Everything

XI

"What's eating you, Rodriguez? You've been distracted this entire time."

Looking up from my cup of hot chocolate with a healthy helping of whipped cream, I stared across the table at my best friend. And not the best friend that was now my boyfriend.

Alicia was the one who suggested we should grab a coffee during my lunch break and I was more than happy to meet up with her. But the white elephant that only I knew was in the room made everything slightly more uncomfortable.

I was dying to tell Alicia. We always talked about everything with one another - especially our good news. And me being with Spencer was definitely good news. But I knew the revelation would hurt her to the core.

She looked beautiful as always, rushing from her job as a forensic scientist, she still managed to comb her braids into two large neat French plaits, wearing a sky-blue coat over a sky-blue leather pencil skirt, a tight-fitting sleeveless white shirt and white stilettos.

"Nothing." I smiled weakly, picking up my hot chocolate and taking a sip, "Just a lot on my mind."

She frowned, biting into her chocolate brownie, "A lot on your mind? Like what?"

"I have a date tonight." I blurted out, stupidly.

Ah, sh*t.

If there's one thing you should know about me is that I'm an awful secret keeper. When I was about ten years old, my brother snuck his first girlfriend into our house when my parents were asleep. I'd awoken from a bad dream and gone to the bathroom to get a glass of water when I saw her climbing out the window, assisted by him. He'd told me to keep it a secret, but the younger version of myself was so ridden with guilt that I blurted it out whilst helping my mother with the dishes. Safe to say, my brother didn't speak to me for about two weeks.

Her eyes widened dramatically and she leant across the table, "A date? With who? When did he ask you? What is he like? Do you like him? Is he hot? Where did you meet him?"

This is why I shouldn't have talked. I loved Alicia dearly but because she was my best friend she needed every single detail.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down!" I tried to play it off, "It's just some guy. He asked me out a few weeks ago and I put him off. I thought I'd better indulge him."

"So he's not hot? What's his name? Is he from Boone and Webster?"

"Licia...calm down, seriously, it's just a date."

"Just a date?!" she exclaimed, practically leaping across the table, "It's not 'just a date', missy! It's you, getting back out there! I'm like a proud Momma Bear."

"You really are weird..." I shook my head, stealing a piece of her brownie and throwing it into my open mouth.

"What's his name, then?"

I hesitated, "It's-Aaron."

"Not Aaron your junior attorney, Aaron? The caramel skinned Greek god, Aaron?"

I winced. Damn, this girl is attentive!

"Yeah. Him." I smiled weakly, lying through my teeth.

"Adriana Rodriguez, you little cougar! Isn't he just out of college?" she gasped

"He's twenty-three, Licia. It's nothing major. What's wrong with a younger guy? It's not like we're going to get married and have kids or anything."

"But what cute kids they'd be!" she swooned, "You should really give this a chance, Adri. You know. He's smart, on his way to success, drop dead gorgeous."