Charming My Best Friend (Fated #2) (9 page)

“I can’t believe you left swiped that guy!” Fiona said, looking
over my shoulder.

I shrugged. “I wasn’t feeling his sideburns.”

“You of all people should know that hair is one of the only
things you can change about a man.”

“Tell that to my Dad.”

“Good point,” she said. “But even he could get a transplant or
something.”

I laughed. “He’d probably be an excellent candidate. He takes
really good care of the few hairs that are left.”

“I’m not sure why he bothers. Once you have few enough that you
can name them, you should probably just give up.”

I swiped a few guys left just for looking at me funny.

“Damn, you’ve gotten picky. I woulda kept that buff looking
one.”

“Which one?”

“I was just about to ask you the same question,” she said. “What
do you think?”

I craned my neck around to look at her.

She pulled her hair back. “Silver danglies?”

I looked at her exposed ear. “Okay.”

“Or purple danglies?” she asked, modeling the other side of her
head.

“Is that what you’re wearing?” I asked.

“Whoa, I know my style is eclectic, but I wouldn’t wear my Bulls
Jersey on a date.”

I shrugged. “I wouldn’t put it past you.” 

“Just pick already.”

“Could you ask me again in context?” I turned back to my phone.
“And you’re welcome that I take styling you so seriously.”

Fiona groaned and started down the hallway.

“Hey, are you still using Tinder or are you and Peter off the
market?”

“I’m not off,” she called down the hall. “But I’m not swiping or
anything.”

“I suppose you’ll have to have a formal chat with him about that
when the time comes.”

“Hideous!”

“Yeah, I don’t envy you.”

“No, not the talk is hideous,” she yelled from her room. “I was
referring to my skinny jeans which are tight already, and he’s not even
officially my boyfriend.”

I laughed. “Letting yourself go ahead of schedule, are you?”

“Apparently,” her voice echoed up the hall.

“I hope he’s not getting matched right now with someone who
still fits in hers.”

“You’re a bitch.”

“I know, sorry. I’m only joking. I just don’t know how you’re
not totally paranoid after the Chelsea thing.”

“I’m hoping Peter’s a better person than she is.”

“I’d say there’s a good chance.”

I swiped left on a bunch of guys who were above average, but
brunettes were reminding me too much of Aiden since last weekend.

“Okay, now which earrings?” Fiona asked, stepping back into the
room.

“Oh, purple, for sure.”

“Thanks,” she said. “Was that so hard?”

I looked down at my phone. “Wait—oh my god.”

“Are you having second thoughts?”

“No,” I said. “Not about the earrings. Look at my phone, and
tell me I’m not crazy.”

I held it up for her and closed my eyes.

She laughed. “You’re crazy alright.”

“What should I do?”

“Obviously, you should right swipe him. He’s your best friend.”

“What if he gets the wrong idea?”

“What if he doesn’t more like? Look at his fucking arms in that
picture.”

I rolled my eyes.

“I mean, I’m not into fisting, but I’d let him-”

“Enough!” I said, pulling the phone back towards me. “You’re a
freak.”

“A freak for Aiden.”

“Stop.”

“And so are you.”

“No, I’m not,” I said, tapping the button to look at the rest of
his pictures.

“Are you seriously pretending to think about it? There’s nothing
to think about.”

“Don’t you think he should be judged just as harshly as everyone
else?”

She plopped down on the couch next to me. “Fair enough. Let’s
see his pecs- I mean pics.”

“Okay, so you saw the one of him in his old uniform? The next
one is…”

She put a hand over her chest. “Him in his physio scrubs?! Be
still my beating heart.”

“I get it,” I said, flicking through to the next picture. “You
have a thing for scrubs.”

“Wait- what the fuck is wrong with his hair in that one?”

“It’s a wig. Remember when I made him go to that Lord of the
Rings party with me?”

“Oh right. Christ. Who is he even supposed to be there? Bilbo?”

“No, he was Samwise Gamgee.”

“And you were…?”

“Frodo, obviously.”

“Why didn’t you go as cool wizards or something?”

“Cause everyone knows that Hobbits have more fun.”

“You need to get out more,” she said.

“Whatever. If you’d watch the movies, you’d understand.”

“Just show me the next one already.”

“Okay, here goes.”

“Awwww,” we said in unison.

“What’s that from?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. “But it’s pretty cheap to have a picture
of a puppy licking your face. I mean, how manipulative is that?”

“It worked though, didn’t it? We both totally melted.”

“I did not totally melt.”

“Lucy.”

“What?”

“You have to right swipe him.”

“Do I?”

“Of course! He’s your Samwise.”

“Fuck.” I knew she was right. Not only did I desperately want
to, but wasn’t it what I always fantasized about? Meeting him in a different
way? Starting over and seeing if there was anything there, like normal adults
who didn’t go through puberty together?

“Plus, you already know he’s a good kisser.”

“I didn’t tell you that.”

“You didn’t have to. I’ve kissed him a thousand times in my
dreams.”

I pointed down the hall. “You need to keep getting ready.”

Fiona rocked up off the couch and looked down at me. “If you
don’t heart him, your chance at a relationship with him is going to crumble to
nothing like Mordor.”

