Routes to Romance Read online

  Chris shook his head, sighing to himself, "I forgot how dramatic he is when shit like this happens."

  The two of them clambered into the car, Dave waiting until they were buckled in before he floored it out of the alley, turning the corner and speeding in the direction of the hospital. He spared a look away from the road to glance at her arm. "How is it? Is it bad? It looks bad!"

  Aisha growled as her arm was jostled by another speed bump. "The arm will be fine if you just stop fucking speeding!"

  "Oh jeez, I'm so sorry!" He let off the gas a little, still maintaining an impressive speed but one that tossed them about far less. "Jesus Aisha, I thought we were going to be watching you tear it up on stage, not bleed into my seats."

  "Guess I'm just full of surprises, aren't I?" She let her head fall back on the seat, closing her eyes. Dave looked over at her, already beginning to panic when she said, "I'm not passing out you idiot, I'm just tired. Look," She held up her arm, shaking it a little. "I'm not even bleeding that much anymore, I'll be fine. Wake me up when we get to the hospital."

  Dave shook his head, looking back at Chris who just shrugged, before he turned back to the road and drove them carefully the rest of the way. Her quiet snores quickly filled the car, Chris snorting as he leaned into Dave's chair.

  "She was really something up there tonight, wasn't she?"

  Dave whistled, "Hell yeah, she had everyone wrapped around her finger. I knew she was going to be good but... Damn I never expected this good."

  "Ye of too little faith..." Chris chuckled, "She's been practicing herself bloody these last few weeks, I had thought the blood part was over to be honest."

  "She messed that dude up pretty bad before we got there though." Dave looked back over at her, not so subtly admiring the definition of her body, especially her arms. "If he didn't have that bottle she probably wouldn't have a scratch on her."

  "But he did, and that's the bitch about fighting." Chris sighed, "Doesn't matter how good you are, if someone has a knife or something like that then it changes the game."

  "What a pussy." Dave growled, "I bet he feels real big beating up on women."

  "And two of those women beat the fuck out of him before we even got there, gotta remember that." Chris reminded him, "We've both seen Aisha and Skylar fight, you know they don't play around."

  "That... is very true. I'm glad Aisha is our friend, I'd hate to go up against her."

  "So would I..." Chris trailed off, saying mostly to himself, "For a lot of reasons."

  • • •

  Finally, after one red light too many, they pulled in to the hospital. Dave leaned over to Aisha, jostling her shoulder. She sprung awake, gritting her teeth as the pain in her arm flared up anew, the adrenaline that had been coursing through her system all but depleted.

  "Fuck! Ok, no this sucks!" She threw open her door, cradling her arm close to her chest again. "This really sucks!"

  Dave and Chris hurried out after her, keeping her propped up from both sides as they walked into the main entrance and up to the front desk. The nurse on duty looked up at them, asking, "Hello, what's the problem?"

  Aisha snarled through her teeth, "I fell down some stairs, what's it look like?"

  Chris smiled apologetically. "She got slashed with a bottle, bleeding's stopped but we need to get it looked at anyway."

  "Of course," She pointed over to the chairs in the hallway. "Just take a seat over there and I'll have someone out to you as soon as we can."

  "Thank you." He nodded to Dave and Aisha, the three of them sitting down patiently. Aisha couldn't sit still, the pain a constant buzz as she tried to focus on something else. In spite of her best efforts, she was almost whimpering after a while, only sheer force of will preventing her from bursting into tears.

  Dave noticed, laying his hand on hers. "Come on, squeeze the shit out of it if you have to." He grimaced as he felt the bones in his hand shift, once more cursing his underestimation of her strength.

  Chris smiled at the display, leaning down to inspect her wound. She raised a quivering eyebrow at him but he didn't stop. "I'm not gonna lie, it's looking pretty ugly right now, but the bleeding's stopped at least." He placed a hand on her head, ruffling her hair. "You're gonna have a wicked scar, but I think that should be all."

  "Oh, happy days." She rolled her eyes with what would normally be a smirk instead of a pained smile. "Like I don't have enough of those already."

