Loving My Best Friend's Dad

I stared at my reflection in the semi-foggy mirror wondering how I got myself in this position. Stupid, stupid girl. Go ahead, fall for the first man to give you some romantic attention...don't think about the pot holes you'll hit in the time ahead. I applied another cold wash cloth to my eyes in attempt to reduce the puffiness left behind after crying in the shower. This was fifth cold compress I've applied and I'm hoping this time I'll appear tired and not as if I just bawled my eyes out over a man. Bet you never imagined this happening to yourself, huh, Erin? I mentally asked myself with an eye roll.

"Erin," Ashley called with a knock on the door. I lowered the compress and stared at the locked door. I knew I should respond but didn't. Ashley didn't wait long to continue, probably knowing full well that I can hear her, "The boys are all waking up and cleaning the living room. We're thinking of going to breakfast. I'd like to shower first, so let me know when you're done."

I glanced back at the mirror, examining my eyes. They were still puffy, but at least this time I appeared tired and not a hot mess. I tossed the cold compress aside and debating if I wanted to leave the bathroom or even my room. With a sigh, I unlocked the door on Ashley's side before turning towards my room to dress.

-----

I made my way down the stair case to the living room, wanting to turn back but knowing that would bring to much attention to myself. When I reached the landing, Miles' greeted me with a wide smile, startling me since I wasn't paying attention.

"Good morning, Erin," he greeted. Last night replayed in my mind and I inwardly groaned.

"Morning, Miles," I replied, plastering a small smile on my face.

"How'd you sleep?"

Like hell since everything blew up when you decided to kiss me, I thought. "I slept okay. How about yourself?"

"Pretty good. I thought the floor would be uncomfortable with the blankets and pillows, but surprisingly it wasn't"

"That's good, Miles,"

Ashley almost skipped down the stairs with her purse in hand, "Are you all ready for breakfast?"

"Yeah," everyone replied with various enthusiasm.

"Cool. Let's go," she walked toward the garage and we all followed.

Zack held back from the group and fell in step with me, "I'll ride with you, we can talk?"

I nodded, grateful to have someone to talk to. I leaned into the side hug Zach offered me as we made our way to my Jeep. We were about to buckle up when my back door suddenly swung open and Josh climbed in. I glanced at Zach wide eyed and peered into my rearview mirror, greeted with Josh's face. Zach looked at me apologetic. I guess we wouldn't be talking after all and mentally sighed, annoyed and ready to get lunch over with so I could lay in my bed all day.

I started the Jeep and followed Cole's car since I had no idea where we were going. Before we made it off the property, Josh's head appeared between the front seats as he moved himself up to relax on the console. I peered over and raised my eyebrows, wondering what he was doing.

"Sooo," Josh drawled, "I heard from a certain someone that you got kissed last night."

I looked over Josh at Zach, who shook his head no.

"Oh no, he didn't tell me. The roommate told me," Josh grinned, amused.

"It was a simple surprise kiss," I muttered, not happy this was already getting around. Did Ashley know? Geez, I hadn't even got to tell her and Miles might be doing so now. Great, Ashley would be mad because I didn't tell her first.

"I'm sure it was, then I heard that Ashley's dad walked in!" Josh's head fell back as he laughed, "O-M-G! That must have been so embarrassing! Miles' said he felt like a teenager and the girl's dad walked in on them kissing. I bet he just wanted to die! I know I would!"

I inwardly cringed, thinking, it wasn't a dad that walked in but the girl's boyfriend instead...Had they known that it would have been even more awkward.

"But you don't seem so excited today. I thought with the way Miles was acting, that you would be over the moon too. What's going on?" Josh asked, peering between Zach and me.

"You remember the guy she was waiting on texts from the one night? Well it seems something happened and maybe Miles' kiss didn't help." Zach explained, doing his best to keep it simple.

"Aww. Girl, I'm sorry. I forgot all about whatever his face is," Josh pouted.

"It's okay. He just thinks maybe I need to be with my own age," I said, replaying the conversation between Kyle and I once again.

"Oh yeah, you did say he was older and good looking. Hmmm...Miles is okay, he's got the geeky vibe thing going if you're into that. But he is super into you and seriously, there are times he got on my nerves asking about you. Like, I don't know you that well, so not much to tell him," he shook his head.

