Page 6 of The Expiration Date

I look back at Haley again, and this time she is actually blinking. That’s a good sign.

“Um.” She looks at me again. “I need to talk to Aidan before I agree to this.”

“Of course,” says Samantha. “In the meantime–” She reaches out and grabs the list of A-list actresses from me– “I will keep this on hand if we need it.”

As Haley and I stand up from our seats, Samantha adds, “If you can let me know as soon as possible, that would be in your best interest Aidan. The NYC premiere for your movie is next week. I look forward to hearing from you.”

4

“I’ll think about it.”

Those were the last words I uttered to Aidan.

I felt ambushed. I never thought in a million years that Aidan Stone, THE Aidan Stone, would ever suggest to fake date ME of all people. Samantha clearly had others in mind and I don’t understand why he would choose me. I mean the guy dates, or rather sleeps with, Brazilian supermodels for gosh sakes.

The next morning, I change into my workout clothes and take out all my intrusive thoughts and insecurities out on the beach. I dig my feet into the sand as hard as I can, hoping that all the doubts in my body will escape through my soles. I blast my running playlist, hoping that Taylor Swift or Rihanna will get me through this grueling 6 mile run. Clearly, I have a lot to think about. “Look what you made me do” indeed.

With every stride, I attempt to drown out the questions impeding my brain. Why me? How the hell would this work? How would this be believable? I am a struggling writer and personal assistant and he is unmistakingly the hottest actor in the world. There is no way. The press would chew me up and spit me out. I wasn’t made for this. I’ll just go back to being on the sidelines. Being invisible is my specialty and I’m not about to give up that superpower.

Somehow through the blasting music, I hear a muffled, “Haley?”

I break out of my negative thought spiral and see what would be best described as a 6-foot 1 Greek god incarnate. Is he running toward me in slow motion? Shirtless, glistening, with every muscle on his body on full display with every twist of his damn torso? And with his cute little English bulldog puppy, Ginny, alongside him. Geez the dog is overkill.

I quickly glance around and notice multiple women lower their sunglasses as he runs toward me. Then they lock eyes with me. Me, the woman who is definitely the color of a lobster, despite slathering on sunscreen, with frizzy, sweaty hair in a sloppy bun. Yeah, I wouldn’t believe it if I saw it either, ladies. Trust me.

He is a real heartstopper. Unfortunately at this moment, I am no longer immune to the phenomenon that is Aidan Stone. I’m glad that I have the excuse that I’ve been running to cover up the fact that my heart is racing.

“So you like to run too, huh?” He takes out his earbuds and readjusts his hat, revealing his longer-than-normal brown locks. I don’t see him in a hat all too often and it certainly is a sight to see. It starts a reaction in my body that only occurs when I think someone looks hot. Sexy, even. And of course he wears his hat backward. Every woman’s weakness. Well, maybe not every woman, but it certainly is a weakness of mine. He has no business knowing that, though.

Playing it cool and unphased, I finally take out my earphones and nod, feeling my loose bun bop against the back of my head. Still out of breath, I answer, “Yeah, I uh, took up running when I moved out here.” I hurriedly pull out the monstrosity of a bun and redo it, so it hopefully looks somewhat presentable.

Aidan just nods at me. God, he must be questioning his earlier proposition. I know I would. I know what I must look like right now–extremely red, sweaty and no makeup. The only thing I put on my face was sunscreen and even that is seeping into my eyes, causing them to burn a little. The only sound I hear is Ginny breathing. Her tongue is hanging all the way out and it looks like she is smiling up at me. I love Ginny. Any time I cross paths with her, she has always been so sweet to me and never shows any aggression.

I break the awkward silence. “Geez, how long have you been running? She looks wiped out. Poor puppy dog.” I bend down and pet her ears, and her leg twitches with enjoyment. She licks my arms, out of love but also probably because of the sweat permeating out of my pores.

“She loves you. She usually doesn’t show this much affection toward others. Especially women. She’s a little overprotective in that department.”

“Dogs have amazing intuitions. You should listen to her.”

“Oh, I am.” There is a sultry intonation in his voice. Almost as if he is flirting with me.

I purposely keep my eyes on Ginny, terrified of looking into Aidan’s ocean-blue eyes. Ginny knows I am stalling and finally lies down, causing me to stand and look up at my boss’s flawless face.

“And to answer your question,” Aidan says, “We’ve gone about six miles. You?”

“About the same.” I can’t help but notice how sculpted Aidan’s body really is. There is this notion that the pictures of celebrities are all photoshopped. This man is definitely not photoshopped by any means. I feel like Emma Stone in Crazy Stupid Love where she goes up to Ryan Gosling and touches his abs. Only I’m not nearly brave enough to pull off something like that without being a total creeper. Not that I’m not interested.

“Impressive,” Aidan says.

I’d say.

I shift my weight to the other leg. “I, um, needed to think about a lot of things this morning.”

Aidan reaches behind his neck and rubs it. “I’m assuming one of those things is my proposition?”

“Maybe.” I’m not about to tell him the whole truth–that his proposition is the ONLY thing I’ve been thinking about.

“So have you made up your mind?” Aidan asks, sounding almost eager.

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