enemies with benefits

46

five years later

daphne

it's freezing outside so i'm only packing warm clothes. my train leaves in an hour so i'm just cleaning up in the apartment and packing the last.

a couple of months ago i finished the psychology course at harvard and now i'm a psychologist.

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when i've arrived i see my parents wave hysterically at me and i laugh. i run up to them and hug them.

"i missed you guys." i smile.

"we missed you. it's so nice that you're gonna be sleeping in your old room again." mom says.

"here let me get your bags." dad says and we walk over to the car.

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"oh my gosh, daph?!" sophia says as i'm taking my bags out of the car.

"sophia!" i smile and hug her.

"it's been so long." she smiles.

"yeah, it has. how are you?"

"amazing. i'm engaged actually." she smiles and shows me her ring.

"i'm so happy for you!" i smile and stare at the ring in awe.

ever since we started college we only met up a few times a year, sadly. so i barely know what's happening in her life.

"it's not ethan is it?" i ask.

"oh no. that ended years ago." she laughs.

"it's actually my roommate's brother." she smiles.

"oh. cool." i nod. 

"do you wanna join us for dinner later? my parents asked about you."

"sure." i nod with a smile.

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i knock on the door and sophia opens with a smile. she invites me inside and introduce me to her fiancé.

"this is anthony." she smiles and holds on to his arm.

"nice to meet you i've heard so much about you." he smiles.

"nice to meet you too. i-"

my ability to speak and even breathe disappears when i see him.

aiden is making eye contact with me. and he looks so good. too good for me to focus on anything else.

he's wearing a gray shirt that's right around his biceps. and black suit pants with a belt. his shirt is pulled up on his wrists, giving me a perfect view of his veins all over his hands and up his forearms.

all the feelings i had for him? they're still here.

but our eye contact breaks when a girl walks over to him and wants help to put the plates on the table.

oh.

of course he has a girlfriend. he's kind of amazing.

i look back at sophia and see that she has watched that whole interaction, if you can even call it that.

she looks at me and i look down at the floor.

"daphne. it's been so long!" sophia's mom says and hugs me.

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sophia and i decided to sit in the living room upstairs and just chat for a bit while drinking some wine.

"i feel so bad for missing out on so much info." she pouts.

"oh don't worry about it." i wave a hand.

"no but, we used to tell each other everything as soon as it happened." she shakes her head and chuckles a bit.

"things have changed i guess. even aiden did." i say without thinking.

"aiden?" she asks.

"i mean, he has a girlfriend now and all." i shrug.

"girlfriend? where did you get that from?" she asks.

"the girl at dinner?"

"oh that's my old roommate. they'd never date."

"really?"

"yeah. she'd be more interested in you actually." she says and i raise my eyebrows.

"oh." i nod and she laughs.

"she's bi but aiden is not her type." she shrugs.

"i'm gonna get another bottle, i'll be right back." she says and leaves me.

i pull the blanket tighter around me and look at the sky outside of the window. it's completely dark, only a few stars painting the sky.

then i feel his presence and when i turn around he's standing there. unsure if he wants to sit next to me.

i give him a small smile and that seems to be enough for him to take a seat.

"it's...been a while." he says and i chuckle.

"you could say that." i nod and look at him.

he looks like he wants to say something.

"are you seeing someone then?" he asks.

"oh, no. i haven't since..." i trail off.

"me neither." he mumbles.

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it's the last day here and i decided to take a night train back.

i'm packing up my bags in the car when i hear someone yell my name.

"daph." aiden says loudly and i look at him confused.

"what are you doing here? we said goodbye earlier."

"well i don't want to say goodbye." he shrugs.

"fine, whatever." i scoff.

he's still so rude.

"i'm gonna do something i've regretted everyday these past five years for not doing."

i furrow my eyebrows.

he grabs my cheeks and gives me a deep kiss and suddenly my breath is taken away and my body is melting.

i hold on to his biceps and kiss him back. he pulls me closer and circle his arms around my waist. i place one hand on his shoulder and the other on the back of his head, playing with his hair.

"i've been wanting this for so long." he breathes out.

"me too." i smile and he raises his eyebrows.

"you're telling me you've liked me back all this time?" he asks and i give a shy smile.

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