by K E Osborn
I turn away from Aiden and face Sarah. “Are you okay?”
She still looks shocked. “I never thought for one minute that your boss would actually read your emails, and I never thought for one second that she would be Chris’ mother. Shit, shit, shit,” she says, looking mortified.
“Don’t worry. Mel thinks it’s funny. I could tell by the way she was joking about it. She’s probably delighted that you’re happy with her son.”
“She probably thinks I’m some sort of whore taking advantage of him.”
“You’re not a whore, and I know for a fact that she wouldn’t think that. I’m quite sure she’s glad that you make him happy.”
The girls run over to give their big brother a hug, probably so they can get close to Aiden again. Chris stands up, takes Sarah by the hand, and introduces his sisters to her.
“Sarah, these are my crazy sisters, birthday girl, Skye, Amy, and Jade. Girls, this is my girlfriend, Sarah.”
They squeal and rush around Sarah, all talking to her at the same time. Chris shakes his head.
“Girls, one at a time. Don’t overwhelm her.” They giggle as Sarah looks at me with that help me look. Skye takes Sarah’s arm in hers, and the girls lead her over to the jukebox. Chris follows, putting his arms in the air and shaking his head. I watch my best friend being welcomed into her new family.
My mind wanders to Aiden’s family; they are so welcoming of me, except for one. I turn to face Aiden, whose is looking at me somewhat distantly.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you would be upset by me talking to Sarah about us.”
He laughs, confusing me. “I’m not angry because you talk to Sarah about me. I’m angry because it’s in writing, on the Internet, and I’m currently being investigated for embezzlement. I can’t have any red flags popping up about me. I need to be squeaky clean, baby,” he whispers to me. I bite my bottom lip.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know about the embezzlement thing till yesterday. How was I supposed to know that emailing could affect you in a negative way?” I question. “If you had told me sooner what was going on, maybe I would’ve known not to say anything,” I argue back to him.
“I didn’t tell you because I thought you would run and never look back.” His eyes seem sincere.
“If I was going to run, don’t you think I would’ve by now? Think back to the retirement ball when your Father was, let’s just say, less than welcoming. I don’t care if you’re rich, poor, being investigated for embezzlement, or have an arrogant ass of a father, I’m here, and I’m not running. I love you, babe. I regret putting how I feel about you in writing. I am very sorry, and I won’t do it again, and I also promise that I’ll delete the emails as soon as I get to work on Monday. I don’t, however, regret our time together. I don’t even care about your father being the way he is. I don’t care how he feels. I only care about you.”
“And that’s why I love you. You put everything into perspective.” He kisses me softly as he pulls my hands to his. “He is an arrogant ass, isn’t he?” he asks, making me smile.
The music is turned up louder as Sarah and the girls transform the deck into a dance floor. More teens and twenty-somethings turn up, as do the guys from work. One by one I introduce them to Aiden. The guys from the repair shop, including Bob—who he had already met—and finishing with Tim. I was a little anxious to see how this would pan out; I’ve seen Aiden’s jealous side when he had his little squabble with Chris. It’ll be interesting to see how he reacts to my banter with Tim.
“Hey, Timmy,” I say as he walks up to meet me.
“Hey, Jeni,” he says, slapping me on the ass as he eyes Aiden.
“Tim, this is Aiden, my boyfriend. Aiden meet Tim.”
Aiden reluctantly puts out his hand.
Tim looks at Aiden’s hand. “Boyfriend, huh?” Tim asks then walks off, ignoring Aiden. I’m in complete shock.
“I’ve never known Tim to be rude. He’s always so happy and playful.” I look at Bob, feeling confused as I raise my eyebrows.
“I don’t think he’s happy about you having a boyfriend, and I’m not very happy about him touching you,” Aiden says quietly.
“I think he always thought you had a thing for him,” Bob says.
Bob’s announcement is a revelation to me. “Really? Tim, god no, he’s like an annoying little brother who persistently irritates me,” I say, shocked.
“He talks about you a lot in the shop. I think his ego might be a bit bruised today,” Bob says.
Aiden wraps his arm around me, staking his claim.
“Wow, I honestly had no idea. I don’t understand,” I say, looking at Aiden.
