My phone beeped it was a text from Trish "Game night our place tomorrow at 8."

A game night uh I hit reply "cool. Is it ok if I bring Patrick?"

Beep

" yes it's fine. It's better actually since Austin is bringing Ella, so with Tillyand Rob it will be a couples night."

I began to type "oh so Austins bringing Ella. I have yet to meet her wonder what he is trying to hide from me..." I looked at text before sending it and decided against it. I deleted what I typed and replied "Can't wait."

I had been seeing Patrick for a little over 3 weeks. He is a new journalist that the magazine hired. He is just what I need; a nice guy. He has gotten along great with Trish and Dez which is great. He hasn't met Austin yet though. We haven't seen each other lately, not because we're fighting it's just out schedules are off. He had to fly to DC for a convention last week, then the week before I had to go to Miami to cover a story with Patrick that's where we got close.

I told Austin about Patrick; he seemed happy for me but with Austin you can never tell.

I was happy for him when he told me that he was seeing this woman Ella. She works in a bakery downtown. At least he is dating her and not just using her for sex. I text Patrick about tomorrow and he is all in.

XXXXX

We arrive at Trish and Dezs at exactly 8, I hate when people are too early and too late. Too me it is just rude, people ask you to be there at a certain time you should be there then.

Trish answered the door and gave us a hug "always on time Ally It's why I love you."

" Love you too, here we brought some wine" I say holding up the bottle.

"Perfect, have a seat. Tilly just called she'll be here in a couple minutes and Austin will show up when ever he feels like showing up." as she said the words Austin walked through the open door.

"I've decided to grace you with my presences" he smirked. Trish leaned in for a hug " wow only 5 minutes late that's a record for you." she shook the hand of obviously Ella, who handed her a dessert box. " Thanks for coming Ella. You guys have a seat, wine anyone?"

Austin and I answered yes at the same time, way to keep cool Ally I tell myself. We took our places in the living room, I knew it was time to introduce them but I hate how I always have to do it first.

I cleared my thought " Austin I want you to meet Patrick Jackson, Patrick this is Austin Moon" they shook hands.

Austin turned to Ella " Ella this is Ally Dawson, Allyi this is Ella Fitzgerald."

I smile " it's nice to meet you." wow she is so young, she can't be older the 27.

Ella took me into a hug that I wasn't expecting " it's so great to finally meet you Austin talks about you all the time."

I patted her back to release me " oh he does huh I hope it's all good." I stole a glance at Austin who had a tint of pink in his cheeks.

Trish reenters with the wine and Dez on her heels carrying three board games.

The door bell rings and Tilly and Rob enter, "Hi" Tilly calls.

She takes her seat and Rob leans on the arm of her chair. Dez sets up the boxes on the table "so we have apples to apples, Taboo, and Picturnary. What game do you want to play first?"

I didn't care really, it was funny how now that we were couples this is what we did.

"lets play apples to apples first" Tilly suggested.

We played both apples to apples and Taboo, Austin won both. God he wins at everything. For pictunary we split into teams, my turn was up. I picked the hardest word ever, the word dry. "Urg" I groan. I have no idea what to draw. At first I think to draw a towel, so I draw it and everyone shouts "towel, blanket, sheet." I sigh and shake my head, I scribble the picture out. Then I thought hey I'll make water droplets with a slash going through it and they can figure out it means dry.

Time is running out, so I scribble fast. Dez shouts "towel". Austin smacks his head "she just scribbled that out" he studdied the picture "umm no water."

I shake my head and urge with my hands to go farther. He studys again "no water" he repeats.

I glare at him, he glares back "draw something else, resembling anything" he says in a frustrated tone. If I could, I would, but I can't so I can only make it darker.

"10 seconds" Rob calls.

I point to the water drops and the slash again. "No water" Austin shouts. "Times up" Rob said.

"ugh, no it was dry" I sigh.

"dry? that's stupid" Austin complained

"Our team has 230 and yours has 110" Rob smiled. Patrick came over to me " I had the hardest one" I fake whine. "you did great, see no water clearly means its dry."

I smile as he kisses me, he is so sweet.

"Coffee anyone?" Trish asks we all answer yes. "I'll help you" I offer.

Dez took Austin into the den to look at his new book cover. I followed Trish into the kitchen.

"So Ella seems nice" I casually say.

"She is sweet" Trish said as she made the coffee.

"She seems a bit young for him though" I take the cake out of the box.

"ya maybe, but look what she has done. She makes 2500 cakes a weeks."

I pause as I take the plates out of the cabinet "what? You mean she is Aunt Ella? But Austin doesn't even like sweets."

"well Patrick is really great" Trish brought me out of my thoughts. "he is I'm happy."

XXX

"So how are things with Ella?" Dez asked as I looked at his cover.

"Going well, but when I asked her where she was when she heard the Pope died she said Junior Biology."

"wow" Dez laughed.