  "Yeah actually I was wondering about that..." Dave's voice was strained as she kept up the pressure on his hand. "You look pretty gnarly, what does everyone in your film class think? Since we're in a different one this year we don't get to see that often."

  She laughed, knowing what they were doing but grateful for the distraction at least. "I get some weird looks, I think that they think I'm in a gang or something. I haven't said anything to correct them, I think it's too funny."

  "That's fair." Dave once more looked over her arms, thin white lines crisscrossing the dark skin. "To be honest, I can see why they think that... You have the arms of a war veteran."

  "I climbed a lot of trees when I was a kid!"

  "What? Were they made of landmines or something?" He stroked his finger along one that started at her shoulder and stretched down her tricep. "What about this one? Was the tree thirty storeys up?"

  She looked down, her eyes flashing with recognition. "Oh, no that one was from falling off my motorbike."

  Chris chuckled next to them, "You've really gotta stop falling and jumping off shit, you're gonna be mostly scar tissue by the time you're thirty."

  "I like to live, guys, excuse me for that." She leaned back on Chris, throwing her legs into Dave's lap. "Now, since I'm hurt you two have to be nice to me, those are the rules."

  "Actually, we're obligated to tell you not to be such a dumbass next time, but we'll be nice for now." Chris started idly massaging her shoulders, feeling the knots of tension working out under his fingers. Dave did the same to her calf muscles, still amazed at the sheer density that was present under what would normally be a very unassuming appearance, discounting her scars. She groaned at the attention, almost enough to take her mind fully off the wound in her arm, and even when she focused on it it was more of a dull ache instead of the red-hot flame it had been.

  Of course, the doctor picked that moment to intrude on their impromptu massage session, clearing her throat as the three of them broke free from the spell they had placed on each other. "Hello, I'm Dr. Morgan, would you come this way please?"

  They followed her into the back office, Aisha taking her place on the examination table. She'd gotten stitches before, she knew how it was going to go down.

  "Let me see that arm please." She held up her arm, Dr. Morgan turning it slightly and looking closely. Once she was done, she hummed in satisfaction, "Luckily, you'll only need a few stitches. You were very lucky though, this could have easily gone a complete other direction. What did you say caused this?"

  "A broken bottle." Aisha scowled at the memory. "It was at a club and he was real drunk, he almost got someone else."

  "I don't doubt it. Are the police involved?"

  They shrugged. "We left it to the bouncer, so they might be, yeah."

  "Ok, if the police come with questions you understand that I will have to answer them to the best of my ability?"

  Aisha nodded. "Yeah, don't worry, we're not lying about this."

  "I didn't think you were, but it's best for everyone to be on the same page." The doctor wheeled over to her computer and began typing out a prescription. "I'm going to give you some painkillers, don't go crazy with them. Given that it was also a bottle I'm going to give you a set of antibiotics as well, just in case." She wheeled back, pointing down at the table. "Now I suggest you get comfortable, we're gonna stitch you up."

  After a quick painkiller had been administered, it actually wasn't that unpleasant, aside from when she looked down and saw it happening. The other two obviously thought so as well, neit
her one looking down at her arm until the doctor gave the all clear and a comforting smile.

  "You handled that really well, this isn't your first time getting stitches is it?"

  "Nope." Aisha let the last syllable really pop, the painkillers having done more than taken the edge off. "I'm kind of used to it actually."

  "Well, do try and get un-used to it, it's not exactly a process you should be going through that often." She picked up the two bags of pills, handing them over to Chris and Dave. "I assume that you two are her friends?"

  "Yep, that's us."

  "Alright, she should be fine but I'm going to recommend that at least one of you stays with her tonight. It's best in case of a reaction to the pills, but she should be in the clear by tomorrow."

  They looked at each other, then back at Aisha, who was currently transfixed by the new stitches in her arm.

  Obviously, these painkillers were much stronger than normal.

  "I think that's for the best too." Dave turned back to Chris. "In this state she'd probably try to cook her toaster."

