Page 50 of The Expiration Date

Her fingers get tangled in my own tousled hair as she kisses me, opening my mouth with her tongue. Her walls are finally fully demolished. I want to infiltrate all of her boundaries and never retreat. My hands caress her back and I grab the back of her head. I want her lips to be glued to mine forever. I never want to come up for air if this is the alternative. I walk over to the bed and lay her back down on the rumpled sheets.

I reluctantly break our kiss and whisper, “Hold onto the headboard,” into her ear, causing her back to arch up from my demand. I’m not holding back anymore and neither is Haley and for that, I’m fucking grateful. Her hands find the dark iron rods and clasp onto them tightly. She is already so ready for me that I ease into her for the third time tonight. The base of my spine tingles out of sheer need to release into this fucking perfect woman, but I made a promise and I fully intend to carry that promise through. I want to memorize every curve, every sensitive spot, every inch of Haley.

As if possessed by my need for her, my hands travel all around her body, savoring her. She is mine and like hell if I’m not going to fulfill her every fucking need in this life. Our bodies crash into each other with every oscillating movement. I want to drown in the scent of her skin, a faint hint of coconut and the invigorating pomegranate wafting off her long, curled, brown hair. She is the only woman in my life who has made me literally weak in the knees with her pure essence. I can tell that she is close again, and I reach underneath the base of her back and lift her up toward my body. She lets out a groan and my name escapes her lips once more, charging me with a fucking electric current that travels throughout my body. We come at the same time.

If every time is going to feel like this with Haley, I never want to leave this damn bed.

28

Iam itching to see Aidan again. After last night, I can’t stop thinking about him. I woke up this morning wrapped in his arms, but unfortunately my bliss was interrupted by a call from Anna already freaking out. I had been wondering when the dam was going to break– she has been remarkably calm this whole time. Luckily my phone’s vibration didn’t wake up Aidan, who looked so peaceful in the morning light. I didn’t want to leave the bed, but I am the Maid of Honor and the bride needs me today.

I wrote a note saying that I would see him at the wedding.

I’ll be one of the ones in light yellow. ;)

I left the note on my pillow, gathered my things, and headed out to see Anna.

If you were to look up “bridezilla” in the dictionary, I’m pretty sure you would find a picture of Anna’s face in place of the definition. The girl has been majorly stressed since I arrived at Bridgehampton Tennis and Surf Club at 9 o’clock this morning. First, her hair isn’t cooperating with the hairstylist. Then her dress has wrinkles toward the bottom and one of the many buttons up her back comes off. She gets a phone call from the caterer saying they are running a bit behind, but they promise everything will be ready by this evening. Even though her soon-to-be sister-in-law assured her that the ring bearer would be ready for today, he is being very difficult putting on his little tux, throwing tantrums left and right. Luckily, the makeup artist is on time and thankfully all of our makeup looks natural and elegant, in no way overdone, which is what Anna wants. She doesn’t want us to look like clowns. I am in charge of last-minute steaming of all of the bridesmaid’s dresses, while Anna takes bridal photos in her white robe.

Once we are all ready, Anna finally breathes. I smile at her. “Wow, you are one beautiful bride. Dan isn’t going to know what hit him after all these years. He better cry or else I am disowning him forever.” I hug her, careful not to wrinkle her dress or possibly have our makeup rub off on it. “I’m so happy for you, Anna. Are you ready, best friend?”

Anna smooths out her stunning, mermaid-style gown. Her blonde hair is pinned up on one side with a large, floral hair clip. She grabs her bouquet of yellow, purple and white flowers and beams back at me. “Ready.”

I hear the processional music and let go of Anna’s hand, hold onto my bouquet, and start walking down the aisle. White rose petals are scattered along the sides of the walkway and I do my best to look up and smile for the camera. A practice I surely perfected after attending a blockbuster premiere. At least this time, there is only one flash.

The ceremony is perfect. The weather cooperates and it isn’t too windy on the beach. I love that they decided to get married in the evening. The photos will be beautiful and twilight is probably the most romantic time of day. I definitely shed a few tears during the vows and laugh at Dan trying to sing for Anna. He’s a horrible singer but the sentiment is sweet. I do my very best to not look out into the crowd because if I were to lock eyes with Aidan, my knees would completely buckle. Even though the majority of the attendees are looking at the bride and groom professing their love to each other, I can sense a pair of eyes staring directly at me. Goosebumps cover my skin and it isn’t because of the ocean breeze. The memories of last night are infiltrating my mind. I do my very best to pay attention to every detail of this wedding, but I can’t stop thinking about Aidan’s hands all over my body, how he lifted me effortlessly off of the ground and kissed me like it was the last time. How when I thought it couldn’t get any better, he proved me wrong. He proved me so wrong.

