Pages of You

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Adeline was in a mood today. I kept asking her what was bothering her, and she just kept dismissing my question with a wave of her hand like she usually does or would walk away, grumbling something.

We've both been sitting at the dining table, the most silence I've ever experienced with her. I sighed exasperatedly and dropped my phone on the table to look at her. I leaned against the chair and crossed my arms, "Spill."

Her jaw tightened. "There's nothing to spill."

I narrowed my eyes at her skeptically, "Is this because Ethan's coming over? I told you to stay and hang out with us."

A brow twitched, "No," She said, her voice high as she forced a laugh and shook her head. "I'm good. You two have fun, though."

I stared at my friend, noticing the pursed lips, the cool expression, her body locked up, and those cheeks growing pink by the second.

Oh, shit.

I exhaled roughly, my body relaxing at the realization. Only for it to tense up again as I rounded at her, "You like him!"

Her head clocked back as if I just punched her in the face with the truth. She opened her mouth and then closed them, shaking her head. She started laughing, her head shaking and becoming more jerky. "What? No. Rosie, no. We had a thing last summer, but it was so fleeting, it was nothing."

I continued looking at her, a little thrown off by this side of her. I sighed, reaching forward and grasping her hand. "What happened?" I gently asked, "Clearly, his coming over makes you uncomfortable. I'll tell him no."

"No, no," Adeline sighed after a few seconds. "I'm sorry. I'm stressed at work and didn't mean to bring it home. Go out with Ethan –"

"We're not going out." I reassured her, "He's just a new friend I don't mind hanging out with."

Adeline regarded me for a bit before nodding stiffly. "Okay. I don't think Chiron would be happy if you dated Ethan."

I burst out laughing, surprising even myself. "What? He wouldn't care who I date." I thought about that briefly before grimacing, "Wait, never mind. He would care if the guy is an asshole. Ethan doesn't seem like one, is he?"

"No," Adeline murmured, taking the ends of her hair and absently playing with it. "He's not. He's one of the good ones." She suddenly frowned and looked at me with a weird expression.

"What?" I asked, feeling nervous with that look of clarity now on her face.

"You're not doing this to make him jealous, are you?" Adeline said, her voice coming across as accusing.

I gawked at her, feeling both insulted and angry that she even thought of that. "Dude, what the fuck? Do you mean Chiron? No!"

Adeline quirked an eyebrow, lifting her chin and staring down, challenging me.

I glared at her, wanting nothing more than to shake her silly.

"No." I firmly repeated.

She continued to study me. After a few seconds, the aggression on her face melted as her gaze dropped to the table's surface. She took a deep breath and looked up at me again, a look of understanding flooding her features. She smiled knowingly, "Babe, it's okay to be in love with your best friend."

My heart raced, causing me to tense up as I gaped at her accusation. I scoffed, "I'm not in love with my best friend. I can't."

Adeline's confusion fluttered her face. "What do you mean you can't?"