by Diana Nixon
It was dark in the hall, but I could hear voices coming from the kitchen. I opened the door, but there was no light inside the room. I took a few steps forward and froze. There were two people standing near the washstand. And they were kissing.
One of them was Jeff. He stood with his back to me, and I couldn’t see the face of the woman he was with, but I could see her dress … the one that Mary had chosen for her maid of honor.
I couldn’t stand that view any longer, so I stormed out of the kitchen, my blood boiling in my veins. I couldn’t believe Megan did that to me … it was beyond my understanding and everything I knew about her.
She was kissing with Jeff….
Now I knew exactly what the reason for her escape to London was. Apparently there was a time when she loved the guy, but the feeling wasn’t mutual. Well, time changes everything.
I was a little drunk, but I didn’t care about the fact when I started the engine of my car and sped back to Bristol. The wedding was almost over, and Owen didn’t need me anymore, so I sent him a message saying I had some urgent things to deal with, and left Axbridge, leaving my dead soul in a small town close to the ocean….
Chapter 21
Megan
I returned to the party in an awful mood. First, my perfect dress was ruined, and second, I didn’t expect to see Jeff at my parents’ house. As it turned out, he went there to leave a few more things that his mother baked for the reception. Besides, he wanted to talk to me. He said he knew I heard the words he said on the day of our prom, and he deliberately said them loud enough to be heard by me. He said he felt guilty for what he did, and wanted to apologize.
I wasn’t the only person whose mood was ruined that night. One of Mary’s bridesmaids tore off the strap of her dress, and needed to get changed too. That’s why I offered her to go with me, and gave her the dress that I was originally supposed to be wearing today.
And one more thing that made me nervous was Aiden’s absence. I had been looking for him everywhere, but no one saw him leaving, and he didn’t answer my calls.
“Do you know where Aiden is?” I asked my brother.
He looked surprised to hear my question. “I thought you knew … he left.”
“He what?” Now it was my turn to be surprised.
“He texted me about an hour ago saying he had some urgent things to do.”
“Huh…” I laughed nervously. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“Hey, you okay?” Owen asked worriedly.
“Better than ever!” I snapped.
There was no way Aiden could do that to me. Everything was so perfect! Maybe even too perfect, my inner voice said. Was it just that simple? He got what he wanted and left without saying good-bye? I couldn’t believe I trusted him….
That night was one of the worst nights in my life. Even Jeff’s words, said two years ago didn’t hurt as much as what Aiden did. I tried to call him a few more times, but every one of those times I had to listen to his voice mail, asking me to leave a message. But I didn’t know what to say, so no messages were left.
I think I was too shocked to understand what was going on. Even when the next morning came, and I still didn’t have any news from Aiden, I packed my bags, as if nothing had ever happened and went to the airport.
The only thing I was thinking about on my way back to London was my failed week at home.
One of the biggest advantages of living in a big city is the indifference that it meets you with every time your life comes crashing down. People don’t pay any attention to your bad mood, or messy hair. They are too busy dealing with their own problems. And the life around you keeps going just the way it used to go, before your own world changed.
I crossed the threshold of my apartment around noon, unpacked my suitcases, took a shower and stared at the TV, showing The Bachelor.
How ironic, I thought to myself, watching twenty women trying to win a guy’s heart. The bachelor was good-looking, and he reminded me about my first meeting with Aiden. Who would have thought that it would take him less than a week to turn my hate into something completely different….
My cell phone rang; I looked at the screen and turned it off without answering. It was Owen again. I guess he wanted to talk about Aiden, and I didn’t know what to say. So I typed a message saying that I got home safely, and sent it to my brother hoping it would be enough to leave me alone at least for a while.
There was one person who always knew what to say to make me smile, so I called Zack.
“Oh, Dear, you sound like you’ve just swallowed a lemon. What happened?”
“How about a meeting in half an hour?”
“I’m game!”
“Great. See you soon.” I hung up the phone and dragged myself to the wardrobe, to find some clothes that wouldn’t give away my misery.
“A red mini dress? Seriously?” Zack stared at me as if I had just slapped him in the face.
“What about it?” I asked, puzzled, looking down at myself.
“Here, put this on,” he said, giving me his jacket. “I don’t want people to think that I found you on the street.”
“I thought I looked sexy.”
“Well, yes … for someone who’s looking for quick sex in the back seat of his car.”
“Please, spare me your sarcasm. And by the way, you helped me choose this dress, remember?”
“But it was a dress for Halloween! And you were supposed to be a sexy demoness, and not a miserable girl with a broken heart.”
“Who says my heart is broken?”
“Your dress, Dear.”
I rolled my eyes and took Zack’s jacket to cover up myself. He suggested going to Nic’s — one of our favorite pubs. It wasn’t as overcrowded as the rest of London’s pubs on Sunday night, and we liked spending time there.
