Hellooo I'll tell you now cause you may freak out and die later. When Ash and Aid kiss again, because they will ofc, they'll still be in a denial and won't date.
They will eventually, but it'll take MILLION YEARS. THANK YOU.
________
"So you're playing Fnaf since you're done with LoL?" Taylor asked as her and Aiden left their compartment and moved along a narrow corridor.
He couldn't focus on her words for a moment because he still had Ashlyn's face in front of his eyes.
She was so beautiful.
But the point was, she didn't seem to be mad.
She seemed...
"...you watched Arcane, right?"
"Erm- yeah", he rubbed his neck, trying to focus. "I watched it and I was enlightened that the game sucked. Tyler was right about that. "
"Tyler? I didn't know he watched it."
"Me neither, lol! But he watches many different movies, My Little Pony for example... I don't get his taste."
"Oh, that, I know." she waved her hand dismissively. "Anyways. That's not what I wanted to talk about."
"You wanted to talk about something?", his smile became smaller as he noticed her serious face.
Oops.
Taylor nodded as they reached the next tramcar, where there was a bar. She closed the door behind them. She quickly asked a barman for a hot chocolate and pulled Aiden to a table.
"Sit." she seemed less sweet than usually.
"Sure?" Aiden laughed with an unpleasant feeling he was cooked. "What do you wanna talk about?"
"You and Ashlyn."
Heat hit him instantly. Bad feeling was right.
"She told you?" he asked, breathless.
Taylor nodded.
"Listen, I'm ot gonna insult you or anything, because you're my friend", Taylor started. "Besides I promised Ashlyn I won't beat you. I just want to make everything clear before doing anything, so I have a very few questions and please give me honest replies. I won't tell her anything, she didn't I want to talk about it with you. And I won't tell you anything she had told me. Deal?"
Aiden tore his fingers through his bangs, feeling the corned of his mouth twitching.
She just wants to ask.
It's not wrong.
"I- look, umm..." he hated when he didn't know how to put in words what he wanted to say. "I don't... don't really want to. But..." He glanced at her quickly. "Alright."
"Thanks, Aiden. And I just want to know, okay?"
He shrugged, smiling wider. Like the smile was supposed to eat the stress.
"Go on. We shouldn't sit here for too long."
"Right. So I wanted to ask... First thing of all: do you like Ashlyn?"
"Yes?" he laughed nervously, feeling his ears turning red. "If it's not obvious enough."
"I just wanted to make sure. Another thing, what the fu... what the sigma was that challenge? I wanted to know before I'Il kick Tyler in a certain painful place!"
"Ow- chill! He doesn't know. I mean, he dared me several times times, but I never agreed."
"So why did you kiss her?"
Aiden he leaned back on the couch. He felt so uncomfortable talking about that, not even knowing Ashlyn's point of view. Why did he even agree to talk with Taylor? Maybe because he felt guilty.
"Because I like her", he mumbled. "What's the point?"
"I worded it wrong. Why did you kiss her and then told her it was a challenge? Do you know how confused she is?"
"She is?" he repeated - obvious thing she was though. "Look, I panicked. She looked panicked too, so I said the first thing, which came to my mind. I know it was stupid, you can blame my ADHD. Or you can say I'm a coward, whatever."
Taylor looked at him for a moment without a word.
"Aiden. You're not a coward. You flirt with her all the time, and..."
"It's not the same, she thinks it's for fun. A joke."
"What if she doesn't? Did you ask her?"
He didn't reply, shut by the unexpected realization she was right.
"You're a lot of things but not a coward, Aiden", Taylor continued. "I know what's the point. You often do something before you make sure it's appropriate to the situation, right? You do before you think. And I don't say it's wrong, it's just how your brain works I guess. And I know you're able to focus pretty well and you're also really smart. It's visible, even though you try to hid it. You don't like it, don't you?"
"I guess."
"But I'm sure if you don't hide this part of yourself which control your intelligence, that emotional part wouldn't take a control over you. Cause you shut your feelings up too. Under this smile." Taylor pointed at his face. "Ashlyn noticed it, you know? She had told me once that she did it too and that it was bad because she wasn't able to control her emotions. And she's damn right, because if you shut them you can't control them as you wish, I suppose. You know, the best thing you can do not to hurt yourself is being yourself, the way you are. Even if you don't like yourself."
Taylor smiled and Aiden stared at her in the silence.
It hit him.
Her words hit him.
All she said was so... accurate.
"Tay, I... I think you should be a psychologist", he finally said. "You always know what to say."
"It's what Ashlyn told me. Most of it."
"Really?" he glanced at the rubber band on his wrist. "She's... wow. She doesn't talk a lot, but notices a lot, doesn't she...?"
Taylor smiled and reached for his hand to squeeze it lightly.
"Aiden. Please, don't close yourself inside. I mean, real yourself. And damn, talk to Ashlyn!"
Something in his guts squeezed.
"Thanks. Taylor, umm... did Ash tell you maybe if she likes me too?"
She wondered for a moment, trying to choose the right words.
"I'm not stepping between you two".
"Really? You're usually the first one to ship us.", he smirked sarcastically.
She stood up with a mysterious face.
"Well, I am Ashlyn's bestie, and besties don't spill secrets!"
She took her hot chocolate and waved at Aiden to go back to their friends.
"Ah, by the way... does Ben like animated movies...?"