Falling for Aiden

by Allie Everhart

  "Let's keep going," Aiden says, slowly walking again.

  "Aiden, we're not—" I stop, not sure how to word what I'm thinking. I shouldn't be talking at all right now, given how much I've had to drink.

  "Look at this one." He nods to the window to our right. It's decorated with pumpkins of all sizes and colors and has a scarecrow sitting on a hay bale. "I always wanted to get pumpkins when I was a kid but my parents didn't allow them in the house. They worried they'd rot and start to smell."

  "Couldn't you put them outside?"

  "My mom didn't want to mess with having to get rid of them after Halloween. The condo had limited garbage space."

  "So you never got pumpkins?"

  "We had a plastic one we put out every year."

  "We had tons of pumpkins. One of my friends had a farm with a pumpkin patch. She'd let me come over and take as many as I wanted. Our house has a wraparound porch and my mom and I would decorate it with pumpkins and cornstalks every fall. She still does."

  "I would've loved that."

  I smile at him. "Maybe you should've grown up in Kansas."

  We continue down the street, my arm wrapped around his, and for a moment I pretend he's single and we're on a date. I realize I shouldn't be thinking that and quickly wipe it from my mind.

  "Let's walk back on the other side," Aiden says, leading me across the street.

  We pass a coffee shop that has pumpkins piled up in a wagon and bright yellow mums popping out of windowsill pots.

  "What a nice little town," I say with a sigh. "I almost don't want to go back."

  "I know what you mean," Aiden says, his voice drifting off as he gazes down the street.

  We walk in silence on the way back to the inn. When we're almost there, Aiden stops and turns to me. "Thank you for tonight. I know you wanted to stay in your room and work but I'm glad you didn't."

  "I am too," I say, looking up at his eyes.

  He softly smiles. "I think it's safe to say we're no longer strangers. Any chance you'd do that hike with me tomorrow?"

  I don't answer, my tipsy brain lost in the fantasy of what it'd be like to date a guy like Aiden. We had such a great time tonight. And he's so damn handsome. I just want to keep looking at him.

  "You want to let me know in the morning?" he asks.

  "Oh, um,..." I blink a few times, waking my brain back to reality. "Yeah. I'll let you know."

  He nods, then turns and continues to the inn. I remain where I'm at, feeling dizzy and a little sick.

  "Aiden?"

  He turns back. "Yeah?"

  I was going to ask for his help but decide to go it alone. I take a step and the dizziness returns, making me trip. I feel my body heading to the ground just as Aiden's arms go under me, lifting me back up.

  "You okay?" he asks.

  "Yeah. Just dizzy." I rub my head. "I drank way too much. I wish Tom hadn't brought us that wine."

  "I'll get you back to your room. You'll feel better once you sleep it off." He puts his arm out. "Grab on."

  I take his arm and we slowly walk into the inn. Tom is standing at the check-in desk, a big grin on his face.

  "What'd you think?" he asks.

  "It was beautiful," I say, trying to smile but it's hard when I'm feeling like I might get sick.

  "Thanks for the suggestion," Aiden says.

  "You're welcome," Tom says, watching us as we go past. "Everything okay?"

  "She's just a little tired," Aiden says. "We'll see you tomorrow, Tom."

  Aiden helps me up the stairs, then down the hall to my room.

  "Need help with the key?" he asks.

  "I can do it," I say, getting the key from my pocket. The sick feeling has passed but now I'm really tired. I lean back against the door. "I'm glad I went out tonight. I needed a break."

  "I did too." He smiles and puts his hand on my shoulder. "You sure you're okay?"

  "I'm fine. I'm already feeling better."

  He remains in front of me, his eyes on mine. My pulse races as I wonder why he's not leaving. I don't want him to leave, but he needs to. He's not mine. He belongs to someone else.

  As if he read my thoughts, he slowly backs away. "You have my number so just call if you need me. My room's at the end of the hall."

  "Thanks," I say, not able to tear my eyes from his. I stand up, resting my hand on his chest to steady myself. "I had a nice time tonight."

  "Me too."

  He slowly leans down to me and my pulse quickens even more. He's going to kiss me. I didn't think he would but here it comes. I close my eyes, waiting for it, knowing I should stop him but drunk Sophie won't let me. She has a mind of her own.

  "Go ahead," he says.

  My eyes pop open and I see him standing up straight now, holding my key in his hand. He unlocked my door. That's why he was leaning down. He wasn't trying to kiss me. He was taking my key from my hand and reaching behind me to open the door.

