Page 66 of The Expiration Date

Butterflies flutter in my stomach and I smile a huge smile at the thought of how long Aidan and I have been together, and the fact that it is starting to snow outside. Today is Thanksgiving and the official start of the Christmas season. Everything seems possible and magical and I am here for it. I am in such a bliss bubble–I never want it to pop. Even though it has been the craziest year of my life, dating the hottest guy on the planet and having my life offered up on a silver platter to the public to gobble up at their leisure, it's all been worth it because the man who is making me breakfast right now, is the best human being I’ve ever met.

“C’mon Ginny. Let’s go eat. I’m sure he’ll give you a piece of bacon. He always does.”

I don’t bother changing out of my pajamas, which consist of Aidan’s oversized UConn shirt that I wore when I first spent the night here, pajama bottoms, much to Aidan’s dismay, and cozy socks. I make my way down the hallway to the kitchen, where to my delight, Aidan is flipping bacon and sipping coffee. From the TV I hear Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Al Roker announce the performers and upcoming balloons to look out for in the parade. I can see the small flurries descend upon them through the screen. Aidan remembered how much I love watching the parade, relaxing with coffee and cozying up on the couch. I told him this fun fact on one of our real dates a few months ago.

This whole scenario is a sight I never want to forget. It is getting banked as a core memory.

Ginny jumps on her hind legs and places her paws on the granite countertops. As I predicted, Aidan takes a piece of bacon that is already cooling on the plate next to him and gives it to Ginny. I know this man too well. In so many new ways that I never thought possible.

I stand there admiring the man who tells me he loves me multiple times a day, every single day. Every single one of those I Love Yous ruin me in the best way. In the way that I don’t know what I would do if I ever lost this person in my life. In the way that makes my heart ache. In the way that makes me fall even more madly in love with him. And if that seems cliche, I don’t care. I know I was made for loving this magnetic force of a man. A man who put aside his pride and helped out his dying father when he needed it, and although Aidan turned out not to be a match, it was a first step toward healing that relationship for him. A man who, I might add, is cooking me my favorite breakfast in light-gray sweatpants and a fitted heather blue shirt, which will no doubt bring out those teal eyes.

I grab one of the many throw blankets I brought into this apartment to make it more homey. Aidan has the candle department down, a little fun fact I like to tease him about on the regular, but that I secretly love. I plop onto the massive couch…the very one that we slept together on for the first time. Ginny jumps up and curls next to me, so close I can’t really move my feet. “Umph,” I let out.

Aidan finally turns around and smiles. “Good morning, babe! Between the TV volume and the sizzling bacon, I didn’t even hear you walk into the room. Coffee?”

I snort. “Um, of course. I actually take offense that you asked me that question.” I pet Ginny’s side, causing her to pant with her tongue hanging out dubiously and in utter bliss. I feel Aidan’s soft lips come into contact with my forehead and my insides melt. Handing me the coffee, Aidan says, “Morning, beautiful. Happy Thanksgiving.”

I smile just like Ginny, dubiously and gleefully. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

And as I predicted, his shirt does bring out his eyes. Remembering that the bun on top of my head is probably all over the place and I am literally in oversized pajamas that are drowning my entire body, I suddenly feel self-conscious. “If you think I look beautiful now, you must think I look like a pure goddess when I am actually ready for the day.” I shake my head and sip the heavenly coffee. “Seriously, Aidan. How can you think I look beautiful right now? I have no makeup on. My hair is probably full of knots. I have mismatched clothes on. Shall I continue?”

“Haley Swann, you are always beautiful. In all your forms. You’re beautiful when your hair is a ratty mess. When you are in oversized, mismatched pajamas. All the time.” I smirk a little. He really must love me. “Actually, I have a solution if you really feel insecure in those pajamas.”

I raise one eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Shoot.”

“Not wear anything at all. That is my number-one preference.” Aidan heads back toward the kitchen, winking back at me, grinning that devilish grin of his. It is truly lethal.

“Well unlike some people, I don’t have a perfectly sculpted body where I can just walk around without anyone judging me.”

“Oh Hales, you definitely can’t see what I see, which is a damn shame if you ask me. You don’t realize how gorgeous you are.”

No matter how many times Aidan has told me that I am beautiful, or rather gorgeous, I still can’t process in my brain that this is real life. That someone like Aidan –an absolute dreamboat in every possible definition of the word – can find someone like me on the same level as him. Before I can protest his claim, my phone dings. Apparently when we were out running errands like any normal couple, some paparazzi took it upon themselves to snap photos of us holding hands and walking around Bryant Park.

That’s another aspect of our relationship I don’t think I will ever get used to. Always being in the spotlight. Always being under a microscope. Always exposed to the world’s scrutiny. “Aidan, have you seen this?”

Aidan doesn’t answer me right away and when I look over at him, he is staring down at his phone, distracted by whatever is on his screen. He is probably looking at the picture of us and realizing how far out of my league he is. I get extra nervous because I feel like there is a sense of momentary disconnect between us. There’s something about Aidan’s demeanor that is off, I just can’t figure out what it is. My heart starts racing and not in the giddy way it has been for the past year; right now, it is racing out of panic.

“Aidan?”

“Hmm?” he responds, finally breaking his attention from the small screen on the countertop. He clicks the side button to blackout his screen. Why is he acting so weird? “Oh, no I haven’t seen the picture.”

So he wasn’t looking at the picture. Then what is making him so frazzled? He leans over from the back of the couch and we both look at my phone together and read the caption underneath the photo of us:

“Aidan Stone and girlfriend Haley Swann spotted in Bryant Park looking extra cozy together. The couple has been a steady item since last winter.”

“Hmm…” Aidan says as he straightens back up. His hands are lodged in his pockets and he has the smallest inkling of a furrowed brow. He starts walking around the couch toward where I am sitting. “I think there is something wrong with that caption though.”

“What?” I zoom in on the caption so I can read it closely and don’t spot anything wrong with it. It is actually a good picture and caption about the two of us. No judgment. Just facts. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Everything is spelled right.”

“Are you sure?” Aidan motions for Ginny to get off the couch and he sits right next to me. How does this man feel like a furnace in a short-sleeve shirt in the winter? I am struggling to feel warm and I am underneath the softest, warmest blanket we own.

“Aidan, I’m sure. I am the writer, I should know.”

“Interesting because I could’ve sworn that it says girlfriend.”

“Yeah…so? How is that wrong?” I am so confused right now. We’ve been boyfriend and girlfriend for a while now, especially when I count the time we were fake dating. Why is that word wrong?

“Hold on, I think I might have something that might fix it.” Aidan adjusts slightly, reaches into his back pocket, and pulls out his wallet. He opens his it and retrieves a napkin from one of the compartments.

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