by Sadie Grubor
Maggie was propped up on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. I could remember when her legs wouldn’t even reach the first bar on those stools. It was hard to believe she was going to be fifteen soon.
Shit. Mental note, buy her a present.
"Mom," she whined. "Why do you insist on inviting them over? They're so snobby. Yeck!"
I snorted at Maggie’s rant about the McConnell’s. Viola and Maggie both looked in my direction.
"Oh, I’m so glad that you came." Viola pulled me into a tight hug.
"I told you I would." I squeezed back. "What’s on the menu?" Leaning toward the food, I inhaled deeply. "It smells delicious."
"Wedding soup, filet, roasted potatoes and asparagus, Greek salad and bread," she beamed proudly. She had to have spent the past couple of day preparing the menu.
"Don’t forget the Tiramisu." Maggie added with a large smile. "Yum."
"Viola, it's your homemade wedding soup, right?"
"Of course," she looked insulted that I would think any different.
"Then I think I should test it."
Laughing, she swatted my hand away from the large spoon in the pot.
The echo of guests rang throughout the house with the sound of the bell.
"Oh shit!" I spun around, surprised Viola cursed. "Sorry," she blushed. Maggie and I laughed. "Shut it you two," she giggled. "I’m not quite finished up here."
"I’ll greet them." With a shrug, I headed to the door.
"Oh thank you, Aidan!" Viola called after me.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I yelled back with a wave.
Liam met me at the door with a smile. He opened the door, revealing the McConnell’s. There was no mistaking the McConnell's Irish heritage. Both Mr. and Mrs. McConnell had fiery red hair, fair skin and upturned knobby noses. However, Elora seemed to have blossomed over the years. Her features were similar but not nearly as severe. They, along with her strawberry blonde hair, complimented the roundness of her face and fair, lightly freckled complexion.
"Welcome, Albert." He shook Mr. McConnell’s hand.
"Always a pleasure, Ahnya." He kissed Mrs. McConnell’s hand.
"Dear, Elora, you have become such a beautiful woman." Liam nodded to her.
Following suit, I greeted in the same manner as Liam. However, I kissed Elora’s hand and nodded to her mother. Viola appeared from the kitchen with Maggie close behind to offer their welcome.
Taking a moment, I let my eyes linger over Elora a minute longer. When I finally moved back up her body, we caught each other’s eye. She smiled. By the look in her eyes, she wanted to be polite, but the smile was forced. Like me, she must realize this is an attempt to set us up. She must be as uncomfortable as I am.
“May I?” Offering Elora my arm, hoping to relieve some of the tension, she smiled genuinely and placed her long fingers on my arm.
Leading her to the dining room, I could already hear the whispers behind us. No doubt their discussing the names for our children.
Ms. York, Viola and Liam’s maid, began bringing out the food and setting a plate before each guest. Liam sat at one end of the table, while Viola sat at the other. Maggie sat at her mother’s right with Mrs. McConnell on her left. Mr. McConnell had been sure to take a spot next to my Uncle Liam, not minding that Elora separated him and his wife. The extra chair on our of the table had been removed, leaving a wider space between Maggie and I.
Dinner went smoothly and the conversation was of the normal subjects; small gossip, business trends, upcoming social events. It was all stale. Finally, the families got to the point of this meeting.
"Aidan, Elora here has been studying abroad in Europe for the past two years," Mrs. McConnell boasted and I nodded with a smile. Elora shifted in her seat, a grimace on her face.
Viola cleared her throat and looked at me. I rolled my eyes.
"So what have you been studying, Elora?"
"Art," she bit her bottom lip.
"Really? Do you have any preferences?"
As Elora discussed the art galleries, street artists and exhibitions she’d visited in Europe, passion bloomed beneath her surface. She was pleasant and smart. Maybe Viola had the right idea about dinner tonight. Engaging Elora in conversation the rest of the night became easier. When the night came to an end, I could honestly say the evening had been enjoyable. Elora is a genuinely nice, attractive woman and so unlike her parents.
