I could almost slap him that moment and tried to ease my trembling fingers. “I cared about you once. You know that. But you hurt me, Ricky. It took me a very long time to recover from that. Of course I’m still angry for what you did to me! But that in no way indicates any remaining feelings for you. I have really truly moved on, and I suggest you do the same. Though let’s be honest, you kind of already had before we even broke up.”
He sighed. “I am really, really sorry, Aria. I am not going to stand here and give you a long and twisted version of a lie you aren’t going to believe. I fucked up, plain and simple. I don’t have some grandiose reasoning behind it; I was just a stupid kid thinking with everything other than my head. And Sally – the girl you found me with – had been going after me for months and I just lost control.”
“I’m sorry for you and your inability to keep it in your pants, but I am not sure how this is supposed to make anything better.”
“It’s not. None of it is supposed to make it any better. All I wanted to say was that I am truly sorry. I don’t think I’ve ever been more sorry about anything in my life. And I would have to be really stupid to think you’d ever give me another chance. I know I don’t deserve one, and you deserve better.”
“Yeah? Then why are you still here?”
“Because I love you.” He shrugged. “I have never loved anyone before or after you. You were the most inspiring person in my life, never letting me down, always supporting me through the hardest of times. And I let all that go, for what?” He shook his head.
“But I don’t love you anymore,” I said softly.
A frown fell across his face. “I know,” he said after a few moments. “I know that. Maybe we can still… I don’t know… be friends?”
“Why? What does that accomplish?”
“I get to be around the most amazing girl I have ever met, and have her in my life in some capacity, even though I will know for sure that it’s never ever going to be more than that.”
I sighed. “Never ever.”
“Ever?” He was breaking out a tiny smile.
“Never!” I said more loudly.
“Friends?” He gave me his hand and I took it reluctantly.
“Friends. But I have to go now. Lots to do tonight, need to drop by home and then go to the bank—”
Shouldn’t have said that last part cause he raised his eyebrows questioningly. “Why are you going to the bank this late?”
“I forgot my…” I saw my phone prodding out of my bag. “Phone…charger! I forgot my phone charger there!”
Phew. That was a close one. I needed to be more careful about disclosing my whereabouts, especially when it concerned my super-secret rendezvous with the owner and CEO of a giant bank chain.
“But I’ll see you later?” Rick was still talking as I started storming off before I could say too much more.
“Sure,” I said without even looking back and dashed out of there as fast as I could.
I heard him say, 'I’ll hold you to that.”
Great, now I had unintentionally agreed to hang out with him. Oh well, it couldn’t be that bad. I was far too invested in Zayden to be won over by Dick-Rick’s attempts to get me back. And it really sounded like he needed a friend, so whatever, I could handle an afternoon coffee or something. I’d deal with him when I dealt with him. Right now, I had to rush home, change into sexier clothes, and go see Zayden. I couldn’t wait.
---
Stacey was waiting for me in the living room when I got home. We hadn’t really talked since our last fight, regarding her helping Zayden. We said hello here and there when we ran into each other in the kitchen, but mostly communicated via Nick, who was getting increasingly frustrated with what he called our girlish ways.
“Hi,” she said awkwardly as soon as I walked in through the front door.
“Hi,” I said back, not looking at her. Stacey and I hadn’t fought in a long time, so I wasn’t quite sure how to approach the situation now. There was also the tiny inconvenience of timing: I was supposed to meet Zayden almost ten minutes ago. Which I couldn’t tell her because I had yet to tell her about my sexcapades, for the fear of the inevitable I-told-you-so.
“I’m sorry,” we both said in unison. And then I just wanted to hug her and have my best friend back and tell her about the amazing things that had happened to me. I didn’t even care about the I-told-you-so anymore, I had missed her too much. I jumped on the couch next to her and hugged her against her will. Stacey wasn’t a touchy-feely person, but over the years started secretly enjoying being forced into a hug by me. She’d never admit it, though.
“You were right,” were the first words that came out of my mouth. “You were absolutely, one-hundred percent right. Zayden makes me happy. Thank you for seeing it before I did Stace.”
“No no no,” she said, shaking her head. “I mean, I am glad you think so and are happy now, but I shouldn’t have went behind your back like that, solely based on what I thought was best for you.”
“Come on, Stace, let’s be honest, when have you been wrong about what’s best for me?”