"Oh, I still wanna be your favorite boy
I wanna be the one that makes your day
The one you think about as you lie awake
And I can't wait to be your number, your number one
I'll be your biggest fan and you'll be mine
But I still wanna break your heart and make you cry"
Best Friend - Rex Orange County

oOoOo

The next morning, I awake with a throbbing headache. I sit up in bed and check the time on my alarm clock. It's 10:17. I've been out cold for at least nine hours. Rubbing my eyes, the events of last night come rushing back to me

Kaden seeing Xander's text.

Dancing with Kaden.

Making out with Kaden.

Calling Kaden pretty.

Fuck.

I'm in some deep shit.

Groaning, I fall back on my bed and band my head into my pillow. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I just want to hide from the world in a corner, curled up with a blanket. It sounds more appealing than facing Kaden and telling him it can never happen again.

What the fuck was I thinking? Clearly, I make terrible decisions when I'm intoxicated.

That's it, I am swearing off all alcohol.

Okay, well maybe just if I'm around Kaden.

After wallowing in my embarrassment for way too long, I get out of bed in search of some aspirin for my headache.

I sleepily stumble into the kitchen, with my head hurting like a bitch.

"Good morning!" Blair says way too chirpily.

"Nngh," I groan, rubbing my eyes again. "Where's the aspirin? I have a terrible headache."

"Here," Blair passes me the pill bottle. She fills up a glass of water from the fridge and slides it over to me.

I sit down on a barstool and pop a pill in my mouth. I reach for my water and take a sip.

"So what happened last night between you and Kaden?"

"Um. Yeah, so about that," I say slowly, looking anywhere but Blair.

She raises her eyebrows, motioning for me to continue.

"We kissed," I mumble into my glass.

"You kissed?!" She shouts.

"Ow, a little quieter please?" My head is throbbing.

"Sorry. You kissed?!" She whisper-yells.

"More like made out," I mumble.

"What happened to not leading him on?" She questions.

"My stupid drunk brain thought it would be okay," I groan. "I obviously did not think it through. I feel horrible about it now."

"He was drunk too, right? Maybe he won't remember?" She suggests, trying to cheer me up.

"I hope so, but it's unlikely. He wasn't as out of it as I was."

"So how was the kiss?" She asks, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Earth-shattering," I sigh, recalling how skilled he is at kissing "It just makes the situation so much worse."

"So what are you going to do about it?" She inquires, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the island.

"Ugh, I don't know. Maybe just straight up tell him I value his friendship and want to keep it that way? Or explain how I'm not looking to start a relationship and let him down easily? Either way, it'll be awful."

I hate drama, but unfortunately, it seems to love me.

"Yeah, it will be," she says bluntly.

"Next time, please remind me to stick to soda."

oOoOo

After eating toast for breakfast, I retreat to my room to get ready for the day. I pull on a plain t-shirt and cardigan. I also don some black leggings, with the intent of chilling out today.

Turning on my phone, I see I have a few unread texts.

Kaden: Hey, want to hang out today? ;)

Xander: Are you available to FaceTime today to discuss my visit next week?

Maeve: Call me when you get a chance! It's important

I decide to prioritize my sister. As they say, chicks before dicks. Not wanting to talk to Kaden may or may not be a factor in my decision...

Maeve picks up on the first ring. "Hey, girl."

"Hey, what's up?"

"Just wanted to ask about the party you were at last night! Your costume was cute by the way!"

"How did you know I was at a party?" I'm worried now.

"You posted on your Instagram story."

Oh shit.

"Which account," I ask, squeezing my eyes shut, preparing for the worst. This wouldn't be the first time I have drunkenly posted on Instagram.

"Your private one."

I audibly sigh in relief. One crisis averted.

"It was fun. I have a massive hangover, but don't tell mom and dad."

"Um, I think they already know," she says quietly.

My day cannot get any worse.

"How?" I sigh in frustration.

