Chapter 12 - Just Friends
"Happy Birthday to you!"
"Happy Birthday dear Lizzy, happy birthday to you!"
I watched as the little nine year old blew out the candles on her cake while everyone clapped their hands. I couldn't remove the smile on my face as I watched her and Nate playing with their pieces of cake.
"He really gets along with her, huh?" I heard Nicole's voice suddenly as she walked beside me with a plate in hand. I nodded my head as she passed me the plate which had a piece of cake on it and I took it.
"So how long have you two been dating?" she asked casually, causing me to choke on the piece of cake in my mouth.
"Oh I'm so sorry," she said as she lightly patted me on the back. When I finally stopped coughing, she gave me a bottle of water, which I happily took.
I contemplated whether or not to tell her that I wasn't dating Nate. But Nicole and his grandmother seemed happy to think that we were dating and I didn't want to disappoint them. However, I didn't want to lie to either of them.
I opened my mouth to speak but in the corner of my eye, I saw someone watching me, causing me to turn in that direction. I noticed then that even though he was standing beside his niece, Nate was watching me with a small smile on his lips.
I couldn't help but to smile back at him. And in the process, I found myself unable to tell his sister the truth. Instead, all I could say was,
"We haven't been dating for long."
I saw her lips turn up slightly before she turned to face her daughter and brother just as her daughter put some cake on Nate's face. As soon as I saw his surprised face, I burst into laughter along with Nicole.
"You know, it's been a while since I've seen him this happy," Nicole said when we finally stopped laughing. I turned slightly to look at her as I wiped away a tear.
"What do you mean?" I asked, unsure of what she was talking about.
"Let's just say that his last relationship didn't end well," she told me, her face solemn. And as I heard her words, I remembered what Nate had said a few months ago.
"I was engaged once, almost got married too, but she stood me up at the altar."
I couldn't help but to wonder if there was more to the story than what he had told me as I watched him playfully chasing his niece.
* * *
"So you're my girlfriend," Nate said when we came to a stop at a traffic light on the way to my house. I turned to him with my brows knit together in confusion.
"My sister told me that she's happy that we're dating," he said. My eyes immediately bulged once I registered what he was talking about.
"I didn't mean to lie to her, I just couldn't get myself to say that we're not dating because she and your grandma seemed so happy─"
"It's okay, Cady," he interrupted me. The light turned green then and he continued to drive the car. I looked out of the window as I wondered what our relationship was outside of work.
"You look like you want to say something."
I turned my head to find him smiling slightly as he drove and contemplated whether or not I should ask. However, my curiosity got the best of me, causing me ask him,
"What are we?"
"What do you mean?"
"We're not dating obviously but we're more than acquaintances. Would that make us friends?" I asked.
There was a moment of silence as he made a turn and appeared to be thinking about what I had said. To me, it made sense for us to be friends since we weren't strangers or lovers. But if we weren't friends, then what would we be?
"You're right, I guess that'll make us friends."
I couldn't stop myself from smiling as I heard his words, as a warm feeling radiated through me.
* * *
When we got to my house, I immediately recognized the person sitting on my steps. Inwardly, I groaned. However, in the process, I did it out loud, causing Nate to ask,
"Everything okay?"
I was tempted to lie to him and say that it was but I couldn't. Instead, I pointed towards my front door where Dennis was sitting with a bouquet of flowers in his hand.
"Are you expecting him?" he asked, to which I shook my head no. He nodded his head and changed the gear to parking before turning off the engine and attempting to get out. But I immediately stopped him. Dennis was my problem to deal with and I didn't want it to affect their relationship.
"You don't need to get out, I'll be okay."
He looked at me skeptically, causing me to smile slightly.
"Really, I'll be okay." He nodded his head at that before relaxing into his seat while I unbuckled my seat belt.
"Thanks for inviting me to your niece's birthday, I had a great time," I told him. At that, his face relaxed as he smiled.
"Thanks for coming with me and I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"I'll see you at work then." He nodded his head.
"Bye," he said to me before I exited the car. And as soon as the door closed, I took in a deep breath before walking towards my house. As I got closer, Dennis stood up and adjusted his grip on the bouquet, before smiling at me but I didn't smile back.
"Why are you here?" I asked, my tone anything but welcoming. I noticed as he visibly winced before he put the bouquet in my direction.
"I came to see you."
"What for?"
"I'm really sorry for the way I left you on our date─"
"You didn't do it just once," I interjected.
"I know and I'm really sorry, I had no other choice."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, suddenly curious as to why he couldn't have stayed or at least tell me that he had to leave.
"I can't tell you," was his reply. I looked away from him, laughing mirthlessly.
"Then why are you wasting your time coming here?" I asked. I stood there, waiting for an answer. And when there was no reply, I took a few steps towards my door, intending to go inside. But he grabbed onto my arm to stop me.
"Cady, I'm really sorry for the way I acted. I really like you and I want to be able to show you that I can be better."
I ignored what he said and tried to shake off his arm. But before I could get away from him, Nate appeared and removed his hand from my arm. He pushed me to stand behind him as he held onto Dennis' shirt, pulling him close. I watched as the bouquet fell onto the ground before the short silence was broken.
"Don't try to force her to change her mind," Nate said. Dennis looked at him with an indifferent expression.
"And who are you to tell me what to do?" Dennis asked, his tone showing annoyance.
"I'm her friend."
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