Let's Be Just Friends Read online

  Half an hour later, Ethan watched a black car pull up in front of Rose’s building. Tyler’s car. So he’d been right, they were together!

  The lights of the car went dark, and everything stood still. If Rose didn’t come out of that damn car at once, Ethan would not feel responsible for his actions. He wanted to snap Tyler’s neck so badly, and his being in the same car with Rose did nothing to calm the urge.

  Luckily, just when Ethan was about to spring into action, the car lights came back on and Rose climbed out. As she trotted up the few steps to the front door, the car sped away.

  Rose’s eyes widened as she entered the lobby and spotted him. “Ethan?”

  “Why didn’t you pick up your phone?” Ethan accused, not even bothering with a hello.

  Rose fired a question back instead. “Did you talk to Georgiana?”

  Ethan nodded.

  “So do you really need to ask why I wasn’t picking up the phone?” Ethan was about to come out with some petty retort, but Rose cut him off. “Listen, it’s been a long day. Why don’t we go upstairs to talk?”

  He followed her to the elevator, and as it climbed to her floor, both kept quiet. The metallic ding announcing they’d reached Rose’s floor sounded deafening after their silent ride.

  “I want pizza, a giant one,” Rose said, unlocking the door and taking off her jacket.

  “Pizza? How can you think about pizza right now?”

  “I skipped lunch, I’m hungry, and I could use some comfort food. Are you mad at me for some reason?”

  “You were with him all day, don’t deny it. And you didn’t pick up your phone!”

  “If you’re up to date on the ‘good’ news, I don’t really need to explain why I spent the day with Tyler. He’s still my best friend, and I’m his. Tyler needed to talk to someone. Do you want just cheese or pepperoni?”

  “Just cheese,” Ethan said, pouting.

  Rose dialed the delivery number. “Um, hello. Yes, one cheese pizza and one pepperoni, please… Rose Atwood… correct, that’s me… okay, perfect. Bye.” She hung up and opened the fridge. “Beer?”

  “Yeah, I need one before I go strangle that bastard.” Ethan flopped onto the couch.

  Rose handed Ethan his beer and sat rigidly next to him. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me.”

  “Yes, I did, but honestly, this whole situation is hardly Tyler’s fault.”

  “Last time I checked, it took two to make a baby.”

  “Yes, it does take two, but if one of the two says she’s on the pill when, in fact, she’s not… all it takes is one lying b—”

  “Watch it,” Ethan threatened. “You’re talking about my sister.”

  “I don’t care if she’s your sister. You’re not on Georgiana’s side on this, are you?”

  “I’m not even sure what her side would be. Her side would be Georgiana not being pregnant with that bastard’s baby, and her never seeing Tyler again.”

  “Well, that’d be Tyler’s side, too, but it’s too late for that.”

  “And whose fault is that?” Ethan looked at Rose pointedly.

  “Are you saying it’s my fault? How is any of this my fault?”

  “If you’d let me talk to her, tell Gigi the truth, she would’ve never done it.”

  Rose glowered at him, eyes black with anger. “Don’t you even dare go there,” she hissed. “There’s no way it’s my fault if your psycho of a sister decided to get herself pregnant. No. Way. So don’t even try to put this on me. Why are you mad, anyway? The only person with any right to be angry here is Tyler.”

  “Of course you’d be on darling Tyler’s side.”

  “You’re being petty on purpose. Are you mad because I spent the day with him? Is this only a jealousy tantrum?”

  “Rose, I can’t stand him. And you spent the entire day with him not picking up your phone.”

  “Because we were talking. There weren’t any romantic implications in the conversation. Tyler is destroyed… I’ve never seen him this bad.”

  “He’s a cheating, lying—”

  “And what does that make your sister?” Rose continued to glare at him. “Georgiana schemed and lied just as bad.”

  “At least Gigi did it for love. Why did he do it? Why did he stay with her if he doesn’t love her? Only to be closer to you, or to make you jealous, and now my sister will pay the consequences for life.”

