FicWad

Aubrey's POV

I wiped away the dried tears that hung in my eyes since last night. I always knew I could stand up to anything, but one thing I couldn't stand was being hit when I wasn't expecting it.
Sighing I walked down the flight of steps to my living room and flopped down onto the brown couch in front of the TV. My mom came in holding a cup of coffee out for me.
"Hey hon." She whispered sitting down on the edge of the couch and placing the cup on the coffee table.
"Hey." I sniffed, wiping away the fresh tears and swallowing heard again.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She questioned carefully.
I shook my head and pulled a pillow up to my chest.
"Well, I'm sorry but you aunt just called and said they were going out of town and need someone to take care of their daughter." She bit her lip and sighed. "I'm leaving for my women's outing and your father'll be away for the next two weeks on business."
"Ok." I mumbled sitting back up slowly. "How old is she now?"
"Five." She sighed. "I know this is a pretty big responsibility so if you don't want to do this, I'll understand."
"No, I want to." I argued getting up and wiping away my tears. "You know I love kids."
"I know, so do your aunt and uncle." She smiled at me and hugged me. "Thank you."
"It's nothing." I forced a smile and pushed her away. "When is she coming?"
"In a few hours." She smiled as I started to pace. "And I leave tonight."
"Ok, wow." I bit my nails and looked down at my feet.
"Well, go get descent." She pushed me back up the steps.
I got a shower and pulled on a pair of denim cut-offs and my favorite band t-shirt; fresh from the washer. I tied my hair back in the trademark messy ponytail and applied minimal makeup. Then slid on a pair of worn flip flops and tromped back down the hall to where mom was finishing packing.
"You look good for someone fighting with their boyfriend." She smirked; very un-mom like and continued putting clothes in her suitcase.
"He's not my boyfriend." I said stubbornly. "He had potential and then he blew it."
"Ahhh." She nodded and put her toothbrush in her hygiene bag.
Just then the doorbell rang. We both glanced at each other and I sighed and slid off the bed. Padding down the newly carpeted stairs I walked up to the door and peeked through the curtain to see Patrick standing with his hands shoved deep in his pockets and his hat pulled down to cover his face.
I rolled my eyes and opened the door. Standing in the doorway looking at him with an angry/satisfied smirk plastered thickly in my lips.
"Yes, Patrick?" I looked at him and watched him blush deeply.
"Hey, Bre." He said glancing behind him. "I just came to see you got home ok."
"I got home fine, it was who visited me that surprised me." I said looking at the bruises that showed under his hat.
"So Andy talked to you too?" He looked up.
"Yeah." I sighed opening the door a little wider, knowing he wasn't leaving anytime soon. "He slapped me."
"He didn't?" He said shocked covering his mouth. "What did you do?" He asked as I took his coat, don't ask me why he was wearing a denim jacket in ninety degree weather.
"I told him to leave." I sighed as we walked back up the steps to mom's room. "You never met my mom have you?"
"Nope." He shook his head and smiled as we walked into her room and sat down on the bed.
"Mom, this is Patrick." I pulled in another breath. "Patrick, his is my lovely mother."
"Hi." He said shyly waving his hand.
"Hello, Patrick!" She said putting another few shirts in her already bulging suitcase. "It's nice to finally meet one of Aubrey's friends I approve of."
He blushed even more and put his head down in slight embarrassment. I smiled and grabbed his wrist to pull him down the hall to my room. After carefully closing the door I smiled at him.
"Patrick, I still really like Andy." I tried to break it to him.
"I know." He nodded. "I don't want to replace him."
"Then what do you want?" I asked pleadingly.
"To be a friend." He smirked and bit his lip. "With benefits."
I smiled and shook my head.
"Sorry, I don't believe in being friends with benefits." I was really confused now.
"Well, I don't believe in them either." He stood up and kissed my forehead. "Then there's you."
I blushed as bad as he did and looked straight into his eyes. Just as I was about to kiss him again the door bell rang.
"Oh poop." I whispered. "Stay here in case it's Andy." I pushed him down on the bed and kissed he cheek before rushing down the steps and out to the front door.
Instead of expecting a showdown with Andy, my aunt, uncle and darling cousin stood on the front stoop. My aunt looked happy in her button-up men-style shirt and jeans and my uncle who look fabulous in a t-shirt and jeans. It was sad that my aunt was only twenty-one.
"Aubrey!" She smiled as she breezed in and placed a baby bag in my arms. "You look beautiful!" She breathed hugging my and holding me as arms length.
"You too, Renee." I smirked as she did a twirl and hugged my uncle's arm. "So do you Aaron."
"Thank you." He said, he always was a shy one.
Just then Patrick walked down the steps and smiled brightly as he saw my little cousin looking around curiously as she held a hold of her stuffed bear that reeked of old formula.
"Oh, who's this?" Renee asked as she noticed Patrick slowly making his way over to my side before linking arms with me.
"This is Patrick." I said gesturing to him. "Patrick, this is my Aunt Ren and Uncle Aaron, and their beautiful baby girl Riley."
"Hi." He said waving and noticing the little girl looking up at him with wonder.
"Well, if you need anything our number's in the baby bag." Ren rubbed her hands together turned to me. "I trust you and understand you know what to do in emergencies?"
