Chapter 15
Aubrey:
I understood why Alexis reacted like this. She was blindsided by Mikes' sudden appearance. But she wouldn't even hear me out. I'd never seen that side of Alexis before and I wasn't too sure that I liked it. Maybe it was best that we be separated.
The new room my mom had put me in was actually pretty nice. The walls were a beige color with ebony furniture. The bathroom was an eggshell color with tan accents. My shower was much bigger than the one in my old room.
But waking up, I felt like crap. I'd slept terrible because I was crying all night. I took a quick shower and brushed my teeth before getting dressed. My outfit was simple. I wore a knee length light blue jean jumper dress, a fitted white crop top, and tie dye vans.
Mike and I were going to a museum and to get lunch. Once he realized I lived in Los Angeles, he had already mapped out plans for the weekend. He was very excited. I headed two doors down to the other guest room where Mike was staying. I knocked twice and lightly pushed the door open. He wasn't there.
Everyone was already downstairs in the dining room eating the breakfast my mother had made. "Good morning, sweetheart. The foods in the kitchen. You can make a plate and then join us out here." She told me. Hank and Alexis were talking a bit and Mike greeted me with an unwanted kiss. I pretended to enjoy it. "I'll make your plate, babe. Just sit." He said, rubbing my hand as he pulled a chair out for me.
There was definitely tension between Alexis and I. My mother kept staring at me as I pulled out my cellphone. "Are you okay? Have you been crying?" She wondered, tilting her head to the side. "No," I lied, smiling sweetly. "Then why are your eyes all red and puffy?" She persisted. "I opened my window this morning and some pollen flew in. Nothing major." I shrugged. "Well make sure you take some Benadryl before you go to bed later." I nodded.
Mike came back shortly with a plate of breakfast and glass of orange juice. "Thank you." I said, taking the plate from his hands. Mike sat down next to me and continued eating. "So, what do you have planned today Aubrey? Mike seems very eager to go out and explore today." Hank spoke.
"Well, Mike has all the plans," I replied. Mike chuckled.
"We're gonna go to the museum and have a lunch date somewhere," he told Hank.
"That sounds good. What about you Alexis? What do you have going on today?" Hank asked her. Alexis sighed. "There's a party tonight." She responded. "That sounds great." Mike butted in. "I'm sure Alexis wouldn't mind bringing you two along. This is your first time in Los Angeles, after all." Hank suggested. "If that's okay with her..." Mike trailed off. Alexis huffed. "Sure. I'll text Aubrey the address. You two can meet me there later." Alexis got up and left the table.
Hearing my name roll off her tongue made my heart twinge a little. It hadn't been that long since we'd stopped whatever we had going on, but it still hurt a little. "We should get going." I told Mike. "But you barely touched your food—" I cut him off. "Los Angeles traffic is pretty bad. If we wanna get everything done in time for the party, we should leave now." I said. Mike bolted out of his seat and grabbed my car keys.
Spending my day with Mike was so boring. For one, my feelings for Alexis had not subsided. If anything, they were getting stronger the more I thought about her. Mike and I's relationship wasn't the same. Sure, he was still into me but I didn't want to be with him anymore. I didn't want to kiss him, I didn't want to hug him, I barely wanted to be in the same space with him. I wanted Alexis.
After the museum, Mike parked in front of a jewelry store and killed the engine. "I thought we were going to lunch." I stated. "Yesterday, I had your mom pick me up from here instead of the airport. Come on, I have something for you." Mike announced, getting out of the car.
The jeweler came out from the back with a small pink box. Mike down at me. "Open it." He instructed. I slowly opened it and it was gold ring with a small, heart shaped diamond in the middle. "What's this?" I questioned him. "It's a promise ring. Aubrey, I know we've had our ups and downs but I don't like the thought of someone else having you. So if I promise you, that I will never hurt you, will you promise me that you'll stay committed to this relationship?" He asked.
Mike was so into this moment. I couldn't deny him like this. So instead, I nodded and allowed him to slip the ring on my finger. "I love you." He planted a kiss on my lips. I smiled, weakly.
"We should hurry up and get lunch if you wanna make it to the party later." Mike and I settled on some quick tacos from a local food truck.
Once we got back to the house, Hank told us that Alexis had already left. I checked my cellphone and surely enough, she had texted me the address and nothing else. I took a quick shower and settled on a short, fitted, sleeveless dark grey dress, black platform sandals, and a black leather jacket. My hair was up in a sleek ponytail with silver diamond studs in my ears.
I met up with Mike back in the foyer. He had on ripped jeans, a white button-down shirt, and white vans. "You ready to go?" I asked, walking down the steps. Mike looked up at me and his jaw dropped.
"You look amazing." He said, gasping.
"Thank you."