Page 45 of The Expiration Date

I try to hide my amusement, but am unsuccessful. Through my laugh, I say, “Got it.”

“I promise not to say anything. Your secret is safe with me. I haven’t even told Dan.” She drinks her coffee. “And I tell him everything.”

I press my eyebrows together. “Why haven’t you?”

“Because I know my best friend and how important this is to her. How important for this whole relationship to be believable for everyone else. I wouldn’t betray her like that. Apart from Dan, she is the most important person in my life.” She inhales. “Aidan, she is like my sister. I’ve seen her get hurt badly before and I am not interested in seeing my best friend crumble to pieces again.” She looks down at the styrofoam cup and grazes a finger along the black plastic lid.

“You mean crumbled by Robert?”

She nods in confirmation.

“What exactly happened between them?” I ask.

“She didn’t tell you?” Anna says incredulously.

“All she said was that they were engaged and he broke things off. That’s it. She never told me what actually happened.”

Anna shakes her head and sighs. “Well that asshole never truly treated her like the absolute queen that she is.” I couldn’t agree more. “One night, Haley came home a little early from one of our epic hangouts because she had a headache. Robert was supposed to be working late on a deposition, but she found him AND his colleague – now fiancée – Julia, having sex in the shower.”

A rush of pure anger courses throughout his body. My jaw clenches. God I could destroy that son of a bitch.

“Yeah, I wanted to kill him too.”

I relax my jaw and hand, but inwardly I am still fuming. It takes everything inside of me to remain sitting here next to Anna rather than track Robert down and beat the hell out of him. My eyebrows furrow. “I take it that wasn’t the first time between those two?”

“Haley learned that Robert was cheating on her ever since Julia started at the law firm. He said it was an ‘instant attraction.’” I instantly want to pummel him. “I mean, he and Haley were together since their freshman year in college. I thought they were endgame. I have never seen her so devastated. The wedding was only a month away.” Anna exhales, shaking her head a little as if to clear the memory of that time. “Robert is the reason that my best friend since kindergarten moved 3,000 miles away. And I honestly don’t blame her. She’s had her heart closed off for a while now. That’s why when she brought you here, I knew there was something about you that had to be different.”

“Well, if you know the truth about me and Haley, then you know that we have an expiration date. She is just playing along.” I look away from Anna into the ocean. “And so am I.”

“Sure, you are, Casanova.”

My stomach drops, but I chuckle to mask my nervousness. “What do you mean?”

“I see the way you look at her. It’s the way Dan looks at me.” Dang, she’s good. “It’s real for you, isn’t it, Aidan?”

“You really are her best friend.”

“You didn’t answer my question. Your good looks and status don’t distract me, Aidan Stone. I am madly in love with someone else. Sorry to disappoint.”

I smirk at her. “As I told Dan last night at the bachelor party, he is a lucky man. And Hales is a lucky woman to have a friend like you.”

Anna tips her cup of coffee towards me and winks. “Damn straight they are.”

I shake my head slightly and smile. The seagulls are calling out, confiding their own deep dark secrets to each other. The tide slides up and down the shore line, erasing the past and providing a blank space for the future. “Yes.”

“Yes what?”

I looked over at Anna and gulp, “Yes, it’s real for me.”

25

The rehearsal goes on without a hitch. Well, I guess a small hitch is the ring bearer gets scared, starts crying, and runs to his mom, Dan’s sister. She assures Dan and Anna that he will be ready for the wedding tomorrow. I keep a straight face and truly try to focus on what is going on in the ceremony.

Flashbacks of last night slowly make their way into my current consciousness. Most of what I remember is Aidan’s perfect face, his perfect smile, his perfect everything. I remember him holding back my hair while pretty much all of the alcohol I consumed exited my body. I do remember him admitting what his number is (Seven!!) and that he uses my birthday as the code to his apartment. Two admissions that made my stupid, drunk heart pound so hard I thought it was going to literally burst out of my chest. The problem is: I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I do remember not shutting up. I become very chatty when I drink and when I am nervous. And that’s what scares me. I probably humiliated myself and Aidan is probably going to fire me once we get back to L.A.

I haven’t had that much to drink since the night I found out about Robert and Julia. I vowed to myself that I would never drink that much again. How ironic that I broke that vow as my best friend is about to make the biggest vow of her life tomorrow. I’ve purposely avoided Aidan all day. Partly because I am embarrassed that my boss saw me absolutely hammered due to the fact that I was stuck in ex-fiancé hell. Last night, I just needed to escape mentally since I couldn’t escape physically, and I used the bachelorette party as the perfect excuse to drink.

Oh, and I am also avoiding him because of that kiss at the bar. I vividly remember that kiss. That kiss felt like a real kiss. That kiss rocked my entire world. But I can’t admit that to Aidan, because he most certainly doesn’t feel the same way.

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