“With the power vested in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you man and wife. Dan, you can kiss your bride,” the officiant proclaims.

Cheers erupt from the crowd. The tears that were building up finally escape down my face, and I applaud with the rest of the crowd while Dan dips Anna into a fairytale kiss. And the funny thing is, in this moment, I am so thankful that I didn’t go through with my own wedding to Robert. I mean, he kind of made that choice for me– but regardless, in the end, I wasn’t meant to marry him.

Unfortunately, I have to walk back down the aisle back toward the reception with my ex-fiancé. When I link arms with him, I can already smell the tequila permeating from his pores. I force a smile as I look out into the crowd of people clapping for the newlyweds, who are happily striding away in front of us.

“You look gorgeous, Hales,” Robert whispers in my ear. The strong smell of tequila only confirms how drunk he is, which catapults me into a flood of memories of Robert coming home late from work, completely smashed, saying how tired he was and what a hard day he had and he didn’t have the energy to deal with the day I had, even if it was terrible.

I whisper through my teeth, “I don’t think that is an appropriate thing to say given that your fiancée is sitting right here in the audience. And let me remind you, I wasn’t the one who screwed our relationship over…you are.”

We finally reach the reception space and I weasel my arm out of Robert’s overtly strong grip.

Luckily, Anna doesn’t want to take a bunch of pictures, especially since the photographer is trying to beat the clock of the sun. The lighting has to be perfect. Right before sunset, but not quite twilight. Anna is very organized and particular about the exact photos she wants, which I am grateful for because unfortunately, many of the photos consist of me next to Robert.

I am craving to see Aidan. I have been so busy with all things wedding that I completely abandoned my date. I know he is a big boy and can take care of himself–his words–but my body actually aches for him. For his presence. I just have to get through one stupid dance with Robert in a few minutes, after Dan and Anna have their first dance. They want all their wedding party to join them for the song immediately after to kickstart the party. Unlike other weddings I’ve attended, they want the dancing to start immediately, and then have dinner served a little later. They’ve always been about the party, ever since college. They threw the best parties back in the day.

I finally catch sight of Aidan out in the crowd. He is smiling and talking with my mom. I wish I had an invisibility cloak so I could waltz over and listen in on their conversation. My mom is also genuinely smiling, and that warms my heart. I haven’t seen her smile like that since my dad was alive. Aidan is truly a special human being.

He finally catches my eye and gives me one of his heartthrob winks, yeah the one that makes women’s knees go weak and the blood race through their veins, livening up anything that was once dormant. He is a guy who makes you want to abandon the outside world and live completely in the wonderful new reality he creates when you are near him. And it isn’t because he is a movie star. It isn’t because he is the most dangerously good-looking man on the face of this planet. It is because he has a heart of gold and he isn’t afraid to show it to the world. I know many women think that men who hide their emotions are sexy. I think the opposite. Aidan baring all of his emotions and laying them flat on the table – that is sexy. Vulnerability is sexy.

“Introducing for the first time as husband and wife, Mr. & Mrs. Dan Buckley.”

My heart leaps as I watch my best friend take the dance floor hand-in-hand with her now-husband. I can’t help but cry in this moment of pure happiness. I hope that they remember this moment for the rest of their lives. The moment when everything is perfect. The moment when you marry the person you are meant to be with. I know deep down that relationships are far from perfect, but these two people understand each other like no one else does. They know each other’s demons and love each other anyway. They make each other better.

“How Long Will I Love You” by Ellie Golding starts to play, and the bride and groom dance as if they have shut the world out around them and it is just the two of them. How it’s supposed to be.

I grab a white cloth napkin and dab my eyes. All the craziness and stress from the morning washes away, and what is left is the perfect image of two people who love each other unconditionally. Oh lord, if I am crying this much now, I am going to be a blubbering mess when it comes to my Maid of Honor toast. I am glad I wrote it down because I can’t imagine trying to recite it in front of a crowd of people. I’m already nervous as it is. Even though I am a writer, the actual presentation of my work has always been a problem; hence why I am usually in the background or out of the spotlight.

The song finally reaches its coda and Dan elegantly dips his wife and gives her a sweet kiss. The photographer’s camera is flashing like crazy to capture this flawless moment. Everyone claps, and then the DJ’s voice belts through the speaker: “Now the bride and groom would like their wedding party to join them on the dance floor to get the party started.”

I reluctantly make my way toward the dance floor. Robert makes his way over from the bar–of course. He is walking a little off-center already and he slightly bumps into me as I get ready for him to take my hands. Okay, he is way drunker than I initially thought. He must’ve been drinking from the flask that Dan gave all of his groomsmen as their gifts. He smells horridly like tequila. It is practically seeping out of his pores, like I’ve been thrown in the deep end of Bourbon Street.

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