by Claire Adams
“You already told me about her deal,” Nick said, not sounding particularly interested.
“Care more,” I said, stuffing a new batch of popcorn into my face. “Please.”
This was why Nick was one of my best friends: he jumped off the couch and started dancing while screaming, almost singing, “Aria is dating a billionaire!!!”
I threw a pillow at him and went back to my bowl of popcorn.
---
On Saturday afternoon I changed about ninety-five times. I had tried everything in my wardrobe, but nothing seemed to be appropriate for a date with Zayden Sinclair. The shopping trip never happened because Stacey managed to catch the flu and I had no sense or intention to embark in such an activity without her, which I now regretted immensely. I looked at myself in the mirror after taking off yet another dress. I was wearing my red lacy bra and matching panties. Just because. There was no harm in looking and feeling good, it didn’t mean anything. I sighed as a tiny voice inside me began to send warning signals. Fine. Granny panties it is. Looking freshly eighty-years-old, I started going through my entire wardrobe when the doorbell rang and I shuddered.
I had at least four hours until the date, it couldn’t be….
“I got it!” I heard Nick’s voice from outside and quickly threw on a sweater and jeans to greet whoever was at our door. By the time I stepped out, Nick was standing with a giant package in his hand.
“It’s for you,” he grinned. “From your lover.”
“What on Earth could he possibly have sent me four hours before our date?” I approached the package and almost didn’t want to open it because of how perfect it looked. It was wrapped in teal and white paper with a beautiful mauve bow tied on to the top. I wished I could just keep the wrapper and not open what was inside. The wrapping itself was the perfect present.
“Open it!” Nick was getting impatient.
Very carefully I removed the bow and set it to the side, then I slowly started to bring apart the paper wrapping, hoping to do it perfectly and save the pretty paper, but Nick jumped in and tore the thing apart too soon for me to stop him.
“Nick! I wanted to save that!” I said, genuinely surprised by how annoyed I was. But Nick made puppy-dog eyes, something both him and Stacey did to get me to bend to their wishes. It was like having two kids, sometimes. I just could not be mad at that face.
“Ugh, it’s fine,” I said reluctantly. “What is in there?”
His eyes widened as he pulled out a long red dress with golden embellishments on the hem and neckline. I went forward to touch and it was the softest fabric I had ever laid my eyes upon. I didn’t know what to say or how to react. I should be angry, I did tell him I already had clothes! It was very presumptuous and quite frankly, disrespectful of him to just buy a fancy-looking dress, as though whatever I owned could in no way be good enough for an event where I accompanied him.
I really should be angry.
Which is why the sense of relief I felt made me feel uncomfortable. The truth was I didn’t have appropriate clothes, and even if I had gotten the chance to go shopping, something like this dress was simply not in my budget. Whatever I bought was not going to be good enough for this event, as proven by the immaculate garment I was now holding in my hand. Maybe he should have just taken someone who he knew could afford to dress in a way that suits him. I felt a little bitter again, but then thought of the last few hours of anxiety over my wardrobe and tried to accept this, be grateful. And I could always return it to him after the event! Maybe that would be tacky. It was either return it now and never wear it, or just take his gift and deal with it.
“There is more,” Nick said, watching me gaze into space.
“More what?”
“Jewelry and a note.”
I grunted. I grabbed the note from Nick’s reluctant hands:
Dear Aria,
I could care less if you showed up in torn jeans. Or better yet, nothing at all. But the spy I have recruited at your quarters alerted me of trouble you were having deciding on attire. So I had to step in. Don’t feel pressured to wear it though. I don’t know much about women’s fashion, just thought this would nicely contour your perfect figure.
See you at eight!
-Zayden
“Stacey!” we both screamed at the same time. She was supposed to be sleeping but if she had the energy to discuss my clothing with Zayden, she had the energy to explain it to me. She walked out of her room looking rather sick. I knew she was only trying to help me because that’s what best friends do, but I wasn’t going to let her go without a hard time, because that is also what best friends do.
“Oh wow, what a beautiful dress!” she exclaimed, looking at me. “You went shopping without me?”
So innocent. She should join the CIA.
“I know what you did.” I gave her a sharp look.
“Yes, we know, Stace!” Nick was giving her the exact same look.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said to me and then looked at Nick and added, “And why do you look bothered?”
Nick looked like he considered it for a second and frowned. “I’m not really sure. It seemed like the right thing to do.”
Stacey laughed. “You’re ridiculous. Can you make me some tea?”
Nick was off to do his bidding and I was left to confront Stacey. I opened my mouth to begin a long-winded lecture but ended up bursting into a fit of laughter. Stacey joined me and after about five minutes of this, I was finally able to speak again.
“How did you even do it, Stace? Did you just randomly dial his number and go ‘hey, guess what, I have the flu and Aria doesn’t have a dress?’”
She bit her lip. “Email. We are on emailing basis.”
“How?”
“His email is on the company’s website.”
I sighed. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because I love you, you idiot,” she said, looking at me like I was crazy. “In my defense, he wasn’t supposed to rat me out. Tell your boyfriend he owes me one.”