“Wait- what? How did you-”

“I’ve seen the movies, dummy,” she said, heading down the
hallway.

I shook my head. Then, as soon as I saw her disappear into her
room, I pressed the heart button.

Two minutes later, I realized I’d been holding my breath and
exhaled slowly. But before I’d even let the air out of my lungs, my phone
pinged.

I gasped as I read the “You have a match” message, giving myself
the hiccups instantly.

“Have you seen my wallet?” Fiona asked, walking into the
kitchen. “I had it out here when we got Jimmy Johns last night?”

I hiccupped again, reaching down between the couch cushions and
holding her wallet in the air.

“Thanks.”

“Fiona.”

“You want me to scare you or something so your hiccups go away,”
she said, grabbing her wallet. “Cause I could go put on your Frodo costume
and-”

I shook my head.

“What then?”

I lifted my phone. “I have a match.”

She froze. “It’s him, isn’t it?”

I nodded.

“What are you going to say?”

“I’m not going to say anything,” I said. “He was probably just
being friendly.”

“Yeah, and the other night he was just checking to see if you
had any cavities.”

“Don’t you think I should wait a few minutes and see if he sends
me a message.”

“He sent you a message in his apartment last weekend.”

“I’m really starting to regret telling you that.”

Fiona pursed her lips. “Why don’t you just say hey.”

“Hey?”

She shrugged. “Hi?”

“That’s exactly why I’m not going to say anything. There’s
nothing to say. We’re just friends.”

“Yeah, right. And Frodo and Samwise were just friends.”

“Right.”

She raised her hands in the air. “Until they embarked together
on the greatest adventure of their lives!”

I turned to look at her. “Which did not start on Tinder.”

“Are you kidding?” she asked. “Tinder is just like The Shire!”

I leaned against the arm of the couch. “Please go on. I’m dying
to know what Tinder and The Shire have in common.”

Fiona cleared her throat. “The Shire is a safe place from which
epic adventures begin.”

“That’s a stretch.”

“Maybe, but if I never sent Peter a message, I wouldn’t have a
bruise on my inner thigh right now.”

“You sent him a message?”

“Hell yeah I did. And I’m going to send him another one tonight
and it’s gonna say-”

“I don’t want to hear about that one. Tell me what you said when
you first got matched.”

She shrugged. “It was something like, do you really work at the
Children’s hospital or are you just the sleaziest guy I’ve met on Tinder yet?”

“And?”

“And he said he really worked there.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And I said, in that case I’m seriously ill and need urgent
treatment.”

“Jesus.”

“And then I said, and by treatment I mean dinner.”

“Good lord.”

“Isn’t he though? I’ve been calling his name ever since.”

“Oh god.”

“That’s exactly what I say, over and over and-”

“Shouldn’t Peter be here by now?”

“I’m not leaving until you send him a message.”

I looked down just as my phone pinged. “Too late.”

“What did he say?”

“He said-” I shook my head and tried to suppress a smile. “Sup
beautiful?”

I was psyched to see the match waiting for me when I got out of
the shower.

And I could’ve spent all night trying to think of what to say,
but I wanted to say something before she decided I was just being friendly.
Cause I wasn’t. I was trying to get friendly- in the most indelicate way
possible- and I was going to have to destroy over a decade of her treating me
like a friend to do it.

Of course, I knew better than to text her a bullshit line. Not
that I didn’t have plenty of them, but the most important thing was to get the
conversation going, and I was new to online dating. So I figured I’d keep it
simple.

And when she answered, I knew I’d accomplished my mission.

“Hi,” she texted.

“I liked your pics,” I typed back.

“Which one did you like best?”

“Probably the one of you eating cake.”

“Why’s that?”

“Cause you look good licking your lips.”

“You’re disgusting.”

I could picture the expression on her face while she tried not
to smile. “When’s the last time you had something sweet in your mouth?” I
asked.

“I had Skittles for lunch.”

“And before that?”

“I had yogurt for breakfast.”

“And did you have anything sweet- oh I don’t know- last Saturday
night.”

“Nope. Not a damn thing.”

I sighed. So she still wasn’t ready to admit that she liked
kissing me. Unfortunately for her, that only made me more determined than ever
to do it again. “I liked the slide picture, too.”

“Oh?”

“Made me wonder if you slide up just as well as you slide down.”

She didn’t say anything.

I wished I could’ve seen her blushing. “Well?”

“I’m not answering that,” she typed.

“I’ll take that as a yes then.”

“Don’t.”

I laughed. “You’re feisty. I like that.”

Nothing.

“Which of my pictures did you like best?”

“Meh.”

“Come on,” I said. “Something made you swipe right.”

“It was the puppy.”

I shook my head. “Ouch.”

“Whose puppy is that?”

“Mine,” I lied.

“I don’t believe you.”

“If it was would you go out with me?”

“No, but I might dog sit.”

I rolled my eyes.

“I guess you work out?” she asked.

I pumped my fist. It was the closest I’d gotten yet to getting
her to flirt back. “A little.”

“And what’s with the scrubs?”

