Roller Coaster

5: Caught in the Act

For the second time, she opened her eyes. With a disappointed wince, she tilted her head to greet a worried Francis. He was poking her cheek with an annoying index finger.

"Holy immaculate cow, dude!" Aidan scrambled to cover herself with a blanket. She couldn't find it. Although Francis was no stranger to her room, it was pretty embarrassing to find him observing her while she slept. Had she writhed and moaned the way she had in her dreams?

"If you're looking for your security blanket, it's on you." It was as if Francis was reading her mind.

Did he see her dreams too? What else did he know?

She clutched the blanket over her head and whined. "Didn't your mother teach you not to enter a girl's room?" she indignantly asked. It had been great to wake up with him by her side when she had ex-boyfriend nightmares. These days, it just felt awkward to have him around.

When she and Jeffrey broke up, Francis visited her daily. He brought her teddy bears every single day. Oddly enough, the teddy bears weren't for her to cuddle. He encouraged her to rip them apart to release her anger. About seven teddy bears later, she was glowing like a serial killer on the hunt for her next prey. It was absurd, but it worked. Eventually, Francis gained Mrs. Domingo's approval.

They never dated though. Aidan didn't want him to be the rebound guy, while Francis patiently waited for her heart to heal. A few years later, they were still stuck in the same relationship limbo where best friends were just stuck as best friends and sparks die out before they even start.

Francis was like the fateful sidekick every girl wanted but never dated. Of course, if clichés did happen, then perhaps this was their story to tell.

She felt something hot pressed on her arm. When she lowered the blanket, she smelled the sweet scent of instant coffee—with milk. She got up to reach out for the cup of caffeine overload.

Her fingers barely grazed the cup before he pulled it off her grasp. "What happened last night?"

Aidan felt her throat constrict the moment he asked the question. How much did Francis know? "Wh—wha—what do you mean?" Something was bothering her, and a part of her wanted to keep that tidbit her own little secret.

"You're stuttering, young lady. Don't wha—wha—what me." He scolded her playfully, setting down the mug on the floor.

Was it just her? Or was the room getting hotter? The scent of coffee always made her perky in the morning. Today, however, it was making her nerves jump out of her skin. What was I so worked up about anyway? She could feel a single bead of sweat trickle down her neck. Was it because I might have been caught red-handed? A choking cough threatened to escape her lips. Oh shoot, was I moaning in my sleep? It felt like she was under the spotlight, the lamp burning brightly to expose her true self.

The worst kind of interrogation is the type where the interrogator knew exactly how she'd react. Her entire body wanted to shrivel and shrink back into her thick Barney blanket.

In a subconscious act of retreat, she found herself sliding away from her best friend's grasp.

"Aidan." Francis raised an eyebrow, his voice filled with suspicion. "I'm not stupid." He scooted closer to the edge of the bed where her head laid.

Aidan rolled on one side to keep Francis from seeing her blushing face. Her heart beat a million times per second. She was burning calories just lying down. "It's nothing."

"You can say that to your mom, but you can't keep it from me." He stood up with his hands on his waist.

Interrogation sucks. "You're not my mom!" It was the least intelligent thing to say, but it worked.

Francis made a frown and changed his tone. "I'm leaving for church. Would you like to come?" He did not try to hide his disappointment to her though. She could sense that she let her best friend down.

"I'll pass this time, Boo." And no, that wasn't their term of endearment either. Boo was short for Boo-boo, Yogi Bear's partner-in-crime. She was Yogi Bear, the famous picnic basket thief whose cartoons dominated the 1990s.

With a frustrated shrug, he simply nodded and left the room.

Wow, he's not in a good mood today. Of course, she knew why. She was keeping a secret, and he caught her in the act.

Note: Hahahaha. I know. This chapter was short. I didn't think it would have been good to prolong the agony anyway. Francis is what he is. He's a very patient guy with a heart that's made of steel for the girl of his dreams.

If you enjoyed this chapter, please continue reading Roller Coaster.  I'd also appreciate it if you could vote, star, and/or comment.