My Best Friend ...And More

AUDREY

After a few minutes of ringing the doorbell, Dad opened the door with a grin plastered on his face.

"Welcome, munch." I narrowed my eyebrows at him. I could identify that grin from anywhere. It wasn't ordinary; he surely had something up his sleeve.

"Spill," I said, stepping into the sitting room, my eyes resting on a silver fancy gift box. Wow!

I looked up at him. "You went shopping for me?" I alternated my gaze between him and the box.

"Nope, I didn't. Someone had it delivered."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "Who could it be?" Whoops, I didn't just ask that. How the hell was he supposed to know? His shrugs and reply of "I don't know" lent credence to my stupid question.

"Maybe you should read the note that is inside the box. It might give a clue of who he is," he added with a wink, which earned him a narrowed gaze as I closed the door behind me.

"What made you think it's a he?" I challenged. Although I knew that it was very much possible for it to be a he, I just wanted to play with his mind a little.

"I can remember someone telling me that she's into girls." A smile crept across my face as I observed the box. I could sense the trepidation in his voice. So, I decided to allay his obvious fear.

"I'm not. Just joking," I replied, tossing him a glance over my shoulders. He smiled in relief before heading towards his room.

"Oh, before I forget. We have dinner with the Flynns tonight at 7 pm."

At the mention of the Flynns, my mind picked on the dream I had last night and my heart fluttered. Well, it had been fluttering a lot these days, especially at the sound of anything that concerned Liam or the sight of him.

"Okay, Dad," he replied before he retreated to his room. I opened the box and found a neatly folded short dinner gown—silver and shiny. Wow! Armless? I had never worn a dinner gown with arms, let alone one that had no arms. Seriously, who could this mysterious person be? The card didn't say anything about his identity.

As I removed the gown to examine it, I saw another shocker. I thought it was only a gown that was contained in the box, but no, I was wrong. My eyes fell on a pair of black gorgeous heels. My jaw dropped. Who on Earth would gift me a dinner gown and heels?

My mind shifted to Lislie and Evie, and I shook my head. Despite the fact that they had been fussing about my always wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and flannel shirts, they wouldn't go as far as gifting me with these.

Could it be that I had a secret admirer? I chuckled at the thought as I arranged the gift back in its hold. They were really beautiful, but I didn't see myself wearing them.

I ascended the stairs to my room with the box in my arms. Whoever it was would surface one day. I just had to take my bath, eat lunch, and relax my nerves a bit before preparing for dinner. Going for dinner or lunch together with the Flynns had been our tradition since our families became closer _because of us _ that was years ago, even before my mum died. Our families usually exchanged treats and it was a fun activity for us.

The thought that I was going to see him this evening gladdened my heart. I avoided him throughout today because I was angry that he did not drop by again after going to drop off that new mate of his. I wanted him to be with me and not the said Winnifred.

I was greatly surprised at myself and these newfound feelings of mine, but nothing could be done. As far as I knew, it sprang up on its own. I just had to hope that by luck or fate, Liam would one day come to see me the way I do him, and I prayed it would be sooner.

~~~~~~~~

Seated across Liam in a fancy restaurant—with his parents and my dad, trying hard not to overponder its gaze towards me from time to time. Sometimes, I would lock gazes with him, sometimes, I would just pretend I didn't know he was looking. He had this pleading look, which I would always decipher.

Was he trying to apologize for not dropping by last night? Maybe he had realized that he had chosen his coursemate over his best friend. Hell, I was determined to make him pay for that. I concentrated on my dinner of Spaghetti and meatballs, savoring its exquisite taste.

After dinner, we were relaxing with a bottle of wine when Liam locked gazes with me—again! This time, I didn't retreat nor did he. Then he smiled. Well, I kept my face expressionless, gazing at him.

He scratched his head and bit his lips. Gosh! I wished I was the one giving a bite to those lips. I smiled inwardly at my thoughts. Just when did I grow from not wanting any romantic relationship with any guy for now, to wishing I was the one biting my best friend's lips?

"Hey, do you wanna go grab an ice cream together?" He said, rousing me out of my thoughts.

"Nope. Not interested," I replied, maintaining a straight face.

"Come on, bestie. Please," he said, with a pleading look that I couldn't resist. It wasn't as though I could resist him at all now, just that it weakened my resolve to keep a tough act.

"Okay, let's go," I announced, and he grinned. Our families let us off the hook because they knew we would always want to spend time apart with them at every dinner. They had gotten used to it.

We bought our ice cream—the same flavors, of course, and headed to the adjoining balconies where customers usually stay and have a drink or two while gazing at the night sky.

As we leaned against the railings, I struggled not to be swept away by his signature fragrance—Olive and mist. Also resisting the urge to pull him closer and whisper feelings to him. Maybe—just maybe, he might reciprocate. But, on second thought, I couldn't. I didn't want to spoil our friendship; besides, I was still playing an angry best friend, yeah.

"I'm sorry for not coming back after dropping Winnie off," he started, gazing at the night sky briefly before resting his gaze on me. His eyes were brown and intense.

"It's fine, though. But, I waited for you." I figured it wouldn't hurt to be honest, even if it was just a tiny bit. But, I didn't expect the kind of intense gaze that preceded my words. He kept staring fixedly at me.

My heart quickened its pace—I couldn't decipher that gaze. Moreso, because I couldn't bring myself to lock gazes with him. I didn't know if it was my mind playing tricks on me, but I thought I saw him run his tongue over his lips. My body was blessed with rippling sensations and shivers which ran down my spine.

"What in the world was happening?"