Best Friends (AAA111 & angeli)

[angeli]

"What an idiot!" Tristan said. He wanted to say something harsher, but he also didn't want to offend Lauren. Not while she was crying her ears out, anyway. "How can he want you back but call you a 'slut' at the same time? The guy's an asshole." Okay, so he ended up saying them anyway.

Tristan felt a tiny fluttering--alarm? flattery? some other unameable emotion?--when Lauren mentioned that they were hooking up. Him and Lauren? He didn't know what to make of that, so he just said quiet on that topic, consoling Lauren with quiet words.

[AAA111]

She sighed. "Maybe he is an asshole but he was a constant in my life. You know me and how much I love having something constant in my life. Maybe I should go back. I don't know what else to do" I say as I shrug my shoulders.

She looks up at him "IF only I could find a guy like you. You are truly Mr. Perfect" I say grinning.

[angeli]

Tristan tugged her away from his shoulder to give her an incredulous look. "Go back? After you broke your phone and sobbed your heart out because he's an asshole? That's like saying... like saying..." It took him a while to come up with a good analogy, but finally he said, "That's like saying you're going to wear the same shirt day in and day out even though it's the most hideous shirt in the world, just because it's the same one and you're comfortable with it." He wanted to shake her, get her to see reason. She was starting to talk nonsense. Like... "Mr. Perfect? I don't think so!"

[AAA111]

I smile up at you "Yes you are Mr. Perfect. You are um sweet, gentle, loving, and pretty much the most amazing person ever. And to top it all off your my best friend. I'm so luckY" I say grinning at you. I lean my head back on your shoulder "Plus did I mention that you ALWAYS make me feel better. I just wish I had someone like that ya know" I shrug

[angeli]

It was hard to say something after that. Tristan could feel his cheeks heating up at Lauren's praise. He ducked his head a bit and didn't respond except to say, "Aw, Lauren, you have me now." He knew what she meant, though. She wanted a boyfiend like him--and it gave him a weird feeling to think about Lauren and someone-like-him together.

So he pulled her closer for a quick hug, then stood up slowly to pick up the broken cell phone pieces. "Let's head out," he said, changing the subject. "I need to shop for a few items for the dinner. Speaking of, do you need to call your parents and let them know I'm coming over tonight?"

[AAA111]

"Nope. I told them when you told me when talked and they are super excited to see you. They have been gabbing about it all week. Tristan this and Tristan that. It is annoying." She says teasing him but in the back of her mind she doesn't care that his name comes up so often.

I get up and wait for you as I give you a wide smile.

[angeli]

"Okay, great!" Tristan was a bit surprised that Lauren had mentioned him to her parents--after all, their last meeting had gone quite as well as he would have wanted. But it gave him a nice feeling to  know that her parents were looking forward to seeing him.

He rose as well and pulled Lauren in for another quick hug. "How about I hit the grocery store for everything I need, then meet you at your house in about two hours? Sound okay?"

[AAA111]

She thinks back t o her parents and how they talked about Tristan and about how they wish that the two of us would date because we fit together so perfectly. I smile thinking about it and how it would be the first time ever that my parents would be accepting. She would never mention anything like that to Tristan though.

"Yeah that sounds like a plan to me. Your such a sweetie. I owe you but not dinner because you've seen me cook before" She says as she gives him a hug and smiles at him.

[angeli]

OOC: Hope you don't mind if I fast-forward the game a bit.

Tristan shuddered in mock revulsion. "The last time you tried to poison me! It was all burned garlic bread and sticky pasta." Lauren's attempt at spaghetti had not gone well, to say the least.

"Meet you at your place in an hour." Tristan dropped a light kiss on her forehead, then started walking away. His mind was already working out the menu for tonight's dinner.

--

In a little over an hour, there was a knock on Lauren's door. "Pizza delivery!" Tristan yelled through the door.

[AAA111]

OCC: Nope not at all. Thanks :-)

Lauren looks at him in complete shock "Hey Hey why would I try to poison you. I wasn't poisoning you. I was making you the best dinner ever for you duh" I say laughing as you give me a kiss on the forehead. I get in my car and head back to my house to get ready for tonight.

--
I answer the door laughing "Hey look at the nice and friendly delivery guy. Sorry I don't have anything to pay you" Lauren says laughing as she looks at him and moves aside for him to come in. She is wearing a pair of sweatpants an a blue t-shirt that she gave him a few years ago.

