Best Friends With Benefits

Chapter Twenty Four

I blinked twice before the situation finally sunk in. I began walking faster and was soon jogging, Aiden hadn't noticed me yet which was just as well because I knew that if he had he would start running and then I could never out beat him. Gale was looking straight at me and as I jogged I motioned for him to walk in my direction and he did so, closing the distance between us. Aiden noticed me and stopped in his tracks I reached Gale and threw  my arms around his neck and he lifted me off the ground, with Aiden still behind him I threw him a death glare and he clenched his fists walking into school and out of sight.

"Hey" Gale purred in my ear. "Someone couldn't wait to see me" He laughed as he placed me down.

"I just saved your face from Aiden's fist" I corrected as I fixed my bag and checked the school entrance for Aiden but he wasn't there.

"I haven't seen him this morning?" Gale turned and looked at me confused.

"He was walking this way a minute ago but I beat him to it" I fluffed Gale's hair and he smiled. I knew this wasn't a real relationship but I couldn't help but feel there was a connection. I wasn't sure if it was because I was wishing and remembering Gale as Aiden or something different. Either way I was still enjoying Aiden's jealousy. Gale wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we strolled into school and Aiden was nowhere to be seen which was thankful for Gale's safety but disappointing for me. I hugged Gale goodbye and entered class.

Time was nauseatingly slow as I waited for lunch to arrive. I replayed Gale and I meeting and how quickly this plan had fallen into place, was it weird? For all I knew Gale could be a psycho and I wouldn't even know, I came to the decision that even though I didn't need to, I would get to know Gale better. Lunch finally came and I knew that there was no chance in hell that Aiden was going to sit with us so I wandered to the tree meeting Alex there. She greeted me with a tight hug and an excited expression.

"Aiden was fuming this morning, I saw him punch his locker, did you two argue or something?" She was gripping my hand so tight and bobbing, Alex was defiantly one to do anything to receive gossip.  My heart skipped a beat hearing that Aiden punched his locker, it was good to know that he wasn't just acting angry in front of me.

"He's annoyed because I have someone new" Alex's face lit up and a squeal escaped her mouth.

"Who, who, who, who, who?" She pulled me to the ground and began sipping on her drink through a straw, rather aggressively.

"Gale" I smiled at his name without control and I watched Alex's expression change from excited to pure thrill as she was staring at something behind me, before I had the chance to turn around I was in the air and warm hands were easily lifting me above the ground. They were muscled arms and a tattoo peeking out of one of the sleeves immediately allowed me to identify my capturer as Gale. He placed me down as I kicked and wriggled and held me in his grip, my head resting on his chest.

"Is Aiden around?" He asked and I looked under his arm to see Aiden exiting the school and heading onto the field, somewhat in this direction but hadn't noticed us yet.

"Yeah, heading this way now" I confirmed and Gale continued to hold me. I tried not to look for too long and when Aiden began to near I looked up into Gales crystal eyes. He reflected a devious look and a glint in them suggested his next actions. He flung me into the air and caught me again and I wrapped my legs around his chest as he held me up, I was now above him looking down and Aiden now several metres away snapped his head towards us as he heard me squeal and I saw his chest tense as our eyes connected and his step became heavier with frustration. The feeling was exhilarating and I was actually enjoying it. Aiden continued to walk in the direction of his friends and one girl approached him, resting an arm around his waist and he shrugged her off showing no interest. The girl followed him but Aiden didn't pay her any attention which was a first since recently he had been paying them plenty of attention. He was in a bad mood and I loved it. I spent the next minute resting my forehead onto Gale's incase Aiden decided to turn around but at one moment I forgot what I was doing and was just staring down at Gale.  I was having the urge to kiss him and the attraction was strong, I didn't know if he was feeling it too but before I could process the thoughts I was put down. Gale pecked the top of my head and before he turned to walk away whispered "I'll see you in the car lot later". His breath was warm and seductive and my heart was beating quickly.  

He disappeared and the moment was over too soon. I already missed him, Aiden was gone also, lost among the crowd of popularity. Alex had gone over to talk to Max and instead of standing on my own I approached them. "I see you have new candy" Max sung as I reached them and Alex pushed his arm playfully then returned her eyes to me.

"How did you land such a gorgeous hunk" Her voice was as if she was in a daydream.

"It's not a proper relationship guys" I froze when the information slipped. I could trust Alex to keep a secret but could I trust Max, probably not but it was too late now.

"What do you mean?" Max asked.

"Well, we're just friends" I managed to dig myself out of the metaphorical hole and now they believed me again.

"Friends with benefits" Max scoffed as he turned to look behind him and my heart dropped to the ground at the mention of it. Aiden and I were friends with benefits and no-one would ever replace what we had. I was never going to have another 'friends with benefits' relationship because they only ended in someone getting hurt, in my case it was me. Alex also realised the mistake and shoved him full force this time and he stumbled away. "Hey!" He yelled and she shooed him away without a word.

"He didn't mean that, nothing will be like your relationship with Aiden, they will be better" I admired her for trying to make me feel better but all I wanted to do more than anything was to cry. Cry at the memories, the past and the present and probably sob a bit about the future as well as they were all pointless and unreachable.  Of course I didn't want a relationship repeat of the one between Aiden and I, surely that was understandable, but there was still a part of me that would visit that relationship again. I wanted to feel Aiden's love again. The more I thought about it the more I questioned did I want Aiden back? Not how he was now for sure but like the past, of course. Then there was Gale, hot, irresistible, confused-on-why-he-decided-to-help-me Gale.  

I spent the remainder of the day weighing up the positives and negatives of Aiden and Gale, so far there were no negatives for Gale which made me realise I didn't particularly know him. The boy, who lifted me flirtingly into the air on the field and whispered in my ear even though he knew Aiden had gone. When the final bell rang I couldn't stop my feet from moving swiftly to the car park. I was overly excited to see Gale, to spend the day with him, when I got there I had no idea which car was his so spent at least 10 minutes looking like an absolute idiot wandering aimlessly around until a warm hand rested on my lower back, I spun around to bump into Gale's hard chest where he laughed and guided me to his car, a green Land Rover was surprisingly comfortable and smelt of Gale's aftershave. I had no idea where he was taking me but I was in no rush to object.