by Laiza Millan
He's watching but not really watching. More like staring.
He wasn't paying attention to these fake-and-bake skinned actresses on the show. This was weird because he loved seeing those cleavages...
But for some reason, even they are not catching his full attention. Why? Well, it's because his thoughts are elsewhere.
For the past few weeks, he had been stressing out a lot on this one favor. This favor that caused him many sleepless nights because he had to go and -
Ring! Ring!
Rich sat up, his cell phone ruining his thoughts.
He glared at the cell phone in annoyance and groaned with laziness. Lame, why does his phone have to be at the other side of the table?
He grabbed a random object - which happened to be a ruler - from on top of the table to his side, and moved the cell phone closer to him for better reach.
Once he got his hands on his phone, he answered.
"This is Richard, the sexiest man you've ever laid eyes on, speaking." He said in a low voice, though he was grinning the whole time.
He could practically hear the person from the other line, puffing her cheeks out with annoyance.
"What the hell?" Emma's voice reached his ear. "Goodness, you're worst than Drake."
Rich scoffed, "Don't ever compare me to that pale thing. I'm hurt, Ems. You told me I was handsome. I think you're beautiful yet you think I'm worst than Drake?"
He could hear Emma's sharp intake of breath. He covered his mouth, muffling the sound of his amused laughter.
Emma never called him handsome! Why, this arrogant son of a...
"Oh shut up, you smooth bastard." Emma sighed on the phone, "First Drake, now you? Are you guys doing a bet or something? Who can make Emma explode by shamelessly flirting with her?"
Rich raised an eyebrow, "What! Drake is flirting with you?"
"He asked me out on a date, Rich." Emma sighed, mindlessly taking a string of her hair and twirling it with her finger. "It was so random yet weird at the same time."
Rich sat up straight, "Well go on! Tell me what you said!"
Finally!
Finally, Drake and Emma would fix this huge rough patch between them and Richard doesn't have to worry about -
"I told him that you and I were dating." Emma said, interrupting his thoughts.
Rich gawked at the television screen, though his mind was on the person on the other line. "As much as that thought turns me on, why the hell would you lie to my best friend?"
Emma groaned, the guilt weighing heavily even more. "I don't know! I panicked! I'm sorry, but that's why I called you. You know how he is! He seemed extremely upset so he might come there any day."
"Gee, I wonder why Emma." Rich snapped at her, "I thought I told you to give him a chance?"
Emma scoffed at her friend's foolishness, "Why are you pushing me to give in so easily-"
"I'm not!" Richard said, trying to assure her. "I'm just tired of you both going -"
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Richard stopped talking and stared at the door in surprise. "The fuck?"
"Hello?" He could hear Emma's calling out from the phone. "Richard, you there?"
"Yeah." Rich frowned when the knocking turned to violent banging, causing the door to shake. "Hey Ems, let me call you back."
Before she could answer, he hung up. Great, it was painfully obvious who the other side of the door is... which is why he's so reluctant to open it.
But then it stopped.
Richard remained still, listening for any sounds indicating if the visitor had left.
"Drake?" He called out, "Drake, I know that your girlfriend told you that she and I are dating, but we're not!"
Silence.
Hmm. Normally Drake would just kick the door open himself -
BANG!
Richard flinched, watching the door fly open violently.
Yup there it is, Rich groaned to himself.
That's something Drake would normally do. But when Rich turned his head back to face his seething friend, he stiffened in shock.
The visitor definitely is not Drake.
"Ian?"
What the fuck is Alona's lover doing here?
Chapter 19
.
"Rude." Emma glared at the phone once Richard hung up on her.
What was that all about?
Oh well, she did warn him. Up to him if he takes her seriously, right?
Drake left a few minutes ago, yet her mind is still clouded of him. With no reason at all, she stood up and took a peek from her window, probably to check to see if Drake really left.
Inwardly, she knew he wasn't, but that didn't help her nerves. Once she saw her driveway was perfectly cleared of the grown up nuisance, she stepped away from the window and sighed heavily.
Great.
Just great.
She had no idea what gave her the impulse to kiss him on the cheek. It was just in the cheek for goodness sake, but still! She made the first move!
Knowing herself, she never does stuff like that!
Did she make a fool of herself? He's probably laughing his ass off right now, she bet. All these inward thoughts were driving her insane. Groaning forcefully, she covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.
"Idiot girl." Emma whispered to herself, her mind kept replaying the last few minutes she shared with Drake.
She dropped her hands with a heavy sigh and headed towards the bedroom, her mind still clouded with her inward battles.
She reached her bedroom and pushed the door all the way open, seeing her son still soundly asleep. All negative thoughts in her mind vanished the moment she saw Aidan. Turning on the night light, she headed towards the crib and watched her son.
Starting to feel the tired aching in her body, she fixed the blankets around her sleeping baby and turned on some light lullaby music.
Aidan stirred in his sleep, but didn't open his eyes.
Smiling, Emma took her fingers and caressed his head; feeling the smooth skin of her baby. Aidan made a sound, his clutched fist unconsciously waving and catching Emma's fingers.