"I don't know. I do like Miles. He is sweet and we have stuff in common," I shrugged.

"Well, maybe, he is right," Zach chimed in. Josh and I looked over at him, "Think about it. You are interested in this older guy. Miles is interested in you. This guy wants you to try dating your own age. I mean, you have never been with anyone. You have no experience in dating or being in a relationship. Maybe you should try dating Miles. Put yourself out there and give it a shot. You never know, something might come out of the experience. You might really like Miles, you might not. You might meet someone new and better. There is even a chance that maybe later, this other guy you like, might realize he is missing out on something amazing. Cause he is, Erin. He is missing out."

"Well, there you have it ladies and gentlemen, Zach the Wise giving amazing advice," Josh spoke like a showman.

"I guess," I replied, smiling at them.

"Girl, just try. We'll be there to help if you need it. I'm full of knowledge when it comes to men," Josh nodded happily, "But who is this older man? Has anyone met him?"

"Nope. Not even Ashley knows about him. Erin wanted something of her own and kept him a secret. So shhhh, don't say anything," Zach hushed Josh, with his finger over his lips.

"Ohhhh secrets! I love secrets. I'll hush up now," Josh sat back content with his new secret until we reached the restaurant.

-----

All six of us sat around the large table at the restaurant, stuffed and content. The food was amazing and the conversations between everyone was even better. Miles sat next to me and seemed to move as close as he could throughout the meal. Ashley took noticed and winked at me. Did he tell her we kissed or was she simply encouraging me to do something?

After we paid for our meals, we were all standing outside saying good-bye since Cole was taking the guys back to campus and Ashley and I would return home. Zach turned to me, "Are you going to be okay with everything? Do you want me to come home with you and maybe we can drop Ashley off and take off, just us?"

"No. Maybe you and Kyle are right. I should date my own age, but it hurts you know. It hurts a lot. I really cared for him. I looked forward to being with him and then the stupid date, last night, and now this morning, it's like everything just fell apart on me," I frowned and leaned in to hug Zach, pretending we were saying bye before the others sense there was something going on.

"I'm sorry, Erin. I know it sucks to have your heart broken," he hugged me tightly.

Someone cleared their throat behind me, Zach and I broke our embrace. Miles smiled awkwardly but looked like he wanted his turn. I smiled at him and thought of how cute he looks. He didn't have Kyle's sexy appeal, but Miles was cute in his own way, he could honestly have girls coming after him if he opened up a little more. He took a step forward, I copied his move and met him midway.

"I have to ask, was I too forward last night?" Miles asked, frowning a bit, concern showing on his face.

"Maybe a little, but it's okay," I assured him, not wanting him to feel bad for kissing me. It's not like he knew about Kyle, no one knew. I couldn't blame him.

"Sorry," he shuffled his feet a bit, looking down at them.

"Don't be. Actually, I was wondering," I started, was I sure I wanted to do this? I didn't plan on doing this but maybe I should just jump forward...take a leap of faith or maybe it's stupidity. I don't know...

"Wondering what?" Miles asked, tilting his head down to look at me closer.

"Do you want to go out sometime? Like a date. Just us," I blurted.

Miles grinned widely, so wide that it seemed to cover most of his face and joy appeared behind his eyes. I smiled and kind of giggled at his expression.

"Yeah, I'll go on a date with you," Miles nodded.

"Great! Maybe we can discuss it once I get some decent sleep?" I offered.

"Sounds good," Miles replied before leaning down to give me a hug.

I stepped back when Cole yelled for Miles to hurry up. Miles kissed my forehead before taking off to Cole's car and getting into it. Zach looked over at me wide eyes, probably as surprised as I was. I didn't expect to ask Miles out. I kind of felt excited but at the same time scared. Would I be able to do things and forget about my feelings for Kyle? I hoped so.

When Cole sped off with the guys, Ashley came rushing over to me and pulled me into a mix of a hug and jumping.

"Yes! You did it! You asked him out!" she cried out happily with excitement, "Are you excited? I'm so happy. Now we can totally go on double dates...ohhh triple dates if we invite Zach and Josh too. It would be so much fun. I can't wait to hear about the dates, girl talk, and everything with you."

