“Let’s go, or we’ll be late,” he urged.

I looked at my watch and back up at him, nodding as we took off running for class. We reached the door just as our professor was walking over to lock it. He didn’t permit interruptions during instructional time. Giving us a disapproving glance, he stepped back and let us pass. We walked to the back of the classroom and took our seats.

I caught Aiden staring down at his blank notebook a couple times, so I passed him a note when the professor’s back was turned.

After our last class, Starbucks, and you’re coming clean about what’s bothering you.

No, there isn’t a No option.

He looked over at me and smiled with a nod.

Our professor droned on about the chapter we were studying. And with as sick as I felt, I was grateful when he said class time was over for the day. As he stood to leave, I reached out and squeezed his hand.

“I’ll always be here for you.”

His eyes widened briefly before his cheeks relaxed into a soft smile. “I know Sam. Thanks.”

The rest of my day seemed to crawl at a snail’s pace, but I somehow made it to the end of my last class. I met Aiden at the walkway, and we strolled back to our cars together before he followed me over to Starbucks. We placed our order, his treat, and sat down with our lattes and scones. I looked up and saw him staring at me.

“Okay, lay it on me. Whatever is bothering you, don’t think, just spill the beans. You shouldn’t keep it to yourself. You’ll feel better when you get it off your chest,” I told him with a stern voice.

He looked at me, the corners of his mouth tipped slightly down, his eyes focused on his coffee cup. His physical reaction alarmed me. I twisted my bracelet in my lap as I waited for him to open up to me. My normally funny, upbeat friend had something eating away at him. If someone had hurt him, I was going to give him or her a piece of my mind, for sure.

“Okay. You really want to know?”

“Yes, of course I do. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t?”

“I’m in love with a girl,” he murmured.

I smiled as profound relief swept over me. “That’s fantastic!” I squealed.

His pained expression remained.

“What’s wrong?”

“She’s in love with someone else.” He slumped back in his chair.

“Oh. Damn, I’m sorry, Aiden,” I said. “Do you know that for sure?”

He looked down at his scone and latte and nodded. “Yeah. It’s painfully clear.”

“Oh God, Aiden. I don’t know what to say except how sorry I am. She doesn’t know what she’s missing. You’re a great catch. But, if she’s in love with someone else, then you need to try and move on. You deserve happiness.”

“Don’t you think I’ve tried?” he hissed.

“Well, I don’t know, Aiden. Who is she? Do I know her?”

“Yeah,” he said. “You know her.” He looked up to the sky and sighed before turning his gaze back on me.

“Well, who then?”

“You, Sam. I’m in love with you,” he whispered.

My mouth fell open and my heart sank. I didn’t know what to say. He’d stunned me silent. A part of me feared this would happen, but I’d needed his positive friendship and laughter in my life. He couldn’t be in love with me. I’d told him since day one that we could only be friends. I was in love with Emmett. Looking at him sitting there, his leg bouncing, and his eyes downcast, my stomach knotted up for what this would mean for our friendship. I wasn’t sure we could recover from this revelation.

“Look, Sam, I tried not to, but I love everything about you. You’re the highlight of my day. I don’t even give a shit about the rest of the week, just the days I get to see you. English Lit and our coffee dates are my favorite parts of the week. I think about you all the time, and even as much as I hate Emmett being back in your life, I’m happy for you, because I can see how happy you are now that he’s returned.”

“I don’t know what to say,” I whispered.

“There’s nothing to say. It is what it is, and I’ll have to get over it. But I need some time. I don’t think I can keep spending time with you out of class. It’s gonna suck as it is when I see you there. I know I’ll still crave those times, but knowing I can never have you outweighs that more and more every day.” He stood up and leaned over, giving me a lingering kiss on my forehead. “It’s not your fault, Sam, so don’t beat yourself up over this. You were clear from the beginning that your heart was taken. I guess we just can’t help who we fall in love with.”

He turned and walked out. My eyes filled with tears. I picked up our plates and cups and threw them in the trash. Walking out to my car, I kept picturing his face and hearing his last words to me.

Sam had been acting funny for the last few days. I knew she hadn’t been feeling well for a couple weeks. She was usually happy when she came back from her English Lit class, which I suspected had to do with the asshat. I know she liked him only as a friend, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was after more than her friendship. I decided to get to the bottom of the change in her mood. She came out of the bedroom dressed in shorts and a tank top, with her hair wrapped up in a towel. I handed her a cup of hot chai tea.

“Hey, Peach,” I said. “How’re you feeling this morning?”

“I’m okay. Just didn’t sleep well last night, I guess. I don’t feel rested enough.”

“So, did something happen at school to upset you? Usually you come home happy on English Lit days. You’re home earlier than you used to be, too. Did you stop having coffee with Aiden after class?”

“Umm, yeah. We aren’t really hanging out anymore,” she answered.

The relieved feeling I should’ve had wasn’t there. Instead, I was sad at her sullen expression. Clearly, his friendship meant more to her than I’d realized.

“I’m sorry, Peach. I know you really liked him.” I walked over to where she was standing, and pulled her into my arms.

“It’s okay. He just has a lot going on right now and needs to focus,” she replied.

“All right,” I said. “Well, how about we eat an early dinner and call your mom in case she needs anything for your dad’s birthday dinner tomorrow?”

“Good idea,” She’d just walked over to the sink to rinse her cup out when she yelped and grabbed her belly. I ran over and pulled her to me. Looking her over quickly and not seeing any blood, I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Are you okay?”

“No, I’m having really bad cramps. It hurts.”

I picked her up in my arms and carried her over to the couch. Setting her down, I touched her forehead, but she didn’t feel hot. She continued to moan and hold her midsection. I didn’t know what to do.

“What do you need? Is there anything I can get you?”

“I have to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back,” she said as she got up, still holding her stomach and disappeared behind the bathroom door.

I pulled my iPhone out and Googled urgent care clinics to see where the closest one was. I found one off of Opelika Rd.

When I went in the bathroom to check on her, she was rinsing her shorts out in the bathtub, and the water was running red. I figured it was her period and she would be all right.

“I’m fine, Emmett. My period finally started. I’ve been pretty stressed lately and sometimes that makes it late. But it came on so suddenly.” She shook her head.

“Okay. Well, let me know if you need anything,” I told her.

Walking out, I went into the kitchen and grabbed the heating pad and a couple ibuprofen. I filled a cup with ice water and walked over just as she sat down on the couch again.