“I’m a physical therapist.”

“I see.”

“And yes, I’m good with my hands.”

“I wasn’t going to ask.”

“Maybe I could show you sometime?”

“Maybe you should keep your hands to yourself.”

I leaned back on the couch. “What if I told you they were in my
pants right now?”

“Might as well be something in there.”

Now she was really asking for it. She was going to know exactly
what was in my pants- or towel rather- just as soon as I got my hands on her
again.

“And what about that picture where you’re dressed like a freak?”
she asked.

“Don’t tell me you don’t know who Samwise Gamshee is?”

“Nope,” she lied. “Tell me.”

“He’s only the best friend anybody could ever want.”

“Is that so?”

“Yep.”

“Well, you looked pretty silly.”

“I dressed up like that to impress this sexy girl I know.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I would do absolutely anything for her. That was
nothing.”

“That’s sweet.”

“I’d do absolutely anything to her, as well.”

“And what if she wouldn’t let you?”

“She would.”

“How do you know?”

“Cause I wouldn’t give up.”

“Until what?”

“Until she wanted it as bad as I do.”

“How do you know this girl?”

The corner of my mouth curled up into a smile as I typed. “We
grew up together.”

“I see.”

“She’s the most incredible woman I know.”

“So why didn’t you hook up with her earlier?”

“Cause I’m an idiot.”

“I’m glad you finally decided to tell the truth about
something.”

“Do you give all the guys this hard of a time?”

“Only the ones that deserve it.”

“And what makes you think I deserve it?”

“I can just tell.”

“Would you give me a hard time in person?”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“On whether you behaved yourself.”

“What if I said I wanted to take you out?”

“What did you have in mind?”

I don’t know why I was feeling so bold. Maybe it was because it
was Tinder so it didn’t feel real, but I was curious to see what I could get
away with. “I’ll take you to dinner and then I’ll bring you back to my place for
the best fuck you’ve ever had.”

“You must be joking.”

“I’ve never been more serious.”

“I’m not that kind of girl.”

“What kind of girl are you?”

“Not that kind.”

“Are you the kind of girl who likes to go to dinner and take it
from there?”

“Closer.”

“But you do enjoy sex, right?”

“With some people.”

“Good. Cause I don’t want to waste my time.”

“Oh, you’re wasting your time,” she said.

“We’ll see about that.”

“Are you always this aggressive when you contact someone on
Tinder?” she asked.

“Why? Am I saying something wrong?”

“You’re saying everything wrong, but you sound like you’ve been
using Tinder for a while.”

I smiled. “You’re the only person I’ve ever messaged on Tinder.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I’m not asking you to believe me. I’m asking you to give me a
chance.”

“A chance to what?”

“A chance to take you out, introduce myself, and get to know you
a bit better.”

“What is it you want to know?” she asked.

“What makes you tick. What makes you smile.”

“Oh.”

“How every inch of your body reacts to my tongue.”

“Fuck, Aiden.”

“How to get you to say that over and over.”

“Okay, I get it. You like your new toy.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’ve successfully demonstrated that you’re going to be okay
in the modern world of online dating because you can sext with the rest of
them.”

“You’ve got it all wrong.”

“Do I?”

“Yeah.”

“How’s that?” she asked.

“Cause I’ll never be happy just sexting you.”

“What would make you happy?”

I was getting impatient. “Taking you out.”

“I understand that.”

“I want to start over,” I said.

“I don’t know.”

“Why?”

“Cause we have so much history.”

“So?”

“So I don’t want to lose what we have.”

“We won’t.”

“How do you know?” she asked.

“Cause.”

“Cause…?”

“Cause that would never happen.”

“Famous last words.”

“We won’t let it.”

“It’s too late,” she said.

“No it’s not. It’s like that old saying.”

“What old saying?”

“It’s never too late to fuck your best friend.”

“God damn it, Aiden. I’m being serious.”

“So am I.”

“No you aren’t.”

“Yes, I am. Now go put something sexy on. I’m taking you out
tonight, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”

I tossed my phone down on the couch and stood up. My dick was
hard from thinking about ways to make Lucy wet, and my towel had loosened
around my waist.

I caught it before it fell to the ground and walked back to my
room naked, filled with a strange energy that I didn’t recognize. It was
unexpected considering I’d taken Lucy out hundreds of times over the years.

But I’d never taken her out like this. For the first time, I
wanted something from her, or more accurately, I wanted to give her something.

I wanted to give her a night she would never forget, a night
that would change everything between us for the better.

I was sick of dating airheads that didn’t get me, sick of
fucking women who were so skinny it was like holding onto a bag of hangers. I
wanted to make a real woman come, a complex woman with interesting thoughts who
was worth impressing.

I wanted to show Lucy a side of me she’d never seen, to find out
if she tasted like cake all over, to touch the breasts she’d hidden from me for
so long.

I wanted to bury my dick in her the way I’d buried my best kept secrets,
so deeply I’d be inside her forever.

And most importantly, I wanted her to trust me, to trust that
I’d never hurt her, and to trust that all I wanted was to make her laugh, make
her smile, and make her come.