by Sadie Grubor
She gave an unsure smiled.
"I really am sorry, Aidan. You’re a great guy. I don’t understand why you haven’t found someone yet. Or someone who you could make some arrangement or deal." She shrugged, a small sigh leaving her.
I gave a shrug in return, but then what she said sunk in. Why the hell hadn’t I thought of just making a deal with someone? I am such an idiot! But who? Who would be willing or in need of enough that they would agree to this kind of deal?
"Aidan?" Elora pulled me from my thoughts.
"Yeah?"
"Good night?" Her brow furrowed and teeth gnawed on her bottom lip.
Clearly, she was unsure of where we were going from here. Taking her hand, I kissed her knuckles.
"Good night, Elora."
With a smile she slipped out of my car and walked back toward her house. When she reached the door, she paused. I thought she would look back, but instead she straightened her spine and shoved through the door.
Pulling away from Elora's house, I flipped open my phone, found the contact and hit the talk button.
"Yeah?" James grumbled.
"I did it!"
"Did what?" Panic choked his words.
"I proposed to Elora," I bit the side of my mouth, "in front of her family. Your father was right, they couldn’t be happier." I almost had to pull over so I didn’t crash.
"Y-you d-did…she said yes?" His anger seeped into his tone.
"Of course," I snorted.
He fell silent.
"James?"
"Yeah," he grunted.
"You stupid ass! I’m kidding! Why didn’t you tell me about Elora?"
"I don’t know…I just…I don’t know. Then my father told me to keep my mouth shut—"
"Your dad knew and he was making you just deal with me dating and possibly proposing to her? That’s really screwed up, James." I was astonished. I knew my Uncle Henry was an asshole but, shit, that was his own son.
"So you and Elora…"
"Good luck with her man. She’s all yours. I wish you would’ve told me beforehand, I wouldn’t have even started this."
"Whatever. So what the hell are you going to do now?"
"I’m not sure." Sitting in deadlocked weekend traffic felt like a metaphor for my current situation.
"Well, what are you doing right now?"
"Probably just heading home, unless you have a better idea."
"I have an extremely better idea, but it does not include you, Cuz." He laughed. I knew where he was heading tonight. I just left her at her parents.
"Well, Dixon’s place is on the way, so maybe I’ll stop there and call Oz." The traffic finally began to move.
"Alright. I’ll call you later."
"Later." With a new destination, I squeezed my car over into the right lane.
Parking in front of Dixon’s building. I headed up to his apartment. When I got to his door, I could hear Dixon’s raised voice.
"Damn it, Lilli, you’re sick, you’re not going to work!"
"I can’t believe you turned off my alarm clock, Dixon! I just needed some sleep. You really crossed a line!" I heard Lilli scream, followed by slamming noises.
"You’re going to kill yourself if you keep up a schedule like this and you know it," he yelled.
"Dixon, look you don’t have to worry about it okay? It’s my problem. I’m gonna drop my classes anyhow and just get the other job that I talked—"
"You can’t do that! Lilli, I know you love your dad and you know I love him too, but it’s time to figure something else out, don’t you think? This isn’t working." He started to get quieter, but I could still hear him through the door.
When it got silent, I hesitantly knocked on the door. The door swung open. Dixon greeted me with a red flushed face and flared nostrils.
"Hey, Aidan, come on in." He opened the door and let me in but walked quickly towards where Lilli stood in the kitchen. "Get back to bed," he ordered.
"You're not my father," she stood defiantly before him.
"Maybe I should just call him and tell him about—"
"Don’t you dare, Dixon! This is my responsibility!" She glared at him.
"To. Bed!"
Lilli stormed off down the hallway and slammed the door.
I watched Dixon sigh heavily, his shoulders hunched over.
"What the hell was that about?" When I didn't get a response, I spoke up one more time. "Should I take off?"
Dixon shook his head."She is just so damn stubborn."
"You are the second person that has said that." He raised a brow to me questioningly. "Phoebe," I answered his unspoken question.
