Twenty-six

There's a knock on my door, causing me to wake up. I rub my eyes while yawning as I climb out of bed towards the door.
"How are you feeling?" Aaron asks when I open the door.
"Getting better." I sigh before glancing behind me at Julie. She sleeps peacefully in her bed. I decide not to wake her up by stepping out into the hall with him.
"What are you doing here?" I ask with my head tilted. "I thought your case ended."
He nods. "It did. I just came to see how you are. I'm sure it's pretty tough going through all of that last night." His arms fold.
I stare at the ground. "It was, but I'll get over it." I pause. "What happened to Alex? Is she in jail?"
"Yes, she is. She's been smuggling drugs for about two years now. We're just glad we caught her." He shakes his head.
My eyes draw away. Alex was my best friend, but she lied to me and betrayed me. I wish I never met her. I feel like I've lost so much.
"I'm sorry." Aaron shakes his head at the ground with a huff. "I didn't mean-"
"No, it's okay." I stop him with a grin. "I'm glad she's put up too."
He watches me for a moment, a grin sliding to the side. "I'm off today, would you like to get coffee?"
"Um," I glance back at the door, then down at my gray T-shirt with pajama shorts. "let me get changed."
* * *
"So, Bla-Aaron. . ." I shut my eyes tightly and giggle. "I have to get used to that."
We sit inside a Starbucks by a window. The sky is white and gloomy, just the way I love it.
I hold my warm latte in my cold hands. It's too hot to drink at the moment, so I just wait for it to cool down.
Aaron smiles. "You don't have to call me-"
I stop him. "No, it's okay. I want to call you by your real name. It just feels right." I grin.
He nods. "Alright." He then adds, "How are you really feeling?"
My character falls from my face. I stare at my latte. "It's just tough knowing that my best friend did that. I'm trying to forget it, but it's not easy."
He exhales through his nose with a sympathetic look. "Forget her. You never needed her anyway. You have Julie and me and. . .Dean." He chuckles.
I smile, knowing that he still doesn't exactly like Dean, but is slowly getting there. My curiousity pushes for more. "So, are you and Dean. . .okay now?"
He sighs. "I never hated him. He just always seemed to hate me." He shrugs. "I mean, I think we're cool now since he helped rescue you, but I could be wrong."
I slowly nod. "There's nothing to hate him for anyway and nothing for him to hate about you." I grin.
He chuckles. "I wouldn't say that." He sips his coffee.
My eyebrows press together. "Why?"
"Well, it's just that Dean kinda took advantage of you. I feel like that's kinda wrong." He presses his lips into a tight line, his expression angry now.
I frown. "He never took advantage of me. The whole relationship was consentual." My face heats up. "You have no business in any of this."
"Say what you want." He narrows his eyes. "Because you knew if that was true, you would love him." His voice becomes crisp.
I swallow hard before my lips parten. How could he say that? He knows that's an emotional subject. I grind my teeth together.
He sighs while shaking his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."
"No, you're right." I watch my fingers play with the cap to my drink. "Maybe all along he did. . .maybe he didn't. But, you really shouldn't pretend that you have any part in this."
His gaze becomes sympathetic. "But, I do. You're my friend, Rosie. I should be allowed to be concerned."
"Well there's nothing to be concerned about anymore." I grab my coffee as I stand, my legs push my chair back. "Him and I are just friends too now. So stop trying to protect me from nothing like I'm a child." My back turns before he can defend himself. I don't want to hear any of it right now. I storm off quickly so that he can't stop me.
Just when I thought he was over this, he brings it back up. He acts like he has control over my life. Why the hell does he really care? Dean has not harmed me once. It's like he assumes that I've been brutally abused.
What Dean and I had was healthy and it was great. If he was such a good friend that he claims to be, then he wouldn't judge me. Instead, he would support me and be a thoughtful friend rather than be-
Suddenly, I bump into a hard body, my hot coffee splashing onto my chest and onto my white blouse. It leaks through the fabric and onto my skin, burning it painfully. I gasp from the sudden shock and stand there motionless so the hot liquid won't burn me futher.
I notice Dean before me. He quickly fetches about ten napkins from the table beside us and presses them onto the coffee spot.
"Rosie, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you." He utters while watching himself dab another napkin onto my wet breasts.
For some reason, I allow him to dry me. Perhaps, it could be the sudden approach that still leaves me in shock. . .or it could be his delightful touch.
I slowly nod, trying to think of how to remove this coffee stain as fast as possible. Bleach? Dry clean? Maybe hydrogen peroxide.
