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An Island Ch. 01

By: Falling_Bryanna



I stared down the aisle. I could hardly take a step, let alone make it to the altar. And then I saw him, and I knew I had to take the first step. But not because I liked him, my best friend on the other hand was in love with him. So I caught the one tear that fell from my cheek and made my way down the aisle. I stood at the front of the church and smiled like I meant it. 

I didn't mean it. I wasn't happy. My smile was fake when I did all my duties as maid of honor-dancing with the best man [a pompous prick named Mac], catching the bouquet, and making sure the limo was on time. I faked being happy when I was literally dying inside. My last single friend was single no more.

Some girls spent their entire lives being with one boyfriend after another, some spent their lives with that one special guy, and then some girls, like me, spent their whole entire lives single. And I truly had. When you are about to turn 26 and you have never been in a relationship ever, well you pretty much accept that it is never going to happen. I was fiercely independent and extremely picky, which wasn't really the recipe for a relationship. I refused to settle, to compromise. And I didn't. Each year more friends had begun to settle down until finally, today, the last one was married. 

Being chronically single, my friends just always thought of me as the single girl. Earlier on, they had tried and tried to set me up with guys but it always failed. So they gave up and accepted that I would always be the wheel-3rd, 5th, 7th, even 9th-it didn't matter. Besides my love life, everything else was great. I'd finished school, and my career was well on its way. I had a plan. When my career stopped distracting me, I would travel. Not perfect, but it was something. Despite however much I had accepted being forever single, this wedding was still crushing my heart. 

The bride and groom had left, but the party was still going strong. I was enjoying champagne straight out of the bottle in the garden outside.

"We aren't trying to get drunk, are we?"

"Fuck off Mac." So I had forgotten Mac. He was single too, but hardly a friend.

"Well someone is a little feisty tonight."

"I'm really not in the mood, okay?"

"Marriage is overrated." I knew that in his own sick way, he was trying to cheer me up. I think he was trying to convince himself really. After all 34 is getting pretty old, for even a guy. He had already taken the bottle of champagne from me. His hands were all over me. His lips already to the spot on my neck that always, always seemed to make me melt. 

"Not tonight Mac, not tonight." I pushed him away.

A few years back I had lost my virginity to Mac. I couldn't stand him but he was always around. And even I couldn't deny how gorgeous he was. I just figured that if I was always going to be single, I might as well lose it to a hottie that wasn't going to take advantage of me. No one ever really caught on that anything had happened between us. So we let it happen again and again and again. In the years since, we had went home together quite a many times. However, we only really got along in the bedroom. We usually fought the whole way back to his place or mine. But if we made it to the bed in one piece, I couldn't resist him.

"Please Iz. I don't have it in me to fight with you tonight." And so I didn't. There was no point really. I would have gone with him no matter what. 

"Your room or mine." I laughed. I stood up and pulled him up too. The trouble with destination weddings was the need for massive amounts of hotel rooms. 

"I couldn't care less." He added, kissing me hard. I was surprised. First kissing my neck, then this. We didn't even touch each other when we were in public.

"What's with you tonight?"

"I only know how to do one thing with you, other than fighting." We made it to his room without being seen. 

I always had left his place before the morning. Only couples woke up together. But I made an exception. It was, after all just a hotel room.

"You're still here?" He asked surprised when he woke up. 

"I am. There is just a lonely hotel bed waiting for me."

"You're beautiful."

"Me waking up here doesn't mean anything."

"Am I not allowed to tell you that you're pretty?"

"Nope. Definitely not."

"Well excuse me. I didn't realize that we had rules to hooking up now."

"I'm going now." I said kissing his cheek. He knew better than to argue with me. And I wasn't one to stick around.

"Goodbye Isla."

I went to my room, took a shower, and packed up my stuff. Okay, maybe sleeping with Mac is incredibly shallow. And I know that it really doesn't solve anything. But sometimes, well a lot of times, it just happened, and I was okay with that.

I caught my flight home. The next day I went back to work and put the wedding behind me.

An Island Ch. 02



On Friday night, all of us get together at the pub—all the couples plus me, Mac, and whatever floozy he decided to bring that night. He was always bringing a different girl each Friday night. Lora and Lee, the newlyweds, were already back from the honeymoon. They were arguing over something about the house.

"So I guess the honeymoon is over." I laughed as I ordered a beer.

After about an hour of drinking, Mac and a blonde showed up.

"You're a little late Mac." I snapped.

"Yeah. Well, I was busy..." He winked at me.