  "Goodnight, Sophie," he says, handing me the key.

  "Goodnight." I watch as he goes down the hall.

  I go inside my room and lean against the door, letting my heart rate return to normal. I thought for sure he was going to kiss me, but Aiden wouldn't do that. He wouldn't cheat on his girlfriend. He had the chance to, but he didn't take it. Knowing that makes me like him even more.

  In the morning I wake up to a pounding headache and a sick stomach. I call Aiden and tell him I can't go hiking with him. I tell him it's because I don't feel good but that's only part of the reason. The other part is because I have feelings for him. Feelings I shouldn't have for a guy who has a girlfriend. It's best if I just leave and try to forget this weekend ever happened.

  "Checking out already?" Tom asks when he sees me coming down the stairs with my bag. I wasn't supposed to leave until tomorrow but going back early will show Bianca how committed I am to my job, which will put me one step closer to that promotion.

  "I need to get back to New York. My boss wants to meet about an event we have coming up."

  "On a Saturday?" He shakes his head. "You city folks need to learn how to relax."

  I smile. "I don't see that happening anytime soon." I hand him the key.

  He leans toward me, lowering his voice. "Normally I'd have to charge you for cancelling this late but I'm going to just forget about it. How's that sound?" He winks.

  I sigh in relief. "Thank you. You have no idea how grateful I am. I fully expected to pay so this is a nice surprise."

  "How was your stay? Better than last time?"

  "Much. No boyfriend to fight with."

  He chuckles. "You two just weren't a good match. I always say you know when you know."

  "Meaning what?"

  "If you're a match, you'll know right away. All this nonsense about taking weeks or months to figure it out is a waste of time. If someone's right for you, you'll know it right off the bat."

  "I'm not sure I believe that."

  "Because you're listening to all those people saying you have to wait before deciding if you like someone."

  "If you don't take time to get to know the person, how do you know if you really like them?"

  "You listen to your heart. It's as simple as that." He walks over to the printer to get my receipt. "You ever feel your heart going crazy, pay attention. The person you're with might just be the one for you." He hands me the receipt. "And it's not always what you're expecting."

  "I don't understand."

  "When you meet the person, you may mistake love for hate. Either one can get your heart going."

  I laugh. "How do you know this?"

  "Lois. When we first met, the woman hated me. Said I was immature. Lazy. Couldn't pay attention. All true, by the way, but hey, I was seventeen. I was just a kid."

  "So how'd you win her over?"

  "By being persistent. I knew there was something between us. She did too. We both felt it. Our hearts went crazy whenever we were around each other. She assumed it was anger. She kept telling me to get lost and
I kept showing up, which angered her even more."

  "But she married you."

  "Because she figured out she couldn't live without me. When I quit working here at the inn to help my dad on the farm, Lois realized she missed me. She went out with some other boys and her heart did nothing. Didn't even skip a beat. She came and found me on the farm, gave me a basket of her homemade rolls and strawberry jam, and told me she couldn't stand me."

  "What? I'm confused."

  He laughs. "That was her way of saying she loved me. After she said it, she kissed me like no girl ever had." He blows out a breath. "Let me tell you, it was a scorcher. And the rest is history."

  "I'm not sure it works that way anymore."

  "Sure it does." He lowers his voice. "You seemed pretty ornery when a certain young man showed up here yesterday."

  "Because his carelessness almost caused a huge accident. And now I have to appear in court."

  "But you admit it was an accident."

  "Yes, but I was still furious. If he had just rolled up his window we wouldn't be having to go to court." I feel my pulse quicken just thinking about it, seeing Aiden getting out of his car, acting all cool and collected like it was no big deal.

  Tom's smiling at me.

  "What?" I say. "It doesn't mean anything. Anyone would be mad if someone did that."

  "Just think about it." He winks at me. "Have a good trip back."

  "Thanks." I walk off.

  "See you again soon," he calls after me.

  What does he mean? I'm not coming back here.

  As I'm walking out I realize I am coming back. I have to come back for court and this is the only place to stay, unless I want to drive twenty miles to the next town.

  Now I'm getting angry again. In a few weeks I have to rent a car and drive here again and I'll probably have to spend the night, which means spending even more money I don't have.

  Damn Aiden and his carelessness. I like the guy but I don't like the situation he's put me in. As I walk to the car my heart beats faster, and it's not because of Aiden. He's just some guy I met who is going to end up costing me a fortune and making me miss another day of work.

  On the drive back to New York I try to forget about him and this whole disaster of a weekend. But no matter how hard I try, I can't get that man out of my head.

