A Season of Firsts

Chapter 24 - Bad Memories

Before December 31st

And before the arrest of Daniel and Cleo

AIDEN

It's crazy how October has flown by. It will be November tomorrow, marking it as two months since I met Emma.
Stevie's play is at the end of November. I wonder how on earth I'd be able to still take Emma to the play after I end things between us and not feel like it's supposed to be a date? Maybe I won't have to, maybe she won't want to see me.
Yeah, she probably won't want to see me.
But my heart is already hurting at the thought of that. She has become more than someone I'm attracted too, more than someone I like. She is my best friend.

And now, as I drive to the Rayburns' house, on time at seven o'clock for the dinner I was invited to, my gut wrenches at the thought of what I have to say to Emma, eventually.

Not long after Cleo and I had our serious conversation earlier today, Emma found me at school and told me her parents want to meet me.

"You must come for dinner tonight, Aiden," Emma had said, tugging on my arm, eyes shining. "My parents will love you, and you'll finally be able to meet my brothers and sister. And our guest is staying at one of his friends for the night. I won't be taking no for an answer."

It's most probably a good thing Blaze wouldn't be there, because I had feeling I'd find it difficult to be civil.

Looking down at her glowing face and those baby blue eyes I loved so much, I could not bring myself to tell her we can't be together anymore. Later, I told myself, as I accepted her invite. There's time still.

I'm still telling myself that now, as I walk up the steps to the Rayburn household's front door. I will meet Emma's family, and I'm positive I'll like them. I'll have a good time talking to everyone during dinner and being with Emma, and I'll do my best to not think about what will follow in the days to come when I'll have to finally find the courage and guts to break both our hearts.

I tell myself all of this, then I take a deep breath and press the doorbell.

A boy about thirteen or so opens the door and grins widely at me. He must be Eddie. His face looks familiar and it takes me a second to realize it's because it was his portrait that I saw sketched in Cleo's drawing book once. His floppy light blond hair reminds me of Emma and his sparkly green eyes are a tell-tale sign of his relation to Cleo.

"Hello," I greet him. "Eddie, right?"

"Yup. Edward Rayburn at your service," he responds playfully, before looking me up and down quickly. "And you're Aiden." It's a statement, not a question. "You're even taller than she said you were," he adds.

I laugh. "How old are you, Eddie?"

"Almost fourteen," he replies.

"You're kind of tall for your age yourself, you know."

His smile grows bigger. "Yeah, everyone says so."

"Eddie!" a familiar voice calls out. "Can you please stop pestering our guest and actually ask him inside?"

Emma appears beside her little brother, looking like a dream with a lovely beam on her face and her hair in an elegant bun, soft tendrils escaping to tickle the sides of her face. She ruffles Eddie's hair and he scowls at her.

"I see you've met the baby of the family," she says.

I grin at them both when Eddie's frown deepens. "Baby? I'm already almost taller than you," he retorts.