"Even in a hurricane." I nodded and looked as Patrick picked up Riley and twirled her around once he let go of his grip on my arm.
They smiled and nodded, then took Riley out of Patrick's arms and hugged and said goodbye. As they left I was sure Ren said something about this being a form of birth control.
Once I saw their car leave I let out a sigh of relief and turned to Patrick who was holding Riley in his lap and reading her a story out of diaper bag they brought.
"Well, looks like you're right at home." I laughed as she sighed and closed her eyes.
"Tell me another story, 'Tricky." Riley yawned hugging him even though they had met only minutes ago.
"My brother had a kid with his girlfriend, so I take care of her every once in a while." Hr explained as my mom rushed down the steps and quickly dropped her bags on the floor.
"Ok, I'm running late." She said planting a kiss on my cheek and then turning and kissing Riley and even Patrick on the cheek. He blushed and wiped away the smudged lipstick mark that remained on his cheek. "If you need anything, call me."
"Yes, mom." I rolled my eyes as she pulled in her coat and grabbed her suitcases.
"Patrick, you can stay here if you want, but I have one rule."
"Yes?" He swallowed hard.
"No sex without a condom." She said it flatly even with a four year old in the room. "Yes, I heard your little friends with benefits talk."
I giggled and nodded.
"Yes, mom." I sighed as she rushed out the door and into her car.
Once she pulled away I sighed and shut the door. Riley and Patrick were both sitting on the couch watching TV. When I walked in and sat down beside Patrick, Riley laughed and smiled at me.
"Bre-Bre I missed you." She said reaching up for me to hold her in my lap.
"Did you now?" I smirked gently tweaking her cheek.
"Mhm." She nodded and turned back to Patrick.
"And what do you think of Patrick?" I laughed as she turned and tugged on his growing sideburns.
"He's pretty cool." She said as he rolled his eyes and looked at me.
"I'm only 'pretty' cool?" He whined as he looked at her.
"Well, she did only meet you today." I bit my lip and watched her yawn. "Say, it's just about suppertime; how about I order a pizza?"
"Oh, um extra cheese!" Patrick called out as I got the cordless phone and came back.
"Do you want anything Riley?" I quickly dialed the number.
"Cheese sounds good." She nodded and looked back at Patrick.
"Ok." I made the order and they said they'd have it delivered in twenty minutes. "So, what do you want to do?"
Patrick glanced at me then down at Riley who was rubbing her eyes. I nodded and kept talking.
"Whooh." I sighed looking at the clock above the TV, 9:30. "It's getting late."
Patrick nodded and started to lift Riley off of his lap. She protested and grabbed a hold of the blanket behind him.
"Riley, you're tired." I said pulling the blanket from her hands and prying her from Patrick's arms. "You can sleep for a while and then you can get back up, how does that sound?"
She yawned and nodded. We went up to my room and put her in my bed under a warm blanket and her favorite toy. I kissed her goodnight and flicked off the light before turning and almost hitting Patrick in the face with my forehead.
We laughed quietly and stifled our laughter as the doorbell rang. I swallowed hard and bit my lip as I motioned for him to stay put then crept down the steps. I sighed inwardly when I saw the pizza guy standing on the front stoop.
"Thanks." I sighed taking it form his arms and handing him a ten.
I turned off the pouch light and set the pizza on the table before calling Patrick back down and taking a piece. As we sat quietly eating out pizza and looking at each other I couldn't help but smile.
"You're beautiful." He said through a mouthful.
I smiled at him and blushed.
"Come on." I said wiping my hands on my cutoffs and pulling him by the wrist out the backdoor to the secluded backyard.
My backyard had a brick fence and pool. It also has an old tire swing and a hammock in the one corner. I sat down in the edge in the hammock and patted the space beside me. He shook his head at me and carefully crawled onto the hammock.
We linked hands and started rocking back and forth in the darkness of the canopy of leaves above our heads.
"I still love Andy." I said again quietly so no one would hear other than Patrick.
"I know." Was all he said as he kissed my hand. "I know I can't fill his shoes."
I sighed and looked up as Andy's window his shadow filled the space as he looked at my house. I bit my lip and watched as he opened his window and stepped out onto his roof to look at the moon.
"Patrick, I don't know if I feel the same way about you as I feel about him." I bit my lip and watched him stare up at the moon clouded by overcast.
"Again, I know you do." He turned to me and smiled. "I know you love Andy, I don't want to take his place; but I can't help but feel there's something special about us."
I blinked a few times and frowned.
"Am I cheating on Andy?" Now he was the one doing the blinking.
Finally he smiled and kissed me lightly, just enough to brush his lips against mine.
"Not unless you feel like you are." He whispered letting his hand fall loose form mine. "So, it's your call."
Now came the big decision. Did I really feel like cheating on Andy, or was I a free bird and could do what I want? I sighed and gripped his fingers tightly.
"Do you have to go home tonight?" I bit my lip and kissed him again, it felt wrong but right.
"Not unless you want me to." He smiled and looked back up at the moon.
It was then I knew I was either ruining my old relationship or starting a lovely new one with my very nummy best friend; hat clad, side burned Patrick Stump.