Aaron leaned back on both his hands now, peering at me with a hint of playfulness. It felt almost as if with that look alone he was trying to lighten what had undeniably turned into a strange mood.
“At the risk of getting something thrown at me,” he said with an all out smirk, “I hope you don’t mind me asking another nosey question.”
I lifted my brow and allowed my lip to curl up a bit, in an attempt to match the lightheartedness of his tone. “I’m not usually a violent person, but I won’t make any promises.”
He smiled even bigger, making my heart speed up as he motioned at something next to me. I looked down at the industrial tape dispenser I’d been using to tape up the packages. “That could probably pick up some good air if thrown hard enough.” He chuckled. “Feel free to use it if I’m out of line.”
I laughed softly, though my heart sped up even more, wondering what he could possibly be asking now. All kidding aside, Aaron, too, looked a little apprehensive suddenly.
“I’m just curious,” he said, sitting up a little straighter, “because you said you and Edi had been friends for a long time before anything happened. Did you two always have a thing for each other and you just hadn’t acted on it until now?”
The question had me sitting up a little straighter too. The uneasiness I was suddenly feeling about how I should answer this was likely visible on my face because he began again quickly.
“I mean if that’s the case, that’s pretty common,” he said then added. “Mia and I were friends for several years before anything happened between us too. It’s just that when you said you two were friends for a while before you know . . . Since you two have been friends since high school, I assumed it was something like us. So when you mentioned it’s only been three months, I just wondered, you know”—he cleared his throat—”why you two waited so long?”
He was just curious, just as I’d been about why he and Mia had ever broken up. It made sense he’d assume both Edi and I were gay and had always known it. It was a valid inquiry. Why had we waited until now?
“We, um,” I started then changed my mind about how I’d explain it.
The only thing I was suddenly certain about was that I wanted to tell him. I needed to talk about it. It’d been weeks since I’d felt it eating away at me but especially this week. I needed to let it out before it strangled me.
“Edi and I—”
The door opening in the front room got our attention. He straightened up, and when Mia walked in the room, pushed himself off the table.
Her eyes were on me first, and she was noticeably not thrilled to see the two of us sitting around so casually—alone. Unlike all the other times I’d seen her, this time she didn’t seem so perfect anymore. It wasn’t her appearance. She was as put together and perfectly groomed as usual, but there was something different. Maybe it was because now that I’d gotten to know Aaron a bit better, both he and Bea had humanized Mia for me. I was no longer holding her up on that pedestal I once had. I knew now she wasn’t perfect. No one was, and for a moment, I felt for her. She was just like Edi. For so long I’d fantasized about being like Edi and felt unworthy of her friendship, but now I realized their hearts were just as vulnerable as mine.
Suddenly, my heart went out to Mia. I could see it in her eyes. Her life wasn’t as perfect as I so blindly assessed just by observing her. It probably hadn’t been perfect for a long time. She glanced around the otherwise empty room; then her eyes were on Aaron. He’d already begun to walk toward her.
“We need to talk,” she said as she glanced at me, but her eyes were back on him almost immediately.
“Yes, we do,” he agreed quickly, and he motioned to his office. With one glance back at me, he nodded. “I’ll be in my office if you need me.”
I nodded, afraid to even glance in Mia’s direction again as I awkwardly made my way off the table. Was he going to do it? Was he going to break things off with her right there in his office?
With the radio lowered, I could hear them talking, but it almost felt as if they were purposely speaking in hushed voices. I couldn’t make anything out. I thought I heard Aaron say my name, and I felt the heat shoot straight up my spine. In the next second, the door to his office flew open and Mia stalked out.
I couldn’t blame my paranoia anymore. She deliberately avoided looking my way when she stalked through the great room and out toward the front. The front door slammed, making me flinch as I stood there frozen. To my surprise, Aaron didn’t follow her out. He didn’t even come out of his office for a while. When he finally did, I held my breath.
“Henrietta,” he said as soon as he walked in the room. “I hope you don’t mind, but there are a few things I need to take care of. I can either leave you here alone if you’d like to put in a few more hours, or I can take you home now. I’d likely be gone at least two hours.”
I hurried to my desk. “No, I’ll go now if that’s okay with you.”
He’d given me the key to his place weeks ago, in case Bea or Eileen could drop me off on a day he was running late or couldn’t work that day. It had happened once, but I hadn’t been alone at his place since then. I couldn’t imagine being there alone now. I grabbed my backpack and lunch tote. “I should probably get home and start packing for tomorrow.” Glancing up at him completely unsure, I added, “That is, if we’re still going.”
“Yes, we are.” He nodded with a smile. “I’ll pick you up first thing in the morning.”
