s the kind of girl you meet at college and know she’s going to do something wonderful with her life. She’s the kind of girl a guy knows he’ll marry one day and become a power couple. Aaron doesn’t deserve someone like her. He doesn’t even want someone like her.
“What did he say to you?” I ask carefully, contemplating whether or not I really want to hear her answer. I might trash her roommate’s side of the room, depending on what she tells me.
I purposely avoided asking anyone who was at the party anything about Aaron and Willow, because I wasn’t sure if I was ready to hear it, but I think I’m ready now.
“To be fair, you did kind of just leave me there.”
I’m not sure if she’s serious or not, but I’m confused by the insinuation that I left her to fend for herself. I left because I thought Aaron was what she wanted. If for even a moment I thought she wanted to forget this ridiculous plan of ours, I would’ve been all for it. I left because I just couldn’t stand to watch her grin at every damn thing Aaron said to her, especially after our unforgettable kiss. I’m a tough fucker, but a guy has his limits.
“You seemed to be just fine with it,” I say cooly.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I take another sip of my drink to swallow down the words I’d rather say. I need to remember what this is.
“It was part of the plan,” I tell her. “If I didn’t leave the house, he wouldn’t have made his move. Are you saying that you’re having second thoughts about him now?”
She pauses for a moment.
“I’m not saying that.”
We’re quiet for a moment as I take a look at the photographs she has taped to her wall. I notice one of her in a cap and gown, sandwiched between two women who look very much like her. All three of them are making goofy faces. You can tell there’s a lot of love there.
“Tell me about this picture,” I ask her.
“This is high school graduation, and that’s my mom and she’s my Nana. She died about six months after this picture was taken.”
“Oh, I’m sorry for your loss.”
“She was a nurse for over thirty years. She’s my inspiration.”
“And your mom?”
“She works for the local gas company and she’s my rock. She’s worked her whole life to give me a better one.”
