by Diana Nixon
“Hello, Josseline,” I greeted our secretary. “Did Mr. Murphy tell you anything about me?”
“Yes, he stopped by earlier today to sign some papers, and he said you were going to leave the company. He also left his permission for your resignation. Here.” She gave me a piece of paper that felt like the heaviest thing ever. I nodded wordlessly, and went to my soon-to-be-someone-else’s office.
My heart missed a beat when I stopped at Aiden’s table. There were a few pictures of his family and friends standing near the computer. One of them was of him and Owen somewhere in the mountains; another one was taken at the barbeque before my brother’s wedding, with him and Mary smiling happily into the camera. And the last photo I saw was a picture of Aiden and me, taken during our trip to Cheddar Gorge. My eyes were focused on the camera, but Aiden’s … they were looking at me with all the love and adoration I had always been dreaming of to see in the eyes of the man I loved.
Every part of me wanted to scream. I felt like I was falling apart, and the longer I stayed at the office, the more painful the decision to leave had become.
I looked one last time at the picture I was still holding in my hands, then I signed the papers that relieved me of my duties, and left them on Aiden’s table, right near the picture I was sure I would remember forever….
Chapter 28
Aiden
I couldn’t believe she left. Until the last minute I was sure she would change her mind. I was in the boardroom when my secretary brought the papers, signed by Megan.
“Thanks,” I said, staring at her signature. Did she hesitate at least for a second before signing the form? Did she really hate me so much?
I knew I was the very idiot who messed up everything, but everyone deserved a second chance, right? Well, apparently Megan had a different opinion….
My days turned into something that I would have never imagined to become a part of my life — a routine. I went to work, then I came back home, ordered some food, went to bed, and even fell asleep if luck smiled at me. But most of my nights I spent staring blankly at the glass ceiling over my bed. I had finally found an apartment not far away from where Megan lived. Even though I wouldn’t like to admit it, I was still obsessed with her. But in this case luck wasn’t on my side. The owner of the house where she rented an apartment said she left, and the woman didn’t know anything about the date of her return. But as far as I knew, Megan was still paying for it, which meant that sooner or later she was going to come back home.
I tried to ask Owen about his sister, but he refused to tell me where she was.
“Give her some time to calm down,” he said. “Don’t rush things. Megan isn’t an evil-minded person, but you hurt her, and now it’s your turn to suffer. Though I’m sure that makes two of you.”
“Well, thanks, friend. But it would really help if I knew where to find her.”
“No. It wouldn’t help, Aiden. And you know why?”
“Go ahead, hit me with your best sarcasm.”
Owen laughed. “Sarcasm is what you usually use to impress people. I use rational thinking. It’s more effective.”
“And that means?”
“That she’s not ready to see you.”
“Uh, I have already figured that much.”
“Be patient. She will talk to you when the right time comes.”
“Let’s hope I will still be alive when it happens.”
Most of my conversations with Owen ended with nothing. But his rational speeches were one of those things that still made me hope for the best.
Once or twice I went to Bristol, just to cheer myself up and feel alive again. It doesn’t mean that I slept with every woman I saw, no, but I did have a few meaningless ‘meetings’. Though no other woman but Megan was on my mind, and every time I had sex with someone else, my eyes were still seeing her.
One day Owen and I met in London. He came to the meeting with our partners from France, and we talked for a few minutes between negotiations.
“So how have you been doing?” he asked casually. It was a very strange way for Owen to start a conversation. He always got straight down to business.
“What happened?” I asked cautiously.
“Nothing.”
“Come on, Owen. Stop fooling me.”
“Are you dating someone?”
“No.”
“Are you still waiting for Megan to come back to you?”
“Maybe. Why?”
“Just curious.” He shrugged, sipping his tea.
“Did you talk to her? What did she say? Is she seeing someone?”
“Slow down, man. Yes, I did talk to her a few hours ago.”
“And?”
“And she’s coming back in two weeks.”
“From where?”
“Nah, not going to buy it, Aiden. I know the moment I tell you where she is, you will forget about everything and run after her.”
I smirked. “Okay, maybe you are right. What else did she tell you?”
Owen looked at me, hesitating.
“Just spit it out!”
“She met someone.”
“Like?”
“Like she has a boyfriend now.”
Okay, that was kind of … unexpected.
No, scratch that. It was like a splash of cold water in the middle of December. Though it was only the middle of August outside, I could still feel the shivers running up and down my spine.
“Good,” finally I said, coming up to the window. “Did she … um, sound happy?”
“Yeah, I think so. But….”
“What? Is there more than that?”
“Mary didn’t want me to tell you, but I think you need to know … well, the guy she’s dating proposed.”
I froze, speechless. She hasn’t been to London for how long? Two months? And she has already found a husband?
I laughed nervously. “Unbelievable!”
“I shouldn’t have told you that.”
