Fighting for My Best Friend (Fated #4) (5 page)

Aiden’s face dropped.

“Hi Lucy,” Chelsea said. “I didn’t know you were invited.”

She was wearing a tight fitting blue dress that looked like an
oversized tube top.

Aiden turned around in slow motion. “What are you doing here?”

She laughed. “What do you mean what am I doing here? We’ve been
looking forward to this for months.”

Aiden clenched his fists. “Are you on drugs?”

She laughed, wiping the bottom of her nose with the back of her
fingertips. “Of course not.”

“You shouldn’t be here Chelsea.” His voice was low and
controlled.

I felt eyes on us from across the room and turned towards
Claire. She lifted her palms towards the ceiling and mouthed “What the hell?”

I hoped my wide eyes spoke for themselves.

“Am I at your table or-”

“No.” Aiden stood up. “You’re not at any table.” He turned to
face her. “You’re not even on the guest list.”

“Of course I am. What’s gotten into you?”

Aiden looked over his shoulder at me. “I’ll be right back.”

“Did I miss your speech?” Chelsea asked again.

“Yes,” he said, wrapping his fingers around her bony arm. “But
you’re still going to get to hear one.”

I watched him lead her out of the room, restraining her like she
was a crazy person.

“Where are they going?”

I looked up to see Claire standing next to me. “I don’t know. To
talk, I guess.”

“What is she even doing here?” she asked, shaking her head.

“I have no idea,” I said, staring towards the door they went
through. “He said he would be right back.”

“I feel so bad for him. I knew she was crazy, but I didn’t think
she was crazy enough to crash my wedding.”

“Don’t worry,” I said. “Aiden’s going to take care of it.”

“I mean, I guess she can stay if she wants, but-”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not gonna happen,” I said.

“Is everything okay?” Mrs. Briggs said out of nowhere.

“Everything’s fine.” I stood up and looked back and forth
between Claire and her Mom.

“Did you invite her?” she asked Claire.

“No,” she said. “And I assumed Aiden uninvited her when they
broke up but-”

“Relax,” I said. “He probably just forgot to clarify that their
breaking up meant he didn’t want her here.”

“She is a model,” Nancy said.

“Aiden told me she wasn’t the brightest,” Claire added.

“Why don’t you two go back to having a good time? That’s what
Aiden would want.”

“Don’t you think we should check on him?” Nancy asked. “Make
sure he’s okay?”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” I said. “If it will make you feel better,
I’ll check on him.”

Claire nodded.

“You’ll come get us if he needs anything?” Nancy asked.

“Of course.”

I downed the rest of my wine and headed off through the doors,
looking over my shoulder only once. They were both still standing together at
the table and looking in my direction. Mrs. Briggs gave me a little wave.

Fuck. The last thing I wanted to do was interrupt one of Aiden
and Chelsea’s domestics. Worse of all, her showing up was just a reminder of my
recent infidelity to him, and I actually thought we were making progress
getting away from that.

When I reached the corridor, I froze in my nude shoes. The
hallway was as long as a swimming pool, lined on each side by more conference
room doors than I could see from the top of the hall.

“Drink miss?” A man with a silver tray asked.

“Please.”

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Would you like me to grab you a chair?”

“No,” I said. “I’m not as drunk as I look. I’m just not used to
walking in heels.”

“You don’t look drunk, miss. I was merely being polite.”

“Thanks.”

He took one step away and-

“Wait,” I said. “Would it be terrible of me to finish this
really quick and take another?”

He smiled. “Not at all. It would be more terrible to deny
yourself.”

“Thank you for your understanding,” I said, finishing my drink
and swapping it for a full glass of champagne.

“Of course.” He nodded. “See you around.”

“I hope so,” I said, feeling slightly bloated from the fizzy
bubbles in my stomach. I took a few steps down the hallway and covered my
mouth, guessing I was about one burp away from feeling fabulous.

But then I remembered what I was doing. Looking for Aiden and
not looking for Aiden at the same time. Why didn’t I just let his Mother go
after him? She was much scarier than I was, at least where Chelsea was
concerned.

I looked back towards the reception hall and then down the hallway
again. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was doing. I guess I was just trying to locate
him well enough that I could make sure his family gave him space without
getting so close it seemed like I was interfering.

I certainly had no intention of eavesdropping when I set off
down the hall. Unfortunately, the only way I could detect if they were behind a
given door was to listen quietly outside it, glass in hand as I stalled outside
each one.