"Rosie, are you okay?" Aaron appears by me.
Dean frowns at him. "Blake? What are you doing here?" He crumbles the soaked napkins in his hand.
He disregards his mistaken name. "I was here with Rosie." His thumb points at me.
Dean's eyes draw toward mine. "I see." He nods with a sigh.
I roll my eyes. "Just coffee, Dean." I then frown. "You know, I don't have to explain anything to you anymore."
"I'd still like to know what's going on with your life. We're friends, right?" He tosses the wet napkins into the trash behind him.
I huff and glance at both Dean and Aaron, regarding the same word I've heard from them: friend.
I toss out my empty coffee cup and huff. "Just because we are friends, doesn't mean I'm obligated to tell you everything about what's going on with my life. I'm allowed to keep things to myself." My arms fold. I immediatly remove my arms from my soaked chest, forgetting about the coffee spill.
"So, there is something going between you two?" Dean glances at the both of us.
I frown. "You're forgetting the point. I'm just saying that it's okay if I don't tell you guys about my love life." I narrow my eyes at Blake, then at Dean.
"Like a secret?" Dean's jaw clenched. "That's okay if you're with Blake, I just wanted to know if I was right." His arms fold.
I roll my eyes with a groan.
"Dude," Aaron steps forward. "she still likes you."
I shoot a glare at him "I never said that."
"Well, it's obvious that you do. It's okay, Rosie. You don't have to hide it." His hands slide into his pockets.
I inhale slowly with my eyes closed, trying to calm myself. "I don't like Dean." I tell Aaron. "And I don't like Aaron." I glance at Dean. "Would you both leave me alone?" Quickly, I push past Dean towards the door.
As I step outside, the cold air freezes the wet spot on my shirt. I stop in place with a gasp as I immediatly pinch the fabric off from my skin. "Fuck!" I shout from the cold, also remembering that Aaron was my ride here.
"Rosie." Dean jogs out from the shop.
I turn around to face him. "What?" I snap.
"I'm sorry." He stops before me. "I was jealous." He admits shamefully at the ground. "I don't like seeing you with other men. Especially since we're. . .well. . .not together."
I roll my eyes. "I already figured that. Just forget about today, alright? I'm over it." I clench my blouse in my hand.
His eyes draw down to my wet shirt. "I know a good dry cleaning place. It'll be on me, since it was my fault."
"No, I don't want your help. I can do things on my own." I object. I then turn away from him and march. My feet stop me in place as I remember that I don't have a ride.
I turn back around to march towards him. "On second thought, I would like to take up that offer. . .Aaron was my ride."
He grins. "Come."
* * *
The lady at the front desk of the dry cleaning place blushes at Dean.
I currently wear one of his gym shirts from his vehicle since I didn't want anymore time for the stain to soak in. Otherwise, I'd definitely would be wearing a better attractive shirt. It's large and baggy on me. Also, it smells like his lovely sage fragrance. He promised me that it's clean. I believe him.
The lady is blonde with blue eyes. I'll admit, she's attractive. It's obvious she's playing a game with him while fluttering her eyes and licking her red lips. I know exactly what she's doing.
Dean hands her my wet shirt. "When will this be ready?" He intentionally disregards her lip biting and eye-fucking.
She grabs the shirt while admiring him. She leans into her elbows with her eyes drawing down his body. "About an hour or two." She utters seductfully.
Just because she's attractive, doesn't mean that he could really be into her. Although, he is single now. Why wouldn't he date her? They're both fairly attractive people. I don't see how it wouldn't work.
I glance up at him to see if he's playing her game.
He grins at the lady and thanks her.
Before we could leave, she stops him, "Wait," her hand slithers onto his. "get ten percent off your next purchase." She offers and bites her lip.
I frown at her. "No, I think he's fine." My hands slide onto his chest as I watch her. My eyes draw up to his. "Isn't that right, honey?"
He watches me quizzically as his hand slides onto my lower back. "Um, sure."
I glance back at the lady, who currently glares at me.
She then forces a smile. "This deal won't come up again. Ever."
I speak for Dean. "That's okay. The deal isn't all that great anyway." I get the feeling that we both aren't talking about the deal.
"But-" She begins before I cut her off.
"Thanks for bringing me here." I whisper by Dean's lips and kiss him.
He unexpectedly stills beneath me, then kisses back. His lips moving with mine.
When I pull away, I glance at her. She scowls at me and snarls, "Have a nice day."