Free Beyond Doubt by Karice Bolton

parents’ home tomorrow.
     
    In Friendship,
    Aaron Sullivan
     
    My resolve was waning as the flurry of excitement took over. He was absolutely irresistible and he knew it. Now it was up to me to find out if there was anything more to him, to us, and I think I was finally up for the challenge.
    At least as a friend…

 
    To say I was confused was putting it mildly. I had finally wrapped my mind around going on a date with Aaron, and then the complexities of their family slammed into me like a semi-truck last night. I didn’t want to make things more difficult for Gabby with everything she was dealing with, and I was pretty sure I was about to do so. Prior to the family dinner, I had an entire speech built up to present to Gabby about seeing her brother, but now it just seemed selfish and unimportant. Now was definitely not the time to whine about my secret crush.
    I had gone to the dinner party at Gabby’s parents last night, which was intense. Gabby found things out about her family that I knew she was still trying to absorb, and I felt absolutely helpless. But it also made me see Aaron in a different light. He was punished because of mistakes his mother had made, and rather than deal with everything, Gabby’s father pushed Aaron away, essentially banishing him from the family. Finding out Gabby’s dad wasn’t Aaron’s dad because their mother cheated on her husband was shocking and then to find out Aaron’s father turned out to be the family’s chauffeur was even more bizarre.
    I could see why Aaron stayed away and made a life for himself elsewhere, and surprisingly Gabby understood that as well. I couldn’t imagine what he had gone through just as I couldn’t imagine what Gabby had gone through. It was times like these I was grateful for my overly nosey family.
    Gabby was hurt by all of their actions, but I think what bothered her most were the secrets her entire family kept from her. After the family dinner, the anger and pain was evident when she spoke about her father. But that all changed this morning when she got a call that her dad was in the hospital.
    It was early evening and I had just left the hospital a few hours ago. Gabby, Jason, and Aaron were all still with Gabby’s father. There was a brief moment when Aaron and I were alone, and that’s when it happened. I was completely caught off guard and agreed to meet him for dinner. Looking into his eyes, I knew I couldn’t say no. He needed someone to talk to and Jason was obviously preoccupied with Gabby. I also couldn’t tell Gabby. Now was definitely not the time. Besides, Aaron and I were clearly in the friend zone, and neither of us was in a state of mind for anything more.
    And now here I was standing in front of my closet, throwing jeans, skirts, and dresses into a pile on the search for the perfect friend-zone outfit. The gnawing disappointment bubbled up again, and I hammered it back down as I reached for a cute floral sundress. One of the few non-clingy dresses I owned.
    I changed out of my outfit and slipped the dress over my head, feeling the light fabric cascade over my skin. I stepped in front of the mirror to analyze my selection, holding my hair up and then letting it loose around my shoulders. The dress seemed harmless enough. It was cut above the knees, but it was loose and feminine.
    Who was I kidding? I wanted to make him change his ways and follow me around like a puppy dog. Wishful thinking with his history, and I doubted his DNA was even built like that, but I could dream.
    I noticed my boy shorts weren’t the best choice for the dress as the outline in the mirror glared back at me. Laughing to myself as I rummaged through my drawer for my favorite thong, I wondered why it would really matter if we were going to stay in the friend zone and give him a bit of the granny panty to dream about. I went through my drawer and came up empty-handed, which was odd. I had zero laundry to do and they should be in there. I started