Apart from Zack I had only a few friends in London. Not that I didn’t like making friends, but I thought that my career was more important than parties and the rest.
“Now, tell me what happened and who the guy was that stole the smile from this pretty face?”
And so I told Zack about Aiden, our three unforgettable dates, and about the last night that ruined my beliefs in everything good about this world.
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that, Honey. But you should have known better: guys like your Aiden always bring troubles. And in your case this trouble has a name — love.”
“How could I have been so stupid?” I swallowed the rest of my Martini, and hid my face in my hands.
“We always fall for the wrong guys.”
“Something must be seriously wrong with us.”
“Who knows? Maybe we are too perfect for them?” Zack and I laughed.
I remembered the first time we met. It was on his twenty-first birthday. He had a party, and one of my roommates made me go there. I would have never thought that Zack was a gay, if it wasn’t for the number of guys at that party. All of them were too handsome, well-groomed and gallant to be true.
Zack and I became good friends, and there wasn’t a day when I regretted meeting him. Unlike someone else….
“I think it’s time to call it a night,” I said. There was no point in staying in the pub, as everything I was saying or thinking about still reminded me of Aiden.
“Okay, time to go.” Zack emptied his glass, and we left.
I was actually glad to be back home. Even though there wasn’t anyone to distract me from my sad thoughts, now I liked the silence around me. I changed the awful dress to a pair of shorts and a hoodie, and curled up on a couch to read a book.
I liked reading. And unlike anything else, my choice of books was always good.
The next morning I was supposed to start my new job at O’Brian’s Enterprises. It was a trading company that specialized in electronics. I thought it wasn’t the best time for going on holiday, so I decided to dive into my work and new duties.
My boss, Mrs. Delancour, was a strict, but fair manager. At least that was what other pe
ople were saying about her. I knew her previous assistant, Eliana, who was also a graduate of my college. She was the very person who suggested me sending my CV to O’Brian’s. And now I couldn’t wait for my first day at work to begin.
“Next week we have a meeting of the founding parties, so these calculations should be ready as soon as possible,” Mrs. Delancour said, giving me a stack of papers. “Read them carefully and tell me if you find anything incorrect. Here is your office,” she added, opening the glass door. The office wasn’t big, but I liked it.
“Thanks, I will start reading the documents immediately.”
“Good, let me know if you need anything.”
“Okay.”
I put my jacket on the back of my chair, and went to the window that opened to a small park. My brother still kept calling me non-stop, and I kept ignoring him. I had less than thirty hours to get used to the idea of being used. Unfortunately, no other word for what happened came to mind. So I took a deep breath and got to my work.
Half an hour later someone knocked.
“Hey, sorry for interrupting. I’m Josh, another assistant of Mrs. Delancour.”
“Oh, nice to meet you, Josh. And I’m….”
“Megan, right? Eliana told me about you.”
“I hope she didn’t tell you anything bad.” I smiled at the guy. He looked like he was only a few years older than me. His eyes were green, contrasting with his tanned skin and dark-brown, almost black hair.
“You don’t look British,” I said.
“Well, yes, I’m half Spanish. I used to live in Barcelona, together with my parents. But since my father got a job here a few years ago, we had to move to London.”
“You don’t like living here, do you?”
“How did you know that?”
“No sane person would ever change sunny Spain for rainy Britain. At least not willingly.”
He laughed. “True. Okay, I’m not going to take any more of your time, but I would gladly talk to you later. How about having lunch together?”
“Sure.”
“Great.”
Josh left, and I leaned back against the back of my chair, sighing. Something was definitely wrong with me if I agreed to have lunch with a guy I barely knew without hesitation. Or maybe it was some stupid protective reaction of my hurt ego? Anyway, I didn’t have much time to think about that, as I still had work to finish.
Some time later I got a message from Angeline. She and Jessie were going to London for the weekend, and they wanted to see me. It was also the weekend of my graduation ball. That’s why I said I would find two more invitations to take my friends with me.
I wasn’t going to let my feelings and worries take control over me and ruin my life; I was stronger than that, and no Aiden Murphy could take it away from me.
Chapter 22
Aiden
My Monday morning started with an awful headache. Usually people called it a hangover, but I preferred not to think about the amount of alcohol swirling in my blood. Last night was a mistake … one of many I’d made since last Sunday.
My brain refused to think, let alone work or make any serious decisions. I asked my secretary to make a cup of very strong coffee for me, and went to my office. I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, closing my eyes. Even though I was wearing sunglasses, the colors of my surroundings still seemed to be too bright and annoying.
A stack of unsigned papers was on my desk, but I didn’t have the slightest desire to read them. I looked through my schedule for the day and breathed a sigh of relief — no important meetings planned.
“Your coffee, Sir,” Shelli said, entering the office two minutes later.
“You are my rescuer, Dear.” I took a sip of what tasted like the best coffee ever and forced a smile, trying to seem polite. “Don’t put me through to anyone. I need ten minutes to make an urgent call.”
