I Don't Want to Be Friends

  Scott’s memory flashed back to the night they’d met on the street and walked to her house together. “To be a writer?” he asked.

  “More not to be a lawyer.” Madison sighed. “I told my dad I’m not applying to law school, and, in true Smithson fashion, he cut me off.”

  “That’s awful.”

  “I know, but I’m his only child, and it’s a hit for him to let his legacy within the firm go.” Madison shrugged. “Anyway, I’ve applied for a student loan, but until it kicks in I can’t afford dinner out…”

  “That’s not a problem. Dinner’s on me.”

  There came the cute blush again. “No, I couldn’t…”

  “Come on, I still owe you big time for our last group project. You covered for me when I was out of it, and I never got to thank you. The least I can do is feed you…”

  Madison stared at him, a new spark in her eyes. “When you put it like that… Where to?”

  “Shake Shack?”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  Madison

  “What’s with the dreamy face?” Alice asked the second Madison walked into the living room.

  Madison checked the house to make sure Haley wasn’t there, then said, “I might’ve gone on a non-date with Scott.”

  “Define non-date, please?”

  “Oh, you know, a date that isn’t really a date…”

  Alice closed the textbook she was highlighting and stared at her with a puzzled expression.

  “How can I explain it?” Madison took the chair in front of Alice at the long rectangular dining table the three of them often used to study. Books and papers could be spread out on it much more comfortably than on their respective smaller desks. “It’s like, it starts out innocently enough: two friends grabbing a bite together after a long afternoon class. And then, BAM, in the middle of dinner you suddenly realize you’re on a date… sort of…”

  Alice smiled. “So how did this non-date go?”

  “It was just perfect, and…” Madison stopped and started chewing on her bottom lip.

  “That’s not exactly a perfect-date face,” Alice noted.

  “You think Haley will have a problem with it? Should I ask her first?”

  “Ask her?”

  “Yeah, I mean, am I breaking a girl code here? You know, like never date your friend’s ex, or something?”

  “Well, she didn’t ask your permission to go out with David, did she?”

  “No, true. But David and I never were in a serious relationship, while Haley and Scott dated for almost a year.”

  “And dumped him because she’s in love with his brother. You’re in the clear… I mean, if something is happening with you and Scott, you should definitely be upfront and tell her, but not in an asking-permission way.”

  “Right.”

  “So…” Alice leaned forward on her elbows. “Is something happening between you and Scott?”

  Madison couldn’t help but smile. “I’m not sure… but he was different today. For the first time, it felt like he was seeing me as a woman and not, you know, a friend, a classmate, or Haley’s roommate. I can’t explain it in words, but something changed…”

  Alice grabbed her hands across the table. “I’m so happy for you.”

  Seeing her friend’s bright smile made Madison dial back a notch. “I don’t want to get my hopes up too much. It’s really nothing at the moment.” Then a horrible thought crossed Madison’s mind.

  “What?” Alice asked.

  “You think he’s over Haley? He was pretty beaten up when they broke up.”

  Alice turned serious, too. “Hard one to call, but if he’s being flirty with you…”

  “So he wouldn’t want to try to make Haley jealous by going out with me?”

  “No, never… Why would you think that?”

  Madison pulled her hands free and waved Alice off. “His brother did just that.”

  “Yeah, but that’s David. Scott’s a good guy… he’d never stoop so low.”

  “Mmm…” Madison stared at the fake wood-grain of the table, tracing its curls with a finger.

  “Madison.” Alice knocked on the table to make her look up. “Scott is nothing like that, I promise.”

  “It doesn’t matter, really. I’m probably building castles in the air… I’m sure Scott saw tonight only as dinner with a friend.”

  “Hey,” Alice said with a devilish smirk. “Want me to do some investigative work?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We could ask Jack…”

  “No, no… Already too many people know how I feel about Scott. I don’t want Jack to know, too.”

  “Err…” Alice cleared her throat.

  Madison gasped. “You already told him!”

  “I might’ve said something a while ago. But don’t worry, Jack is like a tomb. He won’t say anything.”

  “But they live together!”

  “Which is why we can ask him if Scott seems to be in a good mood. I mean, if he walked into the house with a smile matching yours, you have your answer.”

  The idea was too appealing for Madison to refuse, so she nodded.

  Alice grabbed her phone and beckoned Madison to come sit next to her. Madison rounded the table, and they bent their heads together as Alice typed.

  I need you to be a spy

  But you have to be super stealthy

  Dots appeared over Jack’s name in the chat until his reply came in.

  Okay?

  Is Scott home?

  Yes?

  How does he seem?

  What do you mean?

  Is he acting strange?

  Mmm… Sort of

  Meaning?

  He’s whistling under his breath

  Ask him how his day went

  Do I have to call him honey?

  No, smartass… :)

  Just ask him about his day, please?

  The chat stood blank for a while until Jack’s answer finally came in.

  Says it’s been his best day in a long while

  Alice and Madison looked away from the chat and up at each other, both sporting cheeks-aching smiles.