[angeli]

OOC: =) I named your mama. If you want a different name, let me know and I'll change it.

Tristan was loaded down with a few grocery bags and he groaned at Lauren's retort. "What? No payment? Then I'm gonna have to take all of this food back to the store!" He dropped everything gently on the kitchen table with a sigh of relief, then bounded over to Lauren's mom for a big hug. "Hi, Ms. Julie!" He placed a loud smack on her cheeks.

She giggled with delight and slapped him on the shoulder. He gave her a bright smile and started pulling everything out of the bags. "I'm gonna make my world-famous pan-seared tilapia. You're gonna die when you taste this."

[AAA111]

OCC: No it is fine. Works for me!

"I am giving you payment. My friendship duh" I say grinning at you as you walk into the house.

I'm sitting down at the kitchen table as you talk to my mom and I'm grinning wide. Glad to have Tristan back in the house again. Mom and Dad haven't been this happy around their daughter's friends since Tristan left.

"Mmm that sounds good. But I'd rather not die. I would rather be with my best friend" I say grinning at you.

[angeli]

"What?" He thought back to what he said, then grinned sheepishly. "Oh, my bad. Not the best word choice. Not everyone's cooking can literally kill someone." Tristan gave Lauren's mom a wink. "Did you hear about that one time Lauren tried to cook me a dinner, and she burned the spaghetti noodles?"

Ms. Julie laughed and gave her daughter a fond look. "She might not be able to cook, but if she can find someone who can cook for her...." She trailed off, lifting her eyebrows significantly as she looked from her daughter to Tristan.

Tristan was oblivious to the silent exchange, pulling out pots and pans from the hanging rack. He was quite comfortable in Lauren's kitchen, having spent hours in high school around the large island with a snack Ms. Julie had prepared for them. Everything was always immaculately clean and in its proper place, so he had no problems locating everything he needed.

[AAA111]

I look at you "Hey Hey what is it gang up on Lauren night or something" I say giving you an annoyed look.

I look at my mother. "Mom shut up. Stop that." I start to blush a bright red in color as I look away trying not to look straight at Tristan in case he wonders why her face is all red. Sits there quietly. Normally she isn't quiet but for some reason she is really quiet tonight.

She watches Tristan as he begins to cook their dinner.

[angeli]

A large pot of water went on the stove to boil. Tristan hummed as he chopped up vegetables for his medley, not noticing how quiet it had gotten in the kitchen. Usually he worked by himself in the kitchen, and he was so focused that other things--conversation, distractions, anything--settled into the dim background. Amy had hated that.

Lauren's mom dropped a kiss on the top of Lauren's head before disappearing, chuckling to herself. Her daughter thought she was hiding her feelings well, but to her mother, the love Lauren had for Tristan was obvious. She had hope that they would finally get together.

Tristan dumped rice into the pot with a floruish, then sat down. "We'll be done in less than an hour," he told Lauren. "Hey, where's your mom?"

[AAA111]

She looks at Tristan as he is cooking dinner. Thinking how cute he looks making her family dinner and thinking to how he really is a good guy. She wishes she could tell him how she really feels but he has a girlfriend and plus, more importantly, it would probably ruin the best friendship she has ever had.

I nod. "Um Mom was tired so she went to lay down for a little bit" I say playing with my hands like I do when I get nervous. Suddenly becoming nervous around Tristan.

[angeli]

Tristan's forehead wrinkled up in confusion as he watched Lauren fiddling with her hands. She only did that when she was nervous. Thinking that she wanted to tell him something, Tristan put one large palm over her hands to stop the nervous movements. "Lauren, what's wrong?"

[AAA111]

Lauren looks at him and shakes her head and puts a smile on her face "Nothing at all. I'm good. Thanks again for all of this. You are pretty amazing to come over here and cook dinner for my parents and myself. It means a lot to me. I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time about everything you really are a good guy"

She smiles up at him giving him a fake smile. She looks at him thinking that she can't tell him how she really feels until she knows he is single. She would never try anything with a guy who is in a relationship. That is just not the kind of person that she wants to be even if she is in love with that guy.

[angeli]

"Hm, okay." Tristan could tell that Lauren was hiding something, but he didn't want to push her. Not after what happened at the mall, with the text messages and Chase's phone call.

"Yeah, I really like to cook," he said. He sensed that Lauren's words weren't what she wanted to say, but he went with the topic anyway. "I've been thinking about going back to study culinary arts. It just sounds fun, and then maybe I can open my own restaurant or something." He began preparing the fish, timing everything to a nicety as he moved around the stove.