“Elora, how would you feel about seeing me on Saturday?” She tensed next to me as I walked with her to the front door. “We could go to dinner?”
“Oh…” She gave another forced smile. Before she could speak, Mrs. McConnell slid next to Elora, wrapping her arm around her daughter’s waist.
“Of course she would love to see you again. We’ll have her all ready for you to retrieve at…say, six o’clock?” Mrs. McConnell’s cheeks flushed with excitement.
Elora looked mortified.
“Is that okay with you?” Pointedly addressing the question to Elora, I didn’t want her forced into anything she didn’t want to do.
“Of course. I’ll see you next Saturday. Good night.” With a quick smile and a small nod, she exited the front door. Good byes were being said as Mr. and Mrs. McConnell quickly followed on their daughter’s heel.
Maggie’s snort of laughter drew my attention from the door.
“So, do you have a date with Elora or Mrs. McConnell?” The snort grew into a full belly laugh.
“Margaret.” Viola tried to sound stern, but the quirk at the corner of her lip was giving away the humor she too found in the situation.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Lounged on my overstuffed leather couch, I sighed as James flipped through channel after channel.
"So, Elora, huh?" James asked, flipping through TV channels.
"It’s just a date," I shrugged.
James shifted uncomfortably, refusing to look at me.
"I didn’t know you were having dinner with her family," his eyes still on the television.
"It was a last minute thing. Viola asked me to join." He flipped past the sports channels. "Hey, go back so I can see the highlights." He tossed the remote at me and grumbled. Getting up, he went into the kitchen. "What the hell is your problem?" Yelling after him, I switched the TV back to sports.
"Nothing," he shouted. "Just tired I guess." With a shrug he returned to the couch, a bag of chips in hand.
Something’s off with him. But I let it go, not feeling like arguing with him right now. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching TV and talking about the company. When he left, there was still an odd tension in his normally relaxed posture.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Another exhausting work week behind me, I found myself spread out on my couch at eight on Friday night. I really was getting pathetic. Just a few weeks ago, I would be out at a club or something, picking up an attractive, willing partner for the night. Now, I was in a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and a t-shirt, channel surfing and drinking beer. Alone.
I pulled out my phone to see if James wanted to come hang and play pool, but got voicemail. I knew Oz was working an eighteen hour shift tonight, so I tried Dixon.
"What’s up?" he answered sounding distracted. I then heard laughter in the background.
"Shit, Dixon, if you’re busy I’ll let you go."
"Nah, just hanging out with the girls," he responded.
"Fuck you, Dixon, I am not a chick!" A male voice yelled in the background. Dixon chuckled.
"So what’s going on?"
"Well, I was going to see if you were up for some pool at my place but we can get together another night." I put my head back on the couch.
"You could always head over here, though we aren’t doing anything special. Just hanging out and shit." He offered.
"Nah, I don’t want—"
"Oh come on, pussy, get your ass over here!" He laughed loudly. "We’ll be waiting on you!"
After Dixon hung up on me, I ran up to my room and slipped on a pair of dark w
ash jeans, exchanged my wrinkled pretzel crumb T-shirt with a fresh white one and pulled a gray college sweatshirt over my head. Taking a quick glance in the mirror, I groaned at the auburn mop on top of my head. After running my fingers through my hair a couple of times, I gave up. Grabbing my keys and cell phone, I was out the door.
I arrived at Dixon’s place about thirty or so minutes later. Laughter seeped through his door and heavy footfalls sounded just before the large white door swung open.
"Jesus, what took you so long?" Dixon grabbed my shoulder and pulled me into the apartment, shoving a beer in my hand.
"You are so full of shit!" I walked in just as Phoebe yelled at a tall, dark skinned guy.
"I am not! It’s true, she was totally trying to get with me and I didn’t do a damn thing with her." He argued.
"I’m not buying it either, Sean." This time it was Lilli, who sat with her arm around Phoebe.
"To hell with you both," he laughed, "I don’t have to prove it to you."