  Twenty-one

  Scott

  After a lot of cajoling, Scott convinced Madison to let him buy her dinner the next Wednesday, and the next. He was already working out a strategy to make her say ‘yes’ to a repeat tonight when she surprised him.

  “So,” Madison said as they exited Baker Center. “Where can I take you to dinner tonight?”

  “You’re taking me out?”

  “Yes.” She smiled coyly.

  Scott studied her. “Your student loan kicked in?”

  “Better than that… my mother kicked in.”

  She made a suspenseful pause, and Scott waited for her to elaborate.

  “She told my dad that if he was free to make my last year in college a nightmare and force me to take on student debt, she was free to have him sleep on the couch.” Madison smirked. “I don’t think he made it past the first night.”

  Scott low-whistled.

  “So now I’m back on a drastically reduced allowance, and I can treat you to a grand dinner a la tacos and fries… You in for Mexican?”

  “Mexican sounds perfect.”

  ***

  Much later, when the check arrived, both Madison and Scott reached for it.

  “Hey,” Madison protested. “I said dinner was on me.”

  “Are you one of those feminists who never let men pay on a date?”

  “If this were a date, I might let you pay.”

  Scott held onto the leather folder tight as he stared into Madison’s blue eyes. “So let me pay…”

  The blush that ensued had to be the fiercest yet. Madison let go of the folder and settled back in her seat, lowering her gaze. Scott slipped a few bills in, and they walked out of the restaurant without saying another word.

  They’d been walking
for a full block when Madison surprised him with a direct question. “So this was a date?” she asked, steadily looking at the curb.

  Scott opted for an equally daring answer. “I’d like it to be.”

  “Why? I mean, you’ve never…” Madison stumbled over her words. “What changed?”

  “I had a bit of an eye-opener,” Scott confessed.

  Madison stopped walking and turned to face him, bolder than he’d ever seen her. “What does that mean?”

  Scott smirked teasingly. “David might’ve mentioned something over Christmas break…”

  Now, this had to be the best, neck-to-forehead tomato red face ever. Her eyes were open wide and her mouth formed the cutest, shocked little ‘O’ shape.

  “What did he say?”

  Scott shrugged. “He hinted a beautiful, smart girl might have feelings for me.”

  Madison groaned. “Now I want to kill your brother.”

  Scott chuckled. “Welcome to the club.”

  A smile lit up Madison’s face. Then the rest of what he’d said seemed to register in her eyes, and she turned serious again. “You think I’m beautiful?”

  Scott stepped closer, pushing her long curls behind her ears and cupping her cheeks. “Very.” Then he leaned in and kissed her. Madison kept still at first, too shy or too shocked to move. But after a few moments, she responded to the kiss with a passion Scott had not expected. Not that he was complaining.

  After the kiss, he walked her home, both of them maintaining an embarrassed silence. When they stopped in front of her building, Scott wasted no more time with shyness. “Can I hope for a second date?” he asked.

  Madison blushed and nodded.

  “I have two home games this weekend against Columbia and Cornell, but I’m free Saturday morning. Want to grab a coffee?”

  “Yes,” Madison replied in a whisper.

  Scott pulled her closer and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. “Until then…”

  Madison

  For their official second date, as two certified book-worms, Madison and Scott went to a reading from an author they both loved in downtown Boston. Afterward, they stopped to have coffee in a quaint, one-of-a-kind coffee shop near the bookstore. There were a lot more kisses involved, and Madison found herself unable to stop smiling. Not even when, later that evening, she had to get ready to go watch the Crimson play. Her almost non-existent love for the game rekindled at once.

  “Maddie, are you ready?” Alice called from the hall.

  “Just a second!” Madison shouted back. “I’ll be right there.”

  Haley hadn’t come to a basketball match since game one of the season, back at the beginning of November, but Madison had kept going to keep Alice company. And, yes, also to watch Scott play. But tonight was the first night she officially had a reason to go: Scott had asked her.

  Madison fluffed her hair in front of the mirror and was about to exit her bedroom when she overheard Alice and Haley talking on the other side of the door.

  “Are you sure you’ll be okay at home all by yourself?” Alice asked.

  “Yeah, I have tons of homework to do,” Haley reassured her.

  “Is David coming over?”

  “No, he’s going to the game.”

  “Oh.” Alice sounded surprised. “So why don’t you come, too?”

  “I don’t want Scott to see me there.”

  Madison’s heart sank. Did Haley believe Scott still had feelings for her?

  Thankfully, Alice asked the very same question. “But he’s moved on from you. So what’s the issue?”

  “From me, yes, but not from what happened with his brother. They were still bickering over Brigitte after they’d both been over the girl forever. I want to give them space. They’re brothers… they have their issues, but deep down they love each other. They just have to stop being so damn stubborn…”

  Madison sighed with relief. On Wednesday night, when she’d come back home after Scott had kissed her, she’d waited a reasonable amount of time to allow herself to become stable and coherent enough, and then she’d knocked on Haley’s door to tell her. The conversation had been pretty smooth. Madison had told Haley about the kiss, and her friend, after a moment of shock, had wished her and Scott to be happy, saying neither of them could hope to find a better person. Madison was relieved to know now that Haley had been sincere.

