“May I join you?”  A familiar deep voice asked.  Before I even answer the familiar stranger he is seated next to me, head also on the bar top.  I glanced over, not able to see his face, but the hands.  Those hands were burned into my memory; those hands at one time way back held and groped me, more recently it was you they possessed.  Panic coursed through my body.  If he was here, wouldn’t that mean you were too?  Not only that though, here was a friend, someone I could count on, and I slept with his girlfriend, I was in love with her.  The air suddenly got thick I tried to avoid a confrontation by slipping away; before I could a hand caught my arm turning me to face him.

 “Just please, sit with me?”  He pleaded eyes bloodshot from the alcohol I could smell on his breath, full to the brim with tears.  I had never seen him this torn up before, it made me scared at what he had heard.

 “Aiden, are you okay?” I asked genuinely concerned.  “Where’s Spencer?” I asked looking around scared that I might actually see you.

 “Spence?  I don’t know.  Haven’t seen her since this afternoon, since she left me.” He replied, a single tear cascading from filled eyes.

 “She left you?” I asked barely able to comprehend.  I became so confused and hurt, for him.  I look at the sobby, drunk lump formerly known as Aiden in front of me.  He didn’t know about us, that’s obvious or why would he have even talked to me? Let alone look.  “Did she say why?”

 He looked up with a hurt wondering look “Does it matter?” followed by an apologetic look “Sorry, it’s not your fault, I shouldn’t take it out on you.  She said she couldn’t handle the relationship.” He paused before asking “Did you know she was going to break up with me?” I was shocked you’d think this, I also wished it was true, like that you and I planned it to be together.  Then I felt bad.  “It’s just, she mentioned being with you this morning before it happened.”

“No, I didn’t know.  Maybe she just really wasn’t ready for last night?” I asked trying to come up with something to explain her actions. 

 “She told you?  Why?”  Aiden asked, his arrogant drunkard coming out.  I never liked him when he got like this, and now he had a better reason to be a jerk.

 “I’m her best friend. Why wouldn’t she tell me?”  I asked alcohol also running through my veins and offended.

 “Yeah, but this was personal.” He said as though I was just some new acquaintance. “You know she told me about that night when Glen broke his leg, the night you two kissed, how you “secretly” dated for like two weeks then she left you cause it was too hard.  Maybe she wasn’t ready for that!” His face reddened with anger. 

 I felt my skin get hot along with the hot tears that flowed to the floor.  I crossed my arms to shield myself from I don’t know.  That was something just between us, ours and you told him, something so incredibly personal and important to me.  I knew you weren’t ready, that’s why I let you go, it just added salt to the wound when two days later you called me to say you and Aiden were together.  You were my best friend above all else so I supported you.  I don’t even know how to describe this hurt.  I looked up at Aiden crying too.  He didn’t mean to hurt me, but he was hurt and misery loves company.  “She sure can make em’ cry” I said wiping away his tears as well as my own, which caused us to laugh a little.

 “Let’s dance” Aiden declared already pulling me onto the dance floor.