The disquiet on the ride back to my place was a living thing. I was surprised he didn’t mention anything more about Mia, and at first, I wasn’t going to ask, but it felt too weird not to, not after the conversation we’d been having just before she’d walked in. Obviously things hadn’t been patched up.
“Is everything going to be okay with you and Mia?” I asked.
He took a deep breath before answering. “There’s a lot going on in her head. I do take full responsibility for most of it because after all these years together we both feel it. Things aren’t the same anymore. But neither one of us wants to be the first to admit it outright.”
This surprised me. “You think maybe she’s feeling the same way you are?”
His expression hardened, and he stared straight ahead. “I almost wish she were.” We came to a red light and he turned to me. “It’d lessen the feelings of guilt.”
Guilt?
That he’d fallen out of love with her or about something else? I almost asked, but the way his intense eyes stared at me felt so heavy I just couldn’t. I didn’t want to know. I was about to go away for the weekend with this man I could finally admit I was beyond attracted to. A man I once thought was completely unattainable—in love with his beautifully perfect fiancée and therefore safe. Now he was sitting here looking at me like this, and he’d admitted earlier that he may’ve never actually been in love with Mia.
He turned away when the light turned green, and we sat there silent for a few moments, but I had to ask. “D-Did you two break up?”
“Not yet,” he said as we drove up to my apartment. “She stormed off when she didn’t get her way, but neither of us mentioned the words ‘break up,’ and she didn’t throw her ring at me.” He shrugged with a pathetic little smile. “So I guess we’re still together. But with me being gone all weekend, it’ll be at least Sunday night until we’ll be able to talk again. I highly doubt I’ll hear from her tonight, and I know she won’t answer my calls.” He turned to me as the car came to a complete stop in front of the driveway. “I don’t have much hope though, but it’s okay. It’s for the best, I think.”
Our eyes locked again for a moment, and I had to look away. I nodded, feeling my heart do strange things. On the one hand, I wished I were as honest as Aaron was about his feelings. On the other, I felt as if this were confirmation of that something I’d felt happening. Something I knew would eventually be out of control. Only I didn’t even know now if I wanted to control it anymore. But it felt so wrong.
He let me
know what time he’d be by to pick me up in the morning and reminded me to pack light. The irony wasn’t lost on me as I hurried up the stairs to my apartment. Aaron was a perfect example of what happens when you go along with something you know in your heart of hearts is not genuine. I’d seen the hurt in Mia’s eyes. What he’d done to her by stringing her along all those years, did she not see it? Had she really been that clueless all along about the fact that he wasn’t feeling for her what she felt for him?
It was the only thing that justified my selfishness. I saw it in Edi’s eyes sometimes. Saw it when I didn’t want to be openly affectionate in public. Deep inside, she knew as much as I did this wasn’t me. But she, too, chose to ignore it for her own reasons. She refused to be what I wanted us to be—just best friends—so in essence, she, too, was ruining what we once had. Like Aaron and Mia, we could never go back to that now. It would never work.
Edi was on the phone when I walked in. She smiled big when she saw me. “No, that’s not a problem at all,” she said to whoever she was talking to.
I began putting my things down and grabbed the mail on the counter. I smiled, relieved for the distraction when I saw a letter from Gemma. The woman didn’t do email or text, but she said she still enjoyed writing a good old-fashioned letter. Edi thought it was crazy that Gemma would rather write a letter than pick up the phone and just talk, but Gemma wasn’t a phone person either. She truly was a loner at heart. I opened the letter, plopped down on the sofa, and started reading the updates on her garden and about Sergio, the older man up the street who’d lost his second toe to diabetes.
Edi had since hung up and come over to kiss me then tease me about the snail mail I got. She was now at the stove, putting some fish sticks on a pan. She said they would’ve been ready when I got home, but she hadn’t been expecting me home so early.
I explained vaguely about Aaron having some business he needed to take care of and was just about done reading Gemma’s letter when there was a knock at the door. Edi and I immediately exchanged glances. “You expecting someone?” I asked.
“No.” She shook her head just as curiously as I felt.
I watched as she walked over to the front door and peeked out the peephole. “Your friend,” she said, glancing back at me as she opened the latch.
I sat up, curious about which friend. I almost never had any friends over lately, not since the photos-in-the-drawer incident. And none ever dropped by unannounced, but it was Friday night.
“Hey,” Edi said as I stood up from the sofa.
The door blocked my view, so I still couldn’t see who it was. “Is Henri home?”
I recognized the voice immediately and felt my stomach tighten. It could be just a visit, but my gut said otherwise.
