Friends with Benefits - Nicole Blanchard Page 0,26

the twins’ birthday party, weren’t you?” She didn’t sound as impressed as I thought she would. “Why would you do that?”

“What do you mean? You told me you needed help, so I’m here, helping.” It seemed like an easy conclusion, so I didn’t understand why she was looking at me like I had broken her heart.

“You were supposed to go out tonight with Alex, weren’t you? That’s why he was over at your apartment.” Her voice was accusatory, and her hip was cocked like she was spoiling for a fight.

I pushed a hand through my hair. “Yeah, he was going out to the clubs and wanted me to wingman for him. I told him no,” I added defensively, but that only seemed to make her even angrier.

Green eyes flashing, she said, “I didn’t ask you to do that, Tripp.”

“You didn’t have to ask me. I wanted to.” What the hell was going on here?

I thought it would make her understand, but it only seemed to her piss her off even more as I tried to explain. She shook her head. “That’s the problem.”

“You’re freaking out for no reason. I said I would help you, so that’s what I’m planning on doing.”

She frowned at me. “Stay here. I’m going to go put the twins down for a nap, and then we’ll talk.”

That didn’t bode well. I could only nod because there was no way I was walking away from her.

I sat on the couch because the recliner smelled like smoke from when her mom was around chain-smoking and watching her soap operas. My parents would have murdered me if they ever knew I had tried a cigarette in the tenth grade. The image of her mom was so outlandish I couldn’t wrap my brain around it.

But that didn’t scare me away.

I didn’t think anything could.

A half-hour later, she emerged, pushing the hair back from her head. I started to get to my feet, but she gestured for me to stay seated and took her place by my side.

“Look,” she began wearily, “it’s not your responsibility to shape your life around me.”

“The hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that we can be friends. I like having you in my life. You’re an amazing person. But like I told you when we first met, it can’t be anything more than that.”

Who was she trying to convince? Me…or herself?

“What does that have to do with today?” I asked.

“I want you to go out and have fun,” she said firmly.

“But it’s their birthday.”

“They’re going to be three. They’ll barely know the difference. We can celebrate together tomorrow or something.”

“But I thought you needed help putting the decorations together and picking up the cake.”

“I can handle it on my own. That’s the point, Tripp. I don’t want you to put aside your life because you think there’s something going on here.” She kept going before I could interrupt. “Please, do this for me. I need for you to go out and have fun. Do it for me, since I can’t,” she said with a laugh, but it was devoid of humor.

“I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal to you. I wanted to help you out, as your friend.” That was a lie. Maybe she had a point. “But if it means so much to you, I won’t come. Even though this sounds backassward. Are you sure you don’t need help?”

“Yes,” she replied firmly. “I can handle it. I have to be able to do these things on my own. I’m grateful, more than you can even imagine, that you want to help me. But you can’t always help me, and I need to be able to stand on my own two feet.”

“You already do too much,” I said, thinking of her absent parents.

“I’m a big girl.”

Stubborn. God, she was stubborn.

Funnily enough, it reminded me of Tillie and the way she tried to do everything herself. I wonder where she got that from?

“Alright, then, I guess.” I got to my feet, suddenly ready to be as far away from her apartment as possible. If she wanted me to keep my distance, I guess I needed to be told twice for me to get it through my thick skull. A year of being held at arm’s length should have done the trick, but practically forcing me to be with other people worked just as well.

“I’ll see you later,” I said.

Chapter Eleven

Ember

Kissing Tripp was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

I thought it was romance novel bullshit. How