“He’s not my boyfriend, you know that,” I sounded way too disappointed saying those words for my own liking so I cleared my throat and added with a firmer tone, “He’s just some playboy who is too used to getting what he wants and thinks all of this is a game.”
I wasn’t sure I believed my own words by this point. He was a playboy and this was a game; there was no doubt about it and he made no efforts to hide it. But somehow along the way, I had come to believe that he was actually a decent person. I couldn’t admit this to Stacey, though. I couldn’t even admit it to myself really. The better I thought of him, the more likely it became that I would get hurt when all of this was over, and I could not consciously do that to myself.
“A playboy who is playing games and for some mysterious reason makes you happy,” Stacy said after a few minutes, as though considering how wise it was to communicate that with me.
“What do you mean?” I raised my eyebrows.
“You are happy.”
“I am not any more or any less happier than I was before this contract.”
At least, I didn’t think I was! Not that I would ever describe myself as a particularly joyful person – but it was difficult to be when paying yourself through college, working crazy hours and having to worry about taking care of your mother financially.
“Aria, you know how much I love you, but you have been kind of miserable for a year now. Since that douchebag cheated on you.”
“I have not been miserable,” I said defensively.
“You kind of have, though,” she said while looking at the floor. “I barely saw you during the day cause you buried yourself in work and at night you would just turn on the T.V. and drift into your own thoughts. Ever since Zayden started hitting on you, you joke and laugh and have fun again! It’s like he gave me the old Aria back.”
“Stacey, if it was bothering you so much, why didn’t you say anything all year?”
“No, you are t
aking the wrong thing out of this. I was worried about you, Aria. I didn’t know what I could do for you. Nick and I spent so much time trying to play matchmaker for you behind your back, cause we thought dating would make you have some fun, feel better. But you never had the time so we were always too afraid to bring it up. Then one day you came home and told us your new boss was flirting with you and there has been a kind of slow and awesome progress since then.”
I was stumped. Really? Really? No. No way.
“Could you maybe for a second consider the possibility that I was doing better emotionally all on my own and it had nothing to do with some man’s pretend affection?”
Hurt was bubbling up inside me and I started tearing up a little. I wasn’t sure why this was bothering me so much, but it was. If I seemed happier, Zayden had nothing to do with it, and the fact that my very best friend thought that it did made me feel sick.
“Whatever you want to tell yourself, Aria,” she sounded like she was getting just as frustrated. “All I saw was my best friend getting happier and I did what I thought was best for her. You obviously feel differently so I promise to back off. I’ll remove Zayden from my email contacts. I don’t feel well so I’m going to go lay down for a bit. Have fun at your date and call me if you need anything.”
With that said, she walked back into her room, as tears started pouring down my face. There was no way I would wear the stupid dress now.
CHAPTER 8
ZAYDEN
I had never been to the neighborhood before and was surprised to see apartments cramped together so closely.
“Ned,” I rolled down the screen of the limo I had chosen for the night. “Is this the ghetto?” I joked.
I could swear I heard a chuckle but Ned was clever enough to turn it into a cough. “No, sir. Definitely not the ghetto. This is just a college neighborhood, mostly resided by students, who are on quite a budget.”
“Ah,” I said. I wondered if I should offer to let Aria rent one of my houses. She would never accept that for free, but maybe if I let her pay as much as she was paying for one of these places…
Why the fuck was I worrying about her living arrangements?
“Here we are,” Ned said parking next to a three-storied apartment building.
The lights were on in the third floor and I vaguely remembered Aria mentioning that she was in the top floor of her building. So that had to be it.
“I don’t know what to do now, Ned.”
He looked back at me with concern. “Are you nervous?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” I exclaimed. “Why on earth would I be nervous? I just am not sure whether to walk in or call her.”
“Just walk up to her floor and ring the doorbell.”
“Ah, right, the doorbell!” I laughed.
I walked into the building and looked for the elevator; finding none, I grunted my way upstairs. She’d better be in the third floor after the workout. Damn the flowers, I had forgotten the flowers in the car. I was not going to run downstairs and right back up just for that.
I rang the doorbell and was surprised to be welcomed by an extremely tall gentleman wearing horn-rimmed glasses.
“Who are you?” I asked feeling slightly annoyed. What was a man doing in her house?
“Who are you?” he laughed. “Just kidding, come in Zayden, everyone in a 50 mile radius of Atlanta knows who you are.”
“I am not sure this is the right place.” I looked at the guy quizzically. Could it be her brother, maybe? Unlikely, they looked too different.
“No, of course you’re in the right place, come on in, Aria is just getting ready.”
I guess I was in the right place after all. “Are you her brother?” I asked the tall guy.
“No, I’m Nick,” he said, as though that clarified his relationship to her.
“And you are here because…?”
“I live here,” he glared at me. “With my girlfriend.”
