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I sit down on the edge of the couch and pull out my phone. I have a text from Ronan. Need an excuse to get out of your date yet?
I have to stop myself from smiling. I should be annoyed, but fuck if his timing isn’t perfect.
“Sorry, Aidan,” I say. “I just need to answer this really quick.”
My date is going fine, thank you very much. We had a lovely dinner.
“No problem,” Aidan says. “I’ll just clean this up.” He takes our plates to the kitchen and turns on the sink.
Bullshit. You’re a caged animal, trying to find a way to open the locked door.
Just as I start to type, he sends another text.
I have the key.
I stifle a laugh and glance up at Aidan. He’s doing the dishes.
Hardly. I can leave anytime I want.
His response is quick. Good. Meet me at that wine bar by the office in fifteen minutes.
No dating, Ronan.
Not a date. Same as two colleagues sharing a meal, but it’s wine.
I sigh. We need to add a no drinking together rule.
Sorry, terms have been set. Should have brought that to the original negotiation.
I decide to fuck with Ronan a little. Regardless, the terms of our agreement permit my date, including any other activities I choose to engage in with said date. I’ll see you Monday.
I look over at Aidan again. He smiles at me from the sink. I do need to leave, and I need to be honest with Aidan about why. But I’m not meeting Ronan tonight.
I put my phone away and walk into the kitchen. My stomach does another tumble, like it did on the drive over. There’s no easy way to do this, but I need to get it over with.
He turns off the water and raises his eyebrows, his face pleasant.
“Aidan, this dinner was really nice,” I say, “and you’re a very nice guy.”
His smile fades. “But?”
“But, I don’t think this is right for me,” I say. “Honestly, I wish it was. You have so much going for you, and when you meet the right woman I know you’re going to make her very happy.”
“Oh,” he says. “I guess I thought we were really hitting it off.”
“It’s not that you aren’t a nice guy.”
“You said that already,” he says. “I just don’t understand. I’ve been doing everything right, following the list.”
“What list?” I ask.
He glances away. “It’s nothing.”
“You have a list? What does that mean?”
“I follow a very well-respected author, and he provides a variety of helpful tools on his website.”
“Author of what?”
