Chapter 10

Three Hours Earlier

I raised an eyebrow at Blaze, waiting for a response. She was looking at her side, rubbing her arm as she bit her lip.

Least I know she's nervous and doesn't want to talk about it, but I'm getting it out of her today and right now. No matter what it takes.

"Well?" I asked, crossing my arms acrossed my chest.

She turned her gaze back to me and sighed.

"It's a long story, Robin." She muttered, scratching the back of her neck.

"However long it is, you're telling me right now." I was annoyed she was still hiding whatever she's hiding from me. I didn't get why she couldn't just tell me.

Was it really that big if a deal?

"Robin, it's not as simple as it seems," she started, "it's just..." She paused like she was thinking of her next few words carefully in her head. "Complicated."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Welcome to reality, Blaze. Life is complicated!"

She groaned in response and I raised an eyebrow at her.

"This is why I don't like telling you things, you always force something out of a person." Well that was unexpected.

I don't like forcing things out of someone. I want them to tell me when they're comfortable, but sometimes I don't realize that I can be pushy and forceful with my words.

I'm a very observent and aware person, but I've never been the best when keeping my Word.

"I know, I know. I can come off as pushy, but I mean you aren't so patient with things either. Plus you're always pushing things and I mean you're much more nagy compared to me. Let's face it, whatever you're hiding can't be that bad."

Did I ever mention that apologizing isn't my forte?

She raised an eyebrow at me and it took me a while to realise what I had just said and why she was looking at me like that.

I cleared my throat, "The point is I don't think it's that big if a deal. I mean, what could be so bad about what you're hiding from me?"

She rubs a hand through her hair, sighing as she looks over at Parker. I do the same. I look back at her when her gaze leaves Parker and falls onto me.

"Robin, you have to let me explain without completely freaking out."

I arched an eyebrow at her response. "Okay? I won't interrupt. Just tell me! This whole whatever that's going on is driving me insane!"

She sighs and prepares her words. "The truth is," she begins, "a few days ago, remember when I asked if I could crash at your place because I didn't want to be at mine?" She asked.

I nod, waiting for her to reply.

"Okay well, that was because of-," But her sentence gets cut off when Aiden jogs over to us and says, "Guys, we're heading to Zylith's to nurse Delilah. You coming?"

I turned my focus on Aiden then to Blaze and saw her nod. An annoyed and frustrated emotion crepted over my body as I saw her nod. I shook my head in reply and turn my focus back on Blaze.

She looks back at me, giving me an apologetic expression and I sigh, walking over to her.

"You're coming over to my house and telling me everything after you and the others help Delilah." I demanded, I didn't even let her reply or put consent. I was tired and annoyed and was in no mood to argue.

"What are you gonna do while we help out Delilah?" She questioned.

"I think it's time I have some alone time. I've been so busy lately that I haven't gotten time to myself lately."

I know it's selfish, but I didn't feel like patting a wet rag onto a wound on Delilah's body while everyone surrounded her, asking if she was fine. That was a headache waiting to happen.

Blaze nodded as she gave me a quick hug before following Aiden to Zylith's car. Aiden didn't get in, except he stared at me and motioned for me to come over to him. I walked over and he grabbed my hand and we, well he since he practically dragged me by the hand over to his car.

I opened the door for myself before he reached his hand to the handle and got inside his seat and started the car. It roared to life and I looked out the window as I held my hands in my lap, waiting for this day to be over.

~•~

Now

Blaze drank the red liquid as she cleared her throat afterwards, preparing herself.

This was going to be a long discussion. I told myself.

She poured more of the liquid into her glass and picked it up with her fingers as she swished the liquid carefully in the glass.

"Try not to interrupt since this story is long, complicated, and most likely confusion."

I nodded. "I'm not leaving anytime soon and I'll ask questions afterwards."

"Thank you," she answered before drinking the wine that was originally in her cup.

"Okay well, it started when my parents were fighting like always. I called Parker over since he was the first person on my contacts and asked him to meet me by my front door since I didn't feel comfortable in my house."

I snapped my fingers. "That's why you wanted to come to my place!" I answered for her and she made an eh face.

"Kinda, sort of. Parker arrived to my house and we both sat outside on the sidewalk just talking."

Where was this even going?

"But then our talk turned to a vent about me venting about the fact I'm no longer comfortable in that house," she said.

"And he kept comforting me and it felt good to know he cared since I was in a vulnerable state at the time."

I nodded, hoping she'd get to the point anytime soon.

"Then...he kissed me."

I started choking on literally nothing, probably my spit. Blaze took another sip of her wine as it went down her throat and I saw her gulp.

"I know, I was shocked too. I pulled away after a couple of seconds, got up, and went back inside. After my parents stopped fighting, they left the house so I was by myself."

"With Parker outside my door." She added.

"I eventually let him in when I was done being a pussy and we sat on the couch and started talking about the kiss we shared earlier. It got real deep and we kissed again."

I raised an eyebrow at the we part.

Blaze must've noticed my reaction to the we part and quickly replied with, "By we I mean him, but I did kiss him back." She poured more wine into her glass and I drank my water.

This was too much.

"And then..." She stopped and looked away. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"One thing led to another and we were suddenly in my room half naked." She sipped her wine.

I immediately started choking again and stared at her. "I'm sorry, did I hear you right?" I asked, making sure I wasn't hearing things.

