8. Am I Mr. Darcy? #2
I smile, feeling pretty good as I walk out.
I consider Theo’s offer to hang out at Melbourne’s.
But each time I even think about walking in there, the loud cheers and excited fans swarming the team, my hands go numb.
I know Brennan and Reid will both be there—they played well tonight, Brennan assisting each of Reid’s two goals.
But I shake my head, making up my mind.
One step at a time.
When I start my walk through the parking lot of the arena, I focus only on my steps, my silver Jeep just in my line of view.
But that’s when I notice someone leaning against the passenger side.
At first glance, I assume it’s Reid, but when I look closer, I see it’s someone far too short to be my six-three best friend.
“Aubrey?” I question with raised eyebrows.
“Doyouwanttogetaburger?” she blabbers all at once.
I approach her, blinking once.
“Yeah, you’re gonna have to say that again.” I cross my arms over my chest.
She sighs, kicking an empty can in the parking lot. “Do you…want…to get…a burger?” she says, still refusing to meet my eyes.
I bite my lip, my heart racing in my chest as I’m certain this is some type of trick question.
“Uh, yeah,” I hesitantly stammer.
So much for one step at a time…
I know I have no business being alone with her. Not after last time, and certainly not after everything I’ve re-experienced tonight. But I’ve never been able to tell Aubrey Vaughn no.
So, I say more confidently, “Yeah, that’d be cool.”
Cool? Since when do I say cool? But I push the thoughts away.
“I’ll drive?” I ask.
“Well, I walked, so...”
I unlock my doors, moving around to climb into the driver’s seat. I take a quick second to try and gather my thoughts.
I can do this. I can be…friendly.
Right?
Apparently not, because we sit in complete silence as I make the short drive to Lover’s.
“I can put our order in—I bet it’s crowded,” Aubrey suggests.
“Good idea.”
More silence…
Fuck. This is so awkward. Wait—why am I making it awkward? It doesn’t need to be.
I know her. She knows me.
I shake my head as Aubrey takes her phone out, her fingers tapping the screen.
No, I knew her. She knew me. But that was a year ago. A lot has changed since then.
I clear my throat, “I’ll take the double—”
But she holds up her hand. “Double-steak burger. Grilled onions. No mustard. Extra ketchup,” she rattles off, side-eyeing me as she keeps typing.
“I remember your pain-in-the-ass order,” she laughs.
Her eyes look brighter than they did last weekend, and I’m not certain if it’s because she’s wearing little to no makeup or from something else.
“Okay, at least I don’t order everything plain like a psychopath,” I chuckle, reaching for the radio to turn up the volume.
I don’t listen to much anymore; the girl currently sitting beside me ruined all of my favorite songs. My ears strain to hear what’s playing. I smile and turn it up a few more notches.
“Cigarette Daydreams” by Cage the Elephant starts playing as I sing along.
From the corner of my eye, I can see Aubrey’s head bouncing with the beat. How did I know she’d like it? Probably because we have the same taste in music.
“I’ve never heard this,” she admits, reaching for the volume.
And for the first time in a long time, the speakers of my Jeep are pounding as I pull into Lover’s.
The parking lot is crowded, as if everyone had the same idea of getting a burger before heading over to Melbourne’s for a long night of celebrating.
When I park, Aubrey immediately reaches for the door handle as I do the same.
“No, I got it,” I insist, turning down the volume so she can hear me.
But she continues for the door, pulling her wallet from her backpack. “No, it was my idea,” she counters.
Yeah—fuck no, she’s not paying for dinner. Things might be different…but not that different.
I immediately reach over the center console and pull her door closed. My chest is pressed against her back as she’s still turned to get out. My eyes slam closed as I take in a breath of her hair.
She still smells the same, like coconut and vanilla.
Like a fucking paradise I’ll never visit again.
I hear her swallow, and it’s then that I see that my hand lies over hers, each on the doorhandle. She drops her hold, and why does that hurt me more than anything I’ve been through tonight?
I swear she’s about to tilt her head to look at me as my breath hitches. I know if she does, there will only be inches between us. So instead, I pull the wallet from her fingers and toss it into the back seat.
“Liam!” she scolds with a giggle as I open my driver’s side door.
“Over my dead body are you paying,” I joke as I head inside to pick up our order.
I make the mistake of looking back before I walk through the door. Her face is twisted, hard lines etched into her skin, staring at something that seems a million miles away.
I can’t help but wonder if I said something wrong.
After I get our food, I climb back in my Jeep. Thankfully, those distant eyes are long gone as her face lights up from the smell.
Aubrey quickly takes the bag from me, shuffling through our orders as she says, “It smells so good!”
For someone so small, she sure likes to eat. Especially burgers.
They’ve always been her favorite.
As I back out of Lover’s, I instinctively start driving back to her apartment, like my body is on autopilot, thinking of the dozens of times we did the same thing—celebrating a win with burgers and then—
I don’t let myself finish that thought.
I glance over and see Aubrey picking through my box.
“HEY!” I voice, pointing an accusing finger in her direction, “Eat your own fries!”
We both laugh.
But then mine dies too suddenly, because then I’m remembering the first time I said those exact words to her.
It was the first time we went on a real date, when I took her to a concert, introducing her to the world of indie rock.
She was immediately obsessed with the band, and I with her.
We had hung out several times at Melbourne’s, but that was the first time just the two of us had been together.
I ordered burgers on our way back, then we went back to her place to watch a movie.
A movie I couldn’t even tell you the name of because we didn’t watch a single fucking second of it.
“What are you thinking about?” she asks me, bringing me back to the present.
I startle, sucking in a sharp breath as I release a pained, “Ugh…” I can feel her eyes all over me.
God, I wish she wouldn’t do that.