"Hey, Aidan-O," Phoebe greeted me.
"Hey." I sat in one of the oversized chairs next to the couch.
No matter how expensive my apartment was, Dixon and Lilli’s place felt so warm and cozy. Furniture a family member probably gave to them, given the worn but loved look, framed photos from their childhood on the walls and candles burnt down to almost nothing.
"Aidan-O?" Lilli looked between Phoebe and me. "Is that like a pet name between lovers?" She wiggled her brow.
Phoebe smacked her, but smiled.
"So what brings you over to our humble little get together? No dates tonight?" Phoebe teased.
"Nope, not till tomorrow." When I winked at her, she shook her head.
Lilli stood up and walked across the room. It was then I noticed the tight blue cotton workout pants, the kind I’ve seen women wear to yoga classes, and a light blue, long sleeved, cotton shirt that was tight fitting. She had a killer figure. Phoebe brought me out of the trance Lilli’s curves put me under.
"So then…what’s up Aidan-O?"
"First, I’m not too thrilled with the nickname," I stated.
"Really? I would have never guessed." Lilli’s voice full of sarcasm, she sunk back onto the couch with a bowl of cereal.
"Is that Lucky Charms?" A smile already creeping on my lips.
"Maybe." She narrowed her eyes.
"I haven’t eaten those since I was…oh God, I can’t even remember," I grinned and shook my head.
"Well, old man, if you want to take a trip down memory lane before you get further along in your Alzheimer’s, the box is still on the counter." With a smirk, she winked.
Dixon was right, very witty sense of humor.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A few months passed by, months filled with work and reoccurring dates with Elora. It was beginning to look like a promising match, though a feeling has been nagging at the back of my head. And I wouldn’t lie, something seemed missing—for both of us. My family was happy, at least my Uncle Henry was happy, her family was thrilled and everyone waited on pins and needles for the announcement of our engagement. But the very thought of proposing to Elora felt wrong. My head knew it would be a perfect resolution, but my gut instinct revolted against the idea.
"Aidan this is a perfect match." Uncle Henry, James’ father, boasted as he entered my office, pulling me from my thoughts. "I think you need to act quickly before something has the chance to ruin it."
I put my head in my hands as I leaned on my desk.
"This is my situation to deal with and I will deal with it when and how I want." I growled.
"Aidan—"
"Henry leave the boy alone for God’s sake." Liam interrupted.
"Well, I think that it’s ridiculous to wait any longer. Get married and conceive already so that we all can rest a little easier at night!" Henry was now shouting.
"Father, back off." James grumbled from the other end of the couch.
"You stay out of this James," Henry glared at him. I wasn’t sure what the hell was going on, but James had become very distant from me lately and he argued much more frequently with his father.
"I’ve got work to do," I growled. "So, how about everyone gets out? Except Liam," I spoke as they were all leaving the room, still grumbling with each other.
"Yes son," Liam sat in the chair across from my desk.
"Please tell me what to do," I sighed.
"I can’t do that. This is your decision." He smiled reassuringly.
"I know that this would be a perfect match but I can’t say that I want to spend the rest of my life with Elora. I mean I can’t say that I want to spend my life with any one person, ever." I ran my hand through my hair.
"You will someday."
"How do you know that?"
"Your father was the same way, until he met your mother." He smiled warmly.
"Really?"
"Oh yes. If it had been up to our father then he would have married Penelope Varron."
"Mrs. Varron?" he nodded. "Wow."
"Yep. However, when your father saw Eliza at one of our charity events he was captivated."
My eager expression made him continue.
"That night was the first time your father had seen her and he barely worked up the nerve to speak to her." He chuckled. "I remember, though I was young, that your grandfather saw the way he looked at her and that was when he took Aidan over to Eliza and introduced them."
"But you said that grandfather wanted—"
"I said that if it had been up to him it would have been Penelope; however, if you haven’t realized this yet, Aidan, then you’re blind. Your grandfather was very much a romantic."
