Close As Strangers

Eleven.

Now Playing... For The First Time 

The rest of my shift was long and grueling, especially since there was a huge lunch rush, but luckily, our boss called in another girl to help me wait tables. Once my shift was over, I practically skipped out to my truck.

When I walked through the front door, I nearly kissed the floor as I stepped inside the cool house. Mom and dad were shopping for Wes' return party, so I knew he and Nova had to be somewhere in the house, which meant I would have to face my troubles once more for the day. I walked through the rooms downstairs, but there was no sight of them. As I searched upstairs, I finally found them in Nova's room. Nova was resting in her bed with a washcloth on her head, and Wes was sitting in a chair beside her bed, his head in his hands. I planted a soft kiss on her forehead before I sat beside Wes. He lifted his head, his eyes filled with exhaustion.

"What happened?" I whispered, and he sighed as he rubbed his temples.

"I came home after I dropped Olivia off, and she was still asleep. Whenever she woke up, she complained about feeling sick, and then she started throwing up. I carried her to the bathroom at least every hour."

I rubbed his back. "I'm sure she'll be okay. It could just be a virus."

He sighed again before standing and holding his hand out to me. I raised my eyebrows in confusion, and he nudged his head toward the door. "Come with me. We need to talk."

I hesitantly placed my hand in his, and he led me to his room. I flopped on his bed, staring into his green eyes, and he crossed his arms over his chest as he rocked on his heels. "I have a deal to propose to you."

"What kind of deal?"

He licked his lips as he glanced around the room. "Consider it an... attention compromise."

I leaned up on my elbows. "Explain."

"You give me the kind of attention a girlfriend would, like hugging, kissing, cuddling, etcetera." He sat beside me. "Do whatever I say, when I say, and if you don't, there are consequences."

I stared at him blankly to see if he would falter, and when I realized he was completely serious, I busted out laughing. He glared. "What's so funny?"

I bit my lip to suppress my laughter, but it was a struggle. "You're actually serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Why me?" I questioned, leaning closer to him. "I mean, you could go out and get whatever girl you wanted, so why are you choosing me? That is, if I even agree."

He stared at the ceiling, biting his lip, and then he looked at me again, the same unreadable expression in his eyes that he always gave me. "For starters, you live in the same house as me, which makes the deal that much simpler than calling someone to come over every day." I rolled my eyes, and he mocked my action. "And as much as I dislike you, especially considering how we don't even know each other anymore, you still give me a feeling of familiarity that I felt with my girlfriend in London. In a way, it's like having her here with me."

"Ah. So, I'm a temporary replacement for you to use."

He sighed loudly, rubbing his eyes. "No, Molly, I'm not trying to use you. Take it as a help me, help you situation."

"How does it help me? I'm pretty much doing your dirty work." I asked, sitting up in the bed, and he sat up with me.

"I'll give you anything you want. You name it."

As I pondered the deal and all that entailed, I realized how much of a risk I would be taking by agreeing. Mason was my boyfriend, and it could potentially mean losing him, which I definitely didn't want. Saying yes could hurt me in the long run as usual, considering Wes would use it against me. He would remind me how I let him take advantage of me again, and I didn't know how much more I could handle from him. Those comments and torments still haunted me from high school, and I wasn't keen on letting history repeat itself. College was my fresh start to finally leave my past behind.

Agreeing to the deal could also mean falling for Wes, which I most certainly didn't want. We were enemies, and even though there was a time he was the only person I could see in my life for the rest of it, we had become strangers, like the kind of person you would pass in the hall and ache from remembering how you once knew them, but could no longer recognize. But then again, saying yes meant that Wes would be in my life again, even if it was only under specific circumstances to help him, and even if it was only for a little while.

"Alright, I'll do it, but I have one condition."

His eyes lit up, and I smirked. "I want an endless supply of swiss rolls and you also have to watch movies with me whenever I want, no matter what it is."

He shook his head, laughing. "I guess I can agree to that. How about we seal the deal?"

I shot him a confused look, but it immediately vanished as his lips touched mine. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me tightly against him, and I gripped his shirt. All thoughts of him hurting me or the deal ending badly disappeared, and I melted in his arms, losing myself in him.

Even though the back of my mind kept warning me to stop before I got hurt again, I couldn't help but think about how it could have a good ending. It was just like a penny-- there was head and tails, two possible outcomes. And when it came to Wes and I, our time had always been too short to second guess anything we did, and I wasn't willing to let him slip away from me again. Although the deal was a chance to plunge into the unexpected, I'll be damned if I didn't risk it all. He was the unknown, dark night, and I was willing to run if it meant I could find my best friend once more.