Leaning down, she gave him a kiss on the forehead, before standing up straight again. She stared at Aidan once again, a thought popping into her head.
Goodness, he looks so much like Drake. A spitting image. No doubt when he grows up, he's going to be quite the ladies man.
But she will make sure that he grows up learning how to treat women right with respect... Something her father and sometimes Drake lacked.
Speaking of Drake, her thought immediately went back to his question.
Should she just throw caution to the wind and just... give him a chance with dating?
They've dated before and look how that turned out...
But then again, these past few days he had been trying so hard to prove that he's becoming a better person for her and for Aidan.
That she so much appreciates.
After a few moments of inwardly balancing the pros and cons, she nodded to herself and decided to call it a night.
With the final decision still in her head, she took one last look at the sleeping Aidan before climbing on top of the bed, her mind finally going peacefully blank when her head hit the pillow.
.
.
.
Drake turned off the engine of his car and opened the door with force. He swung himself off the car and slammed the car door closed, for once not caring if he did it too forcefully.
He has other things in his mind right now! Like the fact that the mother of his son is probably dating his best friend?
Fuck that shit.
He knew that Emma and his best friend would never date, but still. A little friendly talk with his friend wouldn't be too bad now, would it?
He opened the gates of the apartments and rushed up the stairs, towards Richard's home door. However, while he was about to take the last few steps, he noticed Rich's door was already opened and that he had company.
Curious, he stopped his strides and paused; eavesdropping.
"Don't mess this up, man." A voice Drake was familiar with but couldn't quite place.
"Calm down." Drake heard Richard say. "Ian, you need to relax."
Drake frowned. What the hell is Ian doing here with Richard? He didn't even know they were still talking to each other lately.
Ian rushed out, angrily. "How am I going to relax when -"
"Shut up!" Richard snapped, sounding irritated. "I know what I'm doing. You keep asking me like a hundred times, for fuck's sake."
Drake shook his head, getting confused.
What the hell are they even talking about? His impatience increasing, Drake took the last few steps of stairs and peeked through the open door.
Though Ian's back was faced to him, he saw that Ian and Rich were face to face, as if they were in the middle of a very secretive conversation. Richard was red in the face, and Ian's body was all rigid.
Huh, what the hell is their problem?
"Trouble in paradise?" Drake interrupted them. He took a step inside and looked around the place, mockingly. "You love birds having a fit already with decorating the new apartment?"
Ian whirled around and Richard immediately looked over Ian's shoulder.
"Drake?" Richard's hardened expression changed, surprised.
"What are you doing here, Rogers?" Ian scoffed, shifting his body so he was facing Drake.
Drake merely crossed his arms and smirked. "I could ask you the same question."
Ian swallowed hard, looking away from him to stare at the carpet. After a few seconds later, he turned around to face Rich and muttered, "Don't forget."
He then turned back to Drake and nodded a curt good-bye, before he headed towards the door. Rich rolled his eyes, not saying anything back.
"Say hi to the bitc - I mean, darling Alona for me!" Drake snickered, as Ian walked out.
"Asshole." Richard laughed, greeting his friend with a shoulder punch. "Really though, what are you doing here?"
Drake dodged the question, "What was Ian doing here?"
Rich blinked with hesitation for only a few seconds before laughing. "Hell should I know? Now tell me, are you here to beat me up or what?"
Drake, his curiosity waning, perked up. "Who said I was here to beat you up?"
"Emma." Richard grinned slyly, turning around to go and sit on a chair. "The babe called me not too long ago."
He noticed the change of demeanor in Drake. His face had darkened with something Rich couldn't quite place, yet for some reason Rich was not bothered by it.
It's not like he's going to beat him up, right?
"Oh, she called you, did she?" Drake asked menacingly slow, obviously not happy. "What did she say?"
Rich stared at his friend, his face slowing stretching with that sly grin.
Well, well, well... seems like this little tidbit bothers the crap out of him. "We were just planning for our next date, obviously. Do you think she fancies going to the strip with me or -"
Drake saw red.
"Shut the hell up." He snapped immediately, striding towards his friend. "You stay the hell away from Emma, do you understand me?"
Whoa there...
Richard straightened in his chair, surprised. "What the hell -"
But Drake continued on, interrupting him. "I swear, Rich, I will beat your ass up to a bloody pulp if I see you feel her up or even physically hurt her -"
Rich stood up, holding his hands up to show his surrender. "Whoa mate, calm down."
But Drake was still red in the face, his breathing uneven as he continued to glare at him. "Emma has this stupid notion that you both are friends or whatever -"
"We are." Richard cut him off, shaking his head. "Honestly, Drake, you're being an idiot."
"You just stay the hell away from her!" Drake repeated; his temper increasing. He stopped, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. "I mean it, Richard. I know I fucked up with Emma before and I want -"
"What about Aidan?" Rich questioned him, "Aidan needs a father figure, you know."
"I am Aidan's father." Drake snarled at his friend, not appreciating his comment. "Aidan is mine, and so is Emma."
