Page 32 of The Expiration Date

“Why?”

My mom scoops herself some eggs on her own plate. “Because there is a power dynamic there that cannot be ignored, and it usually doesn’t end well for the one in the subordinate position. I was scared that he was using you for one thing…”

“Oh my god Mom, you could not be more wrong!” I shuffle my food around with my fork, a feeble attempt to cover my nerves. I hate that my mom thinks badly of Aidan, but I guess with my track record with men and seeing him with those other women in the tabloids, I don’t blame her for wanting to protect me.

I lift my coffee mug and bring it to my lips as she sits next to me.

“Can you blame me?” she says. “You are my daughter and as of late, it seemed like your boyfriend was gallivanting around L.A. with models and women who don’t understand the concept of clothing.”

I shake my head, trying to erase the plethora of photos I’ve had to witness these past several months. They never used to bother me, until recently. “Mom, those women were just…”

“Decoys. I know. I guess my main concern is, does he do the small things for you?”

I put my coffee down. “What do you mean?”

“Does he recognize when you are anxious? Does he rub your back when you are stressed? Does he open doors for you? Does he let you have the last bite from time to time?”

Time to pull out another white lie. But actually, come to think of it, in the span of two weeks, Aidan has done close to all of those things. So technically, I am not lying to my mother…again.

“Yes, Mom. He actually does.” I don’t even have to try and be convincing. I don’t have to put on an act, because Aidan has already done all the grunt work by simply being a genuine guy.

“Good. I am asking these questions because, Haley, if he doesn’t do those things, it’s not worth it. He seems like a great guy. But I want you to be careful with your heart with this one. It crushed my own heart three years ago, seeing yours shatter. I want you to follow your heart, but I also want you to listen to your head. Things aren’t always what they appear.”

If only my mom knew how much my head is getting in the way of my heart, she probably wouldn’t be saying this right now. My heart is encased in a locked steel box, and I threw away the key a long time ago. The only way someone is getting to my heart is by destroying the box completely.

I want to confess the truth so badly, but I can’t jeopardize our cover. We’ve come too far already and we only have a couple of days left before everything resumes what it used to be. “Aidan’s a great guy, Mom. You don’t have to worry about him breaking my heart.”

He’s not getting to it in the first place.

Even if I want him to.

18

“Don’t worry, it’s going to be a friendly game,” Anna tries to assure me.

I laugh. “Yeah, right! When has a game of volleyball ever been friendly when you are involved?” Anna was one of the best volleyball players in the history of our high school. Not only is she super talented, she is probably the most competitive person that’s ever played the game. I remember how she used to be on that court–absolutely ruthless.

“True. I know my team is going to dominate Dan’s team. I mean there’s both of us, and of course your absolute hunk of a boyfriend. I’m sure he is super athletic, playing a superhero on screen. There’s no way that body is going to waste. Plus, we can use his hot shirtless body to distract every woman on the other side of the net. You don’t mind other women ogling your beau, do you?”

My cheeks get hot thinking about the fact that I’m about to see Aidan without a shirt for an extended period of time. I hope he decides to wear a tank-top or something. I am also extremely nervous about being in a bikini in front of him. I brought a one-piece, too, just in case an event like this popped up in the itinerary, but Anna snatched it from my hands and said absolutely not. I need to show off my rocking body in front of Robert, remind him of what he walked out on. Anna holds grudges close to her chest and won’t ever let go, especially when it comes to the people closest to her. I really don’t care about what Robert thought of my body. Granted, I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in my life because of all the running and occasional barre class, but I did that for me–not to get revenge on Robert just in case we ran into each other again.

The teams are divided up between all of Anna’s bridesmaids and their plus-ones, and all of Dan’s groomsmen and their plus-ones. That is, if they want to play. When I told Aidan about the plan, he just grinned and said that he plays volleyball every once in a while on the beach with some of his closest friends, so it will not be a problem. “It’s gonna be fun, Hales.”

Yeah, that’s a word for it…fun. It’s one thing to play indoor volleyball with a jersey on and a solid court under your feet. It’s a whole other thing to play in a bikini, on shifting sand…in front of your boss, who might be shirtless.

“Um, hello? Earth to Haley!” Anna interjects on my thoughts.

“Oh, sorry, I was spacing out. Um, to answer your question, I’m kind of used to women ogling at my bos–boyfriend! It kind of comes with the territory. It’s fine.” Phew, that was close. I grab the sunscreen out of my bag. “Do you mind helping me apply this on my back? Anna?”

My best friend has lowered her sunglasses down to the bridge of her nose, and her jaw is almost touching the sand.

Mimicking her earlier taunt, I say, “Hello, earth to Anna! What the heck are you staring at?”

“Girl, I don’t know how you get anything done. Look at that fine specimen of a man. You are one lucky woman.”

My pulse quickens as I follow her laser-focused eyes. Aidan is jogging toward us. Unfortunately, he is in fact shirtless. He looks like a fricken underwear model, perfectly tanned, every single ridge of his abs oscillating with every step, every slight twist of his body. To top it off, his skin glistens from the combination of the salty air and sweat. He is wearing a backwards hat and black Ray Bans. My stupid eyes cannot help but gaze upon his exposed taut abs again and notice that his swim trunks are hanging just low enough to showcase a perfect V. How is it fair that a human being can be this hot? The rest of us mere humans look inconsequential in comparison to this god of a man.

It’s official. I don’t want to take off my swim cover. I know what Natasha looks like in a bikini and I am nowhere near like her.

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