Out Of The Friend Zone (11 page)

Chandler was on the brink of tears himself.

He couldn't explain why he had gotten so upset. All he knew was that things seemed to be getting serious way too fast between him and Brynn. Yes, they had known each other for months, and they were really good friends during that time, but suddenly things weren't just on a friends basis anymore. When he got around her, he couldn't resist the urge to kiss her, to hold her, to touch her. He had to be near her, and it was scaring him.

He almost had sex with Brynn tonight. He was so close to giving in to his urges. Was it just hormones like Brynn had suggested, or was it something more? Chandler couldn't be sure at this point. More than anything, he wanted it to be a result of hormones. He didn't want to care about Brynn like that. He didn't want to fall in love with her; he didn't want to be in love with her. But every sign was pointing to the fact that he was falling for her, and he didn't know how to handle that. His head was telling him that it was too soon after Brooklyn, and that he would never love anyone else the way he had loved her. His heart was telling a different story.

Brooklyn had been the love of his life, and didn't everyone say that you only have one soul mate? Then why was Chandler feeling so much for Brynn? Why was he feeling this for her so soon after meeting her? It had taken Chandler over a year to fall in love with Brooklyn, then another six months to admit his love for her. So why was he having all these intense feelings for Brynn after only knowing her for a few short months?

Chandler was going crazy with the thoughts running through his head. He wasn't sure what all this meant, but he needed some time to figure it out.

He walked down to the living room with an empty box in his hands, and set it down on the coffee table. He turned and looked at his mantle and all the pictures that were displayed on top of it. He had known for months he would do this one day, but he hadn't thought they day would come so soon.

He slowly took a picture down and held it in his hands. Brooklyn, Chandler, and Willow were sitting on the beach, looking like the perfect little family. Chandler thought back to that day, and remembered how much fun they had. It was only a month before Brooklyn had died, and everything seemed so right in the world.

Tears slid down his face as the memory played in his head like a movie. Chandler put the picture up to his face and his lips kissed the glass in front of Brooklyn's image.

"I'm sorry, Brooklyn, but I think it's time for me to stop living in your memory. I don't know that I can move on yet, but I do know that you're never coming back to me," Chandler said to the picture, as more tears poured down his face. He put the picture in the empty box, then picked up the next one. Each picture Chandler picked up caused memories to emerge, and he allowed himself to live through them all again before placing each picture in the box with the others.

Finally, the mantle was cleared of all pictures but the one of him and Brooklyn holding a newborn Willow as they were leaving the hospital. There was also one of Willow and Chandler from last month that Brynn had taken for them. Chandler was torn on whether to leave the picture of the three of them up or not, then in the end decided to leave it. Willow might not remember much of her mother, but it was very important for her to know that Brooklyn had loved her very much, and that they had once been the perfect family, made complete by their perfect little girl.

He carried the box up to his bedroom and performed the same task on his wall of pictures there as he did on the mantle. It was his way of saying 'Goodbye' to Brooklyn, and opening himself up to his new future. He knew he had told Brynn earlier that he wasn't ready to get rid of the pictures, but he was just making excuses. He knew it then, and he knew it now. He had been afraid of admitting that it was time to let go.

Chandler closed up the box, and sealed it lovingly with tape. He opened his closet and slid open the entry way to the attic. He slid the box of pictures into the attic, then closed it back up.

As he walked out of his closet, he felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and in a way his heart felt lighter too. He crawled into bed and slowly fell asleep, sleeping deeper than he had in almost three years.

T
he next morning, Brynn woke up with a tickle in her nose. She tried to rub it away so that she could sleep longer, but nothing was getting rid of it. When she heard the giggle of little kids, she slowly opened one eye to see Willow and Barrett standing next to her bed with a feather. Brynn snapped her eye closed again, pretending she was still sleeping.

She faked a yawn, and stretched her arms over her head, rolling towards the kids in the process. Brynn heard the two kids trying not to giggle at her actions. They thought they were being so smooth by sneaking into Brynn's room and tickling her. After she looked like she was settled, Barrett put the feather under her nose again.

Instead of Brynn's hand coming up to brush the feather away, both of her hands shot out and encompassed Barrett and Willow, who both shrieked at being caught. She pulled the laughing kids up on the bed with her, and proceeded to tickle them, as payback for tickling her. To Brynn, there was no better sound to wake up to than a child's laugh, even if her head was pounding from too much wine the night before.

After breakfast, Brynn had Willow call over to her house to make sure Chandler was awake. "Brynn, he's not answering," Willow told her.

Brynn realized he must be looking at the caller ID and making a point of ignoring a call that appeared to come from her. Brynn was hurt to know that Chandler was so upset with her that he wouldn't even answer the phone when her number came up. "Sweetie, just head on over there, and if the door is locked or your dad isn't home, just come back here."

"I will. See you later!" Willow said, running out the back door.

"Later 'Gator!" Barrett shouted after her.

Brynn walked out the door after Willow shut it, to stand on the back deck and make sure that Willow got into her house. When Willow entered her house with no problem, Brynn's heart sank a little more, knowing that things really were bad enough between her and Chandler for him to ignore the call from her house like that.

Later that afternoon, Brynn called Nyla again. "Hey, Nyla. Thanks for talking me through last night. As much as I can remember, it made a lot of sense."

"No problem. Anytime. You and Chandler belong together. I'll help out in any way I can. Zaiden will too."

"Speaking of Zaiden, what's going on between you two? Seeing him two nights in a row? That is so unlike you!" Brynn teased.