“No, it’s okay. I would have found out the truth sooner or later.
The view outside the window suddenly blurred. I think I missed the rest of Owen’s rambling speech, because all I could think about was Megan’s upcoming wedding.
I remembered our talk back on the Peterson’s farm and her words about the beach wedding. My heart sank….
“Do you know where the wedding will take place?”
“At St. Paul’s. Why?”
“You mean here, in London?”
“Yes.”
“Is the future husband a prince or something?”
“All I know about him is that his family is a textile manufacturer.”
“How very promising,” I muttered. My blood was boiling slowly, and I didn’t know if I would be able to make it to the end of today’s negotiations. I felt like I needed to punch something. Or better, someone. And Mr. Soon-to-be-a-husband would be a perfect candidate for that.
“Listen, Aiden. I know you still feel something for her….”
“I love her! I still fucking love her! And it’s not just something, Owen. You know me well enough to realize how much these words mean to me. And your stubborn sister never gave me a chance to right the wrong! And you know what? I’m not going to watch her suffer for the rest of her life. I need to make her change her mind. And you are going to help me.”
“Oookaaay,” Owen said slowly, watching me cautiously. Did he think I would punch him if he didn’t agree to play for my team? Well, anything was possible. “Why do you think she’s going to suffer?”
“You of all people should know that a St. Paul’s wedding is not what your sister has been dreaming about.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I was shameless enough to dig deeper, and see a part of her soul that no one had ever seen. And what I saw there, makes me think that I’m absolutely right.”
“And how are you going to make her change her mind?”
“First of all, you need to tell me where she is.”
&nbs
p; “No, Aiden. I’m your friend, and I understand your reasons, but….”
“The hell you do! Just tell me where she is, Owen. Or I swear I will never talk to you again; not in this life, not in my afterlife.”
Owen smiled, shaking his head. “I don’t believe you. We work in the same company and admit it, it would seem kind of strange if we stop talking to each other.”
“Whatever. I will keep my word.”
“Okay. You sure what you want to do will make her happy? ‘Cause this is the only thing that matters when it comes to my sister.”
“I’ll try my best.”
“No. You should try better than your best, Aiden. Otherwise she will kill you. And if you mess it up again, I will help her.”
“Enough talking. Where’s Megan?” I couldn’t wait to make my plan come true, and I’m sure I had never been so determined to do anything. Well, hell, love can be a curse after all.
“I lied about two weeks. She will be in Axbridge by tomorrow night.”
“You are one hell of a friend to have, you know?” I said, heading for the door.
“The negotiations are not finished yet. Where are you going?”
“Sign everything for me. I need to do a few things. I’ll call you later!”
“Aiden!” Owen called after me.
But I was already running down the stairs. Waiting for the elevator felt too long.
First of all I needed to find a travel agency. I stopped at the one near my house and booked a tour to Maldives. I hoped Megan would like the beauty of its sea and beaches.
The next place I visited was a jewelry store. I knew that Megan didn’t like gold, that's why I bought a platinum ring, with a round, white diamond, and asked the owner of the store to engrave a few words on the inside.
“Perfect,” I said approvingly. I only hoped the ring wouldn’t end up lying at the bottom of the Indian Ocean.
Now I was ready to see Megan. But I knew she would never agree to talk to me, even though Owen said she would when she was ready. That’s why I made a plan on how to make her leave Axbridge and go to Maldives. I felt really sorry about the guy that still hoped to become her husband. I felt even a little guilty, but my own desire to be with Megan eclipsed everything else.
And so I called Owen and told him about my plan.
“This is crazy,” he said, laughing.
“But you like the idea, don’t you?”
“Well, I do like how it sounds, and I truly hope that Megan will forgive you for everything you’ve made her go through. When do you want me to give her the note?”
“She’s supposed to come to the airport at ten in the evening, so I think you need to give her the note at about eight. The less time she has to figure out what’s going on, the better.”
“Okay, I will do that,” Owen said.
“Thanks, man. I will owe you one forever.”
“Yes, you will.”
Owen wished me good luck, and I got back to my work — I needed to choose a wedding dress for Megan.
I knew she didn’t want anything fancy. I still had a picture of the dress I saw when Megan and I were looking for a dress for Owen’s wedding. I looked through a few dresses by different designers, when my eyes stopped at one almost identical to the dress from my picture.
“Are you sure you don’t want your bride to try it?” the lady from the shop asked.
“Trust me, I remember every curve of her body,” I said, smiling at her. She giggled, and went to pack the dress.
I also needed to gather up my courage. I was sure Megan would be pissed off about me ruining her wedding. But whoever her fiancé was, I knew he would never be better than me. And no matter how much Megan hated me, I was going to show her that the way from hate to love could take no more than just one kiss….
Chapter 29
Megan
Two months….