  "Alright, thanks for your help Doc." Chris bowed slightly to Dr. Morgan, before going over and slinging Aisha's arm over his shoulder. "Come on buddy, let's get you home."

  They walked out together, Dave taking extra care with her other arm to hold her gently, and by the time they made it to the car she was almost asleep. "Jesus," Chris panted, "Being mostly muscle really doesn't make you lighter, does it?"

  "Nope." Dave answered, "Actually it can make you seem heavier because you don't expect it just from appearances."

  They laid her carefully in the passenger seat, making sure she was buckled in fully before taking their own seats. "Not how I expected this night going." Dave laughed as he turned the key in the ignition. "I suppose we could chalk this up as a bonding experience, what do you think?"

  "Sure thing, I feel closer to the two of you already." Chris threw his feet up on the back seat. "So where to, my place, yours or hers?"

  "I'd say hers, best to wake up in a place you really know right?" Dave shrugged. "She knows your place and mine, but I think home is best."

  "Fair enough... We're both staying with her right?"

  "Oh yeah, no doubt. Think I'm gonna let you shoulder that alone?"

  Chris shook his head. "No, just thought you might have something you needed to do instead."

  "If I did I could put it on hold. Best friend just got slashed with a bottle, essays could wait at that point."

  "I thought I was your best friend?" Chris smiled, already knowing his answer.

  "You're both my best friend, it's a joint title. It's like a marriage."

  "...Dave, marriage is between two people."

  Dave held his finger up, wagging it emphatically. "Ah, but not in Utah my friend. Anything goes there."

  "I guess so..." Chris looked over into the passenger seat, seeing Aisha's chest softly rising and falling. "Wow she's really out huh?"

  "Yep. We're only about five minutes away as well, so we're probably gonna have to carry her again."

  "Not if I have anything to say about it." He started poking at her shoulder, lightly at first but putting a little more force behind it as he went along. "Aisha, wake up. Come on, you can't sleep this whole time."

  She only began to stir as they pulled into the parking space outside her apartment, batting weakly at his hand as he continued to poke at her. "Fuck you, let me sleep."

  "There'll be plenty of time for that once you get upstairs, and I'm not going to fully carry your ass up there either."

  "Ugh, fine." She opened her door, attempting to step out only to thump back into her seat, having neglected to undo her seat belt. "What the fu-"

  "Oh my god, here." Chris stepped out, undoing her belt and taking her arm, Dave stepping up to prop up her other side. Slowly, they walked up the stairs, Aisha squeezing her arms around their necks and giggling.

  "Aisha? What's so funny?"

  She only started laughing harder, starting to shake their heads in her grip. "You two feel so soft, it's nice."

  Dave blushed, trying to ignore the feeling of her skin rubbing against his. They'd done things like this thousands of times before, why was now suddenly so different? "That's nice and all, but we really need to get up these stairs."

  "Oh boo." She pouted, her head lolling back as she kept giggling. "You two are so nice, I don't get why you don't have girlfriends. Or boyfriends, you can't fool me."

  Chris laughed out loud, his chest shaking as he wiped at his eyes. "Well maybe we decided you were enough for the both of us Aish, did you ever think about that?"

  She gasped, the notion taking her completely by surprise. "I never thought about it like that! It makes so much sense!"

  They both froze on the stairs, looking over her at each other. "It does?"

  "Yeah!" She looked at both of them, a wide grin on her face. "The way that we never go anywhere without each other, the way I miss you guys, I mean, the way you two clearly stare at my ass..."

  "I don't do that!" they both shouted, resuming their journey up the stairs with renewed vigor. She laughed all the while, somehow managing not to trip at the speed they were going.

  "Come on, just think about it!"

  "Nope, no way." Chris was sure, his hand digging into his pocket for the key to her apartment.

  "Come to think of it," Dave thought, "We already have keys to each other's apartments..." He shook his head. "Nope, not thinking anymore."

