Page 25 of The Expiration Date

There is a knock at the door.

“That must be the bagels. Excuse me.” I hurriedly make my way to the door and answer it, obstructing the view into the apartment as much as possible. Even though I am not technically supposed to act like his assistant right now, I still have this overwhelming need to protect his privacy in some way. “Thank you! Here’s your tip! Have a great day.”

I set the bag of bagels on the island counter. Gosh I am starving, but I have to get rid of my horrid morning breath as soon as possible and change back into my clothes. “Um, will you both excuse me for a second? I’m going to run to the bathroom.”

As I shut the door of Aidan’s bedroom behind me, I exhale. Alone for a moment, I can relax. I turn to the bed, and noticed that Aidan has my clothes folded and ready for me on his bed. That’s sweet. His thoughtfulness is something I noticed about Aidan right away and in the three years since – even during his “shenanigans” – it has never faltered. He has an innate ability to be kind to others. He treats everyone on set like they are just as important as the CEOs of the media companies and studio execs. No matter how famous he has become, he remains the same sweet Aidan Stone.

I scavenge around Aidan’s bathroom in hopes that I’ll find a spare toothbrush, and luck is on my side because Aidan has multiple spare toothbrushes. Maybe for all the women who have slept in his bed? Women who have spent the night after having sex with the hottest actor on planet Earth? Why does that bug me so much? I’ve never cared about the various women Aidan has been with. Why do I care now? I spit the last bit of toothpaste out and rinse my mouth out. I look in the mirror and gasp at the egregious reflection. My hair is sticking up in all kinds of ways and I never washed off my minimal makeup from last night. It does look like I have sex hair. Not the best image to offer up to the mother of my fake boyfriend. But, again, why do I care?

Maybe because deep down, I want this to work out for Aidan. I want people to see him for the absolute gem of a person he is, and not judge him for a few bad decisions. He went through a devastating heartbreak, and I know what that feels like more than anyone.

15

“Will you stop laughing? It’s not funny.”

I contort my face into what seems like a million different expressions, trying to stop my laugh from escaping my mouth. “It is funny.”

Haley reaches over and punches my arm. I barely felt anything but she retracts her hand quickly and shakes it. “Ow. What about your mother meeting me for the first time, half-naked, in your t-shirt, with my hair sticking up on all ends is amusing to you?” She covers her face in her long-sleeved striped shirt. She took her sandals off about a half hour ago and her bare legs are propped up on the seat. I can’t help but notice, her shorts are so short that it looks like she’s wearing nothing. Again. God, those legs are going to kill me. “She probably thinks I’m some sort of loose woman just using you for one thing.”

I belted out a loud laugh. I can’t imagine anyone talking about Haley like that. Especially now that I know what her number is, that idea is even more comical. “Oh my God, Hales. She doesn’t think that. Trust me.”

I’m not lying. Haley went to quickly change into her dried clothes, I was able to talk to my mom. I didn’t tell her about the deal Haley and I made. It was the first time that I’ve lied to my mom in my adult life. But I couldn’t betray Haley’s trust. Haley’s trust means the world to me. My mom told me how happy she was that I found a down-to-earth girl who seems to be normal. She thought Haley was adorable, and she could tell she’s a good person. Even though I have done very well in my career, I know the one thing my mom worries about more than anything is that I try to live a normal life. She never wants me to get caught up in the “toxic influence” of Hollywood. That’s why I wanted to change the way I was living these past six months. I do not want to end up like my piece-of-shit dad, sleeping with woman after woman with no regard for their feelings, and I was sick of what the tabloids were saying about my love life (or lack thereof) even if their stories were, unfortunately, somewhat rooted in the truth. That wasn’t the mirror I was afraid of looking into. My mom is my ultimate mirror, and I knew that she was disappointed in me, even if she didn’t flat-out say so.

Now, I glance over at Haley and her knee is bobbing up and down. I’ve noticed she only does that when she is nervous. I reach my hand over and grab her thigh. A gasp escapes her lips, and she grows still. I was expecting her to move her thigh out from under my hand, but she doesn’t budge. Maybe she is getting used to me touching her in this way, trying to not appear completely repulsed by my touch. Even though my eyes are on the road, I can sense that she is looking at me.

“Relax, Hales. Everything is going to be fine. My mom really liked you.” Loved you actually. “Now remind me again what is happening tonight.”

She groans. “Even though we’ve gone over the schedule ad nauseam? And I put it in our synced calendars?”

“Even though,” I confirm. I know that running through the schedule again will help distract and calm her.

Sighing, she says, “Tonight is the welcome dinner. This is probably the most crucial night, Aidan. You are going to meet everyone–I mean EVERYONE–from my past.”

We reach the rental house and park in the driveway. This house is huge. It has white siding all around, black shutters, and two black lanterns that frame a black door. The flower beds are filled with purple and white flowers. There are some clouds in the sky and the small breeze from the ocean makes the tree branches sway.

I am about to meet two of the most important people in Haley’s life, and that makes me more nervous than pretending to date her for the tabloids. They’ve been her world for her whole life. For the first time, Haley is going to be the star of the show. The main character. My job is to be the supporting character. It’s territory that I haven’t occupied in a long time, but I am happy to do whatever I can to make Haley feel better.

Haley looks at me. “Are you ready for this, Stone? I need you to act like you are trying to win an Oscar. Got it?”

I grab her hand and kiss the top of it, throwing her a little off-guard. But instead of tensing up like she normally would, I sense her body ease. She’s finally letting me touch her without flinching. That’s the only way this thing between us is actually going to work this weekend. Capturing moments of us through photos is one thing. Being around family and friends for a long weekend is a whole other beast.

I squeeze her hand a little, hopefully assuring her that everything will be okay. “Same goes for you, Swann. And to answer your question, this is going to be the easiest acting job I’ve ever done.”

I don’t know what reaction I expect from her, but it isn’t this: she reaches over the console and wraps her arms around me so tight it takes my breath away. She whispers in my ear, “Thank you for doing this, Aidan.”

I strengthen my hold on her. She smells like fresh cucumber and mint body wash and her hair smells like her pomegranate shampoo, which is unexpectedly comforting. They are scents that have been in my life for the past three years, and I never want them to go away. “You’re welcome, Hales.”

Unfortunately she breaks the hug and unbuckles her seat belt. “I know Anna is here since we share locations, but my mom texted me that she ran to the store for some groceries. She should be back soon. Let’s do this.” She opens the car door and gets out.

I take a deep breath, turn off the ignition and exit the car. I hear a loud scream and see a petite blonde run out from the front door and beeline it to my girl. Well, at least for the next five days, she is my girl. I immediately smile, watching Haley embrace her best friend. It’s honestly the happiest I’ve ever seen her. I want her to smile like that forever. I want to make her smile like that.

That smile makes my heart want to jump out of my fricken chest.

Then a man, who I assume is Dan from the plethora of photos Haley made me study this past week, follows his fiancée out of the house. He embraces Haley for a split second, then Anna peels him off her best friend so she can resume hugging. It’s nice to see Haley so loved; she deserves that. I pop the trunk and get all our luggage and clothing bags out. Haley told me that Anna has her Maid-of-Honor dress here, so I just needed to bring some dress clothes for the weekend.

I start making my way toward the trio and I hear, “Oh my God!” from Anna. She walks right around Haley and comes straight towards me.

I reach out my hand and start to say, “Hi. I’m Aidan. It’s nice to mee–”

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