"Juliet follows you, and it came up in a meeting this afternoon. She showed them the pictures you posted with the blond lumberjack and the dark-skinned girl in the Cher costume."

"Wonderful," I say sarcastically.

"Yeah, I just wanted to let you know. Prepare for a lecture on underage drinking."

"I'm not underaged, though!"

"You are in the United States." Oh, I forgot about that. In Amaria, the legal age is eighteen.

"So the lumberjack's Kaden?" She asks.

"He's so cute! I thought you're with Xander, though."

"It's complicated," I say shortly, not in the mood for this conversation.

"Okay."

There's a short pause where neither of us speaks.

"Hey, I gotta go. Amanda just texted me. She needs to meet with me about a charity event we're hosting next week."

We hang up and I send a text to Xander.

Me: I'm free whenever. Just give me a call :)

A few minutes later, I get a FaceTime request from Xander.

"Hey," I say as I plop down on my bed.

"Hey, how are you?"

"A little hungover from Halloween, but I'll be alright."

He laughs.

"So, I'm flying into Logan Airport sometime in the afternoon. We're leaving on Monday morning."

"How many bodyguards are you bringing?"

"As of now, just one."

"Where are you guys staying?"

"We're not sure yet. We were thinking of renting a suite somewhere downtown. But wanted to check with you first."

"You're welcome to stay in the penthouse with us," I offer. "We have a spare room that has two beds. There's also a pullout couch in the office."

"That sounds great, thank you."

We talk for half an hour about what he wants to do. He mainly is coming so we can get more comfortable around each other. I suggest showing him around the city one day and around Harvard another.

We both agree on posting casual Instagram stories on our public accounts, to show the public that we are spending time together.

The rest of Sunday is spent lazily lounging on the couch, getting over my hangover. I end up asking Kaden for a rain check, telling him I'm feeling crappy.

oOoOo

On Monday morning, I am dreading my history class with Kaden. I decide to get there on the later side, to avoid confrontation.

Kaden seems to have the same idea as me. We end up walking into the room at the same time and sitting down in the seats Chase saved for us. He passes me one of the coffees he is carrying. I graciously smile at him.

Kaden and I don't exchange any words until the prof asks us to discuss the causes of the French Revolution with the people sitting next to us.

"Hey," he says. "Are you feeling better?" He seems genuinely concerned for my well being. It's so adorable how much he cares.

"Yeah, thank you. I always terrible migraines after drinking. I don't know why I continue getting drunk though," I explain.

"That sucks. I'm glad to hear you're not ignoring me, sweetheart," he jokes to lighten the mood.

"Haha nope. I stayed away from my phone yesterday to help my headache." It's not exactly a lie.

"So we're all good?" He confirms.

"Yeah, we're good," I echo, grinning at him. "Thanks again for the coffee."

"It's no problem. I get them for free anyway."

The prof resumes class before I can reply.

"Okay, so now it's time for a project. With the people you just discussed with, you will be creating a Google Slides presentation on one of the catalysts of the Revolution. Be sure to include how it connects to the Enlightenment."

The prof drones on about the presentation rubric and due date. I take notes in my notebook and turn to Kaden and Chase.

"So when do you guys want to get started?"

"How about this afternoon?" Kaden asks. He pauses to let us think.

"Works for me," Chase replies, not even looking up from his phone.

"Yeah, sure. Want to meet at The Brew around three?"

"Okay," Kaden says, his eyes focused on my lips.

I pack up my things. "See you later," I call over my shoulder as I walk away.

oOoOo

The rest of my classes are uneventful, except for the fact that I get slammed with homework and assignments. The term ends in a week, right before our Thanksgiving Break. Of course, all of my profs had to cram in last-minute assessments and projects.

Around three, Marc and I head to The Brew together. He has taken a liking to Chase; they can be so alike sometimes, so I am not surprised.

"Hey, stranger," Kaden says as I reach the front of the line.