"Well she is. She has taken on way too much and she is just going to collapse, again."
"Again?" I asked as he handed be a beer. Taking a seat on the couch, he sat in his chair.
"It’s really not my place to say anything, but Lilli overworks herself to pay for some financial difficulties her father has and she has pushed school off so much that it seems she will end up dropping out. It pisses me off. She’s smart and an amazing writer." Dixon sat back in his chair and sighed.
"A writer?" I settled into the couch.
"Yeah, mostly journalism. She's been published in a couple magazines. Phoebe sent some things she wrote in, without her knowing, of course." Dixon chuckled. It was good to hear him laugh. Shaking his head he leaned back in his chair and picked up the TV remote. "How about some Sports Center?"
After a couple hours of Sports Center, I headed home. When I got home, I sat down into the leather couch, thinking about making a marriage deal with someone. I make business deals on a daily basis. Negotiating this deal can't be much harder. Could it?
Pulling out my phone, I placed a call to Devlin, the family lawyer. Before I moved forward with this plan, I need to talk to him. Making sure I could do this without breaching the inheritance terms is crucial. Also, I need him to set up the legal documentation for when I make the deal official.
After my phone call with Devlin, I was able to move forward with the plan. However, now I needed to figure out how and who to approach. I’m sure I could easily pull a random person off the street but that’s not exactly safe. I definitely prefer to at least know the person before entering this kind of arrangement. Acquaintances, friends, past lovers all swirled around my head while I showered, brushed my teeth and dressed for bed. Sleep did not come easy, but eventually the softness of my bed lulled me to sleep.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Saturday morning, I woke haunted by dreams of faceless women chasing after me. With only seven months to get blissfully wed, my dreams were not going to improve any time soon. And don’t even get me started on the conception part of the conditions. I sure as hell am not ready to be married, and a kid...holy fuck, I’ve never even thought about being a father. To say I was uncomfortable with the idea was a huge understatement. My mind raced throughout my whole morning routine; coffee, shower, breakfast and even as I tried to distract myself with work.
Pushing away from the mess of memos and contracts on my desk, I decided to give television a shot. C-Span could easy distract me from my internal dialogue. And, hell, I needed to check out the highlights on Sports Center. Plopping myself down on the couch, I picked up my personal cell. I hated having two cell phones but I didn’t like to use my personal cell for business calls and vice versa. I thought about calling Oscar, but he would probably still be sleeping or at the hospital. With a heavy sigh, I tossed my phone on the coffee table in front of me. Laying my head back on the couch, I took a deep breath before pulling myself up. As I paced laps around the living room, my phone started ringing.
"Hello," I answered a little breathless from the pacing.
"Hello honey. Are you okay? You sound a little—"
"I’m fine." I smiled at the sound of Viola’s concern.
"Oh," she paused. "Well, I just want to remind you about Maggie’s party next weekend. You know we are having dinner at seven on Friday—"
"Rig
ht, Viola," I chuckled. She knew I would never forget Maggie’s birthday.
"What?" She feigned innocence.
"I’m guessing you’ve heard from Elora’s parents?" I walked into the kitchen.
"Well," she hesitated. "Okay, I did. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. Are you okay?"
"I’m fine.” Grabbing a mug, I moved to the coffee machine, placed the mug on the base and hit the button to fill it up. “Elora is a nice girl and it would’ve been easy to come to the arrangement necessary, but I would never want to take away her chance at real happiness. Not for someone like me." I mumbled.
"Aidan Walsh Iverson! How dare you talk about yourself like that!"
Uh oh, Vi is about to go all motherly on me.
"You are a wonderful man and any woman would be lucky to have you."
I snorted.
"Aidan sweetheart, I love you," she reassured.
"Viola, I need to tell you something." Taking a deep breath, I knew this wasn’t going to be easy to explain.
"What is it?" Her question was full of sincere concern.
Pacing back and forth in my kitchen, I launched into the deal I was going to make with someone. Regardless of my shame of the situation, I was running out of time. When I was finished, she was extremely quiet. As the silence grated on my nerves, I squeezed the back of my neck with my free hand.
