Falling For My Best Friend's Brother(49)
“Oh yeah, that was gross.” I giggled and then sat back and stared at her face. “What’s going on?” I asked again, my heart racing as the room went still and quiet. Was Liv about to tell me that Aiden and Elizabeth were dating and that he had played me the previous night? I’d been so nervous all day, and I’d been upset that I hadn’t asked him exactly what was going on with the two of them. A part of me was scared that he was going to say something that I didn’t want to hear. Liv looked uncomfortable as she stared at me and I could tell that she was nervous. “Liv,” I asked softly and then I gasped. “Is Aiden dating Elizabeth?”
“Huh?” She looked at me in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“Is Aiden with Elizabeth?”
“Wait, what?” She frowned. “Didn’t you spend the night with Aiden? Didn’t you text me that you were staying over?”
“Yes, I did.”
“So why do you still think he’s with Elizabeth?”
“Long story.” I sighed. And watched as she twirled with her hair. My heart dropped as I looked at her. “You don’t have cancer, do you?”
“What?” Liv looked confused. “No, no, of course not.”
“Then what’s going on?”
“Xander proposed to me last night.” She bit her lower lip and just stared at me for a second. I stared back at her in shock as she looked at me uncertainly. I have to be honest here; I felt two emotions at her words. The first emotion I felt was extreme happiness for her and when I say extreme happiness, I mean I immediately started grinning in excitement. But, if I’m honest, my smile hid my other emotion. And that was fear. Fear that emanated from my disappointment, jealousy, worry and anxiety. In that moment, I wanted to burst into tears. There were too many things going on, too many things changing, too many uncertainties in my life and I could barely stay afloat.
“Oh my God, let me see the ring!” I said finally and grabbed her hand and gasped out loud. “Whoa,” I said, impressed, as I stared at the gigantic rock on her finger. “Did he go to South Africa and mine that himself?” I said, my eyes wide. “That’s huge.”
“Isn’t it?” she said, her eyes equally wide. “I think it’s too big.”
“There is no such thing as too big.” I laughed and then paused. “I thought he was going to give you his family ring though?”
“I think that he felt bad about proposing with that ring after Gabby had worn it.” Liv made a face, and I groaned. Sometimes I forgot that Xander had been in a fake engagement with Liv’s older sister, Gabby.
“As he should,” I said and then looked at her ring again and squealed. “Oh my God, Liv, I’m so excited for you.”
“You’re not upset?” she asked hesitantly.
“Of course I’m not upset.” I shook my head at her. “I’m so happy for you. Okay, I admit I’m a little jealous, but you know I’m so happy for you.”
“It’s going to be so weird,” she said with a sigh.
“What is?”
“Leaving here. Leaving you. Moving in with, Xander.”
“When are you leaving?” I asked nonchalantly, my stomach in knots. I was going to be alone at twenty-two. I had known she was planning on moving out anyways, but now it all seemed so real.
“Not until we’re married,” she said with a smile. “I told Xander I don’t want to live together until we’re married.”
“Oh.” I bit my lower lip and paused for a second without speaking. “Isn’t it a bit late to be taking a virginal stance?” I squeaked out. “Didn’t you already tell him you were going to move in with him?
“Virginal stance?” She grinned. “What are you talking about?”
“You not living with Xander before you’re married.”
“I’m not doing that because I don’t want to live in sin.” She laughed. “I’m doing it for you.”
“For me?”
“Yes!” She shook her head. “I know you don’t want me to move out, and I don’t want to either. I’d love for Xander to move in and we all live together, but he would never go for that. And remember he kinda already asked me to move in with him, and I kinda already said yes.”
“What?” My jaw dropped. “You don’t have to do this for me. If you want to live with him beforehand, you should.”
“He asked me to move in before he proposed and while I was happy, I didn’t really know what to say,” she said with a shy smile. “I didn’t know how to tell you then and I felt so bad how you found out, but I thought about it and I don’t want to move out and leave you just yet. So I told him I prefer that we don’t move in together until we’re married.”