I laughed, clearly Ashley was more excited than me. She hopped into the passenger seat of my Jeep and gushed the whole way home on how cute Miles and I would be and how she couldn't wait to help me dress for dates and listed off places we could go. I listened to her and chimed in when I could, slowly growing excited about it.

-----

When we got home, Ashley disappeared to finish doing homework and papers that were due in a few days. I offered to help her since I had everything done since I thought I would be spending time with Kyle but now, that was out the door. She sadly declined but told me she would let me know if she got stuck.

With nothing to do, I laid on my bed wishing last night, and this morning had gone differently. Honestly this sucked. It sucked knowing that everywhere except my room and bathroom, Kyle could walk into any time and just be there. Since this was his home, I couldn't avoid him like someone could do during a normal break up.

I thought of Miles. I hope dating will lead to something good and maybe work out in the end. Maybe Kyle was right in that I needed to date my own age and figure out what I really wanted. If it weren't for Kyle, I probably would have given Miles more thought in the beginning. With Miles in mind, I texted him. From there, we planned our first date.

-----

It was the Friday before Halloween and it looked like many people on campus were excited about it. Some people were dressed in costume and other wore Halloween themed clothing. It was interesting to see so many people ready for the weekend ahead while still shuffling to classes. Word about parties at different places were passed along by word of mouth and paper. I had a few papers in hand when I met Miles for lunch.

"Wow look at you. You're invited to every party on campus," Miles took some of the papers and glanced over them.

"They're just handing them out to everyone," I shoved my backpack over into the booth and plopped down tired next to it.

"Not everyone," Miles handed the stack of papers back.

"You haven't gotten any?" I looked him over, he was wearing some shirt with some sort of gaming logo on it. Most of the people handing out posters were pretty girls who probably took one look at Miles and avoided him today. He really didn't look like a nerd most days but today he did. He shrugged, uncaring and took a bite of his lunch.

"Girls don't go out of their way to invite guys like me to their parties,"

"They're missing out. You're cute, smart, and funny. They just like frat boys or jocks. They'll learn one day," I promised.

"Eh, it's not a big deal to me. I got a pretty girl. I don't need another one's attention," he winked at me.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my fork to eat my lunch. "You're still coming tomorrow night, right? Ashley wants me to double check and have everyone meet at our place. Apparently, there is a few clubs she wants to go to and some places on campus. I have no idea. I'm just going along with what she wants. I just know we will be hopping around from one place to another."

"I'm coming. I got a costume at her insistence too. So hopefully she is happy with it cause it's something I just threw together and even had most of the items in my closet. So, what are you wearing for Halloween?" Miles grinned. He has asked the question in text the past few days, but I refused to answer.

"Nope. Not telling. It's a surprise. Besides, it's not like you're telling me what you're dressing up as," I shot back.

"I guess we will have to wait and see," his smile widening before moving on, "So tonight,"

"Our date! I'm so excited. I don't know what movies are playing and figured we could just pick over dinner, does that sound okay?" I asked.

Miles nodded, "Yeah, sounds like a good idea. I thought we could meet around six o'clock. It would give us time to eat and still fit in the movie before it gets too late."

"Sounds like a plan," I told him as my alarm rang indicating I needed to finish up and get to my next class. I grabbed my stuff and squeezed Miles hand from across the table, "I really can't wait, I'll see you tonight."

-----

"Please tell me that is not what you're wearing," Ashley protested from the edge of my bed where she remained for the past half hour, complaining about everything I picked.

"Okay, seriously, if you have such an issue with what I'm wearing, then YOU come over here and pick something. It's not like we're going to a fancy restaurant, it is pizza and a movie on a college students' budget. I do not need to be dolled up," I crossed my arms over my chest, irritated at this point. Had I known she was going to be this crazy about my date, I never would have told her until I was walking out the door.

"It's your first date! You should at least put some effort into it. Maybe this shirt," Ashley picked up a black camisole with criss crossing strap design on the back. It was the first shirt I tried on, that she immediately shot down. I was about to point it out to her but thought better of it and grabbed it out of her hand.

"There better?" I asked, looking in the mirror at myself. A black camisole, dark blue skinny jeans, and simple little sandals. I thought I looked decent enough for what Miles and I had planned. It kind of made me think of a high school date, except we could drive ourselves instead of having our parents do it.

