Emily: Men suck. I’m on my way to get you.
Me: Nah. It’s pretty out. I think I’ll walk.
2
Aiden
Relationship status: maybe one day –Liz
I’m not surprised when there’s a knock on my door, even at seven o’clock on a Friday evening. There’s only one person it could be, and I both hate and love that she’s here.
I hate it because it means that Lizzie’s date likely didn’t end well. I love it because it means I get to pick up the pieces. There’s another soft knock. I shut my laptop, set it aside, and hop off the couch.
“Coming.”
When I open the door, Lizzie holds up a hand and waves. “Hi.”
The look on her face doesn’t match her easy tone. Her dark brown eyes are sad, and her nude heels dangle from her fingertips.
“I take it the blind date didn’t go well?”
She shakes her head, causing a chunk of dark hair to fall out of her fancy updo and into her face. “Not so much.”
I wish I weren’t familiar with this scenario. Unfortunately, I’ve seen it dozens of times. Another asshole disappointed her, shattering her hopes of finding a decent man. Another setback in her plan of building her future.
I open my arms, and she walks into them, enveloping me in her soft lavender scent. I press my lips to the side of her head, trying not to be affected by the way she feels in my arms.
Warm.
Soft.
Perfect.
“I’m sorry, Lizzie Lou.”
“You can say it,” she mumbles against my shirt.
“Say what?” I pull back so I can look her in the eye.
“I told you so.”
There’s nothing I want more than for Lizzie to be happy, just not with a man of Emily’s choosing. I told Lizzie that earlier today when we talked on the phone.
Emily is wonderful, and she means well and loves Lizzie dearly, but sometimes she forgets that even though they’re identical twins, they’re polar opposites in every other way, including their taste in men.
Emily is fancy dresses, expensive meals, and sparkling jewelry, and she has a husband who happily gives her all of those things. There’s nothing wrong with liking the things she does, it’s just not who Lizzie is.
Lizzie is down to Earth. She cares more about comfort and how something makes her feel rather than the name attached to it, and how it makes her look—which is probably why she shucked her heels on her way to my door. And, she doesn’t care so much about what a man does for a living, or how much he makes. What she’s looking for is stability, loyalty, and kindness—all things that I bring to her life, just not in the capacity she’s looking for.
Lizzie wants love. She wants the fairy tale, the happily ever after, and I’d give her that too if I thought for a second it’s what she wanted from me.
I’ve dropped a couple of hints here and there over the last year about the two of us being together, but she always blows me off, and I’m afraid to push it further because I don’t want to lose her.
Lizzie is one of the most important people in my life, and I’d rather have her as a friend than not have her at all. Even if it means watching her date these pathetic losers who don’t deserve to breathe the same air as she does, let alone take her on a date.
“Go on. I know you want to.”
I take the heels from her hand and toss them to the floor. “Nah. You look sad enough. You don’t need me rubbing it in. Plus, it’s his loss, and now I get to spend the evening with you. Maybe I should send him a thank you card.”