“I understand perfectly,” he says, kissing my forehead.
Chris and Sarah make their way back to us after dancing up a storm on the makeshift dance floor. We all sit at the rectangular table as John brings out the barbeque meat.
“C’mon, guys, let’s get this grill started,” he says as Aiden, Chris, and the guys from work all stand up to help. It’s a good excuse to drink beer and talk guy shit. Aiden kisses me on the top of my head as he walks past me, showing not only Tim but all the guys there that I belong to him. I grab his hand as it brushes my shoulder.
“Love you,” I say to him.
“Love you too,” he says, knowing that he belongs to me.
Sarah turns to me with a shocked look on her face.
“The L word, already?”
I smile at her. “Yes. He told me on Wednesday when I completely freaked out on him.”
She turns her full attention to me. “Um, what? You had a freak-out and didn’t tell me?”
“You were at Chris’ place at the time. I was freaking out because I have these bottled-up emotions, which I thought were way too early to feel, but apparently he’s feeling the exact same way.” Her mouth drops open.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure Chris will say it to you soon enough,” I reassure her.
“You look happy. I haven’t seen you this happy. I’m excited for you,” she says, holding my hands.
“I am happy. He makes me very happy.” I can’t hold back my smile as I look at him, standing by the barbeque with the other men, looking gloriously gorgeous.
I take a sip of my wine as Chris’ sisters start walking toward Sarah again. She pulls a help me look on her face.
“They’re not that bad, are they?”
“No, just full-on,” she says. Then she takes a deep breath and exhales then gulps down the rest of her wine.
“Just be careful of the wine,” I say in a motherly way.
“Wine is my friend in times like these.”
“It’s also your enemy, just be cautious.”
“Yes, mother,” she says mockingly as she stands to greet the sisters.
“C’mon, Sarah, there is more dancing to be done,” Jade says. Sarah looks back at me and pulls a funny face as she is dragged off to the dance floor.
Suddenly I’m sitting at the table alone. At least I have a good view as Aiden and Chris stand together talking, probably about cars. I lean back in my chair and take another sip of my wine. The sun shines down on my pale skin as I soak in the much-needed Vitamin D. I suddenly realize I’m at a party, sitting on my own as usual, but this time I’m not single. For the first time in years, I realize I’m completely off the market. I relax and close my eyes as I tilt my head back, soaking up the sun.
“Hey, Jeni.” I hear someone say as I open my eyes.
“Oh, hi, Tim. Having a good time?” I ask nonchalantly.
He sits down next to me. “Can I be perfectly honest with you?” he asks, sparking my interest. I sit up and look at him directly.
“Sure, Tim. Fire away,” I say, not really knowing what this is about.
“Here goes, Jeni. I’ve always liked you. I mean I do like you.”
“I like you too, Tim,” I say, wondering where this is heading.
“No, I mean really like you, and I’m sure you like me that way as well,” he sa
ys, shocking me.
“Oh, um, Tim, I’m sorry if I led you to believe that I liked you like that. I’m flattered, but I have a boyfriend, and I see you as more of a brother... I’m sorry, Tim.”
He looks sullen. “But you always let me smack your ass. I don’t understand. Wasn’t that your way of showing me that you felt the same?”
I look at him, reluctant to hurt him. “Tim, no. That wasn’t me flirting with you. I was playing along because it entertained the guys in the kitchen, not because I secretly had feelings for you, which I don’t. I’m really sorry, Tim.”
We sit there in awkward silence. I want him to leave, but he stays next to me. I feel really bad for him. He basically confessed his love for me, and I shot him down. He must be feeling horrible.
“Tim.”
“Yes, Jeni?” he says, looking at me.
“I don’t think we should mention this conversation to anyone,” I say, trying to spare his feelings about being rejected.
“Are you sure you don’t feel the same way?” he asks as his hand brushes the side of my cheek. I pull away, dropping my wine glass. It breaks as it hits the ground.
“I’m sure.”
Tim eyes me curiously as I start to clean up the mess. Aiden walks over to us, and I smile, hoping that he didn’t hear any of the conversation. I sit back in my chair and exhale, looking up into the sky. He looks lovingly at me.