“Yeah, she’s right here,” Edi said, backing up to let Bea in.
The moment our eyes met, I knew why she was there. This wasn’t a friendly visit, and the hurt in her eyes said Bea was feeling anything but friendly. She didn’t even give me a chance to say hello. “Are you and Aaron having an affair?”
My jaw dropped, I was so stunned. The only thing that broke me from my stupor was the door being slammed a little too hard when Edi shut it. Instantly, my eyes were on her. She looked just as hurt as Bea did.
Acknowledgments
Writing the story is mostly all about me, but bringing it all together takes a small army. I couldn’t possibly do this alone. I’d like to thank everyone who contributes in some way to every single book I put out.
To my husband and “assistant,” Mark, thank you for believing in me always and encouraging me to do this. I appreciate your patience, especially when I go on and on about the corner I’ve written myself into this time or while I tell you about my latest crazy idea for a plot. I think you’re getting better at knowing how to respond to all my rants with every story I’ve worked on, and I love you so for that!
To my babies, Marky and Megan, thank you for understanding when I disappear into “the zone” for days at a time. I think we’re all used to this way of life now, and you’ve been troopers all the way. You’ve both made me so proud, and I love you to the moon and back!
To my beta readers, Dawn Winter, Emily Lamphear, and Amanda “Hootie” Clark, thank you all SO much! You have no idea (Well, you do. I whined about it enough o.O) how worried I was about this one. Thank you for your always completely honest opinions and feedback. I always need and appreciate it but this time a little more because there were so many things I was worried about. This year should be interesting yet exciting. I look forward to having you in my corner the whole way.
I’d also like to thank the many bloggers out there who have supported me and have pimped, reviewed, and participated in my cover reveals and announcements. You guys have been a HUGE part of my success, and I thank every single one of you from the bottom of my heart! A special shout out to Ing Cruz of “As the Pages Turn” for all your help with the cover reveals, release blitzes, and blog tours! You are VERY appreciated!
Thank you to Theresa (Eagle Eyes) Wegand, my one-stop superhero, beta reader/editor/formatter, listener to all my whiny rants/vents and obsessive worrying, and friend—even when you’re brutally honest. LOL ;) I promise I’ll never hold it against you and truly appreciate it! As always, your work is impeccable, and I can’t say enough about it. I hope to be working with you for years to come! Thank you so much!
I want to give a special shout out to “my FP girls,” my incredibly talented group of superstar authors. I feel absolutely blessed to have found you. I owe you all so much. Thank you for the love, empathy, and your friendships. Each and every one of you!
Thank you, Amanda Simpson of Pixel Mischief Design for my cover art. You’re an amazing talent and awesome to work with. So far you’ve made some gems for me, and I’m excited about what’s yet to come and working with you on many more!
Thanks to my good friend New York Times Best Seller JB Salsbury for turning me on to my new cover artist! And also for being such a great fan of my work! I’m so glad I finally got to meet you last year and so proud of you and all your success!
A special shout out to my street team “Team Reyes!” To my admins, Leslie Cary, Jenn DaSilva, Delashawne Hodgeson, Christina Garner Staggs, and Astin Brooks for running it with so much love and enthusiasm. Thank you for all the hard work you put into the team! But to all who are part of Team Reyes and are part of the madness and FUN, I thank you all for your continued support! Love you guys! I’m SO looking forward to the team’s meet and greet this year!!
And, of course, my incredibly awesome readers! Thank you all for taking the chance on this one and holding your fire when I announced it would be released in volumes. I really hope you enjoyed it and can hardly wait to hear your thoughts! I really do LOVE hearing from you! I hope to have a few surprises for you guys in 2015 just to show you that I really am listening and reading ALL your messages and comments!.
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author, Elizabeth Reyes, was born and raised in southern California and still lives there with her husband of almost twenty-one years, her two teens, her Great Dane named Dexter, and one big fat cat named Tyson.
She spends eighty percent of time in front of her computer, writing and keeping up with all the social media, and loves it. She says that there is nothing better than doing what you absolutely love for a living, and she eats, sleeps, and breathes these stories, which are constantly begging to be written.
Representation: Jane Dystel of Dystel & Goderich now handles all questions regarding subsidiary rights for any of Ms. Reyes’ work. Please direct inquiries regarding foreign translation and film rights availability to her.
For more information on her upcoming projects and to connect with her--she loves hearing from you all—here are a few places you can find her:
Blog: www.ElizabethReyes.com
Facebook fan page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elizabeth-Reyes/278724885527554
Twitter: @AuthorElizabeth
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Elizabeth Reyes, Defining Love: Volume 2 (Defining Love #2)
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