  “Only because she got herself pregnant against Tyler’s will. And please don’t act as if you were a beacon of moral behavior. None of us have been.”

  “Meaning?”

  “How many casual hook ups did you have after Sabrina?”

  “Don’t try to turn the focus away from that bastard—”

  “Really? Georgiana traps him and Tyler is the bastard?” Rose was close to screaming.

  “Calm down,” Ethan said.

  “No, you calm down.” Rose shot up from the couch. “You haven’t answered me.”

  “What was the question?”

  “How many girls have you screwed without being in love?”

  Ethan shrugged. “A few,” he said casually, seeking to hurt Rose, to infuriate her.

  It worked. Her nostrils flared in anger, and Rose struggled to keep her voice steady as she spoke. “Tell me, Ethan. How would you have felt if one of those girls had trapped you by deliberately lying about taking the pill? Think about it.” Rose gave him a minute to, before continuing. “What if Alice had played the same trick on you? Would you be rooting for her, saying how, after all, you were the bastard for not loving her? I don’t think so.”

  Touché. He was no saint, and neither was Georgiana. Ethan began to calm down. Rose was right; he was being over-protective of his sister, and over-jealous of Rose’s relationship with Tyler.

  “I know you love your sister,” Rose continued, “and that you’re worried about her. But for once, this mess was not Tyler’s fault, or mine. It was all Georgiana. One hundred percent her. She’s far from stupid or naïve, and she knew all the risks and consequences when she decided to go through with her little scheme. So it’s all on her.”

  “But she doesn’t know about you and Tyler. Maybe if she’d known, she wouldn’t have done it.”

  “Didn’t you say Georgiana suspected us? Do you really think it would’ve stopped her, even if she knew for sure? Seems like the opposite to me. It would’ve made her even more desperate to cling onto Tyler, instead of stopping her altogether.”

  “Maybe you’re right, but what if you’re wrong? I need to tell her. Please, let me tell her.”

  “Why? What good would it do now?”

  “She could reconsider and…” Ethan didn’t like what he was about to say, but he saw no other solution. “Not have the baby.”

  “Tyler would never let her do that.”

  “Why not? It’d be the perfect way out for him.”

  The doorbell rang in the background.

  “Pizza’s here.”

  Rose buzzed the delivery guy in. A few minutes later, she was back on the couch with two huge cardboard boxes and two more beers. They ate the first half of the pizza in silence. Ethan didn’t want to be mad at Rose, but he was. He was convinced that if she’d let him talk with Georgiana, none of this would’ve happened.

  “Why do you think Tyler wouldn’t let her end the pregnancy?” Ethan asked.

  “Because…” She looked unsure and wiped her mouth on a napkin to cover. “Well, you’ll find out anyway sooner or later. Tyler is adopted and against abortion.”

  “Really?”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “Does Georgiana know?”

  “She does, has for a long time.”

  Ethan snorted. His sister really was a piece of work.

  “Do you think that’s part of the reason she did it? Because she knew Tyler would want to keep the baby?”

  “I’m pretty sure she took everything into account.”

/>   “Dooming herself for life.”

  “And bringing Tyler along for the ride.”

  “What is he going to do?” Ethan wasn’t able to keep the animosity from his voice.

  “What would you do in his place, since you seem to have all the right answers today, Mr. Self-righteous?” Rose sounded hurt more than angry.

  Her vulnerability made him feel ashamed. He’d been yelling at her all night for no reason. Ethan had wanted someone to blame, but he shouldn’t target Rose.

  “Come here,” Ethan said, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her onto his lap.

  “Oh, so I’m back to hugging privileges?”

  “And kissing privileges, too…” It felt good having her close, kissing her. Ethan relaxed. “It’s just that my sister is crazy, and I can’t stand him. But I’m sorry I took it out on you.”

  “Well, you’d better get used to Tyler being around; he might become your brother-in-law soon.”

  “Ugh, don’t say that.”