  Yes, the situation would still be strange for a while, but Madison hoped that, in time, the we-both-dated-the-other-brother-first awkwardness would go away.

  “Madison,” Alice called again. “We’re going to be late.”

  With a deep breath, Madison opened the door. “You can stop yelling. I’m here.”

  ***

  Just as they were about to get seated at Lavietes Pavilion, someone grabbed Madison from behind and gently pushed her one seat over.

  “This is my seat, Blondie,” David said, sitting on the chair between her and Alice.

  Madison glared at him.

  “Whoa, what’s with the smoldering look?”

  “I’m not talking to you,” Madison said, crossing her arms over her chest and stubbornly looking away.

  “May I ask why?”

  Madison turned, pointing a finger at him. “You told Scott I had feelings for him when you promised you’d never do that. I’m so mad at you.”

  “Mmm, interesting, because last I heard, my little slip of the tongue sent my brother flying right into your open arms.”

  Madison opened her mouth to argue but found herself at a loss for sarcastic retorts.

  “So.” David smiled, as cocksure as ever. “What you really mean by ‘mad’ is how grateful you are I’ve knocked some sense into my brother’s head, right?”

  With Haley’s words fresh in her mind, Madison asked, “So, how are things with you and Scott?”

  “Oh.” David shrugged. “He knows he owes me.”

  “Owes you?”

  “Yeah. If it weren’t for me, he would’ve said ‘no’ to California, and now he wouldn’t be dating the only girl right for him.”

  Alice scoffed on David’s other side. “Oh, gosh, you are smooth.”

  “You have a problem with me, too?”

  “As long as you keep my best friend happy, no, I don’t.”

  David stretched in his chair like a cat. “Glad we can all be one happy family.” Then he nudged Madison’s shoulder. “Come on, Blondie, away with the scowl. You know you can’t stay mad at me…”

  Madison’s lips twitched, and she rolled her eyes. The dude really was impossible.

  “Friends?” David asked, and she nodded.

  “Friends.”

  Just then the referee whistled, and all eyes turned to the game. Madison shouted in encouragement. Finally, she could cheer for the boy she loved with no need to hold back…

  ***

  Madison had to wait another three days to see Scott again. Between conflicting class schedules, his basketball practice sessions plus biweekly games, and her book club, it was difficult for them to find a quiet moment to meet. So, Wednesday nights had become their fixed date amidst the chaos of the rest of the week. They’d spend three good hours eye flirting in class, then go out to dinner together. Or at least they had so far.

  “How about something different tonight?” Scott asked, as they walked hand-in-hand out of class.

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “Dinner at my place. I’m cooking.”

  An electric current ran through Madison’s body. In the month they’d been going out, more or less officially, they’d only made out so far, but going to Scott’s house could mean a lot more would happen tonight. Madison quickly did a mental checklist of her legs and bikini waxing status… Phew, all good.

  “You can cook?” she asked.

  “A very limited set of dishes.”

  “So what’s on the menu tonight?”

  “I can make a mean steak.”

&n
bsp; Madison lifted up on her tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on the lips. “How mean?”

  Inside Scott’s apartment, Madison rubbed her hands together to warm them up. February was almost over, but the weather didn’t appear to be improving. The temperature was still in the low thirties, and it had snowed again only two days ago.

  Scott hugged her from behind and, pushing her hair out of the way, he pressed his lips to her neck in a soft kiss. “Cold?” he asked.

  The kiss spread a warm fuzz through her from the tips of her ears down to her frozen toes. Madison leaned back into him. “Not really… Not anymore.”

  At that, he spun her around and kissed her properly. Things heated up pretty fast, and soon Madison found herself pressed against the wall, burning hot inside her coat. All she wanted was to get rid of the several layers of clothing separating her and Scott and really touch him, skin on skin.

  “Err-hem,” someone coughed to their left.

  Scott pulled back at once, and Madison stared up at him in confusion for a while, as if emerging from a daze. Then she turned her head to the left, where Jack was standing. He was looking at them with half a smirk—part embarrassed, and part male comradeship.

  “Sorry guys,” Jack said. “I would’ve let you carry on, but you’re basically blocking the door.”

  Both Madison and Scott quickly moved out of the hallway, leaving the path free for Jack.

  “You going out?” Scott asked.

  “Yeah, I’m seeing Alice,” Jack said. Then, with a knowing little grin, he added, “Probably going to spend the night. You guys have a good time.” And he was gone.

  Butterflies exploded in Madison’s belly. They’d be here alone all night.

  Scott hung his coat and cleared his throat. “So, dinner…”

  Madison followed his example by hanging her coat next to his and joined him in the open kitchen. “Yeah, you have to show me this special recipe of yours.”

  Scott opened a bottle of red wine, and Madison sat on the counter, far away enough from the stove so that oil wouldn’t spritz on her. She admired Scott’s kitchen skills as she sipped her wine. The steaks didn’t take long to cook and, after helping him set the table, they sat down to eat.

  “Mmm,” Madison moaned at her first bite of steak. It was juicy and seasoned to perfection. “One of the best steaks I’ve ever had.”