" I know I was married and she was a junior in highschool" I laugh.

" is this the first time you've met Patrick?" Dez asked.

"yup" I say quicker and colder then I mean too.

" you should give him a chance and get to know him. he's cool, he brought us to a mets game last week."

"what Ally hates baseball."

"dessert and coffee time" Trish called.

XXXX

So the game night was a success for Ella and Patrick they began to see each other. It's no big deal we weren't serious. Ally took it well in fact she was the one to break up with Patrick. She told the other night on the phone.

"I told him that while it was fun, I just wasn't ready for a real relationship. He then told me he firgured and said he was going to ask out Ella. They hit it off at Trish and Dezs. I didn't know you stopped seeing her?"

"I didn't stop seeing her, well now I have" I laugh. "Oh well, we weren't serious and she was so young we had nothing to talk about. Are you sure you're okay, I mean really?"

I could hear her smile "yes. I really am thank you."

Tonight was a boring night, I stayed in watched a crappy movie and now was settling to read a book. As always I read the last page first. My phone rang and I knew it was Ally by the ringtone.

"Ally?"

Silence then a sniffle "are you busy?"

I sit up in my chair "no are you okay?"

She sniffled again " can you come over?"

"I'm on my way" I end the call and rush out.

15 minutes later I knock on her door. She opens the door, her eyes are all puffy from crying. Her nose is raw from blowing it so much. She only had on her pink robe, she loved that robe it was like her secret blanket. It made her feel safe.

"hi" she sniffs.

"are you okay? What happened" I asked, I've never seen her this upset.

She opened the door wider "come on in."

I walked in still watching her, she goes to blow her nose but her tissue is all used. She stares at it for a moment " I need a kleenex."

"ok" I gently tell her.

"ok" she tosses her used one on the floor.

"Ally what happened?" I asked as we walk into her bedroom on the hunt for the kleenex.

"Dallas called. Said he wanted to know how I was doing? I tell him fine. I ask him he goes fine blah blah blah." She walked all over the room looking they were under her blanket. I handed her one, she used it and then tossed it. I just sat and listened.

"I'm on the phone thinking I am so over this man, he then…" she inhaled a sob. " he then said I have some news." She sobs again. " Her name is Ashlee shes a paralegal at his firm. She's supposed to be his transitional person shes not supposed to be the one."

She joined me on the bed tears streaming down her face. "all this time I kept saying he didn't want to get married the truth is he didn't want to marry me." she lets out this sigh as though a weight has been lifted.

I rub her back "if you could take him back right now would you?" I ask.

She looks up and sobs " No. but why didn't he want to marry me?" she flopped backwards on the bed, I followed.

"nothing is wrong with you" I push her hair out of her face.

"I'm difficult" she whines.

"challenging" I offer as a better answer.

" I'm too structured and completley closed off." I shrug " ya but in a good way."

She pulled herself up again "No, No , No I drove him away. And I'm going to be 40."

I get up and look at her "when?" did she lie about her age?

"someday" she waived her hand to indicate the future.

" in 8 years" I remind her.

"But it's just sitting there like a nig dead end." She poked me in the shoulder "and its not the same for men. Charlie Chaplin had babies when he was 73."

As a reflex I make a joke "ya but he was too old to pick'em up."

This got her to laugh only for a second then she began sobbing into my sweater. "it's okay this is my least favorite sweater."

She let out 5 good deep breaths. I kissed her fore head "there you go."

She looked up into my eyes, I pushed her hair out of her face again and placed a friendly kiss on her lips.

"are you going to be okay?"

She placed another kiss on me " can you hold me for a little bit longer."

"come here" I wrap my arms tighter around her.

She kisses me with more force I return it. she tickles my lips with her tongue to enter. My mind is telling me no, but I can't resist her. I don't want this to be me using her broken emotions. I open my mouth and her tongue massages my tongue.

I slip off her robe, too kiss her shoulder. They thought of that this whole thing is wrong ran through my head but I didn't want to upset Ally any more then she already was. It was the wrong time to tell her that it might be a bad time. She pulled off my sweater and kissed my chest. Oh what the hell.

XXX

An hour later I layed in bed next to Ally. She had her head on my chest. I didn't know if she was awake or asleep until she spoke "are you comfortable?"

I was far from comfortable but I lied "yes."

She got up to get herself a drink and come back "do you want to watch a movie?"

"no" I shook my head. She smiles and climbs back into bed "do you just want to go to bed?"

"sure" I fugured it was the safest bet.

My phones alarm went off at 5:30, I didn't sleep at all. I quietly get out of bed, I shut my alarm off and get redressed. Ally began to stir , she looked at me like a deer in the head lights.

"where are you going?"

"I have to go home and get ready for work. You have to go to work as well, but I would like to take you to dinner tonight." I kiss her but she recoiled back.

"I'll call you on my lunch." I made my exit to the door.