Best of Friends

Chapter Twenty One: Bowling and "Boyfriends"

For anyone wondering, the alternative titles were what  I originally named the chapters, before I decided to do alliteration and "&". 

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Chapter Twenty One: Blast from the Past/Bowling and Boyfriends

Olivia had the great idea to go bowling. I didn't mind bowling, really, and considering it was Ben's, Iain's, and my tradition, it was nice, but I was pretty bad at it. I was better at it than I was mini-golfing. I could get the ball down the lane straight, and I didn't need the bumpers up, but I was lucky if I knocked down half the pins out of both times.

"One of these days, Kit, we'll go on a double date and find something you're really good at," Iain said jokingly.

"Thanks," I said pathetically. Iain got up to have his turn, and I stepped back up to our table to get a drink. One of the employees walked up to me. He was kind of cute. I'd been secretly sneaking glances at him when I could.

"So um, here's my phone number, I'm Trey by the way, and I, um, was wondering if you would like to go out sometime?"

"Babe, babe, did you just see my strike?!?" Iain asked excitedly, wrapping his arms around me from behind me. He was completely oblivious to the poor boy trying to ask me out, or that he was stomping on his heart.

"Iain," I said softly, "This is Trey."

"Nice to meet you, you friends with Kit?" Iain held out his hand.

"We just met," Trey's voice was trembling.

"Trey, this is my, um, boyfriend, Iain," I said as gently as I could. Trey looked dejected and he walked away.

"What just happened?" Iain asked.

"That poor boy was trying to ask me out," I said.

"Oh."

"And then you came up," I said.

"Would you have gone out with him?" Iain asked.

"I don't know maybe. I could have at least put him down gently if you hadn't been there," I said.

"You didn't put him down hard, Kitten, don't worry."

"I feel like I just kicked his puppy," I said.

"Well don't. It's not your fault you have a boyfriend," he replied.

And he was right. It wasn't my fault I had a boyfriend—a fake boyfriend that was only mine when Ben required him to be. I couldn't complain too much, I suppose. Iain was a great guy, and a great friend to me. He was easily becoming my best friend.

And that's what scared me. I'd applied to colleges all over, but with Iain graduating at the same time I was sending off to college, who knows where we would end up. I needed to stop depending on Iain so much. He wasn't mine to have. No matter how much I wanted him.

"I know," I sighed. Iain's eyes scanned mine and he pecked my lips with a soft kiss.

"Stop making out over there and come play. We're kicking your ass!" Olivia yelled.

"Duty calls, love," Iain said, intertwining our fingers and pulling me to our bowling lane. It's my turn, so I grab my ball and close my eyes, rolling it down the lane. It hit the majority of the pins, so I was off to a good start.

"Way to go, Kitten," Iain calls out. Once my ball returns, I bowl again, and knock down the rest of the pins.

"Yeah!" Iain yells, and hugs me picking me up off the ground. He kissed me and sat me back on the ground. He went and bowled a strike, putting us in the lead again. He sat back down, and pulled me into his lap so I was straddling him.