Page 91 of Friend Zoned

Neither one of us says a word until we get inside the safety of his townhouse. He helps me with my jacket, and I go into the kitchen for a bottle of his expensive spring water.

The Walshes are royalty in my line of work. The closest I ever came before today was when I saw the back of Katherine’s head last year when she was at the Pierre for a lunch meeting. The entire hotel was buzzing in anticipation.

I can hear him on the phone now talking about work. I put both hands to my temples and rub. Five minutes later, while I’m on my second bottle of water, he strolls in. He leans in to kiss my cheek, but I move out of his way. He sighs, and just when I think he’s going to step away, he quickly kisses my other cheek. He walks to the fridge and grabs water for himself.

“I’m already hungry. That meal Katherine made was not enough, and the spinach was undercooked. Not to mention, it was way too salty. What do you think about making us some—"

I interrupt him before he can finish and say, “How could you blindside me like that, Aiden? How could you do that to me?” I stand from my chair, ready for a fight. His back is still to me, but I can see him stiffen right before he turns around.

“I told you who I was. I told you where we were going. You chose not to believe me, and that’s not my fault.” He puts down his bottle of water with more force than necessary. “I told you exactly where we were going today.”

I go and stand directly in front of him. “Don’t give me that shit, Aid. You made it seem like a big joke every time it was brought up. You didn’t want me to know. Just admit it.”

“I didn’t want you to know? It’s available information, Jeannie. You found it today in a matter of minutes. Maybe the truth is, you didn’t want to know.”

“Don’t try to gaslight me,” I warn. “I did look you up, but I—”

“You what? And so, what? Who cares? I didn’t pick my family.”

“You’ve put me in an impossible situation.”

“How the hell did I do that?” he practically roars. I almost take a step back.

“I work for your family. God, you’re so out of touch. Get a damn clue,” I hiss. “And soon, I’ll be working for you.” I cross my arms and give him the side eye.

“Fine. I won’t take the damn job if it’s going to be a problem. I’d rather have you.”

“I’m not asking you to give up your job, Mr. Heir Apparent,” I say, throwing back the words he said to me the first night we met. “I already told you that I think it’s best if I start looking for another job. This is just another reason for me to do that. If I stay and things between us don’t work out, then—”

“Now, you’re starting to piss me off,” he hisses, taking a step closer to me. “You said you wouldn’t bring your past into this relationship, so don’t you dare do it now. And why the hell are you acting so uncomfortable because I have money? You’ve always known I have money. There are no poor professional coaches in any league.”

I turn my back on him and say, “Yeah, I’ve always known, but—” I stop talking.

“But what?” He stands behind me and puts both hands on my shoulders.

I turn and look into his eyes. “I thought you were the pull yourself up by your bootstraps rich. You made it on your own, not a trust fund baby who has no idea how most of us live. I feel so stupid talking to you about flying on budget airlines and staying in dive motels. I thought you understood all that. That you understoodme.”

He exhales a deep breath and runs a hand through his hair. “Anything else?” he asks, his voice void of any emotion. “Let me know when you’re done so I can apologize for being born into my family. Of course, I had a choice in that,” he grinds out. Some color creeps up his neck and face.

“That’s not what I mean.”

“And let’s go back to the night we met. You remember, right? You were the girl dressed like a grieving widow sitting at a table reading a book at a wedding reception. What would have happened if I whipped out my phone and showed you some random family photos of us?” He arches an eyebrow as he waits for me to answer, but I purse my lips shut. “I’ll tell you what would have happened. You would have shut down on me and gone back to your book, and we,” he says, gesturing between the two of us, “would have missed out on all of this. I’m glad things happened the way they did because I’m madly in love with you, Jeannie, and I hate even thinking of a time in my life when you weren’t a part of it.” He takes both my hands and brings them to his lips.

“You were dishonest. You laughed along with me every single time, and you just blindsided me today.”

“How the hell can I be dishonest about something that’s only a few clicks away? How? I’m a public figure and have been for almost twenty years.” He drops my hands and walks away. “This is ridiculous. I don’t know what else to say.”

“This is my career, Aiden. I went and got a master’s degree so I could get to where I am in the company. What if things between us don’t work out? How can I possibly continue to work for—”

He holds his hand up, and for the first time since we started this argument, his eyes darken. He slams his hand on the kitchen island, causing me to take a small jump back. He approaches me, taking slow steps.

“If things don’t work out? Are you going to walk out on me over this bullshit?” He stops his advance, but he points a finger at me. My heart drops at the very idea. I get a bad taste in my mouth as I look around the house. I love this man, and I love this house. I know it’s not mine, and I’d never admit this, but I’ve been picturing this as my home for the past week. He’s let me have complete access to everything, and I hate the idea of having to leave.

“No,” I tell him. “Of course not.”

He finally closes the space between us and puts both his large palms on me. “Then I say this with all the love I have for you, Jeannie. This is the dumbest fight in the history of coupledom.”

I push his hands off. “My feelings are not dumb,” I tell him before I start to walk away. His hand takes my elbow and he pulls me back to him. He turns me around so I can face him.

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