Interrupted Heart

26 | TURNED TABLES

"I thought that you'd be fine with me dating someone that was so close to you." I said to Ace whilst he watched me from his gaming chair.

"Close? I'm not close to anyone but the people that live here." Ace responded.

"So, you have no close friends except Gina, Tyson and I? Oh, wait sorry. Is your hand included in that list?" I joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

Ace threw me a bored expression.

"You know that I don't need to use my hand." He bragged referring to a certain girl, Leslie. He would have her over whenever Gina had a night out.

"Wait until Gina finds out and whoops your ass." That would be a sight to see. A grown man being chased down by his own mother. I smiled although the feeling of jealousy that I had when he was with her lingered on my chest.

"I'm grown. She's not whooping nothing."

"Until you move out, you're never going to be grown. This is your mum's house." Ace waved me off and turned his attention back to the army themed game on the television screen.

"So, when Tyson and I move out next month what will you do then? You'll have to get some real friends."

"Nope. I'll just move in with you guys so that I don't have to worry about being caught doing my thing with whoever I want." Ace smiled widely at me and I looked away rolling my eyes. Tyson and I were moving into the house that our Dad had left for him but Tyson had put my name on it also. Although we could have settled in years ago, we decided to rent it out to get some money in the bank. There was no point in having a house and not being able to maintain it. My administrative assistant position cheque and Tyson's little jobs here and there wouldn't go very far considering the maintenance value that was required.

"Whatever. Not in my house you're not."

"Why? You planning on putting the loving on Shae?" Ace said in an immature tone.

I ignored him continuing to dry my hair from my cross-legged position on the itchy carpet.

If Ace's voice of concern was coming from a 'brotherly' place then I was appreciative. If it was because he was jealous that was just confusing. I had forced the feelings that had developed for my best friend to the back of my existence for the sake of our relationship and those others around us. He had no problem flouncing girls in front of me; showing me that he could get anyone that he wanted. Now it was my turn to have a romantic relationship, my first one at that, and he was acting up.

Shae was scheduled to pick me up in about an hour and my anxiety multiplied just thinking about it. Ace was still in the background muttering continuing to do everything to wind me up further.

It took a lot in me to agree to a date with Shae in the first place because all that I had known was men mistreating women in some way. Sleeping with them, ghosting, trash talking them, that's all that I'd seen. Don't get me wrong, Ace had shown me what a real gentleman was supposed to be like but he didn't want to get in between my legs.

But you want him there right?

Not anymore.

Keep telling yourself that. Wait, keep telling me that.

The only near perfect relationships were the ones that you saw through soap operas or from celebrities showing you what they want you to see. Even then it's not 100% real or sublime.