“Are you driving Kylie’s Talon this year or is she taking it to school with her?”
“Well, I have it today only because she was feeling extra-sisterly. But, she decided to take it with her. She leaves next week, too, a few days before Ryan.”
“Do you need a ride to school in the mornings? I’ll have zero-hour again if you can handle getting there early.”
“No, I’m actually doing some car shopping. I’m supposed to test drive this cute little Honda Accord later today. I’ll let you know if I end up getting it.”
“That’s cool. I’ll let you know once Jensen leaves and I go to pieces.”
Krissa put her arm around me and gave me a half-hug. “Oh, Mia, don’t be so dramatic. Besides, you’re going to be a senior! Aren’t you super excited?”
“That’s not going to be until after Christmas,” I reminded her.
“What are we going to do with you? Glass half-empty,” Krissa smiled and teased. Her face then softened. “You really should call Aria.”
What? Where did that come from? “That was out of left field. Did she say something? I mean, she wasn’t super friendly when Alicia and I hung out with her and Nate yesterday.”
“You know how Aria is, but I think it would mean a lot if you called her. Or, you could go to her house today. She registered first with me, so she should be home now.”
“Yeah, I guess I could do that. We haven’t spent much time together this summer. But, I won’t take responsibility completely for that. She was with Nate most of the time. And you know how much Jensen likes Nate.”
“Still? Damn. Isn’t he going to understand that Nate doesn’t have a thing for you these days?”
I shook my head and bit my lip, not feeling like going over little details that told both me and Jensen that Nate hadn’t moved on. The first time we met he made it clear that it wasn’t his style to remain interested once he was turned down by a girl, so I wasn’t sure why he was still interested in me. I guessed it didn’t help that we had made out on my couch on our Anti-Valentine’s Day when Jensen and I were on hiatus, but that was just one of those things. At least for me it was. Besides, wasn’t it Nate who helped me get Jensen back from Alyna in the first place? I couldn’t figure it out.
“Alright, I’m going to Aria’s,” I said, taking my friend’s advice. “I’ll call you later and tell you if we get along famously like old times.”
Krissa lightly punched my arm and we hugged before parting ways outside the building not far from where her car was parked. When I reached my truck and climbed in, I was feeling like it was the right thing to do by visiting Aria. I turned on the stereo, which began blaring 4 Non Blondes. As Linda Perry was belting out the chorus to What’s Up, I smiled to myself remembering just how much Jensen hated the song, but I was addicted to it for some reason and couldn't keep myself from singing along at the top of my lungs. He would have cringed had he been there.
Putting my truck in gear I headed to Aria's, and twenty minutes later, which included ten minutes of driving around before I finally found street parking close to her house, I arrived. For it being mid-day on a Wednesday there were no spots in front of her house and I was slightly irritated.
“Don’t people work?” I asked myself under my breath.
Walking up to her house I noticed that one of the spaces was taken by a familiar red Toyota truck. It was Nate’s. The thought of turning around crossed my mind, but then I figured that since I drove all the way there and then had to circle the block so many times to find a place to park I might as well walk up to the door and say hello. I knocked on the door and waited a minute for Aria to open it. Her hair was slightly mussed and she was in a nightshirt. Being in the middle of the day and the fact that she had just been at registration with Krissa, I was confused by her appearance and wondered if maybe this wasn’t a good time.
“Oh … hi Mia. I didn’t know you were coming over.”
Was that a look of relief? “Sorry, I should have called. I was down at school registering and thought I’d stop by and see what you were up to.”
“Come in. I thought you were one of my mom’s friends.” She opened the door wider and stepped aside.
Puzzled, I walked into the house and followed Aria through the living room to her bedroom. Remembering that the truck outside looked like Nate’s, I was about to ask where he was when I saw him bare chested and casually lying against the wall with blankets draped over his bottom half. I took in a sharp breath at the sight of him because he was just as cut as Jensen, if not more. He certainly hid it well under his clothes. Neither Aria nor Nate seemed to notice my surprise at his half-naked appearance. I felt even more awkward when Aria climbed into the bed and snuggled up next to him. Nate held up his hand and gave a slight wave. Was that a show of embarrassment?
“Hey, Nate. I thought I saw your truck out front. This isn't a bad time, is it? I don’t have to stay, I can go.” I fumbled for words and motioned toward the door, desperately hoping they'd send me away.
“No, no, it’s fine,” Aria cut in. “Mom’s out of town and Nate’s been keeping me company.” I couldn’t help but notice her slight smile.
Nate sat up taller and adjusted the blanket around him. “Yeah, for a second I thought I might have to hide under the bed, but you can imagine my relief when I didn’t hear our code word when Aria answered the door.” He put his arms around Aria and she reached up and kissed him. Awkward … this must be what a camera crew feels when they’re filming movie sex scenes.
“So, what do you guys have planned for today?” I asked, taking a seat on the bottom edge of the bed. Once I was there I realized I probably should have just sat on the floor, but I didn’t know how to move without creating a scene of sorts.
“Oh, we’ll probably hang out in here all day,” Aria stated, matter-of-factly.
“Yeah,” I said, looking for a way out of there, “I’m actually supposed to be at Jensen’s right now. He had the guys over yesterday and I think they’re probably still there. I, uh, told him I’d come by after I registered. He may be wondering where I am, actually.” I knew I was babbling and decided to shut up.
“Do you want to call him?” Aria pulled herself away from Nate and leaned over the edge of the bed, picked up her phone and handed it to me. As she leaned, the blanket moved a little too much for Nate’s comfort and he quickly grabbed for it with a harsh whisper, but not before I had confirmation that he wasn’t clothed underneath. I could feel my face burn red and looked down at the carpet. Not having any intention of calling Jensen before now, I didn’t know what else to do besides stand there and look as out of place as I felt. Reaching for the phone I dialed Jensen’s number and waited for someone to pick up, which turned out to be a long, long wait as I listened to Nate and Aria kiss. Finally, Alicia answered and wondered right away if I was broken down somewhere in my truck. When I told her no she said that was good because Jensen had been playing Sega all morning and probably wouldn’t leave to rescue me. She was about to say more when Jensen took the phone.
“Hey, babe, did you register yet?”
“Of course, it’s after noon. Right now I’m over at Aria’s … Nate’s here, too.”
“Are
