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“Yes, I am,” I say, giving Aiden a look. I know he wants a shot with me, and I’m considering giving him one, but that doesn’t excuse this type of behavior. “I’m very much single.”
“So, there’s no reason you can’t take me up on my offer.”
Aiden’s back straightens. “What offer?” he says.
“We met at the restaurant I work at.” Ethan drops Aiden’s hand, unfazed by my best friend’s macho tactics, and smiles at me. “I gave her my number and asked her to let me take her out.”
“You’re not taking her anywhere.”
“Aiden!” How dare he speak for me. “I would love to,” I tell Ethan, for all the wrong reasons.
Ethan beams.
My heart flips over in my chest when the color drains from Aiden’s face. “You’re really going to go with him? After everything—”
“It’s just coffee,” I say.
Aiden looks from me to Ethan and back to me, something akin to reluctant acceptance in his expression. I hate that look.
“Aiden—”
“It’s wonderful, Liz. You’ve been wanting to meet a decent guy, and it looks like you have. I won’t stand in your way.”
I hate it when he calls me Liz. It feels cold coming from his lips. “It’s just coffee.”
And because you’re acting like a giant ass.
“No, it’s not. But that’s okay. Enjoy your afternoon date.” Aiden pulls a leash from his back pocket and hooks it onto Louie’s collar. “I should get going.”
“Aiden,” I say, wanting him to look at me.
“We’ll talk later. I need to get Louie back to Calvin.”
“Aiden—”
“Excuse us.” He pushes past us. I stare after him, wondering if I should chase after him and explain.
“If you need to go, we can reschedule,” Ethan says softly.
I look up at him, my emotions raging a war inside of me. The part of me that has loved Aiden since the third grade wants to chase him down, throw myself at him and say, “let’s do this.” But my twenty-one-year-old self—the young woman who got her heart shattered into a million pieces—says, “he had his chance.”
What if I give him another, and a few months down the road, he changes his mind? Where will that leave me? Best friend-less with an irreparablely damaged heart.
Do I want to give him that power over me?
Do I want to put my heart on the line again—with the first and only boy who broke it? Not really, but I also know that I can’t let him leave like this.
When I turn back around, Aiden is gone.
Damnit.
“I’m guessing there’s a story between you two.”
“More like a novel.” I put my hands on my hips and look at Eth
an. “I need to talk to him, but I’d still like to have coffee with you. Can I meet you there in an hour?”
Ethan looks up at the sky. Dark clouds are rolling in. “It’s supposed to rain. How about I pick you up?”