At times, I forgot I was wearing a bright yellow dress and
actually felt like I was being a decent sleuth. Of course, then I’d look down
and be grateful that no one else knew what a fool I was being. I stepped up to
another door and held my breath. Nothing.

Nothing after nothing after nothing. And suddenly, I heard
voices down the hall and walked as lightly as I could towards the noise.

When I reached the outside of the door, I pursed my lips and
perked up my ears, freezing when I heard my name.

“Were they Lucy’s panties?”

“What?”

“Just tell me? Were they Lucy’s panties that I found in the
apartment?”

Silence.

“Well?!” She sounded like a rabid animal. “Were they?”

“No. They weren’t Lucy’s panties, okay?”

I swallowed.

“Not that it matters,” he said. “Because who I sleep with is
none of your business anymore.”

“Is that why you brought her here? So you guys can fuck now that
I’m finally out of the way?!”

“No.”

“It must have been such a relief to get me out of the picture!”

“No, Chels. It’s not like that.”

“What is it like then? Enlighten me? Cause she sure was making
eyes at you when I walked up!”

“Making eyes?! What? You’ve got it all wrong.”

“I’m listening.”

“We’re not together, okay? I’m not with her.”

“I want to believe you.”

“She’s a friend of my families. That’s all. I brought her
because after we broke up, I had to bring someone.”

“So you’re not a thing- you and Lucy?”

“No. We’re not a thing.”

I took a step away from the door and then another.

Was he ashamed that he’d slept with me? Was I crazy that I
thought it meant something? Was I genuinely a rebound like I was so afraid of?

And when was she in his apartment to see my panties?

If they were even mine?

I didn’t know what to think. Either she’d been at his place
since I slept with him, which he’d kept from me, or he’d been sleeping with
other women since the night we spent together.

How could I be so stupid?!

Of course he was sleeping with other people. He just got Tinder
for crying out loud. I felt sick. How could he give me such a hard time for being
deceitful when he’d been fucking other girls this whole time?

No wonder he didn’t call me for weeks.

I thought I was in the dog house, but really he was just too
busy sleeping around to get back to me. Cause now that he’d had me, there was
no mystery left.

I was as dispensable as the rest of them.

In fact, if he hadn’t promised Claire I would do her hair, he
probably would’ve already cut me out completely.

Because Aiden and I, we weren’t a thing. 

And I was a fool for thinking we ever would be.

“I’m so embarrassed,” Chelsea said, bringing one hand to her
forehead.

“You don’t need to be embarrassed.”

“I thought if I came here and you saw me and-”

“What?”

“I thought you might take me back.” She slumped on a velvet
cushioned conference chair. “I know I don’t deserve you, but I thought if we
could just have one more day together, you would remember what you liked about
me and not hate me so much.”

“I don’t hate you,” I said, grabbing a chair and setting it down
beside her.

“You don’t?”

“No,” I said, reconciling myself to the fact that I was dealing
with a crazy person. “I just want you to be happy, and you’ll never be happy
with me.”

Her shoulders slumped over so I could see the bones in them. “I
was once though.”

“I know,” I said. “And we had some good times.”

She nodded.

“But it was never going to work out. You deserve to be with
someone even richer and better looking than me.”

She laughed and looked up dragging a finger under each eye.

“Seriously, Chelse. You’re a gorgeous girl, and I know you think
we were happy, but you wouldn’t have been cruising for dates on Tinder if you
were.”

She pursed her lips.

“Ya know?”

She reached out and put a hand on my knee. “I’m sorry I hurt
you.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “I’ll be fine eventually, but only if you
let me move on.”

She swallowed.

“Does that make sense?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it fair to say that I was good to you, that I did a lot of
nice things for you while we were together?”

“Yeah.”

“So can you do something nice for me, and give me space so I can
get over you?”

She sighed.

“Will you do that for me?”

She nodded.

“I need you to not show up at my place or at family parties. I
need you to acknowledge that our relationship is over.”

She looked down at her lap.

“So I can heal.”

“Okay, Aiden.”

“Thanks, babe. I really appreciate it.”

“I can’t tell you what it means to hear you say that.” She
pushed some hair out of her face. “After you threw me out the way you did, I
thought I didn’t mean anything to you at all.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I said, expecting my Oscar to arrive any
minute. “I’m just hurting really bad right now and seeing you, well, it’s too
difficult.”

She pursed her lips.

“I’m finally beginning to accept the fact that I don’t have what
it takes to be your dream guy, but you need to show me some compassion and leave
me be.”

“Does that mean we can’t be friends?”

