Page 53 of Falling for my Best Friend

S I X T E E N

- Aiden -

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.

---