If Only

Chapter 9

“YOU WHAT?”, I partially screamed and partially groaned. I looked at a happy Hannah holding a happy Sam’s hand. “Sam as…”, she began but I cut her off, “Yes she asked you out but why did you have to say yes?”

They looked at me as if I was talking a different language. “Yeah!”, Skye high-fived both of them making Hannah blush. I had let him back in after he kept banging on my apartment door. He said he was sure she would be back in an hour or an hour and half max. I foolishly bet on that too. Now I lost two bets. Idiota.

I saw Hannah’s face drop as she took in my distraught expression. Foolishly I forgot she didn’t know about the bet. I looked at her and realized she was starting to think something was wrong.  Knowing Hannah she might be thinking I was against this. So I put on a smile and went to hug both of them. “I’m so happy for you both.” I said and laughed as Hannah blushed again.

“I. Bet. You guys will be good together.”, Skye drawled out. I shot him a threatening glance but he seemed only more amused. “Added to the fact that you guys are hot, it kinda helps that Sam is amazing in bed, doesn’t it Hannah?”, Skye said laughing as he picked up his coat. I looked at my friends and they had gone red. “Bye guys. And Sia… See you soon babe.”

With that he left me and my friends alone in our apartment and for the first time in forever, I felt peace… like everything would go back to normal. Sadly I was mistaken. After today nothing would ever be the same.

~~~~

“WHAT?”, Ashley yelled.

“No need to yell Ash. They..”, I started. “Yeah I heard you.”, she said, “I’m just… I leave you guys for one day and all this happens?”

The week had gone by so quickly after that Saturday. It seemed like eons ago. And with Sam staying over almost every day at my apartment, the whole thing had grown on me. I forgot that Ash didn’t know anything about this. That Sunday I was busy the whole day with my college work and I left Sam and Hannah to themselves. Ash was hurt, shocked and amazed by the events that transpired that day.

We were currently sitting in a café in a mall after we had shopped a bit. A whole week had gone by without seeing Skye once or him calling me to cash in the payments I owed him. I was all too content.  I had gone about talking about my previous trip here where I met Skye and I kinda spilt the beans about my friends’ relationship. Cameron had come over in the middle of the week and she had found out then but we forgot to tell Ash. And that brought us to my current situation.

After a couple more coffees I had laid out each and every tiny detail for her. She had calmed down and seemed pleased about the whole thing. “So … yeah that’s that.”, I said smiling.

She nodded in affirmation. “So what about you Ash?” She had zoned out for a second and my question seemed to startle her. “What about me?”, her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. “What are your plans for this weekend?”, I asked as I finished off a donut I had bought. She beamed at me, “Well Sia turns out I have a date with a hottie.”

I smiled, “Whats his name Ash? Don’t tell me! Must be something like Antonio, an exotic business man here for business as well as pleasure.”

Ash laughed, “Sia you okay? Was that donut loaded or something? What are you talking about?”

I laughed, “So what his story?”

Ash looked genuinely  confused, “Whose? Enzo’s?”

I just stared, “Enzo?

Ash looked at me blankly, “Yeah Enzo.”

“You have a date with Enzo..”, I said, sudden realization dawning on me.

She looked offended, “Why is that so hard to believe?”

I leaned back into my seat as I started searching for my purse in the mess that was our shopping spree, “I just thought you would have dumped his sorry ass.”

“What? Why would you talk about him like that?”, I looked at her and she looked pissed.

“Ash that dude is a creep. “, I said calmly looking at her.

“Sia you don’t even know him.”, she almost yelled.

“I know enough. I don’t like him being around you.”, I was talking quietly. Ash could make a scene if she wanted. And I really didn’t like being the centre of attraction anywhere.

“Are you jealous?”, came her question as she looked at me emotionlessly.

“Wha…?!!”, I stared at her in shock.

“Yes Si. I know about your moment in the park. He told me.”, she said. She had the look in her face that said I had kept a secret from her. It wasn’t important.

“So?”, I asked her. I didn’t know where she was going with this. I didn’t like her thinking I was into Enzo.

“So… just cause you saw him first doesn’t give you the right. I like him.”, she said getting up and collecting her things.

“Ash?”, I tried to grab her hand before she turned away.

But she was already walking away. I knew she was pissed. And when Ash was pissed, it was bad. It always ended worse than it started. All I knew was that I had to fix this before it got worse. But she wouldn’t talk to me till she was over the whole thing. That only left one way and that was to visit the last person I’d want to talk to and the one who started this mess. Enzo.