“Anything else, Sir?”
“No, thanks Shelli. I will let you know if I need you.”
My secretary’s best quality was her unobtrusiveness. Shelli was one of those women who did her job perfectly well and never asked any unnecessary questions. She was married and had two kids, about nine and fourteen years old. We had already been working together for five years, and that was the longest of my relationships with women.
I sighed and cursed mentally. Women … they never brought anything but troubles into my life. And the last example wasn’t an exception. Megan….
There wasn’t a minute that I stopped thinking about her. Every damn thing around me reminded me of her. Since the moment I saw her and Jeff kissing, my mind couldn’t get rid of that picture. I kept recalling it, again and again. And no matter how much I drank to make my stupid mind shut up, nothing helped. That’s why I felt like a walking zombie today, and it was Megan’s fault.
I didn’t know what happened after I left, but Owen kept calling me every hour or so, making me regret being his best friend and employer. The only thing that saved me from a long talk with him was his honeymoon that wasn’t going to end any time soon.
I finished my coffee, and when I thought it was just about time to start working, my father called.
“Hi, Dad. How are you?”
“Not good, son. The pain in my back is getting worse, and I think I will have to go to hospital for treatment.”
“Oh, no. I’m so sorry to hear that. Does Mom know?”
“Yes, I called her last night, and she said she would be home by tonight.”
My mother and her sister Andrea, my aunt, were the owners of an art gallery in Paris, and that’s why sometimes my father had to spend weekends alone. Mom had been a business woman for as long as I could remember. But that fact never affected her relationship with my father. They were still crazy in love with each other.
“Do you think you will be able to replace me at the meeting next week?” my father asked.
“What meeting?”
“In one of our London’s branches.”
“Sure, no problems,” I said, a second before my mind realized the irony of the situation. I was going to London — the last place in the world I wanted to be now.
“Is everything all right, son? You sound exhausted.”
This is not the word, I thought to myself, before saying, “It’s just the wedding. It almost finished me off.” I rubbed the bridge of my nose tiredly.
“Why don’t you go to Cheddar? It’s beautiful there at this time of the year.”
No freaking way …
“I don’t think it’s a good idea. I was there a few days ago, and I think I have had enough of that place for the rest of my life.”
“Oh, well … then go somewhere else. I’m sure our company will be fine if you take a vacation.”
“I will think about it, Dad. Maybe you are right, and I really need to take a vacation.” Or maybe it was the last thing I needed right now. Work had always been the best distraction. So I doubted I would be able to stop working any time soon. Apparently the wound I needed to heal was bigger than my heart expected.
The red light flashed on my phone.
“Yes, what happened, Shelli?”
“Miss Annabel is here to see you.”
Oh, God … not now!
“Do you want me to tell her that you are busy?”
Yes, that would be great, but….
“No, please let her in.”
“Hey, Sweetheart!” Annabel sang in her usual sweet manner.
“Hi,” I replied icily, not even bothering myself with her reaction to my words. She hated people who didn’t like her. And I hated what she did to my friend. So there was no way our relationship with her would ever be the same.
“What’s wrong with the mood?” she asked, taking a seat at the small sofa near the window. As always the length of her skirt left much to be desired. I could hardly call it a skirt. It looked more like a belt.
I crossed my arms, watching her. “Why did you do that?”
“Do what?”
> “Do you really think that you can come here as if nothing has ever happened?”
“I don’t understand….”
“Uh, please, Annabel. This is not funny at all. You almost ruined Owen’s wedding!”
“Almost is the key word here,” she said irritably, and I couldn’t believe we were actually discussing the topic.
“Okay, you know what? I’m sick and tired of everything you do. So would you be so kind as to leave my office and never come here again?”
“But, Aiden, we’ve been friends since childhood! You can’t just kick me out of here!”
“I can, and I will.” I pushed one of the buttons on the phone, saying, “Shelli, would you please accompany my guest to the exit?”
Annabel shot me a murderous look. “It’s not just about what I did, is it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Is it about Owen’s sister? Megan, right?”
My jaw tightened. “What about her?”
“You have a crush on her. I could see that from the very first moment I saw you two together.”
“It’s none of your business.”
“What did she do to make you so angry?”
“It’s time for you to leave, Annabel.”
She smirked, going slowly to the door. “No one is perfect, Aiden. And neither is she.”
No shit?
“I’ll remember that,” I muttered after her.
Two hours later I was still freaking angry, and not even work could help me switch my thoughts from Megan. Annabel was right, she managed to get too deep under my skin, and I didn’t know what to do to make myself feel better.
And that was when Owen called. Again.
I looked at his number, hesitating for a few moments, before I picked up the phone, ready to hear whatever he was going to tell me.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Where the hell have you been for the last two days?”
“I’m glad to hear from you too. I thought you were too busy enjoying your honeymoon.”