I haven’t been to Britain for two long months, and every moment from before was still flashing in front of my eyes. There was no place in the world where I could hide from my feelings for Aiden, and I knew that no matter what happened next, I would never be able to forget him.
And the next thing to happen was my wedding.
I met Richard, my fiancé, in Spain where I spent the last sixty days. He was there on business, and our romance (though I wasn’t even sure if that word was good enough to describe our relationship) started the moment we saw each other at one of Barcelona’s restaurants. Richard was British, well-mannered and intelligent. Maybe some would call him boring, but for me he was a man of stability. I knew he would never let me down, and I was sure as hell he would never hurt me, or leave me for someone else. I felt secure with him, which was the most important argument while thinking about his proposal.
He said he loved me, but somehow this time the words of love didn’t make my heart flutter. Was it a bad sign? I don’t know. I thought my love for him would come later, as I secretly hoped I would still be able to love someone other than Aiden. Right then and there marrying Richard felt right.
I knew Aiden would find out about the wedding, and I didn’t even ask Owen not to tell him about my plans. I didn’t know anything about his life, and frankly I was afraid to find out if he was seeing someone else. Not the best thing to think about a few days before the wedding, I know. But unfortunately we can’t make our heart stop loving someone, even if we know that this is what we need to do….
“Megan, Dear, are you there?” my mother called me from the hall. “We are waiting for you to come downstairs!”
“I’ll be ready in a minute,” I said, looking at my reflection in the mirror.
Tonight my family was supposed to meet Richard’s parents. He himself couldn’t be at the meeting, as he had some emergency at work. My brother and his wife were also here. They arrived a few minutes ago, and I couldn’t wait to hear what they thought about my spontaneous wedding. For my family and myself I needed to look happy, even if my heart was still bleeding. I couldn’t spend the rest of my life crying, and I hoped Richard would do his best to make me smile.
“Hey, Sis,” Owen said, entering my room.
“Hey.” I hugged him tightly. “Missed you.”
“Same here, Sunshine. So … are you ready for a new stage in your life?”
I took a deep breath, trying to force a smile. “I guess I am.”
“Good, because I have a surprise for you,” he said, giving me an envelope.
“What’s this?” I asked curiously.
“Open it, and follow the instructions, written inside.”
“Is this from Richard?”
“Just read the letter,” Owen said, before he left.
My fiancé liked surprising me, so when I started reading the letter, I realized that the new surprise was going to be interesting.
“Dear Megan,
Every second I spend without you feels like the worst torture ever. I want to fall asleep and wake up with you. Every single day, for the rest of my life….
Take the flight № 516. I’ll see you soon.
Love you”
I smiled, looking at the note. Maybe the man I was going to marry was able to eclipse what I felt for Aiden after all?
I read the note one more time, and called the airport to know more about the mentioned flight. As it turned out I needed to be there in less than thirty minutes, so I packed my bag in a hurry, and went downstairs where a taxi was waiting for me. I also wanted to say good-bye to Richard’s parents, but Owen said he would do that for me.
“Take care, Sis,” he said, hugging me. “Call me when you land, and say hi to your kidnapper.”
“I will,” I said, smiling, and then I got into the taxi and went to the airport.
“Miss Brawley?” someone called.
I turned around and saw a woman running up to me.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“I’ve got a letter for you.”
Another letter? Looks like Richard has thought about every small detail of my myste
rious adventure.
“Thanks,” I said, taking the envelope.
“Follow me, please,” the woman said. I nodded, took my bag and put the letter into my pocket to read it later.
I got aboard, and there were only a few more passengers traveling with me: two of them were speaking Spanish, and I thought it was weird, as Richard and I had just returned from Spain. I didn’t know where I was going to, as the lady from the airport said it was a surprise.
I remembered the letter in my pocket and thought it was just about time to read it. But this time there wasn’t anything but the name of the hotel I needed to go to and the number of the room reserved for me.
I didn’t have much time to rest after the flight from Spain, so when I heard about eleven more hours of traveling, I fell asleep, barely closing my eyes, and woke up only when the stewardess announced the landing.
“Welcome to Gan International Airport,” the voice from the speaker said. “We hope you will enjoy your time on Maldives.”
Maldives? No way … I was on the other side of the world!
Thank God, the airport employees could speak English, so I didn’t have any problems with finding the needed hotel. It turned out to be really beautiful; decorated in white, golden and blue colors.
After I checked in, I went to my room the windows of which opened right to the ocean and a snow-white beach.
I looked around the room and saw a package on the bed with another letter. This time it said the following:
“This dress is for you. Put it on and meet me at the beach in an hour.
P.S. Leave your hair down.”
I smiled at the words and opened the package.
First I froze, staring at the dress I saw there. It was the wedding dress of my dream: simple, floor-length, ivory and strapless. How did Richard know that I wanted a dress like that?
I put it on and went to the mirror.
“It’s perfect,” I said quietly, touching the soft fabric.
