"What do you mean by 'together', exactly?" Will asked, walking with me to class. "Are you two – what like – dating?"
"I... don't know. We haven't really discussed that far." I pulled the building door wide and let him go in first, his bag slanting his shoulder.
"Hang on," He stopped unexpectedly. "So, what happened after?"
I smiled and continued to walk by his side.
"We got food."
"That's it? I don't get any details or gossip?" He scoffed, "And here I was thinking girls gossiped about everything." He tried to seem serious, but the enjoyment on his face betrayed him.
"There is nothing to gossip about." I shrugged, seeing the corners of my mouth tug up in the reflection of the window.
"What was that? Is that a smirk?" He analyzed my face, laughing. "Well. Now, I really have to know what happened."
"We're going to be late." I snickered. "Besides, I thought you didn't care about these sorts of things."
"That guy has always been the biggest stick up my ass, but apparently, he's doing something right with you. Can you blame me for being at least a little curious?" He didn't wait for my response before confidently nodding, "That's right. No."
We entered the large auditorium with grey chairs and desks in front of them, choosing the seats closest to the aisle as we usually did.
I anticipated Will to move on from the subject of my love life when we both opened our laptops. I was mistaken. He continued to bombard me with questions as if it was suddenly his favorite topic.
At this rate, he was looking more enthusiastic about going on a date with Aiden than me.
When I was finally able to get him to be quiet about his newfound interest, Professor Lynn walked in and began her lesson, strict and forthcoming.
We listened to her speak, taking notes, making lists, and panicking on the inside when she mentioned exams. Even if they were still a while away, the mention of a test was enough to make everyone in this room shift uncomfortably.
"I would rather lick an old toilet seat than do a test on English." Will whinged, his tone carrying worry.
"That's disgusting," I chuckled, covering my mouth so I wouldn't gather any unwanted attention.
"But I'd do it!" He raised his brows. "I can't wait to finish college."
"You'll do fine. I know you will."
"Says the genius in the class." He rolled his eyes.
When all of my lessons were finished and I had the rest of the day free, I went back to the coffee shop to see Will again after he'd left.
Aiden was the first to welcome me with his charming and animated smile. However, he wasn't thrilled to learn that his original plan to spend the day with me would be derailed and that he would instead spend it with a third party - especially one with whom he didn't get along very well.
"Can't he study on his own?" Aiden winced as he saw Will sitting at one of the tables from outside.
"There is no fun in studying alone." I contended.
"I do it."
"And how much fun do you have doing that?" I raised a brow.
"More than I'm going to have here, that's for sure." He muttered.
"Come on, there has to be something you like about Will." I encouraged him.
He turned to me, eyebrows knitted together. "You want to know what I like about William? Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
I sighed.
Will wasn't exactly enthusiastic either when he found out we'd all be hanging out together. In fact, he rolled his eyes the same way Aiden had done just now.
Will raised his head and cleared the table from his messy papers so I could sit. He bunched them all where Aiden would then take his seat. "Emma!"
"You know what, I think I'll go get the beverages." Aiden sneered.
"You'll finally be useful for once," Will said with a bright, mocking smile.
"What was that?" Aiden placed his hand to his ear sarcastically.
"Nothing, dear." Will squinted his eyes, watching as Aiden stepped away. "What?" He extended his hands defensively when he saw the look I was giving him.
"I know it would be too much to expect you to get along with him, which is why I'm not asking you. But, please..."
"Is he joining us on all our study sessions?" He rolled his eyes once more. "Alright. Fine. I'll keep my crippling anger to a minimum."
I nodded and sat closer to him, opening my notes and beginning our custom routine.
Aiden placed three mugs on the dark wooden table, sliding one to each of us. "Two black coffees and one latte."
Will opened the lid of his cup, over-examining its contents as if it was poison.
"Did you spit in it?" He asked, glaring at Aiden.
"Would you like me to?" Aiden glared back with equal intensity.
"Guys..." I voiced.
"I still don't understand why we have to waste time on you first." Aiden scoffed.
"Best friend privileges," Will smirked, purposefully annoying him.
"Boy, I can't wait to hurt you one day." Aiden shook his head, sitting back in his chair and taking out his own laptop.
As much as I wanted them both to get along, I knew that accepting the possibility of that not happening was a more viable option. I wasn't waiting for Will to forgive Aiden after what he did, but I did expect them to respect one another for the sake of making things easier.
And while Will and I began our activities, Aiden received a phone call and excused himself politely. He seemed uneasy or perhaps worried, but I didn't dwell on it for long.
By the time he came back, Will had left for the day and I was packing up what remained of my books and pages. Aiden came over, sliding his phone in his back pocket in order to help.
"Is everything okay?" I asked him, taking notice of his wandering eyes.
"Yeah. I'm fine." He nodded. "So, William decided to finally leave?"
"Yes. He did."
Aiden leaned on one of the chairs, the muscles in his arms becoming evident. "Is it important to you that I get along with him?"
I gathered all the napkins in one hand and squeezed them.
"Will is a good friend of mine, Aiden. Probably the only good one I've ever had. And he's not leaving." I exhaled. "I'm not asking you to get along, but I am asking you to bear one another. Can you do that?"
His pearl teeth complemented his dimples in an adorable pouty smile that stood out against the dreary colors of the café. "I can do that."
"Thank you."
"Do I get my time with you now, or do I have to share it with another buddy of yours?"
"Don't start getting jealous on me, now."
He cocked his head back as if offended. "I don't get jealous... Often."
"Come on, Pinocchio." I laughed as we exited the coffee shop and entered the chilly night.
"I hate Pinocchio."
"You hate everything."
He caught my arm and tugged me toward his firm chest, placing a soft and tender kiss on my smiling lips. I lingered, kissing him again. He was warm and sweet and all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around his neck and hold him.
But when I did wrap my arms around him, he seized my hands and stopped me.
"Emma..." He shied away from me, disappointed. "We talked about this."
For a single minute, I was confused as to why he pulled away. Then, I understood.
"No... No, I'm sorry. I should have realized... I didn't mean to."
"I know." He nodded gently, kissing me again before opening the door for me to climb into his car.
And as I stared out the window while he drove, I thought about the conditions we set. I thought harder on this, not fully capable of wrapping my head around them.
I couldn't hug Aiden, and when I almost did by accident, he stopped and towed me away. He wouldn't allow me to hold his hand since I'm sure he'd do the same. And the dislike of music was even more baffling to me...
I think I underestimated how different it would be with him. Of course, the limitation on physical contact changed things, but they didn't change how I felt about him. So, I chose to disregard my feelings and accept his.
In this relationship, we were on equal footing. And if he could uphold my conditions, I would uphold his.
Well, that was until he disappeared for two days.