That sent a wave of fury through my whole body, as though someone very close had stabbed me in the front. Aria was his girlfriend! She had told me she was single, had she lied? Had she made up the whole story for money? Wait, if she really was such a scheming bitch, she would be smarter than to have her boyfriend hovering around the apartment when I was due. And he didn’t mind that she was going out on a date with me?
“And you’re… okay with this?” I asked Nick.
“With what?”
“My deal with Aria,” I said, assuming he knew.
He shrugged. “I mean it’s pretty unorthodox, but hey, you’re helping her out and that makes you a pretty awesome dude. Why wouldn’t I be okay with this?”
What kind of sick and convoluted world had I walked into? Was I growing old? Were college kids this casual with exchanging their partners now days? It seemed like a cool concept, on the one hand. To have one’s cake and eat it too. But on the other hand, why even bother to make a commitment to one person if straying was expected and accepted? From a epistemological standpoint it simply seemed like a waste of time. They could just do what I do and sleep around. I shook my head in confusion and was looking around the house when Aria walked out of her room. Seeing her, I temporarily forgot that I was upset at her for lying about being single. I forgot about Nick. I forgot about everything. I barely even noticed that she had defiantly decided not to wear the dress I had sent her – and I’d have been foolish to expect otherwise anyway – because right now she looked better than a starry night’s sky. She was wearing a green one-piece dress that came right above her ankles, with a low-cut neck that contoured her breasts to perfection, and a cream-colored blazer on top of it. It wasn’t very immaculate, as far as attires go, but she accessorized it beautifully with a silver pendant, her hair tied up into a classy bun, and her make-up accentuated with deep red lipstick to match her hair. I was almost glad that she had chosen not to wear what I had sent.
“Hi,” she smiled serenely at me. “You find the place okay?”
“Yes,” I smiled back at her. “Well, Ned did. Should we get going?”
“Sure.” She waltzed over and grabbed my arm with a soft touch. Before we walked out of the apartment, she told Nick, “I will probably be back late, tell your girlfriend if she asks, I am not entirely sure we’re on speaking terms right now. See ya, Nick!”
My initial reaction was to grunt at the very sight of her talking to him but about three seconds later it registered: she was referring to Nick’s girlfriend in third person, which meant that it couldn’t possibly be her. The rush of relief that ran through my veins was overwhelming.
Why did I care so much? I had screwed many girls that were in relationships.
“So Nick is not your boyfriend?” I couldn’t help myself from asking.
She burst out laughing. “You thought Nick was my boyfriend? Oh God.” She laughed for a couple of more minutes before adding, “Didn’t I tell you I was single?”
I shrugged. “You could be lying. People lie all the time.”
“Speaking from experience, huh?”
“I have never lied… to you,” I looked straight into her eyes. That wasn’t quite true, as I had lied to her about my interaction with Wilson, the loan officer. She didn’t need to know that, though. And it’s not like it was a lie that hurt her in any way. She was still getting the money she needed, and I was getting what I wanted: a chance to seduce her. If she ever found out – and I couldn’t think of any way she would – she wouldn’t exactly be able to be mad. However, knowing her, she would find a reason to be furious about it. The thought of it gave me weird pangs in my chest. As we hopped into the car, I tried hard not to let my thoughts drift in that direction again.
“These are for you,” I handed her the purple orchids I had forgotten in the car.
“Thanks!” She seemed pleased with my flower selection this time around.
“A drink for the ride?” I asked, producing the same bottle of champagne from our dinner a few nights ago that she had enjoyed so much.
She actually thought I was trying.
“Yeah I should have. How else would I get that look to appear on your face?” I grinned. “But I have to be honest, I didn’t have to do anything at all to acquire the bottle.”
She laughed. “Yes, yes, I am aware of you and your rich ways. Which reminds me, am I dressed up to standards for your Gala? I’m returning you the dress you sent.”
“Of course you are,” I shook my head, but with a smile. “Like I said in my note, I wouldn’t have cared if you came in ripped jeans. But to answer your question, you look more beautiful tonight than I have ever seen you.”
Her face got pink as she mumbled thank you. “You look pretty good too,” she said looking out the window.
“Are you talking to someone in the street?” I teased.
She looked me in the eye this time. “You are a very handsome. I am really looking forward to spending this evening with you,” she spoke softly.
I was startled by those words, not at all expecting her to be so solemnly candid in showing signs of affection. Okay, maybe it wasn’t quite affection, but some admiration had to be lingering somewhere if she was willing and excited to spend an evening with me. That made me very enthusiastic, so much so that I almost wanted to skip the whole evening and just spend it with her, however she wanted.
I was becoming weak.
---
“What exactly is this auction for?” Aria asked, as we walked in almost holding hands. We were brushing our fingers against each other’s, which made me feel all kinds of desires. It also scared the shit out of me because I had never come close to holding a girl’s hand after my ex.
“For cancer research,” I said and nervously added: “I forgot to mention, I will be giving a speech on behalf of the organizers. Usually I ignore speaking arrangements, but I love this cause and the non-profit hosting this probably gets the highest percentile of my yearly donations.”
She put a hand on my shoulder. It was definitely affection this time. “You’re an amazing guy.”