"You still there?" I rubbed at the tense muscles in my neck.
"Yes dear, I’m here." She sighed lightly. "Aidan, please don’t rush out and make this arrangement with someone hastily. I realize you’re being practical; however, you may come across something…the real thing." She attempted to diffuse this idea but we both knew I was out of other options.
"I don’t plan on rushing in, but I’ll do what I have to do."
The rest of my weekend was the same. Oscar had been sleeping or had other plans, Dixon was working, and I couldn’t get a hold of James at all. I spent my weekend working on business and pondering outcomes for my situation.
Soon Monday arrived and it was time to return to the office. Everything was going in the typical corporate fashion until Thursday afternoon when James burst through my door.
"Cousin!" He walked in large strides, taking a seat on the corner of my desk. Leaning back in my chair, I raised an eyebrow.
"Cousin?" I grinned. "Someone’s in a good mood."
"Of course I am." He smiled wide.
"Because of?" I prodded.
"I’m getting married." He blurted.
My mouth fell open in shock.
"You’re what?" I leaned forward, clasping my hands on the desk in front of me.
"You heard me." He picked up pen off my desk, twirling it in his fingers.
"But—"
"I asked her Sunday," he said before I could finish. "After everything that's happened I realized I love her more than anything, Aidan. Elora is my…is mine. I went out Saturday and bought the ring then arranged a lunch at the Botanical Gardens and proposed." Slipping off the desk, he sat down in one of the leather office chairs in front of me.
"What about all your friends?" Both brows rose.
"To be honest, I was stupid to keep Elora at arm's length," he looked down remorsefully. "When I thought that she may be gone…with you…" he looked up to meet my gaze, "it was my reality check." He smiled small, unsure of my reaction.
I stood up and walked over to him quickly.
"Congratulations!" I pulled him into a tight hug.
"Thanks!" He looked genuinely happy. "You know you’re my best man, right?"
"I better be!" With a smack to his back, he led us toward my office door. Once James was gone, I sat back into my chair and put my head in my hands.
How is it that I go on a date and she leaves with my best friend? Then the girl I had been dating ends up in love and engaged to my cousin? What the hell is wrong with this picture?
Three hours later, as I sat listening to the marketing department debate with the sales team about the cost and inefficiency of customizing all of our marketing pieces, I began to debate my decision to be a part of the monthly department update calls.
A text from James quickly drew my attention away from the discussion.
Club, Inc.. Tonight. 9pm. Be There Fuckers!
Dropping the cell back onto my desk, I couldn’t wait for this call to finish up. Drinks at the club were looking more and more appealing.
Around eight thirty, I arrived to the club. Celia stood behind the bar. She sauntered over, smiling, as I slipped onto a barstool,.
"What can I get you?" She leaned forward, working the cleavage angle.
"Bourbon," I replied.
"Sure thing," she spun around. As she did I could smell vanilla and sugar.
Scanning the club, I looked around for anyone in our group. My attention was caught by two words.
"Hey Loser!" I turned to see Lilli throwing her bag under the bar.
"Hey," I grinned. A tingling sensation traveled through my body as my eyes traveled over every curve and exposed inch of flesh.
"Please don’t tell me that—"
"No. No blind dates. I’m here to celebrate my cousin’s engagement." Celia walked my drink over and placed it in front of me. "Thanks!"
"That’s cool, but I thought you were the one looking…or something," Lilli raised a brow.
"It’s complicated," I forced a smile. "I’m surprised Dixon hasn’t told you all about it like he has everyone else."
She shook her head, causing a thick strand of long dark hair to fall over her right shoulder.
"We really haven’t been home at the same time lately," she smiled, but something in her face gave away to sadness. I was about to speak again when she held up a finger and walked towards some guys that just sat down to the bar.
Watching Lilli at the other end of the bar, I felt a smack on my back.
"Hey Aid-man."
