Always With You - A Best Friends To Lovers Novel

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Bowie

The frat house was just as I had imagined it to be. It was a white, colonial house, and a big garden in front of it.

My hand was loosely holding on to River's and I wondered if it seemed as if we were a couple. I secretly wished it were so, but I knew the second we stepped inside the house, he would let go of my hand again.

It bothered me a little, but to River, I was just his childhood friend. Nothing more, and that was okay. It had to be okay. Ruining this friendship would ruin me. And him.

"I'm SO excited!" Whitley squealed, clapping her hands, and then pulling Aiden toward the front door.

River chuckled next to me. "Every girl in there will hate her tomorrow," he joked, but that wasn't too far from it being a possibility. In high school, girls envied Whitley for her long, beautiful golden locks and slim body. Her bubbly personality was either annoying or loved by many. Her personality changed from individual to individual. Not everyone felt the same about her, and she most certainly didn't feel the same about everyone else.

I was neutral when it came to other people. If they wanted to talk to me, I would be open to it. But if they kept their distance, I would too. I had my two best friends, and I didn't need any more than that, to be honest.

"Come on," he nudged my side, then pulled me to the entrance of the big house. Instead of letting go of my hand as I imagined, he tightened his grip around it and pulled me closer to him while pushing through the crowd.

"There they are," he announced, wrapping his arms around me from behind and leading me into Whitley and Aiden's direction. Whitley was already holding a red solo cup in her hand, and Aiden was watching her, amused.

"She can hold her alcohol. But you'll be the one carrying her back to her apartment," River grinned, and I leaned back against his hard chest, smiling at Whitley.

"I don't mind," Whitley said, winking at Aiden and filling her cup with some drink. She was eighteen, just like me, but she didn't care about the rules. She just wanted to have fun.

"Want a beer?" River whispered into my ear. Over the loud music, it wasn't easy to fully understand the people in the room. Aiden was talking to Whitley, also leaned in close to her so she would understand him.

I turned my head to River, our lips almost touching. "A coke is just fine for now," I told him, and a smile touched his lips. He planted a kiss to the corner of my mouth, which took me back to all those nights he did just that, trying to get as close as possible without actually kissing my lips. That wasn't the only thing he did to tease me. His thumb often brushed the underside of my breasts when we were cuddled up in bed. Not sure if he did that on purpose, but I liked it, and sometimes I wished he would move his hand upward to cup them.

He never did, always respecting our friendship.

He let go of his embrace and stepped next to me to reach for a can of coke in a bucket filled with ice and other non-alcoholic drinks. He opened it for me, then held it out for me to take it. I did, taking one sip and watching him grab a can of beer from another bucket.

"Keep an eye on her," I heard River tell Aiden loudly, pointing at Whitley who was already disappearing into the crowd. Aiden nodded, quickly following her.

"Do you think he likes her too?" I asked, leaning into River so he could hear me. He shrugged, turning away from the counter, and leaning against it to face me.

"He's never taken a girl back to the apartment. I've seen him talk to girls, but he never made a move."

That seemed a bit odd. Aiden was a handsome guy, and the first time I saw him I wondered how many girls he had slept with already, and how long it would take for him to get Whitley into bed. But now, it was up to Whitley to try and get him to bed.

I nodded at his response, turning away from him, and looking around the room. Everyone was having fun, and I watched the people talking to each other. Some were already drunk, and others were amused by their intoxicated friends. It was amusing, but I never had the attention to get that hammered. I didn't wanna pass out and miss out on things. Or wake up in the morning and not remember what I did the night before.

"You should see the backyard!" Whitley appeared in front of me, and I heavily breathing Aiden stepped behind her, his eyes widening at River. He was exhausted from chasing Whitley around for those five minutes we've been here.

"They have a huge pool and a freaking DJ booth!" Her eyes were wide and full of excitement, and I chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Promise me you won't take off your shirt and jump into the water?" I asked, knowing that I just gave her an idea.

"I wanna see that," River said amused, but I knew he wasn't saying that to see her tits. He liked watching Whitley do stupid things like that.

"Me too," Aiden said, surprising me. I laughed, shaking my head. "Please don't," I told Whitley, but she shrugged and turned back around. "Come on!" she demanded, and River put his arm around my shoulders to walk me through the crowd, following Whit and Aiden outside.

As we stepped outside, the music got louder and the crowd wilder. There were a lot more people out here, and I felt River move closer to me to protect me from getting pushed by inattentive dancers.

"That table is free," Aiden told us, pointing to the other side of the garden where some tables you would find at bars were set up. We followed him there, and I had to pull Whitley away from the pool before she accidentally fell inside and created a scene.

Not one minute after we settled at the table, a shrieking voice rang through my ears. "River-bear!" A very tall and slim, bleach blonde-haired girl walked towards us, throwing her arms around River, and kissing his cheek.

"Oh, boy," Aiden sighed, turning away slightly, and taking another sip of his beer. I watched both of them carefully, wishing I didn't have that unsettling and jealous feeling in my stomach.

"Loren, hey," River said, sounding rather amused than annoyed. "Lovely to see you here."

"I told you I would come by, silly," she laughed, punching him jokingly against his chest. I decided I had seen enough already, so I turned toward the dancing crowd and watched them move to the rhythm of the song.

"Bowie," River called out to me, but I was hesitant to turn back around and watch that fake blonde flirting with him.

"Bowie," he repeated, and I finally turned to see Loren stand there, leaning against his side and her head on his shoulder. He looked very comfortable with it, and I had to remind myself that River was my friend. Nothing. More.

I smiled at Loren, knowing that smile didn't meet my eyes. "Hello," I said to Loren, and surprisingly enough, her smile wasn't fake. "Nice to meet you! You must be the girl in that picture that hangs above River's bed. How cute. I wish I had a friendship like you guys do," she pouted, turning her head to look up at River.

I looked at him too, now noticing his left hand wrapped around her waist. For some reason, all the feelings I felt today, having him close after months of not seeing each other vanished. Friends, I thought.

"Yeah, we are...very close friends," I said, my voice breaking at the end.

"Bullshit," Whitley said, crashing this lovely conversation I was having with Loren, who, if I heard correctly, called River "River-bear". Ugh!

"What they have for each other is called unconditional love. Now, I don't know how many times River took you to bed, but tonight, and every night from now on, Bowie will be the only girl sleeping in there with him."

Loren was, just like me, shook. There were moments in which I appreciated her unfiltered mouth, and then there were moments in which I wanted to duct-tape her up and stop her from saying another word.

But in this situation, I would've given her a trophy for best wing woman and best friend if I had one with me. She must've seen the way I looked at River. But then, it was easy to for her to know that what I felt for River was more than just friendship.