"You look adorable," Ashley smiled happily.

"Good, because I have to go or I'm going to be late," I grabbed my little purse and headed out of the bedroom.

"Is he coming with us on Halloween?" Ashley asked, as we walked down the stairs and to the kitchen.

"I talked to him today. He said he is coming." I nodded.

"Okay, I just thought maybe we could find a way to all carpool if we decide to go out together," she suggested.

I stopped and turned around, "You want to fit all six of us in one of our vehicles? Ash, we can barely fit four in ours, who has a van? Cause that's the only way this will work."

"I thought maybe you could sit on Miles lap?" she grinned wickedly.

"No," I replied sternly and turned on my heels to the kitchen.

"Oh, come on! It won't be that bad," she called after me.

"Absolutely not!" I yelled back at her.

"Absolutely not, what?" a male voice asked as we entered the kitchen. I glanced toward Kyle, who appeared to be reading something on his tablet at the kitchen island.

"Nothing, dad. Erin won't sit on Miles lap, so we can carpool on Halloween," Ashley replied and raised her eyebrow at me.

"No," I told her simply and grabbed my keys from the hook next to the garage door.

"Ashley, that wouldn't be safe," Kyle told her, the parent in him coming out, "I don't want you girls in an accident because of something stupid or even pulled over."

"Then we'll just spit the group in two and take two cars then," she threw her hands in the air, giving up.

I shook my head and walked out the door to the garage. I was about to enter my vehicle when I felt Kyle's presence next to me.

Seriously? I thought. Tomorrow will have been a week since we last spoke, and he picks the day I have a date to even try to communicate with me? Not that either of us have tried the past few days, if anything, we have been avoiding each other. I hide in my room and he hid in his office.

"What?" I asked, showing my annoyance.

He replied with concern, "I just wanted to check on you."

Ugh, now I felt a little bad, "I'm fine. I'm going on a date with Miles."

Why did I tell him that? I don't know, I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut.

"Good for you. That's good. He's your age and in the same college. I'm sure you guys have more in common. Plus, you can be seen in public without worry," Kyle pointed out.

I was trying to hide the anger building up in my chest but nope, my mouth had other ideas, "Yeah, just the way you wanted it." With that, I opened my Jeep door and slammed it shut after I got in. I didn't even wait for a response from him, instead I hit the garage door opener and peeled out as fast as I could.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I hit the road. Geez, why did he have to come out and talk to me? Why couldn't he have stayed inside and avoided me like we have been this past week? I felt like my heart was breaking all over again, even though it never mended in the first place. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, which seemed pointless as my anger boiled more and more, causing the tears to flow all over again.

When I reached the restaurant, I parked and pulled down the visor to check my face for tear streaks and blood shot eyes. Thankfully I appeared fine and sighed in relief that Miles would not ask what was wrong with me. Speaking of Miles, a knock sounded on my window, causing me to jump. He laughed and waved at me. I smiled and got out to greet him with a hug.

"Hey, how are you?" he asked me, holding my hand as we walked into the restaurant.

"I'm good. Excited for tonight," I answered, surprised at how true it was. I had been nervous about the date all week, even though we saw each other at lunch every day at school. It also felt better to be with someone after my interaction with Kyle earlier.

"Me too," he squeezed my hand before speaking to the host to request a booth.

"So, I hope you don't mind but I kind of already got tickets for a movie tonight," Miles said after we sat down and order a pizza to split.

"You picked a movie already?" I asked, frowning because I hadn't even looked over the movie options for the night and didn't know what was playing. Please, please, don't be a stupid movie, I thought.

"Yeah, but if you want to see something else, that's fine," he smiled weakly, obviously worried about what he did now.

"Well, what movie did you pick?" I wondered.

"The new SAW movie? Ashley said you loved the series and I thought after the horror movie marathon, this would be something you'd like," he looked hopeful.

"Seriously?" I smiled, excited.

"Yeah, that's okay right?"

"That's awesome! I thought the tickets were sold out for the opening night though. How'd you manage it?"

"A guy in one of my classes got the tickets for his girlfriend, but she broke up with him. He was selling them, and I figured, his loss is our gain,"

"Wow, that's sad and kind of good timing,"