"Tell me about it. I don't know, things just clicked between us. It's funny because neither one of us are the relationship type, but we both hate leaving each other when it's time to part," Nyla said, an edge of wonder in her voice.

"So, we may have finally found a man to tame the 'Vicious Nyla'?"

"Oh, who knows. It's only been two days. And stop calling me that. Just because I broke some guy's heart in college and he gave me that nickname, doesn't mean I have to live with it for the rest of my life," she laughed.

"Oh, but it fits you so perfectly, darling!" Brynn joked. "So, tell me, is Zaiden there now?"

"Um, why would you ask such a silly question?"

"He is there! Has he even left at all this weekend?"

"He went home yesterday to get some clothes. He was gone for an hour and it felt like an eternity!" Nyla gushed. "This feels so weird! Usually I can't wait to get rid of the guy the next morning, now I'm trying to come up with ways to make him stay."

"Ah, my little Nyla has finally fallen in love!" Brynn teased.

"Oh hush! Don't even bother saying that 'L' word around me. You know I don't believe in it."

"Well, stick around, because you just might realize it actually does exist. And you might realize it sooner than you think," Brynn laughed.

The two women sat talking for a while longer, then Brynn let Nyla get back to entertaining her house guest. Nyla and Brynn were like night and day, but they got along so well. Brynn was forever a romantic, or at least she was before Nico came along, and Nyla was forever the hook-up artist. She didn't believe in love, only lust. She used guys for what she wanted, then got rid of them. But she never lied to the guys she was with, or gave them false hope. She was straight up with them when she told them they had no future with her, that she was only looking for a good time.

Nyla looked at the world of men in a different way than most. She always told Brynn that her motto was "Play or be played." She had been really hurt by a guy who played her in high school and took her virginity. He promised Nyla the moon and stars, only to leave her alone and broken hearted. Nyla vowed to never let that happen again, and from that point on, she never let another man come beyond the barrier that she built up.

Brynn had always been a firm believer in love, which is why she stayed with Nico for so long. She always thought that love could conquer all, and that love would be enough to keep her marriage going. Unfortunately, it was lust that tore them apart, Nico's lust for other women. Even though she was hurt by Nico's exploits, she still felt that love was an important part of life, and someday she would find it again. Brynn knew that not all men were like Nico, and there were some decent men out there who wouldn't hurt the woman they loved.

A few days later, Chandler was still silent. She hadn't seen him or heard from him since that Saturday night. Willow still came around and played with Barrett, but they didn't share any dinners, and Chandler didn't come over to visit while Willow and Barrett played in the back yard. Brynn felt really alone, and missed the time she usually spent with Chandler.

Thursday night, Willow was over playing with Barrett, and was getting ready to go home for the night. Brynn stopped her before she got out the door, and handed a gift bag to Willow. "When you get home, would give this to your daddy for me?"

"Sure. Good night, Brynn. Night, Barrett!" Willow said, and disappeared out the door.

When she walked into her house, Willow gave the gift bag to her father. "Daddy, Brynn wanted me to give this to you."

"Thanks, pumpkin," Chandler said, as she walked up the stairs to her bedroom.

Chandler sat looking at the bag. After pondering for a few minutes about whether or not to open the bag, he finally looked inside. He pulled out a Yankees hat and smiled. Brynn knew that Chandler didn't have any Yankees stuff, and she vowed that she was going to turn him into a fan.

Attached to the brim of the hat was an envelope. Chandler opened the seal of the envelope and found a letter with four tickets to the Yankees game that Saturday. He slowly unfolded the note and read it.

Dear Chandler,

I got you this hat when we were shopping last weekend. You didn't even notice, did you? I promised I'd make a Yankees fan out of you yet. I bought the tickets to the game a while ago, and I wanted to take you and Willow for Willow's birthday. I know that you don't want to see me right now, so take the two extra tickets and give them to someone who deserves them.

Have fun and wish Willow a Happy Birthday for me when you get there. Make sure she looks at the big screen during the 7th inning stretch. There'll be a special message for her up there.

I miss you.

Love,

Brynn

Chandler closed his eyes and fought back the tears. Not only was Brynn good to him, but she was good to Willow too. Chandler knew that he had to make things better between him and Brynn, and he had an idea in his head. He just hoped it would work.

That Saturday morning, Barrett ran over to Willow's house before Brynn was properly awake. An hour after that, Brynn was puttering around her house doing some house work when the doorbell rang. She ran to answer it, and got the shock of her life when she saw the person on the other side. "Nico! What are you doing here?"

"What, I'm not allowed to come and visit my son and ex-wife?" Nico asked with an innocent air.

"First of all, you gave up your rights to call Barrett your son. Second, we don't want you here," Brynn said angrily, trying to shut the door on him.

"Well, that's too bad now, isn't it?" Nico said, pushing past Brynn and walking into the house. "I've missed you, and I thought maybe I'd come back and give you a second chance," he said, as he walked into the living room, looking around to take in the surroundings.

"A second chance? Nico, I want nothing to do with you ever again. Are you delusional?"

"Ah, baby, quit fighting it. You know you want me. You know you want to have me again. You miss riding me like you used to," he said, as he looked her up and down.

Brynn abruptly laughed. What an insane ego this man had!

"You're delusional. What makes you think I would ever let you touch me again? You had your chance with me Nico. In fact you had several chances with me, and you ruined it. You ruined all your chances," she said.

Nico tried giving her a pouty face, and that only made her laugh again. This time she laughed so hard that she threw her head back and threw her hands into the air. "You push your way into my house and act like you're God's gift to women. Good Lord, Nico, I'm the one woman on earth who knows that underneath all that pretty wrapping, you're just a worthless piece of shit."