“I don’t think so,” I said. “It’s too painful.” And annoying and
draining and what are you still doing here?!

“I guess I’m just scared because no one ever cared about me like
you did.”

“Yet,” I said. “Other people will, but only if you let what we
had go and put yourself out there.”

“Do you mind if I do a line?”

“What?”

“You can have one if you want,” she said, lifting her purse off
the floor and taking out a small baggie.

I leaned back and ran my hands through my hair. “Shit, Chelsea.”

“Sorry.” She scooped a little clump of coke on the underside of
her nail and snorted it up her nose with a wince.

“I fucking knew you were high.”

“I was sort of nervous about coming here. I thought it would
help calm me down.”

“Will you put that away?” I said.

“You sure you don’t wan-”

“Put it away.” I wanted to tell her she needed help- offer to
help her even- but I knew better. I’d already done that till I was blue in the
face, and I didn’t want to leave the door open for her to ambush me again. This
had to be the last time.

She sealed the bag and slipped it in her purse.

“And don’t offer it to anyone else, okay? This is not that kind
of party.”

She took a deep breath. “I guess I should go then.”

“That’s probably for the best.”

“Will you tell Claire I said congratulations?”

“Why don’t you tell her yourself?”

“I don’t know. I feel kind of awkward now that I know I’m not
wanted here.”

“Don’t be silly,” I said. “I’ll go in with you. You can say you
just stopped by to wish her well, and I’ll walk you out. No one will think
anything of it.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. It’s only weird you stopped by if you don’t say hi to
Claire.”

“Okay.” She stood up and smoothed her dress down over her hip
bones.

I cocked my arm out to the side so she would take it.

“Thanks, Aiden.”

“Thank you for agreeing to let me move on with my life, no
matter how hard it is.”

The ego stroking seemed to be working, and I walked down the
hall with Chelsea on my arm for the last time. It was weird because it didn’t
feel any emptier than it ever did. Even in the beginning when we were fucking
like rabbits and I thought she was the hottest girl I’d ever seen, she never
felt that substantial on my arm.

Maybe it was just the fact that she was clinically underweight
or maybe it was because I never felt accompanied by much more than her physical
presence. Regardless, I could tell something was missing and that simply having
a hot girl on my arm wasn’t enough for me anymore.

“Claire,” I said, approaching her table. “You remember Chelsea?”

“Of course,” Claire said, standing. “How are you?”

“Great,” Chelsea said.

“I know Chelsea and I aren’t together anymore,” I said too
loudly, “but she was always fond of you, and when she said she was going to be in
the neighborhood, I insisted she stop by to offer her congratulations to you
and Dave.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Claire said, picking up on my
intonation in a way Chelsea never would.

Chelsea shrugged her shoulders and put her arms out.
“Congratulations anyway.”

“You are so sweet,” Claire said, hugging her back.

“Well,” Chelsea said. “I better be going.”

“Can I walk you out?” I asked.

“No, I’ll see myself out.”

“You sure?”

Chelsea nodded. “Can I get a hug for the road?”

I reached out and took her in my arms, conscious not to squeeze
to tight and give her the wrong idea- or god forbid, crush her ribcage. “Take
care of yourself.”

“Thanks,” she said. “You too, Aiden.”

She smiled and backed away a few steps before turning around and
walking out of the room, attempting to swing her hips side to side enough to
create the illusion that she actually had some.

As soon as she cleared the corner, I let out the heaviest sigh
of the day yet.

“What the heck was that about?” Claire asked.

I shook my head. “I don’t know, and I don’t want to know.”

“Taking the break up hard, huh?”

“I don’t know how to say this, but I think her biggest problem
with the breakup was that I didn’t take it harder.”

“Good lord.”

“I basically just stroked her ego and begged her to give me space
so I could finally heal and move on.”

Claire raised her eyebrows. “And she bought it?”

“She’ll buy anything.”

“As long as it’s with someone else’s money.”

“Bingo.” I looked around the room. Most people were out of their
seats and lingering around the bar or the dance floor. “Where are Mom and Dad?”

“I think Dad finally got drunk enough to dance so Mom dragged
him out there.”

I looked into the crowd, relieved that whatever they were doing
wasn’t obvious from far away. “Have you seen Lucy around?”

“She went to look for you.”

“What?”

“Mom and I were concerned when we saw Chelsea and thought
someone should go after you to make sure you were okay.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Lucy said she would do it.”

“Why?”

“Probably so we wouldn’t.”

I exhaled. “If you see her, will you tell her I’m looking for
her?”

“Of course.”

But something told me she was gone.