  “Why?”

  “Do you really think he’ll propose?”

  “They’ll either split up for good and be single parents, or they’ll get married and give it a shot at being a family. And, despite what you think, Tyler has a pretty big sense of responsibility, especially when it comes to family.”

  “Has he already decided?”

  “No, but I think he’ll try. At least if he can start looking at Georgiana again without wanting to kill her on the spot. It’ll take time… but eventually, once he has come to terms with the situation and the idea of becoming a father…”

  “But is that the best option?” The prospect of Georgiana marrying Tyler made Ethan sick. “Will he keep being a cheating loser if they get married?”

  “I don’t have a crystal ball. I’ve no idea what’s best or how it will turn out. All I know is that Tyler will love this baby with all he has. He’ll be a wonderful dad; I’m not so sure about a great husband. It’s hard for anyone to start a family and have kids, but if you’re forced into it, especially if you’re Tyler…” Rose shook her head.

  “So my sister basically dug her own grave.”

  “It’s not necessarily going to be a fairy tale wedding, but there’s a part of Tyler that cares about your sister. If he can forgive her, they could make it work.”

  “At least Mom will be ecstatic if she has another daughter married before the end of the year. And my dad too, with all these lawyer genes getting mixed up. He’ll have a lawyer empire with all these grandkids.”

  “Mmm… but with us, babies could end up with mixed real estate genes…” Rose blushed all of a sudden. “Not that… I mean… I wasn’t saying we should have kids or anything, it was just… you know…”

  “You’re so cute when you blush.”

  “And you’re so annoying when you look that smug.”

  “That’s not true; you adore me all the same.” Ethan smirked. “So much so that you want to have my babies.”

  “I-I said it just for the sake of talking.”

  Ethan pressed one hand to his chest mockingly. “Now you’re hurting me.”

  “Oh, stop it.”

  She silenced him with a kiss, and he wasn’t about to complain.

  “I have to study,” Rose said after a short make-up cuddle. “Finals are in ten days, and I haven’t done any homework today. Plus, I have a bunch of angry emails from my group project members who I blew off at the library that I need to read and reply to. Do you mind spending a cozy night in while I study?”

  “I couldn’t imagine a better way of spending the night than cozied in with you, and I always have work to do.”

  “I love you,” Rose said out of the blue. “Never doubt that.”

  “I love you too, Miss Atwood.” Guilt still gnawed at him, though. He’d been too harsh with her today. Rose didn’t deserve to be treated this way. “Sorry again for today. I know it’s not your fault. I was as worried for my sister as I was mad you spent the day with Tyler.”

  “You know,” she said, and kissed Ethan, “the feminist movement will shoot me for saying this, but I sort of like it when you get crazy jealous. You’re annoying as hell but way too adorable.”

  “I won’t tell, I promise.”

  Rose got her books from her room and sat at the dining table. Ethan sat next to her, took out his iPad, and they began working and studying, respectively. Despite all that was happening, Ethan found himself happier than ever. A simple night in, doing ordinary, boring stuff, and Ethan was in heaven because he had Rose by his side.

  Twenty-seven

  Rose

  “Woo–hoo! Finals are over!” Rose tilted her face up, enjoying the first warm day of May.

  “You mind taking a walk with me?” Tyler asked seriously.

  “Is Georgiana around?” Rose checked behind them.

  Since the pregnancy announcement, Georgiana had become even more clingy and possessive of Tyler. Which usually resulted in escalating nasty behaviors toward Rose.

  “Nah, she had an exam right”—Tyler checked his watch—“about now. We should be good for at least two hours.”

  “Okay then.”

  They walked in silence until Tyler stopped in front of a sunlit bench. He sat on the backrest and Rose sat on the bench next to him, her head level with his knees.

  “So, I might’ve decided what to do with Georgiana and the baby,” Tyler announced. “But I need to talk to you first.”

  “Okay…” Rose’s heart started beating faster.

