AN Another chapter! Yay!
:oP NeverMind

Mac and Stella bid us farewell outside the pub and the five of us walked back to Aiden's. Well, Danny and I walked. Sheldon, Don and Aiden half walked, half stumbled.

My car was still parked out front and because I'm anal and because I dropped way too much cash on the thing, I had to inspect it to make sure no one had tried to break in or scratched it in any way.

"Wow," I heard Danny say. I watched him run his hand over the curves of my car, taking my newly found self-control with him. "Now that's a car."

Don and Sheldon gushed something or other about it, but they were background noise in my head. All I could hear was my heartbeat throbbing in my ears.

"There isn't any alcohol in that car!" Aiden called from the doorway of the apartment block, waving her hand at us.

Don and Sheldon reluctantly tore themselves away from my shiny toy, but Danny and I hung back. I don't know why I hung back, really. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Can I?" he asked.

I hit the button to unlock the car and watched him ease himself into the driver's seat. He caressed the steering wheel and a shiver ran down my spine. He smiled up at me. "I guess it would be too much to ask if I could take her for a ride."

"You're right." I told him.

He got out and I motioned for him to get in the passenger seat. I started the car and put the top down. Revving the engine once, I put it into gear and leapt out onto the street. He gripped the edge of the seat and smiled at me.

This car has a way of making me forget everything else around me. I just drove. I found the nearest straight away and let the powerful engine take over. The cold wind whipped through my hair and slid down my shirt, giving me goose bumps.

By the time I eased my baby back into the spot across from Aiden's we were both breathless. I put the top back up and we just sat there for a minute.

"Thanks," he said.

"You're welcome," I answered.

Aiden was singing when we got into the apartment. Don and Sheldon were trying to play chess and were arguing about the rules.

"Hey! Where did you go?" Aiden asked, wrapping her arms around me.

"I took Danny for a ride in my car," I told her.

"That's not fair! I haven't even gone for a ride in your car yet!"

"You will," I told her, kissing her cheek.

"You know what I was thinking about?" she said, putting an arm around my waist and leading me into the kitchen.

"No, what?"

"I was thinking about Jake."

I scowled at her. "What would you do that for?"

"I was thinking that I never really liked him."

"I know you didn't. You told me that many times."

"How come you didn't listen to me?"

"Because you liked him enough for me to ignore your dislike of him."

"Oh. Well, I don't like him at all anymore."

"I know."

She poured me a glass of wine. "I got your favorite," she said with a grin.

"Thank you, hunny."

"To best friends," she said, raising her glass in a toast.

"To best friends," I agreed, clinking our glasses together.

I nursed my wine over the next hour or so. This brand always went to my head faster than any other. Aiden, Danny, Don and Sheldon had disintegrated into shoptalk and I felt a little out of the loop, so I slipped out the door and up the stairs to the roof. Aiden and I had convinced the landlords to rent us the space up there. We'd converted it into a garden-slash-art space for Aiden. She did some of her best work up here.

It's kind of surreal and sensual to sit on the roof of a building overlooking New York. You can almost feel the erratic pulse of the city. New York always made me think of a curmudgeonly senior citizen. Someone who would tell you to stop your whining because you had no idea of what real hardships were. Someone who smoked too much but felt justified because they'd had to fight for every last thing they ever had. I loved this city for that.

I sat down on one of the lounge chairs Aiden had bought since I'd been gone and let my thoughts wander. It felt a little strange to just sit and do nothing. My life had been non-stop for over a month now and I'd almost forgot what it was like to just be.

I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes. Maybe I could try to start processing the disastrous ending of Jake and me.

I could feel someone watching me. I opened my eyes a crack to see Danny sitting on the lounge chair beside me, just looking at me. I hadn't even heard the door open.

"You forgot your drink," he told me in explanation of his presence. I didn't buy it.

I took the glass from him. I should've asked him to leave, but Aiden was right. There really was nothing like a good New York guy to improve my mood.

"So," I started, "You can start any time you're ready."

"Start what?" he asked.

I gave him a sidelong glance. "You're either here to hit on me or get advice on how best to hit on my friend."

"No, I'm not."

I snorted. "Sure you're not."

He gave in and grinned. He sat back on the lounge chair and put his glasses on his forehead. "Well, I guess I wouldn't mind hitting on you."

"So..?" I prompted.

"So?" he asked.

"So this is the part where you're supposed to ask me about myself. And then when I finish and I ask about you, you're supposed to become sweet and vulnerable so that I feel like I at least know you before you convince me to sleep with you."

"Is that how this works?"

I shrugged. "That's the routine I've typically encountered."

"And does it work?"

"That depends."

"On what?"

"On how interested I am to begin with."

"And how interested are you?"

I tutted. "I can't tell you that."

"Why not?"

"That takes the challenge out of it."

"Ah, I see."

For a moment, I wished I were my car.

I took a sip of my wine, waiting for him to begin.

"Well, I promise I won't convince you to sleep with me."

I laughed. "Really? And why is that?"

He grinned. "Because you're Aiden's best friend and I have to work with her every day. She wouldn't give me a moment's peace."