Page 11 of It's Complicated

It would help if she was wearing something other than one of my T-shirts.

Aiden seems to agree because he scoffs. “Can you go put some pants on?”

“Actually, I need to get dressed and go home to change if I don’t want to be late for work.” She theatrically rolls her eyes. “My partners can be real pains in the ass.”

I glare. She’d better not leave me alone with Aiden.

Our friend snickers. “Jace hasn’t given you a drawer yet?”

Lori puts her hands forward. “As I said, still very new, still very undefined.”

Aiden stands up. “I’ve got to go, too.” He grabs his coat from the couch and pulls it on in a jerky, angry move. “See you both at work.”

And he would’ve made the perfect stormy exit, if not for all the mints littering the entryway slowing him down, forcing him to slalom. He makes up for it with a spectacular door slam.

I turn to Lori, pointing at the door with one thumb. “That makes you happy?”

She chews on her lower lip. “He was pretty mad.”

I make a duh-uh face.

“But why else would he be mad if he weren’t jealous?”

“Oh, let me see. Aiden could be angry because he thinks we’ve kept this from him. Or because he’s worried about our relationship going sideways and things getting weird at work, or about our group dynamic changing.”

Lori scoffs. “In case you hadn’t noticed, Kirsten already bulldozed our dynamics, and you don’t have the best track record with relationships.”

“Are you seriously giving me this right now?”

“No, what I’m going to give you is space.” Lori grimaces apologetically. “I’ll go home to change and feed the flock and cats, and we’re going to talk again once you’ve calmed down. How does that sound?”

“Akin to a root canal.”

Lori’s grimace turns into a full-on smile as she points to the bedroom with both her thumbs. “I’m gonna go now.”

I wait all morning for the knock on my door. Still, when it comes, I’m not any more ready for it. I don’t receive patients on Thursday mornings, so I know it’s Aiden.

“Come in,” I call.

My best friend since junior high walks into my office, looking no more pleased with me than he did this morning at my apartment.

He takes a seat in front of me, and we stay quiet for a long time.

Aiden breaks first. “So, you and Lori?”

“Right, me and Lori?”

“Seriously, man, is that all you’re going to give me?”

I wouldn’t know what else to say, so I play my jerk-of-the-group role. “You want a play-by-play, or what?”

Aiden winces. His self-control greatly exceeds mine. If the roles were reversed, I would’ve already punched him. “Don’t be like that. The tough-guy act doesn’t work with me.”

“Okay, dude, what do you want me to say? Lori and I are dating, is that such a big deal?”

“Yeah, it’s a big deal. What happened to the pact?”

I roll a pen between my fingers. “I thought it lapsed when you got engaged.”

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