Sierra and Aiden: Anthology

Almosts - part 3

The day after the party, Joshua asked Joe for Sierra's number and he texted her.

They talked for two days before he asked her on a date. A real date. Sierra said yes.

Clara and Gwen had screamed when they found out.

"Two guys in one night. Damn, See, you're my hero" Gwen said.

"I didn't kiss Aiden, remember?"

"Yeah but you totally should've" Clara said "He totally wanted to kiss you too, I saw it. He's just a wimp"

"It would not have been right. He has a girlfriend."

Clara kept changing songs until Gwen took the phone away from her.

"I kissed a doctor" said Gwen.

"WHAT?" Clara and Sierra jumped from their seats.

"Oh come on, you saw us, Clara." she threw popcorn at her. "He asked for my number and I said uh, no and walked away. I was drunk. I'm not sorry though"

They all laughed, then Clara asked "So, See, are going out with this Joshua dude?"

"I guess"

"Damn you, Aiden. I was rooting for you" Clara screamed to the sky.

"Why were you rooting for me?" Aiden said.

Lupe, the maid, opened the door for him and told him they were in Sierra's basement eating popcorn with a movie on pause. As always (They never finish a single movie).

They three of them just stared at him dumbfounded.

"We wanted ice cream!" said Gwen "and Clara was sure you were bringing but your hands are empty."

Clara and Sierra nodded. Aiden didn't even notice.

He sat down and asked what they were talking about, stealing all the popcorn.

Sierra couldn't look him in the eyes. After he pulled her away from Joshua, he said it was time to go anyway. He dragged her away and went looking for Gwen and Clara. He put the three of them in the car and drove back to Sierra's.

Sierra tried to talk to him, but he kept saying he didn't remember. Didn't happen. So she played along.

She's been playing along for a week now. She didn't even know if he saw them.

She was about to find out.

ding

"Who's texting you?" He was curious about the way Sierra smiled at her phone.

"Joshua" Said Clara, pinching Sierra's stomach playfully. Sierra blushed a little.

"Who's Joshua?" Aiden asked mindlessly.

"Joshua from the party, Aiden! Catch up would ya?" Said Gwen.

Aiden stopped his popcorn mid air and turn to Sierra. His eyes wide open. 

"Wait, Joshua's they guy you kissed?"

So he did see. Great.

Sierra didn't answer.

Aiden got up throwing popcorn everywhere.

"Jesus, Aiden, my popcorn!" said Clara, but Aiden didn't care.

"You gave your number to a random guy in a disco? Are you crazy? Do you know how dangerous that is?" Aiden was raising his voice, which made Sierra very mad.

"First of all, I didn't give him my number, ok? Joe did. He asked her, he's her cousin. Second of all, I've known him all my life, he's not dangerous"

Sierra wasn't sure about that, to be honest. She hoped he wasn't dangerous. He couldn't be.

"Did..." Aiden lowered his eyes. "Did he asked you out?" he scratched the back of his head avoiding eye contact.

"Yes"

Aiden pressed his eyes shut and turned around. He sighed, giving a few loose steps.

All of them were still. Clara left a popcorn halfway to her mouth.

Aiden dropped his shoulders and without turning around, he whispered

"He's going to break your heart"

Sierra didn't know how to answer that. She didn't understand what he was saying. She couldn't process his answer. What the hell did he mean?

"No, he won't" Sierra whispered. Why were they whispering now?

Clara and Gwen were looking back and fourth at them.

Aiden finally turned around and locked eyes with Sierra. She took a step back.

"He is. He's going to hurt you."

"No he's not!" Sierra raised her voice, and herself from the couch. "How could you say that? He's a good guy!"

"You don't know that! You don't know him!" Aiden was turning red.

"I do!"

"Being childhood friends and not seeing each other for fifteen years doesn't really count as knowing, Sierra!"

Aiden hardly ever called her Sierra. Only when he was mad at her. Sierra wanted to answer, but she knew he was kind of right. She wouldn't admit that to him. Aiden continued.

"Guys who kiss random girls in clubs are not exactly reliable, See. They are not good people. Those kind of guys don't deserve you."

"He's not that kind of guy!" Sierra wasn't really sure."And what do you know about what kind of guy I deserve?"

Was she the only girl he kissed in a club? Has he done this before? She had no idea, but it was Joshua. She needed to talk to him. She needed to go out with him partly because she wanted to know if the feelings she had now were real, partly because she wanted to know what it would've been like to be together all this time.

"He is totally that guy, Sierra! Open your eyes!"

"Why are you being like this?!"

"Because he is going to break your heart." Aiden said matter of factly. Auch.

"He is going to break your heart," he repeated, walking towards her "and I'm not going to be here to pick up the pieces".

Clara's jaw dropped and Gwen's eyes were like plates.

He was so close now. His eyes went soft when he said the last part. As if he didn't really mean it. But he was mad. He was so mad she wanted to go out with this guy. Who was he? What right did he have to go in and steal her away from...

From him? Is that was he was thinking? Aiden had a girlfriend. He didn't have those kinds of feelings for Sierra. He couldn't. That thing at the party was stupid. They were both drunk, though it hurt that she turned him down. He had convinced himself that he really didn't want to kiss her. It was just a consequence of the music, dancing and drinking. He didn't want to kiss Sierra right now either... right?

Sierra took another step forward, making Aiden hold his breath, before saying with a hint of a tear in her eyes,

"No one asked you to."