Turning around I was greeted by Dixon’s large bright smile. He slipped onto the stool next to me, his blue button down tightening around his biceps. It looked like he would rip the shirt if he flexed. I was about to argue the nickname but saw his eyes were following Celia. With his attention on her, I knew I’d never get it.
Finally, James and Oscar arrived. Soon Uncle Liam, along with two of James’s buddies, showed up as well.
"Liam, does Viola know where you are?" I teased.
He cleared his throat.
"Well, yes, but I don’t think she realized…" He drifted off, looking around at the half dressed waitresses, shot girls, dancers and bartenders. In his traditional Armani gray suit, he seemed out of place. With the loud music, flashing lights and the furrow of his brow, he looked uncomfortable.
"Dixon," Lilli leaned up on the bar, wrapping her arms around Dixon in a hug.
"Hey, Lilli," he returned the hug.
"How come he gets a hug and I get called a loser?" I shouted over to her teasingly.
She put an L on forehead with her fingers and then pointed at me. I returned the large smile she gave me with one of my own.
"Who is that?" Liam asked as he sat on my left.
"Lilli," I took a sip of my drink. "She’s Dixon’s roommate."
Then I introduced Dixon to Liam. Liam was instantly amused by Dixon. I think it would be difficult for anyone to really not like him.
With a loud shout, James got the evening started. Celia poured shots of Patron and we toasted his engagement. We found a table and spent the night drinking and joking around. At the end of the night, around midnight, we said our goodbyes and headed home. Aside for Dixon, who waited on Lilli and Celia’s shift to end.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The weekend found me at Dixon’s on Friday night, hanging out watching sports and drinking beer. It was around one thirty when we heard the door. Without looking away from the TV, Dixon yelled out, "Hey, Lilli."
"Hey honey!" Dixon spun around at the sound of Celia’s voice. With a sly smile, tight fitting jeans and barely there halter top, Celia wiggled
the fingers of her right hand at him. Looking at Dixon’s face, I knew it was time for me to go.
"Celia," Dixon smiled, but confusion soon replaced it. "Where’s Lilli?"
"Oh, she is on her way up. She had to fight off Tom in the entryway," Celia rolled her eyes sitting on the arm of Dixon’s chair. "Not to mention that she’s already in a shit mood."
"What happened? Bill giving her a hard time again?" Irritation poured from every pore of his body.
"Of course he is. This time it was because Lilli refused to serve a guy who was making lewd comments." She shrugged. "You would think Bill would support us instead of taking it out on us. Anyhow, if he has to talk with her again he says he’s going to fire her." Celia slid onto Dixon’s lap. "It’s ridiculous." She grumbled.
"Well, I think I should get—"
"Stupid fucking asshole! Stupid pathetic…" Lilli stopped ranting when she saw us looking at her. "Sorry," She stated, forcing a smile before storming towards the kitchen. Her face flushed with anger.
"Told you," Celia whispered to Dixon.
"Want me to kick his ass, Lilli?" Dixon turned his head toward the kitchen.
"I just don’t understand why he doesn’t get the hint." She yelled before gulping down a beer she pulled from the refrigerator. "Seriously, how many times would I have to tell you no before you would get the hint I wasn’t interested?" She looked directly at me.
"Ummm…" Straightening my back, I searched my head for the right response.
"Don’t answer," Dixon whispered harshly. Celia giggled.
"Oh, never mind!"
Dixon gave me thumbs up. Lilli fumed down the hallway until her door slammed.
"Okay, well I think I should go."
"Dude, you don’t have to go. Stay and hang longer. We can shove a movie in." He stood up, placing Celia in the chair by herself, and walked over to some shelves of DVDs.
"No really, I have plans tomorrow so I—"
Lilli entered the room wearing cotton shorts, a tank top and those damn knee socks with the stripes. If someone were to describe this outfit to me I would laugh but it was hot on her.
"Lilli, you’re scaring Aidan," Dixon chuckled.
"No she’s not," I protested.
"Are you scared Aid-man?" Lilli grinned, sitting down just one cushion away from me on the couch.