"When will the kids ever get along?" Lora snickered.

"Never." I answered stoically.

"I'm going to get a beer. Want something Brandy?"

"Umm. Can you get me a mojito with no mint please." The blonde responded. How could you have a mojito with no mint?

"Sure thing."

"So you know Mac?" The slut asked.

"I do."

"He's really really cute."

"Uh huh. How do you know him?"

"He saved my life." Mac was a doctor.

"Hmm."

"Don't you wanna know how?"

"Sure."

"I was rollerblading and fell. He helped move me from the street and bandaged my wounds."

Wow. "How sweet."

"I hope he likes me. Do you think he does?"

"He did bring you."

"Does he bring a lot of girls here?"

"Define 'a lot'." So I was feeling a little bitchy.

"I just mean does he date a lot of girls." Thankfully, Mac got back with the drinks before I could answer.

"Sorry, they laughed at me when I asked for a Mojito with no mint so I got a Cosmo."She just huffed. "So what were you two talking about?"

"You." I'm not really one to beat around the bush.

"Me huh? I know that's your favorite topic Iz."

"Piss off." I left them and went to sit at the booth with everyone else.

"So is she as dumb as the rest of them?" Lee asked.

"She ordered a Mojito with no mint."

"Ahh. She may be the worst yet."

"Why do you keep him around again Lee?" I implored.

"He's my cousin, Isla. I have to keep him around."

After a few drinks too many I made my way to the bathroom. It was almost impossible to find if you didn't know where it was—way in the back behind the kitchen. When I was leaving the bathroom someone shoved me against the wall. I didn't see who it was but the person kissed me, fiercely. Mac.

"Let's go back to my place." He whispered in my ear. I let his hands roam freely. 

"What about Candy?" 

"Candy can find her own way home. Anyways, I think she found a guy who can get her a Mojito with no mint." His hand had found its way up my shirt. 

"I'm not going home with you."

"I'm pretty sure the bathroom has a lock."

"It's not happening tonight." He kissed my neck. I went along with it. 

We were making out when I heard, "Get a room." And then, "Holy Shit." It was Lee.

"Fuck." I managed jumping away from Mac. Mac was grinning like a possum. "It's not what it looks like."

"Really? Because it seems pretty obvious to me."

"What she means is that she hates my guts but can't seem to stop fucking me because I'm so great in bed." Mac always did have a way with words. 

"Mac!" I hit him. "That's not it at all Lee." 

"Well, well, well. No wonder you've been able to stay single so long. You've been screwing Mac."

"Lee. Please don't tell Lora." 

"That ashamed of me?" Mac wasn't smiling anymore. 

"Why would I be ashamed of secretly sleeping with my best friend's husband's cousin?"

"Thanks. A lot."

"Fine. I won't tell Lora, but you are going to have to tell her."

"I'm leaving." I walked out the back door. I could hear Mac calling after me so I picked up my pace. I didn't know he was following after me. He pinned me against the car.

"Let me come home with you. I don't care if you don't want anyone to know about us. You don't even have to tell Lora." I let him kiss me.

"We can't keep doing this Mac..."

"Fine. Let's go back to your place and talk."

"Talk? We don't know how to talk. We only know how to fight, and well..."

"Make love? But we're so damn good at both."

"Make love? Seriously? Is that what we're calling it now?"

"Yeah. I'm tired of pretending that it's just sex. You know it's not."

"But it is Mac. It really is."

"So if it's just sex why do you always have to run off before morning, or why are you always such a bitch to girls I date, or why have you only ever had sex with me or..."

"Just shut up okay? I get it." 

"No, you don't. You are so busy with your 'woe is me, I will always be single' act that you don't notice what is right in front of you."

"Which is you?" 

"All I want to do is talk to you for one night."

"Okay." 



An Island Ch. 03



And we really did talk and talked and laughed. And we never fought. I found out lots about him that I didn't even have a clue. I confessed to him all the reasons I was still single and all the horrible dating experiences I had had. Soon enough, it was morning.

"I think the reason you've fought with me all these years is because you like me so much."

"And why have you fought with me so much?"

"Because I've completely adored you from the moment I first saw you, and I knew you would never date me."

"Oh that's complete bullshit. The first time I met you, you were puking your guts up in Lee's bathroom."

"So maybe it was from the first moment I saw you when I was sober..." He was still laughing when he kissed me. We had been lying in the bed since we had gotten to my place. "Let's go on a date."

"A date? I've known you for nearly six years."