It took a moment for me to absorb that information.
"Then why would he force me?"
"I don’t know for sure, only he knows that. What I think is that he figured that maybe all you needed was the push to ‘look’ for the one." He smiled at me before continuing. "He did it to all of us Aidan, though yours is on a more severe level, I will admit."
"So you and Viola?" I raised my brow.
"Father didn’t like my non-interest in women," he chuckled. "I was the opposite of you, no offense. I didn’t really take notice of the females around our family. I was focused on my career. Father made an arrangement for Viola to come and stay at our home for a summer and from the moment she walked down our staircase I was completely hooked." He smiled bright and wide at the memory.
"How did he know that Viola would—?"
"He didn’t. It just made me open my eyes."
"Ahhgggh!" I pushed back in the leather office chair. "I don’t have that kind of feeling toward Elora, not what you explain toward Viola. What is it supposed to feel like?"
"Hmmm. I’m pretty sure it’s different for everyone." He cocked an eyebrow when he saw my desperation. "For me it was like a buzzing that would fill my head whenever she was around me. Her touch, her smell, just the sound of her nearby, would fill my head and chest with a buzzing feeling." He got lost in thought for a moment.
"And if I remember correctly your father once described your mother as his missing piece. That the moment she took his hand to dance, he felt complete and when her touch was gone, he was half a person. He didn’t like that."
"Thank you Liam. I still have no idea what I’m going to do, but thank you."
The next day my family seemed too happy. Uncle Henry was more pleasant than normal, Liam would smile frequently when I saw him in passing, Viola called me to ‘just say hello’, and then there was James. He gave me a death glare when I saw him at work and avoided me all day—dodging my calls and emails. Everyone had gone crazy.
I decided to chalk Liam and Viola’s behavior up to Maggie’s birthday coming up soon. The others, well, I had no damn clue.
I was supposed to pick up Elora tonight and we were going to go to a movie and dinner. When I arrived to her parent’s home, their butler answered the door and showed me in. I waited for fifteen minutes before Elora was finally escorted down
stairs by her mother.
Elora’s hair was pinned up off of her shoulders, revealing her long neck. The light blue wrap dress she wore flattered her round curves and the porcelain color of her skin. But as soon as I looked at her face, I knew something was wrong.
Holding the car door open, she slipped into the leather seat without even a glance in my direction. I climbed into the driver’s seat. Before we pulled away she finally spoke.
"Aidan wait," she blurted. Unshed tears shone in her panicked eyes.
"What it is it? What’s going on?"
"I think I know what you…what…what’s going to happen tonight and I need to stop it, now." She spoke so quickly I barely understood.
"Um…what?"
"I need to stop this, even if my parents kill me or disown me. I need to stop this before it goes too far." Tears welled in her green eyes.
"Elora—"
"No, Aidan, I can’t do it," she sobbed.
Chapter Five
Engaged
Aidan
"What’s going on?"
She sniffled.
"Word spread that you may have gone to Tiffany’s and you bought a ring." She sniffled again. "My mother and everyone keep saying tonight is when you plan to….propose. But I just can’t say yes and I don’t want you to—"
My laughter cut her off.
"Elora, I bought a gift for Maggie. The ring I bought was for her, it’s a small birthstone ring." The panic left her face with a flush of her cheeks. "So you’re saying that you want to break this off?"
"I’m so sorry, Aidan. I just can’t. I-I’m in love with someone else." She looked down into her lap, where her fingers twisted nervously.
"I see." I placed my hand on her tangled fingers. "It’s okay Elora, I understand. I’m happy for you. Do I know the guy?" I tried to make the conversation light again.
"Umm…yeah," she mumbled.
"And?" I coaxed.
"James," she whispered.
"That fucker!" She jumped, looking at me horrified. "So that’s why he has been such a fucking bastard to me! Because of you." Then her facial expression registered. "Oh shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. It’s just James has been so…oh hell…who cares. I’m happy for you."
She gave an unsure smiled.
