Page 30 of The Expiration Date

Aidan clears his throat, seemingly bothered by the scene in front of him, but then he leans down and says the most earth-shattering thing in my ear: “We can definitely do better than that.”

That’s it. I am becoming undone in a completely different way. Shocked, I look up at him and he is smiling the biggest smile I’ve seen since we’ve been here. He knows he is making me flustered, and I am undoubtedly turning the deepest shade of pink. He isn’t playing fair. His irresistible charisma is overflowing and I am drowning in it. Now I know why so many people are breathless in his presence. My breath hitches and he continues, “How ‘bout it, Swann?”

Before I can answer, the clinking of glasses breaks the connection. My legs are jello and my body is on fire. Anna and Dan are calling everyone to come down to the lawn to eat. Thank god Julia didn’t comment on Aidan being my date. She was too busy sucking face with Robert to notice.

We take one step down and I hear, “Oh my god! No way. You’re Aidan Stone! Honey, did you see it’s Aidan Stone?!”

Dammit. So close. We turn around and give half-hearted smiles to Julia. Robert, clearly annoyed, responds, “Uh, yeah. We just met. Aidan, this is my fiancée, Julia.”

And just when I thought I glued the last piece of myself together, a crack rears its ugly head. Fiancée? Since when? And why didn’t Anna warn me? My knees start to buckle, but Aidan’s strong forearm holds me up. I start to see black spots in front of me and my breathing is becoming erratic. I don’t know why my body is reacting this way. It’s a tale as old as time and, in this particular tale, I am the fucking punchline. I am the fool who thought it would never work out between them. Hoping Robert would become just as heartbroken as I was. Maybe that was selfish, but I didn’t care.

The screeching octave of Julia’s voice isn’t helping my current state. “Aidan Stone! I cannot believe it! I am such a big fan. I love all of your movies. What in the world are you doing here? It’s so nice to meet you.”

Is she serious? Is she so wrapped up in her own little world that she doesn’t see me standing here? I guess she must really not be that observant. Since she had no regard for my presence in the past, why start now?

It is then that I see it on her outstretched left hand, waiting to shake Aidan’s hand.

A ring.

And not just any ring.

My ring.

The ring that I threw at Robert three years ago when I discovered them.

Yet again, Robert gave Julia something that was mine. I shouldn’t be surprised.

Then why does it hurt so damn much?

I am blinking back stupid, useless tears when Aidan squeezes my hand, again reading my energy and responding to it in the perfect way. He shakes Julia’s hand. “Julia, it’s nice to meet you. I am here because my beautiful girlfriend is the Maid of Honor in this wedding.”

Julia’s expression turns from excitement to absolute confusion, rendering her speechless. I don’t blame her. I would be confused if I saw a couple like me and Aidan. It is truly unbelievable and yet, everyone is believing it.

“Now if you will excuse us,” Aidan says, then turns to me: “I think the bride wanted to talk to you before dinner started, right babe?”

A lie, but I go along with it. Whatever gets me out of my head and back down to earth, I will gladly take it. “Um, yeah, you’re right.” I courageously look at the couple that ruined my happiness and say, “See you around.”

Julia doesn’t respond, clearly still dumbfounded by the situation. Maybe now she’ll know what it feels like to question everything you thought was true. As we make our way over to where Anna and Dan are sitting, Aidan's fingers make their way into my hair and he kisses the top of my head. So endearing. So, dare I say it again, habitual. I am almost ready to call UConn’s theater department and applaud them for training Aidan so well. “You did good, Hales. That must’ve been hard.”

“Yeah, it was.”

Robert and Julia follow close behind, and we all reach the happy couple. Anna’s eyes shift between the two couples. Her eyes land on mine and she silently apologizes through her expression. She probably didn’t want me to feel bad, and maybe she was scared that if she told me, I wouldn’t have come out at all. I know deep down she was protecting me and my heart, but it still stings to be a part of this reality.

The silence lasts a little too long for my best friend’s liking. “I see you guys have met, Aidan,” Anna pipes up. She hates silence. I thrive in it. We are the epitome of yin and yang.

“Yes we have,” Robert chimes in, with a hint of unwarranted contention. “I’m just really curious as to how you two met.” He points toward Aidan and me. I totally freeze. Even though we reviewed the story what seemed like a thousand times, in this moment I can’t get the words out of my mouth. The one time that I need my word vomit to make its ugly appearance, it isn’t happening. My mouth is dry and my mind starts to feel hazy.

“Do you want me to tell them, babe?” Aidan, once again, swoops in and saves my day.

All I can do is nod. I don’t trust myself right now. Not with all these new revelations and old memories colliding in my brain.

“Haley and I met on set about three years ago. She was carrying one of those flimsy trays full of coffee and we ran into each other.” Okay, everything is ringing true so far. That is actually exactly how we met. “Coffee spilled everywhere. All over her. All over me. All over the carpet.” Yup, still true. “We were both rushing to get to a table read for my next film and collided. My world hasn’t been the same since. The moment I looked at her, I knew she was someone special.” Okay, he did a pretty good job. Definitely embellished a little at the end, but still everything he said was legitimate. We agreed to just omit the massive elephant in the room–that we aren’t really together. “So special, in fact, that I can still remember everything about her on that day.” What?

“Care to enlighten us?” Robert inserts. Of course, he would be the one to ask leading questions. He is a lawyer, after all.

Aidan stands a little straighter, tightens his hold on me, and answers, “I remember seeing this woman, trying to swiftly clean up the coffee from my white shirt, repeatedly apologizing, who just looked…” Ugly? A hot mess? Completely below his league? Aidan smiles at me. “Effortlessly gorgeous.” What? Talk about worlds not being the same. Mine just completely tilted on its axis. “She was wearing a light gray cardigan, a loose white scoop neck t-shirt, straight jeans and ballet flats. Her hair was up, twisted with a pen, holding up her bun. Tendrils were falling down, framing her face so perfectly.” Okay, he is veering far away from the plan. He isn’t bullshitting them, though. This is also the truth. I was wearing that exact outfit. With my hair exactly how he described. He really does remember how I looked the day we met. “Eventually, I couldn’t keep my true feelings for Hales to myself. A few months ago, I finally asked her out and here we are. Best decision I’ve ever made.”

Without hesitation, I respond, “I can’t believe you remember that.”

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