“Enjoying the sun, baby?” he asks as he sits down next to me, eyeing Tim.
“Mmm,” I murmur.
“I don’t want to tell you what to do, but maybe you should move into the shade. You’re starting to turn red,” he says, gently stroking my bright-pink arm.
“Oh, crap,” I say as Aiden takes my hand and walks me to the other side of the table where it’s shadowed by the porch. To be honest, I’m glad Aiden came over when he did. The awkwardness between Tim and me was becoming unbearable. I look back at Tim, who gets up and walks back over to the grill. Things at work are going to be very uncomfortable now.
“Why aren’t you at the grill with the guys?”
“I saw you were here with Tim, and things seemed a little strained between you two.”
I laugh as Aiden looks at me curiously.
“You have no idea,” I say to him. He looks over to Tim, who is standing with his arms crossed, watching us intently.
“What was he saying?” Aiden asks curiously.
“Oh, it doesn’t even matter. It was a conversation I’d rather have not had,” I say with a sigh.
“Baby, was he hitting on you?” Aiden asks, seeming slightly annoyed. I swallow as I look at Tim, who is still eyeing Aiden and me.
“Aiden, it’s fine. I set him straight,” I say, trying to calm him.
“So, he was hitting on you?”
I sigh as I take Aiden’s hand in mine. “Babe, please leave it. He knows how I feel, and he’s harmless. No need to worry,” I say, trying to ease the tension.
“If he touches you or makes one advance toward you, I swear I will—”
“Aiden! That’s enough. Let’s just enjoy the party,” I say sternly. “I love you, you know that?” I lean in and kiss him gently on the lips. He relaxes at my touch. Tim huffs, walking past us into the house.
* * *
The rest of the party goes without a hitch. The food is good, the music is great, and the atmosphere is fun, an all-round enjoyable party, except for the Tim incident. The guests slowly start to leave as the day turns into evening, and only a few of us are left. Aiden and Chris are inside playing Bob and John at the pool table while the sisters, Mel, Sarah, and I sit out back, nibbling on cheese and crackers and sipping our wine.
“Great party, Mrs. Starke,” Sarah says to Mel.
“Thank you, Sarah, and please call me Mel.”
The girls chatter among themselves until Skye speaks up. “Jeni, has Aiden got any younger brothers?”
“Yes, he has one, but I don’t think he’s available.”
“Oh, he has a girlfriend?”
“Not quite. He’s gay.”
They pout their bottom lips out as Mel, Sarah, and I laugh.
“Sorry, girls,” I say then take another sip of my wine. We all listen to the sounds the guys are making in the entertainment room.
“Aw, you bastard, I can’t believe you got that in,” John says to Chris, making us laugh hard. I think the wine is getting to us as we giggle like schoolgirls.
“More wine, girls?” Mel asks, getting up and stumbling across to the outside fridge. We laugh at her as Sarah, who is laughing uncontrollably, snorts. She puts her hands up to her mouth as we all pause and then crack up into hysterics. The men come out and sit down with us at the table. Mel comes back with another bottle of wine. Lucky it’s a screw cap, so it’s easy to open. She proceeds to pour the girls another half glass of wine. The guys look at us and see we’re all inebriated.
“Miss Taylor, are you drunk?” Aiden asks as he sits down next to me.
I laugh and hiccup at the same time. “No, you are,” I say back to him as some sort of retort.
He chuckles as Sarah snorts again, causing us to laugh manically.
“You girls are all wasted, aren’t you?” Chris asks with a smile on his face.
“No, you are,” Mel says, repeating my joke.
“Dad, control your wife,” Chris jokes to John, shaking his head.
“Ha! Like I could ever control her.” John chuckles.
“Damn straight,” Mel says, and she takes another sip of her wine, spilling some on her top. The girls laugh uncontrollably, causing another hiccup and a snort. The guys laugh and shake their heads.
“You’re the One That I Want” from Grease clicks over on the jukebox. The sisters raise their hands into the air and squeal, and they start to sing loudly in unison with the song. Everyone laughs at them as they sing out of tune. I sit back in my chair and try to calm down from the laughing fit as I continue to hiccup. Aiden looks at me and chuckles as I motion a kiss toward him. He leans in and softly kisses my lips.