"If you're going to be my girlfriend, you are going to have to go on at least one date with me."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who said anything about a relationship?"

"Relax. Next week I'm leaving for Africa. I'm staying 3 months for doctors without borders. That's plenty of time to work out your commitment issues."

"What if I don't want to date you?" 

"Well then you will plenty of time to be a spinster."

"Fuck you." 

"Are you offering? Because I thought you only wanted to talk."

"I'm tired of talking." 

Mac took the hint. After we had "made love" as we were calling it now, Mac gave me his ultimatum. "So here's the catch. You have to come to the pub with me Friday."

"Well okay. That's not a big deal."

"Let me finish. You have to come as my girlfriend."

"I can't get out of it can I?" 

"You either come as my girlfriend or we're over. No more fighting and no more sex." 

"Deal."

"You do realize that doesn't mean that you just come as my girlfriend, you actually have to be my girlfriend."

"Yes Mac. I understand." 

"So how does it feel not to be single for the first time ever?"

"It feels exactly the same. Exactly." 

"Maybe it's because you've been with me this whole time." 

"Or because I've had a boyfriend for less than a minute." 

"I know what would make it seem more real."

"What?"

"Let's change our relationship status on facebook."

I laughed hysterically. "You are 34 years old and the first thing you want to do is change your facebook?"

"Uh yeah. Oh come on, guys call you the 'island' because you are always alone. I want my duly earned bragging rights."

"You're an idiot." I slipped on his discarded t-shirt and went to find my laptop. I came back with it and got into bed.

"You can take that off," he tugged on my shirt. 

"Now that we are dating it's not all about sex."

"It will always be about sex. Always. If you hadn't been so eager to lose it then we would have never gotten together you know." He had a point but the shirt stayed on. He pulled me into his lap so he could see the laptop too. We both changed our relationship statuses to say that we were in a relationship with each other. 

"How long you think it will take for someone to call?" 

"As soon as Lora sees it, she will call." About fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Mac and I couldn't sleep so we were watching a movie. "Expecting someone?"

"Nope." I put on some pants and went to the door. It was Lora. "Hey. What in the world are you doing here?"

"Please tell me someone has hacked onto your facebook."

"Oh. Umm, no."

"You are dating Mac? Of all people? How long has this been going on?"

"Almost five years, actually." A fully clothed Mac had appeared in the living room.

"You have been dating each other for five years?"

"Umm well. We have been sleeping together for five years. I think we've only been dating about twenty minutes." 

"You have been fucking my best friend for five years?" She yelled at Mac.

"Hey now. Last time I checked Lora, it takes two to tango."

"Did he sleep over last night?"

"If you are asking if we had sex after we left the bar, then yes." Mac laughed.

"But...but...he always brings the floozies. Even last night."

"Yeah. He brings them to make me jealous."I finally spoke up. He never said that but, well, I just assumed. And the smile on his face confirmed my suspicions.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" 

"What was I supposed to say? Oh by the way, Mac and I hook up all the time but it's only about the sex..."

"Well I mean, you're my best friend. Best friends tell each other that kind of stuff. I didn't even know that you'd had sex."

"I'm gonna go. Call me later." Mac kissed my cheek and practically ran out the door.

"Did Lee know about this?"

"He caught us kissing last night."

"That's the first he knew about it? He didn't mention anything to me."

"Yeah. He said he wouldn't tell you if I would."

"Oh. Why Mac? I mean you two have nothing in common. He sleeps with sluts all the time and you're practically a virgin."

"Sleeping with only one guy hardly makes me a virgin. And Mac hasn't slept with anyone besides me in the past 2 years."

"No way. How do you know that?"

"He told me."

"And you believe him. What about all the different girls he's brought to the pub on Fridays?"

"We've gone home together every Friday."

"How could no one have caught on?"

"It wasn't like we were secretly dating or something."

"I guess. Do you love him?"

"Mac? I honestly don't know what is going on. I never even imagined dating him until last night. All hell broke loose when Lee caught us. We talked all night. And we decided to try dating."

"I guess he didn't tell you he's leaving next week."

"He told me. It's fine." 

"Okay well, we aren't done talking about this. Clearly you have been up all night so I'm going to let you get some sleep. You better call me later."

After that I just crashed. What had I done? Mac? I usually could barely stand him. How did we get along so well last night? Why did I agree to date him? I must have been asleep for hours when I heard someone knocking at the door. I sleepily walked, well stumbled, to the door. It was Mac.