"Hey, I'll have a small cold brew." I reach into my wallet to get my debit card out.

"It's on me," he stops me. "I'll be over there in a minute."

"Okay, thank you," I reply, shooting him a small smile.

A minute later, he arrives with two coffees and his backpack. He plops down on the couch next to me and gets his computer out.

"I love your sweater," he tells me. "You look beautiful. Well, not that you don't look beautiful every day, cause I think you do," he nervously adds.

My heart is melting.

"Aw, thank you," I say genuinely. "So how was your day?"

"Pretty good. It could be better though."

"Why?" I quirk a brow.

"Hm, I don't know," he starts with mischief in his voice. "How about we get dinner? My day's always better when I hang out with you," he flirts.

I feel terrible for what I'm about to say.

"Is it okay if we make it into a group thing? I promised Blair I would hang out with her tonight. She's going through something, and I would feel bad leaving her home alone," I lie. I see Kaden's smile instantly dim.

"I can stay with her," Marc says, trying to be helpful for once. You picked the wrong time, buddy.

"Um, well you're the last person she'd like to hang out with right now," I squeak out. I know this is so not true and feel even worse for bringing Blair into the lie.

"Shit. What did I do?" He asks, looking genuinely worried.

"Um, I'm not supposed to tell. Girl code and everything."

Marc takes out his phone, presumably to interrogate Blair. I see him furiously typing with a frown on his face.

Blair is going to kill me.

"So how 'bout the three of us get something to eat at a diner tonight?"

"Sounds good," he says with a forced smile.

Chase arrives soon and we get started on the project. Every so often, Chase and Marc interrupt to start talking about a recent football game, corny jokes, or some girl. Getting them to focus is like herding cats.

oOoOo

It takes some convincing, but I manage to get Blair to come as a buffer tonight. She agrees reluctantly, grumbling about how I owe her. If there's three of us, Kaden won't see it as a date, I reason.

Wearing a sweatshirt and leggings to place further emphasis on this not being a date, I head out the door with Blair.

When we get to the diner, I see Kaden's head sticking out of one of the booths. He waves us over. Blair quickly slides in opposite from him, forcing me to sit next to him. Sneaky bitch. I thought we both had an agreement to let Kaden down easy?

"Sorry for crashing your date, Blair begins.

What the fuck is wrong with her?

"I just didn't want to stay home with Marc tonight. He pissed me off," she says to confirm my earlier lie.

"What did he do?" He asks.

"Trust me, you do not want to know," she says with a smirk.

A waitress comes to take our order of two burgers and grilled cheese. Blair gets up to go to the bathroom and leaves us alone. I believe this was a deliberate move. We are going to have a little chat later.

"So sweetheart, want to reschedule our date to Saturday?"

"I wish, but my friend Xander is coming this weekend," I say.

"Okay, how about the next weekend?" He asks hopefully. He looks self-conscious.

I'm about to turn him down. But, I remember the disappointment that flashed through his eyes this morning. I can't find it in me to say no. I want to spare his emotions for as long as possible.

What's the harm in just one date? It's possible we'll find out that we are better off as friends and go together romantically like oil and water.

"Sure, I'd love to!"

Okay, who am I kidding? We have amazing chemistry and would be a cute couple.

The instant smile that lights up his face makes the lie almost worth it to me. Keyword: almost.

"Am I interrupting something?" Blair asks eagerly. "Because I can go back to the bathroom if you need me to."

"Nope, we're all good. Thanks for that, by the way," Kaden smirks.

These bitches planned that! I'm beginning to wonder whose side Blair is really on.

I glare at Blair, mentally letting her know I will be interrogating her later.

Our food promptly arrives and we dig in. This is the best grilled cheese I've ever had.

oOoOo

Thanks for reading chapter 10! Please vote and comment if you enjoyed it! <3

Anyone have any epigraph song suggestions?

Or, just what are your favorite songs in general? I'm always looking for new music :)