"Then I stopped to breathe and we looked at each other in embarrassment and uncertainty whether what we did was on purpose or we accidentally started making out."

I sipped my water, "How do you accidentally make out with someone? It's not an accidental thing." I stated.

"Let me finish, during that time I was questioning how I let that happen. I pulled away and put my clothes back on, stopping things before they got too serious."

I processed all the new information that was being thrown at me and I chugged my water.

"I didn't like how fast things were going so I ended it before we went any further. I called you and I told you I would tell you later, but really needed to get it off my chest."

She continued, "So I asked Parker to come with so we'd both tell you. Then I found out there was a party and I needed to forget what happened back at my house."

I stared at her, stunned at everything she just told me. I did have an idea that something romantic happened between them, but I never exactly thought of any intimate or sexual moment. I kind of was hoping it wasn't anything like this.

If anything, far from it.

"So yes and no. I wanted to go to your house because of my parents, but also because of everything that had happened with Parker. I didn't want to stay in my room knowing I practically shared half of it with someone."

I took a final sip of my water and placed it on the table, getting up and walking towards her.

"So you were sweating and acting weird because of that?" I asked, remembering her nervousness and suspicious behavior.

She nodded and I re-thought of everything that happened yesterday. Everything fit together. It made sense. I didn't know how I didn't see this coming, but I should have guessed.

"I'm sorry I kept it from you, I just didn't know how to tell you."

I sighed and gave her a hug and she squeezed my back in response. I remembered the moment between Aiden and I and pulled away after a couple of seconds and stared at Blaze.

"Blaze, there's something I have to tell you. And it's about Aiden."

She grabbed out another bottle of wine, getting another glass and slid it towards me. I shook my head, sliding it back to her. She rolled her eyes playfully and poured in more for her and swirled the liquid in the cup as she waited for me to answer.

"This should be good."

~•~

"Why am I not the least bit surprised?" She asked herself, taking another sip of her wine once I finished.

"You know my mother will notice half of her wine bottle is empty, right?"

She waved me off. "She'll put the blame on you, not me. I can drink as much as I want."

I narrowed my eyes at her reply and rolled them after a couple of seconds. "We'll see who's breath smells like grapes and alcohol."

She rolled her eyes and drank more wine from her glass.

"But on a serious note, Aiden did tell me he was planning on confessing to you anyway of this week. I told him I wouldn't tell you." She informed me as she grabbed a bottle of water and threw it at me.

I caught it, glaring at her. "You knew and you didn't tell me?" I asked, I could feel a hint of frustration in my tone and I made sure she could sense it too.

"He paid me five dollars not to tell. You know what I could buy at a gas station or 711 with that much?"

I groaned, "Seriously, five dollars? This idea and plan of his meant five dollars to him?"

Blaze shrugged as she sipped her wine, preparing to fill her glass. I got up and grabbed the bottle of wine before she used anymore liquid.

"No, I'm not being blamed for drinking something I never even took one sip from. No more wine, drink some water or lemonade or something." I said as I put the wine back in the fridge.

She groaned, annoyed as I gave her a bottle of water. My mind instantly jumped to the bet.

I only had two months and so far I had no progress. I was being a little nicer than usual to him, but to me that didn't really count. I contemplated whether or not I'd tell Blaze.

I trusted her, but she'd try to convince me that what I was doing was nothing, but selfish and wrong. She wouldn't be wrong though.

I just wasn't in the mood to be reprimanded.

"Well, Im'ma head out."

Blaze grabbed her water and took a few sips before staring back at me. "Thanks for being a good listener." I nodded and she saluted me before opening the door.

"Also," she said, "we both know that Aiden's a good guy. Why didn't you-" I cut her off before she could finish. "I don't want to go through what I had already went through with my ex. I've tried so hard to put romantic feelings aside."

She tilted her head, slightly closing the door.

"Besides, I wouldn't want to lose my best friend because of a relationship. He's too good for me, I could never play with his feelings especially since I don't feel anything for him." I continued.

She closed the door and sat down next to me, "Robin, I may not know what you went through because of your ex, but sometimes it's better to take those risks."

I looked away. I didn't want to risk something I had successfully dug for two years. After everything I had done, just to not let my feelings go before my head, this isn't what I worked so hard to put aside for two years.

"Eventually, people will hurt you, you just got to find the ones suffering for."

I looked back at her, "Isn't that a quote from an anime?" I asked, ruining the moment.

"I saw it on youtube okay? But it is true. I mean, aren't you a little hurt that I kept this from you?" She asked and I shrugged. "I guess?"

"Just remember, Aiden would go through a hell of a lot just to know you feel something for him. He cares about you, Robin. What are you so afraid of?"

I stared into her eyes, waiting for myself to answer, but couldn't. I didn't feel like I was afraid of anything, but when I really thought about it. I was afraid of many things, things that I even knew I was afraid of.

Things I wasn't ready to admit.

"Nothing." I reply.

She arches an eyebrow and gets up, "Okay, prove it."

She went towards the door and I got up from the couch as well.

"How?"

"Allow yourself to fall for someone, go on a date, make a grinder profile, I don't know." I was about to respond before I replayed in my head that last part."

"A what profile?"

She opened the door, waving at me. "Okay, bye. Cya tomorrow maybe." Then she closed the door.

I rolled my eyes and chugged the rest of my water. I walked upstairs to my room and threw myself on the bed, allowing my eyes to close. Before I knew it, I fell asleep.