  “I’ll ask her to marry me and try to make it work. But before I do, I need to know you mean it when you say there isn’t a future for us. That you see me as just a friend.”

  Air left Rose’s lungs. So this was the moment when she’d have to say goodbye to Tyler forever. The day had been coming—fast—but somehow in all the scenarios Rose had imagined, being on a bench in the sun on campus had not been one of them.

  Rose’s voice failed her, the words caught in her throat. She paused and tried again. “Tyler, I don’t see you just as a friend. You’re so much more than that. You’re my best friend, my oldest friend… you’re family, and I love you.”

  “But you’re not in love with me anymore.”

  Rose shook her head.

  “‘Cause you love him.”

  Rose nodded. Funny how Tyler and Ethan kept avoiding saying each other’s names and just kept calling each other him.

  “I hate his guts, you know.”

  “If it’s any consolation, Ethan hates yours, too.”

  Tyler snorted. “Excuse me if I don’t feel sorry for him.”

  Rose tried to keep her emotions in check. Her relationship—um, friendship?—with Tyler wouldn’t be the same after today. For years, they’d flirted with the possibility of romance, of a distant future together. But today they were putting a stop to that for good. Rose hoped she’d manage to finish this conversation without bursting into tears.

  “Okay, then. I’ll be a married man soon!”

  “You already guessed what I would say?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “How?”

  “From the way you look at him; you’ve never looked at me that way. Rose, you’ve never looked at anyone that way.”

  “Can I get a hug?” Rose was about to break down.

  “Course you can. Come here.”

  Tyler jumped down from the bench backrest and pulled Rose into a tight embrace. A new sadness overcame her, and hugging Tyler provided little in the way of comfort. This newfound melancholy would take a long time to shake off. But, at least for the first time in forever, there wasn’t tension between them.

  “Promise me we will stay best friends no matter what happens,” Rose whispered.

  “Hey, I know I’ve gone soft, but I’m not Paris Hilton BFF material yet.” Tyler smiled. “And who knows? You could become my sister-in-law very soon. One day, we’ll be one big, happy family!” he added sarcastically
.

  “Aw, come on.” Rose pushed him away and sat back on the bench. “It’s not like I’m going to marry Ethan anytime soon.”

  “If he’s not stupid, he’ll ask you. Plus, he’s such an old guy; he’d better get a move on.”

  Rose beamed at Tyler. It was good that he was making jokes again.

  “So, when are you going to propose?” she asked.

  “This weekend,” Tyler said, sitting next to her. “Just before the term ends. Knowing Georgiana, she’ll want to get married straight away before her bump shows.”

  “You’ve already picked a ring?”

  “I have one on hold…”

  “You seem calm enough.”

  “No. I’m freaking out, Rose. My guts are screaming at me to hop on a plane, go get lost somewhere in Asia, and not come back for years. But, like you said, I’ll become a father no matter what, so I want to at least try to be a decent one.”

  “You’ll be a great dad, Tyler. I’m sure of it.”

  “I have another question for you…”

  “Is this one easier?”

  “Pretty straightforward. Will you be my best man?”

  “Of course I will, Tyler!”

  “Thank you. It means a lot to have you there by my side.”

  “Will Georgiana… mmm… be okay with me being your best man?”

  “Why? You think she has you lined up for the maid of honor role?”

  “Ha, ha. I’d be surprised if she let me inside the church at all.”

  “Between me and the old guy, I’m sure she won’t have much of a choice.”

  “He’s not old!”

  “He so is. So, will you be there by my side?”

  “Always!” Rose squeezed his hand. They’d been on a long journey that had seen them together and apart, but, finally, Rose had her best friend back.

  Twenty-eight

  Rose

  A mere three weeks later, Rose examined Tyler’s appearance in his wedding suit. They were in the chapel’s side room reserved for the groom, and the ceremony was supposed to start in one hour. After Tyler’s proposal, Georgiana had not wasted a second. The Bronfman-Smithson wedding had been organized in record time.