Frenemies? Or Something More?: a Blake Gray Fanfiction *completed*

17

"If I tell you something, you have to promise me that you won't say anything," Jaden said, looking at Blake again. Blake and Isaac were deep in conversation as Isaac tattooed him.
I nodded. "Okay, what is it?"
"Blake has liked you for, like, forever. Your manager didn't get that idea all on his own."
"W-what are you trying to say to me, Jaden?" I stammered.
Jaden looked at Blake yet again. "The 'publicity stunt' was all Blake's idea. He told Sean to make it seem like it was his idea instead."
I chuckled. "That was good. I liked that."
"I'm not joking. When we asked if he knew anyone else in LA when he moved into Sway, you were the only person that he would talk about. Apparently, he's had a crush on you since you guys met in kindergarten."
I buried my face in my hands. "Why kiss Amelie then? Things were going really well for us."
Jaden shrugged. "I'm telling you, I think he was just scared, and then Amelie was there. I don't really know. He's the only one that knows for sure."
I was skeptical. "I don't know, Jaden. It feels weird. Are you sure?"
Jaden looked up and gestured to Blake. "Looks like he's just about done, so why don't you ask him?"

I looked up to see Blake walking towards us. He and Jaden switched spots, and suddenly, I was very uncomfortable. "Can we talk now? I don't want to wait," I said.
He tried to put his hand in mine, and I pulled away. "Okay, yeah. Let's talk."
"Can we just walk through everything that happened yesterday? From the very beginning. I need to make all of this make sense."
Blake nodded. "Do you want to start?"
"Okay, I woke up to a phone call from Sean. He was pissed about my interview. I went to his office to meet with him, and I had to wait because he was with new clients. I watched Tucker and Amelie walk out of his office. Tucker pretended to not know that Sean was my manager, and Amelie had something to say about my interview the night before."
Blake nodded again, and I sighed. "Sean and I drafted a plan for my apology, and when I came out, you were waiting. When you went into his office, I talked to Lindsey, and she was kind of short with me. I tried not to let it get to me, so I went home and wrote my apology. When I was done, I got ready for our date. When I got to Saddle Ranch, I talked to Fletcher, and I told him that I was heading inside to meet with you guys. That was when I saw you and Amelie."

Blake looked stressed. "Alright, so I also woke up to a call from Sean. He was pissed that I didn't keep a better eye on you. He told me that the whole point of us doing this publicity stunt was for both of us to look better, not for us to ruin each other's reputations."
I sighed, but I didn't dare interrupt. "The rest of my day was pretty uneventful. I got to Saddle Ranch with Bryce and Addison, and I headed to the bathroom, and when I came out, I bumped into Amelie. Our breakup wasn't overly hateful, so I stopped to talk to her for a little bit. She asked how I felt about your reaction to Tucker. I told her that it didn't bother me, because I knew that there were no feelings left there, except for hurt. She took that opportunity to kiss me."
His words were painful, and they cut into my heart like a knife. "I don't know why I didn't pull away. Everything about being around you turns me into a pit of nerves, and I think that I just got caught up in being nervous. There's really no excuse, and truthfully, I'm so, so sorry."

I sighed again. "How would you have felt if we were meeting for a date, and you walked into the restaurant to see me kissing Tucker?"
It was Blake's turn to sigh. "I know. I'm sorry."
"Answer the question."
"I would be devastated. We were really getting to be something real."
"Yeah, we were, and now, I don't know if I can trust you enough for that. We should probably just go back to the original plan. An actual relationship is obviously not going well for us right now."
Blake's face fell as he processed my words. "Please, Tiffany. Don't say that. I only want you. I think that it's only ever been you."
Tears stung my eyes. "I know. I only want you, too, but until we can work out the trust issues that I have now, I don't think that we should be a couple."

I sighed in relief as I saw Jaden stand up and head over to the counter with Isaac. "Come on. We need to pay so that we can leave."
Blake stood up, a blank look on his face. I felt bad for breaking him like that, but he hurt me first. I was doing what I needed to do to protect myself from the pain, right?
"Make sure that you guys tag me when you post any pictures. Come back whenever. You guys are all so much fun to work with," Isaac said, handing us each a card with care instructions on it. 

Jaden and Blake walked ahead of me as we headed to Jaden's car. "Are you guys hungry? I could use some lunch," Jaden said, putting the keys in the ignition. I nodded softly, and Jaden pulled into a McDonald's drive-thru. "What do you want, Tiffany?"
"Can I get a ten-piece nugget with honey mustard? I have cash."
"It's on me. Blake?"
I zoned out as Blake gave him his order. When we got our food, Jaden drove to a park that looked vaguely familiar. "Hey, you brought me here on our first date, didn't you?" I asked Blake. 
He looked as if I had just stabbed him as he nodded softly.