Page 34 of Falling for my Best Friend

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- Aiden -

I pulled up outside Lucy’s place and changed the radio to her favorite station. I preferred more modern stuff, but occasionally she turned me on to something good like Bowie or The Kinks so I didn’t mind leaving my comfort zone when she was around.

She came out of her place in a short black dress with long sleeves and skipped over to the passenger side.

“Hey,” I said when she got in.

“Hey yourself.”

I checked my mirrors and pulled away from the curb. “What have you been up to today?”

She batted her smoky eyes. “Nothing much. Went to lunch with Fiona. That’s about it. You?”

“Went for a run this morning and-”

“You still thinking about doing that triathlon at the end of the summer?”

I did my best to ignore the fact that her dress had ridden up around her thighs. “I don’t know. The swimming is a lot harder than I thought.”

“No shit, Aiden. You’re solid muscle. You probably sink like a rock.”

I smiled. “I am pretty jacked.”

She smacked my arm.

“Seriously, though, I’d still like to do it,” I said, turning onto a one way street. “I just don’t know if I’ll be ready that soon.”

“Well, I’d rather you didn’t risk it if you think you’ll drown.”

“Yeah, people might think I did it on purpose.”

She furrowed her brows. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. I just get the feeling people can’t handle the fact that I’m not completely depressed and full of self-pity.”

“Fuck ‘em,” she said. “That’s a reflection of them, not you.”

I shrugged.

“I mean it. You should be really proud of the way you’ve handled everything.”

“Thanks, Luce. Sometimes it feels like you’re the only one that agrees with my decision to stop playing.”

“It’s not like you had a choice.” She leaned on the console between us. “You could’ve lost a lot more than a few good years of rugby if you hadn’t walked away.”

I nodded. “At least I haven’t let you down.”

“Not at all. And I’m sorry everyone else hasn’t come around. Don’t they realize you could’ve gotten knocked stupid?”

“I think they all feel like a few years of glory would’ve made up for that,” I said, checking the closest street sign.

She shook her head. “That’s ridiculous. You did the right thing.”

“Thanks for saying that.”

“It’s the truth.”

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