  They shoved the door open, keys thrown down on the table as they led her towards her bedroom. She stepped out of their arms, flopping down face first onto the bed, still having the presence of mind to not let her injured arm land underneath her body. Her friends had started to leave the room when she craned her head up. "Wait, where are you two going?"

  "Out to the living room." Chris threw his thumb over his back. "To sleep."

  "There's a bed right here, you can just sleep here."

  "Nope, uh-uh, I'm not sure that's a good idea." Dave waved his hands in front of himself, shaking his head vehemently. "For a bunch of reasons."

  "If you're worried about the drugs, don't worry, I'm not zonked out or anything like that." She tapped her head, giggling to herself, "Painkillers always do this to me, it's not like they knock me out or anything."

  "You do know what it seems like though, don't you?" Chris stepped closer, eyebrows raised.

  She rolled her eyes. "For Christ's sake you two, I'm not asking you to strip and bone down, I just want to have a sleep with my best friends. What's wrong with that?"

  They nodded slowly, looking cautiously at each other. "Ok..." Dave said, putting his hand up. "But if it gets weird for any of us, especially you, we're moving out to the living room, and that's that."

  "Yeah fine, cool." She lay back on the covers. "Just get over here already."

  They walked over, each taking one side of the bed as they slipped in next to her, both of them as stiff as boards and honestly frightened of making a second's contact with either of their friends.

  Finally, Aisha got so fed up with the awkward atmosphere that she groaned out loud, throwing her head down onto Chris' chest and grabbing Dave's hand, dragging it over her stomach. The two of them froze, her impatient scoff making them both jump slightly. "There, now we're touching. Now can we get over it and go to sleep?"

  As it turned out, despite their nerves, and despite their hearts hammering a mile a minute at the confusing new feelings that they felt blossoming in their chests but couldn't, or didn't want to, make sense of, sleep came very easily. All three felt safe and secure in the arms of the people that they cared about most.

  They were certain that there was something obvious that they could draw from this, but that was a question best asked some other day. Some other day as far away as they could push it.

  Of course, these things have a way of springing up when you don't want them to...

  Eight

  —

  Aisha, Chris, and Dave


  Waking up tangled in each other wasn't as awkward as they thought it would be, at least until Dave realized his face was buried in the crook of Aisha's neck and his hand was wrapped firmly underneath Chris' shirt. He considered trying to silently make his escape, pretend like nothing had happened, but a quick glance at both of them showed him that they were both fully awake, neither of them making any move to get up either.

  So he stayed, face pressed into her hair and his hand, albeit unconsciously, rubbing circles on Chris' stomach. Chris' chest shook with suppressed giggles as the light touches tickled his skin, Aisha joining him in laughter as his chest made her head shake. She shuffled backwards, her hair almost choking Dave as he breathed in at the wrong moment, spluttering and coughing and making the other two lose what composure they had left.

  The three of them lay there, laughing until they were crying and breathless, forgetting all about whatever awkwardness they thought they should be experiencing. This was more than good enough for them.

  • • •

  Of course, they had to get up sooner or later. Reluctantly, they disconnected from each other and moved out to the living room, where as far as Chris and Dave were concerned they should have been sleeping anyway, especially considering these feelings that were getting harder to ignore by the minute.

  That didn't mean they weren't going to try though, walking over and putting their hands on Aisha's shoulders, currently pouting over the hole that had been torn in her jacket sleeve.

  "Like, the blood on the sleeve looks cool and all, but this was a really good jacket!" She threw it in the corner, sighing to herself, "Maybe I'll get used to it, but right now I'm just pissed off."

  Dave walked over, picking it up and inspecting the damage. "Hmm... I might be able to do something about this." He held up the jacket, throwing a smile her way. "Give me a week or so and this should be good as new."

  Aisha wrapped her arms around his chest, burying her face in his neck. "Thanks Dave... Don't get rid of the blood though, it'll make me look way more hardcore."

  "Right, because that's always the quest." Chris stepped past towards the kitchen, laughing all the while, "I swear Aish, sometimes I think you like getting hurt."