Chapter 4
It’d been more than a couple of days since Lynn had seen Aiden, and she was going insane. Her phone never dinged, she never heard a word from him, and the longer she didn’t hear a peep the easier it was for her to convince herself he wasn’t interested. She didn’t blame him, she understood. That’s what made it even more annoying.
She spent her days recuperating, for the most part. Going shopping, hanging out with a few girlfriends, but with each day that passed, her anxiety grew.
That’s not to say she didn’t feel ridiculous. Like she was back in high school, waiting for the popular boy to notice her- she did. She felt absolutely dumb for putting so much time into thinking about Aiden.
Whether or not he liked her.
Whether or not she would hear from him.
Whether or not she would see him again.
Had she even crossed his mind? Even once?
Just as she was putting a spoon in her mug to stir her coffee, her phone started to ring. She smiled when she saw Jessica’s name scrolling across the screen.
“Good morning, lovely.”
“Good morning! Are you ready to go out tonight and celebrate being single?,” Lynn laughed.
“You know I am. I’m going to drink far too much tequila while we ogle hot men,” she joked.
Half-joked, anyways…
She really did plan on drinking too much tequila.
“I bet you will! I get off work around five-thirty. Meet me at my house and we’ll grab dinner first before we decide where to go for drinks,” Jessica said.
Lynn sipped her coffee.
“Alright, that sounds perfect.”
Lynn could practically hear Jessica’s smile through the phone.
“We’re gonna have a great time, babe. See you tonight.”
“Okay, talk to you later.”
“Bye!”
Hanging up here phone, Lynn meandered into her bedroom to find something to wear. She didn’t want to be too dressed up, but she definitely wanted to wear heels.
As she plucked through her closet, she wondered if she would have the guts to let loose for just one evening.
What would it hurt?
She needed a good time, some girl time, some let-your-hair-down fun. Jessica was always good for it, so why not sit back and enjoy? It was inevitable if they were together that she would enjoy herself.
So, why worry?
Lynn decided on a burgundy top with velvet black leggings that showed off all the curves her breakup from Jake had left her with. After he was gone, her stress levels had dropped, and she’d finally been able to put on a little weight that looked damn good on her.
Her reflection caught her attention as she walked into the bathroom to apply some makeup, and she paused.
There’s nothing remarkable about my face.
Lynn didn’t exactly feel like a million bucks, but she tried. Tried to remember who she was before she let someone steal away her confidence and self-worth. Before she lost herself for a little while….
Her makeup bag caught her attention and she drew it towards her, eyeing the contents carefully.
“If I’m going out for the night, I better go all in.”
All in.
The words echoed in her otherwise silent bathroom like the tolling of a church bell, and even still, Lynn had no idea just how all in she’d be by the end of the night.
~-~
Lynn was in a rush. She had to pick up her younger brother from school, stop to get gas, and then bring her brother back to her folk’s house all before she could head over to Jessica’s for dinner. To say she was in a bit of a time crunch was an understatement.
Before she could even stop to think about what she was doing, she pulled into the closest gas station and parked at the first open pump she saw. She fumbled in her purse for her debit card and swore when it slipped between her fingers as she climbed out of her compact car.
It was chilly out, and the sky was overcast. It kind of put a damper on her mood for a moment before she looked up and realized what she’d done.
Oh, no.
She’d driven to the very gas station Aiden worked at. Well, he ran the garage, but still- she was there.
Within his eyesight.
And, she wanted to panic.
She checked the gas pump and realized she still had a few more dollars to go, so she grabbed her phone and tried to look busy while she filled her tank.
You’re fine, act normal, don’t be weird.
It felt like an eternity before she was back in her car with the engine started, her fingers gripping the wheel tightly. She hasn’t seen him, and hoped he hadn’t seen her. What would she say?
“Fancy seeing you here!”
She cringed at the thought and shook her head as she turned back into the main road and headed towards her brother’s high school. It was a bit of a drive, but she had time before Jessica was off work. If she didn’t dally, she wouldn’t be late, she was sure of it. She made a small turn and heard her phone ding from the passenger seat. Waiting until she was parked at a red light, her eyes widened when she read the name across her screen.
Aiden texted me.
Her heart skipped a small beat when she lifted the phone to her view again and read what he’d said.
Aiden: I saw you earlier! What trouble are you getting into today?
Lynn fumbled with her phone as she tried to figure out what to say.
Lynn: Picking up my brother from school before Jessica takes me out for drinks later!
There, that was normal enough, right?
Her palms were sweaty as she dropped her phone onto the seat beside her and continued on her journey. It felt like forever before she received another text, but it was really only a couple of minutes.
Aiden: Well have fun tonight, and be safe. Let me know if you need a ride, I’ll be around.
Lynn felt like maybe, her heart was going to explode. That was the most she’d gotten out of Jessica’s brother in a week, and it felt like a victory. Maybe that was pathetic and maybe Lynn already knew that, but who cares? She’d heard from him. Thinking she was being flirty, she responded with something casual. Not.
Lynn: I’d like to ride in your car under different circumstances, but thanks for the offer. Jessica is driving so we should be fine.
Trepidation eased down her spine as she pulled into her brother’s high school parking lot. That sounded almost rude, which wasn’t her intention at all! Jessica texted her in the interim to see if she wanted to invite Aiden out with them, and she pondered that for a moment.
Would that be wise?
She couldn’t deny that she wanted to invite him, if only to see if the initial ‘wow factor,’ she’d experienced was still there, or all in her head. It could have been all made up for all she knew at this point, only because she hadn’t seen or heard from him since she’d gotten her car worked on.
Without questioning it, she texted him again.
Lynn: I’ve been asked to invite you out with us tonight. Let me know if you want to join us later, or not.
That was nice enough she supposed, but the pit in her stomach grew tenfold as she opened the car door for her brother. There was no way he’d actually show up. Right? With her brain on overload, she drove her and her brother back to her parent’s house. Time was ticking by faster than she was comfortable with, and even still, she hadn’t gotten a response from Aiden.
Just as well too, because she was already running a little behind, and needed to haul ass if she wanted to be on time to meet Jessica at her house.
The drive wasn’t too long, nearly twenty minutes, but she definitely wanted to beat traffic so that hopefully some of her anxiety would disappear.
You’re going to go out, have an amazing time, and forget about all the stuff that keeps you sad…
Her brain told her to leave it be, and so she tried.
Even though she had a feeling, much like had the last time, that seeing Aiden would change things tonight. If he showed up, that is.