Rich barked a sarcastic laugh as he crossed his arms. "Oh really? And does Emma know that she and her son are," He exaggerated the next word, "yours?"
Drake scoffed, crossing his arms. "She will, eventually. Both her and Aidan are mine, meaning those two mean so much to me."
"You had a funny way of showing it these past few months." Richard muttered under his breath.
"Shut the hell up, Rich." Drake seethed, his anger increasing with that comment. "I'm tired of being reminded of my mistakes, so just shut up. I'm going to do my damn best to get back into that woman's good grace, even if it means ruining my pride by bending down on my knees, groveling. I made a mistake and I'm in the middle of fixing it, so don't you dare fuck this up for me!"
To say that Richard was a shocked by Drake's long outburst was an understatement. But he continued on, as he had other plans...
"Why are you making this such a big deal?" Rich argued back, his voice increasing. "You never cared about them before, so why the hell now? Give me a good reason why you deserve Emma's forgiveness, when in the first place you've treated them both like shit?"
He paused, waiting for Drake to answer. Instead, he was all red in the face still, and his fists were all tied up into a ball while his breathing was becoming irregular.
So, Richard continued on, "Emma told me everything you did, so why do you get to -"
"Because I love them Richard!" Drake roared, not wanting to hear anymore what Rich had to say. "I love them both, so don't take them away from me!"
Screw his damn pride.
Yes, alright? He admits it now; he loves those two so much.
He has no idea how his affection towards them increased, how seeing Emma looking at him with that proud look of hers, or even hearing Aidan's laugh - all of that made his heart ache in a way he had not felt in so long.
Richard stared at his friend for a full minute. Well damn... this man has got it bad. Never before had he seen Drake act like that.
But he got what he wanted so he started clapping his hands obnoxiously slow, "Oh, about freaking time!"
Drake was about to continue his rant, but paused, confused of Richard's behavior. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Richard only grinned back, shaking his head. "Got you to finally admit that you love those two, didn't I?"
Drake stared.
What the fuck?
"What are you talking about?" Drake snapped, taking a step back. "You're sputtering none sense again and -"
"Oh just stop it." Richard sighed, sitting back down heavily. "Emma called to warn me that you were coming. She told me what happened between you two, and you don't have anything to worry about because she and I are not dating."
Drake blinked. "But she said -"
Richard interrupted him by waving his hand impatiently, "She lied. Sure, I thought about dating her, but I knew there was something going on between the two of you still."
Finally, Drake remained silent.
Oh hell, they're not dating! He knew it; he knew his friend wouldn't betray him like that! He had no idea why he overreacted, but shit, Emma is still single!
It felt like an enormous rock had been lifted from his chest, that he can finally breathe properly and think more clearly.
"You're welcome, by the way." Richard scoffed, shaking his head. "I was the one who told her to give you a chance."
Drake frowned, walking towards the couch and sat on it. "Why?"
Rich shrugged, as if it wasn't a big deal. "You love her and your son. You just didn't realize it until now, when I played along with the 'me dating Emma' game."
Drake looked away, a part of himself angry for falling for Richard's tricks. He still hates admitting about things like this, because he doesn't like to be considered a sentimental fool.
"Tell no one." Drake muttered, shooting Rich a cold glare.
Rich only rolled his eyes, undeterred.
"Like anyone would believe Drake Rogers actually has feelings." He shook his head again, before laughing. "Grow some balls man. Ladies dig that shit whenever a guy is being so-called sensitive."
"Emma is not like other ladies." Drake sighed, checking his watch before standing up. "Anyway, it's getting late and I'm getting tired. I'll call you later or something."
Rich smirked, "Aren't you forgetting something?"
Drake was halfway across the room before he paused, turning around with a frown. "What? What did I forget?"
"You forgot to apologize, duh." Rich grinned widely, standing up and opening his arms wide. "Come over here and give your friend a hug."
Drake stared at Rich for only a second before taking the closest object - an empty soda can - and threw it at him.
"Idiot!" Drake snapped, "Sometimes I wonder why I'm friends with you still."
"Temper, temper." Rich laughed, dodging the can.
"Asshole.'' Drake muttered, though he couldn't help but laugh along. "My warning still stands though."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Richard said impatiently, waving his hand dismissively. "Emma and Aidan is yours, blah, blah, blah."
"Thanks, mate." With a final wave, Drake turned around and headed towards the exit door.
Once he left the apartment and disappeared, Richard's easy-going grin vanished.
He grabbed his cell phone and dialed an important number. He bought the phone to his ear, listening to the telephone rings.
"Hello?" The voice on the other line answered.
"It's done." Richard sighed tiredly, "I did it."
.
.
.
The next morning
"Aidan, you're making a mess." Emma teasingly scolded, wiping the baby food off of her son's face.
Aidan continued to spread the baby food on his face, giggling. Seeing this, Emma immediately took his tiny hands, and gently wiped the food off.
"Messy baby." Jenna laughed, reaching forward to pinch Aidan's chubby cheeks.