Page 10 of The Expiration Date

“Be back a bit to check on you love birds.” She winks at Aidan and he winks back.

Aidan clears his throat, clicks the pen, and smooths out the napkin. “All right, here we go. Let’s start with the basics: holding hands and hugging. I would say definitely, right?”

Even though my hands get clammy at the thought of holding Aidan Stone’s hand in public–or anywhere, for that matter–I answer, “Right, of course. Continue.”

“Okay… um, kissing?”

“No!”

“Hales…”

“Aidan…”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re my…” I lower my voice to a whisper. “My boss.”

“Hate to break it to you, Hales, but if you agree to this whole arrangement, I am not going to be your boss throughout the time we’re perceived as ‘together.’ We need to put our working relationship aside for right now and remove those boundaries. Just for a couple weeks. And remember, I’m an actor. Kissing someone without catching feelings is basically second nature to me at this point in my career.” Yeah, easy for him to say. That’s not my career. “It’s my job to make chemistry happen on screen. But the only way to do that is to actually play the part, right?”

The more he talks about it, the more I open up to the idea. He’s right. He does this for a living, and if I think of it from that perspective and pretend that we’re acting in a movie, maybe it won’t be so weird.

I sigh. “Okay, fine. Kissing can be a possibility. But only,” and I point a finger at him, “only when deemed an absolute necessity. Got it?”

“Got it.” Aidan continues to scribble the parameters of our partnership down on the diner napkin. Then I see him write down the letters S-E-X and before I can protest, he crosses it out and writes “ABSOLUTELY NOT” in all capital letters. Oh thank God. That would definitely complicate things, even more than they already are.

“All right, Ms. Swann,” he says in a very professional, no bullshit tone. “Please read over this agreement. If you agree to all the terms laid out, please sign and date at the bottom.”

I study it once more, even though I saw him write down the whole thing.

“Looks acceptable. I agree to these terms.” I take the pen out of Aidan’s hand. Right before I sign my name, I think about the other predicament I put myself in. The whole I have a boyfriend and I am bringing him to my best friend’s wedding. Yeah, that one.

“Wait,” I say. “Since I am doing this for you, would you mind doing something for me? If not, that’s totally fine. I understand if it’s too much exposure for you and you probably think it’s a stupid idea and it won’t even…”

I feel his hand on mine. “Woah, Hales, slow down. Of course I would do anything for you. I would do it anyway, even if you weren’t helping me out in the first place.”

That surprises me a little. Actually, a lot. I would do anything for you. We’ve never been close, and I think what I am about to ask him is going to cross all sorts of boundaries that I never thought that we would cross…ever. Then again, I am agreeing to fake-date this man. I guess the least he could do would be to return the favor. Besides, all of my family and friends are going to see the tabloids and social media posts anyway.

I slide my hand away from his and clasp my hands firmly in front of me. “So, remember a couple months ago, I asked for some time off for Labor Day weekend?”

“Yes. You said that you had some kind of family event?”

“Right. Well, it’s not just some average family event. I mean technically Anna isn’t even family. But she kind of is…sort of…” I am rambling again. My goodness, I’ve never been like this around Aidan before. The only time I could remember being frazzled in his presence was when I first met him. Other than that, I’ve always acted normal. I mean what is normal really? Focus Haley. “Anyway. My best friend from childhood, Anna, is getting married in the Hamptons and I might’ve told my mother and Anna that I have a date to bring to this wedding. Well, more so like I have a boyfriend, who by the way is coming with me to this wedding. So, I figured since we are already going to be all over the internet because we are ‘dating,’ I was hoping you’d be willing to…”

“Yes.”

“I…I didn’t even finish my request.”

“Yes, Haley Swann. I would be honored to be your date to your best friend’s wedding. No, excuse me, boyfriend.”

“Are you sure? Because I know that people will be all over you asking you for your autograph and to take a selfie with them and whatnot. I mean you’re Aidan Stone, big-time movie star.”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. And don’t worry about people asking me for autographs or pictures. I’m used to those types of requests, Hales. You know that. For that weekend, I’ll be Aidan Stone, regular ol’ boyfriend to the incomparable Haley Swann.” Aidan raises his mug and takes a drink of his coffee.

Why does he keep saying stuff like that to me? It’s like he is reciting lines from the most romantic movie ever. He’s probably just getting a head start in talking to me without my walls up. And Aidan is hardly any regular ol’ anything. How can the man who was deemed People Magazine’s Most Sexiest Man Alive be so modest?

I fold and unfold my napkin. “I know you are used to it. That doesn’t mean you should have to deal with it.”

“Thank you for saying that.” Aidan grabs a couple sugar packets from the small black container at the end of the table and begins fiddling with them. Almost like he is nervous. “But I am more than willing to take on the attention to help out the best assistant in the world. Besides, you are already helping me out on a much grander scale. This is literally the least I can do for you. If anything, this will make our dating situation seem more legit.”

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