Fixed Affection

Fixed Affection Chapter 15

I'm on the hot list!!! I'm number 865 but I'm on it and I'm so freaking excited about it!

Anyway I hope you like the chapter. :-)

Ch. 15

I continued to stare at my beer.

Was I seriously considering this?

Marriage? 

Does she know I think about her as more than a friend?

Would she still want to do this ‘arrangement’ if she knew?

Wait. Do I want this ‘arrangement’ to happen?

I would love to run the company, especially after all this time, all of these shops I’ve opened up, it would be nice to settle down and put use to the knowledge I have attained.  I would also be lying to myself if the idea of spending time with Brenna didn’t intrigue me, even if she doesn’t see me like that anymore; she is still one of my best friends.

Who am I kidding? Thinking about doing this?  Part of me said yes the moment she asked, just to be able to help her out and make her happy.  But maybe I can make one last ditch effort to make sure this is what she wants.

***

I woke up with a splitting head-ache but I remembered my conversation with Mike and while I am a little surprised with myself for how bold I was,  I don’t regret my decision at all.  If he did this for me things could go back to normal for me and a promotion for him, I saw no faults in this plan.

I slowly start to get ready, it’s Sunday and my only day off, from both jobs, and I am going out for lunch with Natalie.  She stayed in our hometown and mostly did landscapes and still-life photography while I chose to photograph people but every week or so we try to get together and catch up.  I was contemplating if I should tell her about my night last night, I knew for a fact she was going to flip her lid and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear it.

As usual I was at the diner before her, I had my hair pulled up and my sunglasses on, yes inside and was sipping on a Bloody Mary, nursing my hangover.

“Woo! Someone had fun last night.” Nat announced as she settled into the booth.

“Someone shouldn’t be so loud.” I mumbled as I cringed from the sound of her resonating voice.

We caught up on her art and my studio and all the stuff with dad’s company and her current boyfriend.

“So you and Kurt are still doing well?”  I asked look up from my plate to gauge her expression.

“Yeah, we’re still doing good.”  She said good but she blushing bright red, something quite new for Nat, I better not push the subjects.  “Speaking of hot guys how’s Mr. Mike?”  That’s all it took, she was back.

“Oh well about that . . .” With my face no longer hidden by my large dark glasses, my guilty expression was undeniable.

“Oh god what did you do?”

“I may have. . . In a way I . . .”

“Spill Brenna.”

“I kinda proposed to Mike last night.”

She choked on her toast and had to wash it down with her milk.  She cleared her throat before speaking.  “Come again.”

“I asked Mike to marry me.”  I said shrugging.

“I am more interested on where this came from.  I thought you moved on?  Are you all crazy about him again?”

“I did move on, we’re just friends now and I told you that.  Well I have been stressed out trying to run dad’s company and I was telling him that he should take over so that I can go back to the studio full time.”  She continued to nod signally that she was still following me.  “He said that he would want to but it’s impossible because an owner could only change because of retirement, death or marriage.  So I proposed.  It’s a win-win deal, he gets the company and I get my life back.”

“You know, I may just be crazy but I’m following your logic here.”  A huge smile crept on my face.  “But I still think you’re fucking crazy.”

“Why, I thought it was a really good idea.”

“Yeah in theory.”

“What does that mean?”

“The logistics. Where you getting married? Are you telling your parents? Is he going to buy you a ring? Where you going to live? Are you going to take his last name? How do you feel about living in a loveless marriage?  Are you guys going to see other people?”

Her outburst caused an even bigger whirlwind of questions in my head.

I guess I really didn’t think this through.

****

I needed to talk to Mike and see if he still wanted to do this, despite everything I still wanted to.  It was still early in the evening so I invited Mike over for some dinner and discuss everything.  I was just finishing up dinner when I heard the doorbell ring.  I rushed to the door and opened it up to a freshly showered Mike holding a bottle of wine.

“Come on in.” I said with a smile letting him in the living room as I finished up dinner.  “I was just finishing up.”  He followed me into the kitchen.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help?”  He asked itching the back of his head.  God he was sexy when he did that, the way the muscles in his strong arm curled, the stretch of his torso.

Wait. Was I just checking him out?

“Oh yeah, like I said I’m almost done.  I call you when it’s ready okay?”

“If you’re sure.” He said finally before making his way to the other room.

At least if he’s in the other room I can concentrate on dinner and not ogling him.

__

Dinner was entertaining, the wine he chose was delicious and he complimented my cooking but most of all we just made good conversation.

“So Mike I wanted to talk to you about last night.”

“Mm.” he mused, finishing his glass of wine.  “I had a feeling.”

“Well I was talking to Natalie today and I-“I started to say but he cut me up short.

“Oh Natalie, how is she?”

“Oh um she’s good.”  I was still more surprised that he asked about her.  “But she got me thinking about something’s and I wanted to talk to you about it.

“I see.  So what did she say?”  His focus completely oh me now.

“Well she started asking about where we would get married?”

“You already said Vegas.”

“She also asked if you were going to buy me a ring and if y-“

“Well do you want me to buy you a ring?”

“That’s not the point I was trying to make, she also asked if we’d live together and if we’re getting married as friends were we allowed to see other people and a bunch of other questions I realized I didn’t have the answer to.”  “I had my head dipped down low, I was a little embarrassed asking him all this.

“Well Brenna I guess the real question is do you still want to do this?”

“Yeah, surprisingly I do.”

“Well then we can make the rest work.”  He said giving me a smile.  And just like that it was like all my worries completely disappeared, it was almost as if Mike said it was ok then it would be ok, and I knew that we could do this, as friends of course.