[AAA111]

She goes to find some paper. In the living room she sits down and begins to write a note to Tristan. She figures that this is the only way she can get her feelings out. She is shaking and really scared about what he will say or do. She is too scared to actually tell him how she feels. She begins writing the letter.

Dear Tristan,
I know I've been acting weird lately and I'm hoping that this small letter will explain why I've been feeling and acting the way that I have been acting. For at least 3 years now I have had a crush on you. I know we have been best friends since we were both 4 but once you grew up (mostly your senior year of high school) I began to look at you in a different way. You were always like my big brother to me but then that changed. I looked at you and saw this really cute, sweet, good-looking guy. So I guess that is why I always was dating someone so that I would in a way not think about the way I feel for you. I like you and not in the best friend way. Well I like you as my best friend but I like you as in LIKE YOU. My mom knows all this too that is kind of why she left. I needed you to know how I was feeling and why I am acting so weird. I know you have a girlfriend but I just needed you to know how I felt. I blame myself for all of this if I ruin your relationship and/or friendship.
-Lauren

I come back into the kitchen "I need to go lay down for a bit. I'm tired. If you need anything or whenever dinner is ready you can come get me please" I say as I put the note on the table and head upstairs. Not wanting to be in the same room when he reads it. A little nervous about how it will turn up.

[angeli]

Tristan nodded, so distracted by his dinner preparations that he didn't even notice that she had left once again. When Lauren left, the kitchen was quiet, but that didn't bother Tristan at all. Finally, when everything was on the stove cooking, he took a quick break to rest and noticed the paper on the table. With his attentions elsewhere, he wondered how that had gotten there.

He recognized Lauren's handwriting and picked it up to read. He felt his stomach lurch as he read through the letter twice. His heart was thumping madly, and he could feel himself grow hot, then cold. Butterflies began fluttering in the pit of his stomach. In truth, he wasn't sure what he was feeling.

But he knew that he had to do something immediately. He walked out of the kitchen, into the front yard where no one could hear him. Five minutes later, he came back inside. All of the food was done, and he bustled around setting everything onto plates for dinner.

Then he went to the bottom of the stairs and called up to Lauren and her parents. "Dinner is ready!"

[AAA111]

Lauren is sitting upstairs in her room looking at the window into her backyard shaking really worried about what Tristan is going to say after she reads the letter. She is feeling awkward as she hears Tristan call everyone down for dinner. Lauren comes downstairs and sits down at the kitchen table waiting for everyone else to arrive.

She sits there quietly shaking and very nervous. Not sure what to do or even what to say. Worried about what Tristan will have to say after reading the letter.

[angeli]

Lauren was the first one to come down, much to Tristan's relief. As she sat down, Tristan bent over her shoulder, whispering in her ear, "Can we talk? After dinner?" He could tell she was nervous about the letter, understandably so. How would he feel pouring out his feelings on paper like that?

So he gave her a reassuring smile and kissed her cheek, letting his lips linger a bit, before he moved to his own chair.

When Lauren's parents came down, everyone began eating. If her parents noticed that the two kids were more subdued than normal, they didn't comment on it. The conversation was light and friendly, mostly about the past year and how Tristan had been doing and where he had learned to cook so well.

[AAA111]

Lauren nods at him letting him know that yeah they can talk after dinner. "Mom and Dad are going out to a movie later tonight so we will have time to talk" She tells him but still kind of worried that it could be a bad thing to be home alone with him.

She eats her food giving both of her parents and Tristan a fake smile. She is super worried about everything that is going to happen. She can fool her parents with her fake smile but not Tristan. They keep the converstation going about life and everything.

At the end of the dinner Lauren's parents get up and tell Tristan "Thank you for dinner. We will clean up. You made an amazing dinner so we owe you this. You two go and hang out and have fun." They say. Lauren sits across the table from him and gives a fake smile again.

[angeli]

Tristan gave Lauren's parents a nod and grin of thanks. "You guys are great!" He leapt up and gave Ms. Julie a kiss of the cheeks, then shook Mr. Ryan's hand. "Enjoy your movie tonight."

Then he walked over to Lauren and tugged her out of the chair. "C'mon, Lauren," he said softly. "Let's go to your room to talk." He had the note from Lauren burning in his back pocket, and he was anxious to get everything ironed out between them.