“Oh, so cute,” Mel says, making us chuckle.
The girls continue their version of the song as I suddenly feel a slight inkling that I might be sick. Aiden takes my hand under the table.
“Would you like some water?” Aiden whispers in my ear. I look at him and nod. Hiccup. He heads over to the fridge and retrieves a cold bottle of water, handing it to me as he sits back down.
“Are you okay?” he whispers to me. I smile at him and take a sip of my water.
Sarah starts laughing at the girls singing and lets out another snort, making me laugh; I spit some of the water out.
“Sorry,” I say as everyone laughs at me.
Aiden takes my hand under the table again. “Drink the water, baby,” he says to me quietly.
I look at him. His eyes are filled with worry. I do as he says and drink my water. I feel myself becoming more ill from all the alcohol. I lean into Aiden.
“Can we go?” I ask quietly.
“Of course, I’ll message Mike,” he says as my head begins to spin.
Wow, this came on quickly. I take in long, staggered breaths. Sarah looks at me; she’s seen this face before. She whispers something to Chris; he looks at me and chuckles.
“Mom. Aiden, Jeni, Sarah, and I have another party we need to get to,” he says, looking at Aiden, who nods in agreement. “Happy birthday, Skye, love you,” Chris says, taking Sarah’s hand in his and hugging Mel with his other arm.
“Nice to meet you guys,” Sarah says quickly.
“Bye,” I say as Aiden pulls me from my seat and puts his arm around me, steadying me.
We walk to the front of the house and stand on the curb, waiting for Mike.
“Are you okay?” Sarah asks. I nod, making my head spin uncontrollably. I stumble slightly on my feet, and Aiden catches me and holds me to him.
“Baby, you drank too much. Mixed with the sunburn, it’s a wonder you’re still conscious,” Aiden says to me, his voice s
eeming distant as my eyes flutter open and closed. Mike pulls up at the curb, and Chris opens the rear passenger door for Aiden, who is holding me tightly. He somehow manages to put me into the back of the car. I fade in and out of consciousness.
“See you guys tomorrow. Maybe,” Aiden says.
“Is Jeni okay?” Mike asks, full of concern.
“I don’t know,” Aiden replies.
***
I vaguely remember the car journey with my head on Aiden’s lap as he gently plays with my hair. I feel Aiden carrying me to his bed. My head flops around as I slowly come to. My head is spinning, and my stomach churning. Aiden lays me on the bed and sits next to me as my eyes flutter open fully.
“Baby, talk to me.”
“I love you,” I mumble, making him chuckle.
“And I love you.”
“I think...” I manage to say. He looks at me, waiting for me to finish my sentence.
“I think I’m gonna be sick,” I say, holding back the bile in my throat. He lifts me in his arms and takes me to the en-suite, gently placing me on the floor by the toilet. My arms grab the edges of the seat as I move my head over the bowl. He squats next to me, rubbing my back as I feel the nausea getting worse. My mouth fills with saliva as my stomach starts to wretch. He holds my hair back as the alcohol escapes my body into the toilet bowl.
I feel Aiden dabbing my mouth with toilet paper, and I daze out. I wake as he carries me back to the bed. I feel him undressing me, but I can’t move to help him as I fade in and out. I taste the water as I drink it, even though my eyes don’t open.
***
“Jeni. Jeni baby, wake up.”
I hear it as I slowly open my eyes to the morning sun. I feel surprisingly okay, with only a slight, bearable headache. Aiden softly runs his knuckles down my cheek as I open my eyes fully.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he says as I rub my eyes. “How are you feeling?”
I take in a deep breath and sit up in the bed next to Aiden. “I’m okay,” I say as the memory comes flooding back of me heaving in the toilet while he held my hair. “Oh God, I’m so sorry.”
He chuckles as I put my head in my hands. “Don’t be, as long as you’re okay. I’m only too happy to hold your hair when you puke. I’d rather be with you when you’re sick. Then I know I can look after you,” he says as I take a sip of my glass of water. I sniff and clear my throat.