  Chapter Six

  Aiden

  It's been two weeks since I saw Sophie. She took off the next morning so I never got a chance to tell her goodbye. I've called her and sent her a few texts but haven't heard back from her. I wish she'd at least tell me she made it home okay.

  "Hey, man." Pete sits next to me at the bar. "Sorry I'm late."

  "Don't worry about it. I haven't been here long."

  Pete's one of my friends from back home in Boston. He moved here last year for a job at a biking magazine. He shares my love of the outdoors. We've gone on several weekend bike trips in and around New England, including one that took us through Vermont and the town with The Maple Farm Inn. Pete and I stopped for lunch in the tiny downtown and I overheard some of the locals saying the inn might go up for sale. My boss has been looking to buy properties in New England so I told him about the place and that's how I ended up there the weekend I met Sophie.

  "I'll have the usual," Pete says to the bartender.

  We have a few different bars we meet up at but this one's our favorite. It's kind of a dive but that's why we like it. The atmosphere is relaxed, not pretentious like the upscale trendy bars Celine makes me go to.

  "Still haven't heard from her?" Pete asks, noticing me staring at my phone.

  I set it down. "No. I doubt that I will. She hasn't returned any of my messages."

  "I'm sure she's fine." He takes his beer from the bartender. "Thanks."

  "I just wish I knew for sure. Not hearing from her makes me think something happened."

  "Did you say you'd stay in touch?"

  "No, but all I'm asking for is a text back, telling me she's okay."

  He turns to me. "What's the deal with you and this girl? Why are you so obsessed with her?"

  "I'm not obsessed with her."

  "Every time I see you I hear about this girl. And you're always checking your phone to see if she called. Does Celine know about her?"

  "Yes. I told her the night I got back."

  "Did you tell her you had dinner with this girl?"

  "Yes, and she was fine with it. Why wouldn't she be? It was just dinner, and it was with a woman I barely know."

  "And yet you're obsessed with her."

  "Stop saying that. I'm not obsessed with her."

  "What exactly happened that night?" He pauses. "Did you have sex with her?"

  "No! What the hell? I wouldn't do that to Celine."

  "Did you kiss her?"

  "No," I say, looking him in the eye. "What the fuck, man? You know that's not me."

  "I'm just trying to figure out what's going on here. Why you can't just forget about this girl."

  He's right. Why am I doing this? Why do I keep thinking about her? Why can't I get her out of my head?

  I let out a sigh. "I don't know. I guess I just never hit it off with someone like that before. She was easy to talk to and I found myself opening up to her in a way I normally don't do. I even told her about wanting to take over the inn in Maine."

  "No shit? You won't even tell your parents that."

  "Because they'd think I was crazy. It doesn't matter. The place is long gone."

  "Why'd you tell this girl about it?"

  "I'm not sure. Maybe because she didn't know me. She didn't have expectations about me. I could tell her anything and it wouldn't matter."

  "Shit, man," he says, shaking his head. "You gotta to stop texting this girl. You're on a slippery slope. Once you start opening to a girl, other things start happening."

  "I'm not going to cheat on Celine. Sophie is just a friend."

  Pete takes a drink of his beer. "What else happened that night?"

  "I already told you. We had a few drinks at the bar and then had dinner."

  "And that was it? You went back to your rooms?"

  I consider whether to tell him what else happened, knowing he'll give me shit about it but needing to get if off my chest.

  "What'd you do?" he asks with a sigh.

  "We um...we went for a walk."

  "At night?"

  "It was just after seven. It wasn't that late. The owner, Tom, and his wife, insisted we walk down the street and check out the lights in the downtown. You remember that place, don't you? We had lunch there."

  "I barely remember. All those little towns in Vermont look the same."

  "Anyway, at night the downtown shops light up their windows with white Christmas lights. It really was pretty. Sophie loved it."

  "And? Then what happened?"

  "We walked back to the inn and I walked her to her room."

  "But you didn't go inside."

  "No. She had too much to drink and wasn't feel great so I helped her to her room and that was it."

  He eyes me. "Why do I get the feeling there's more?"

  I take a big gulp of my beer.

  "What else happened?" Pete asks. "Lay it all out. It's just between you and me."

  I set my beer down and shake my head. "I didn't intend for it to happen."

  "Shit, you slept with her, didn't you?"

  "No, but I almost kissed her. To be fair, I'd had a lot to drink, but I was sober enough to know what I was doing. We'd had such a great night, probably the best night I've ever had with a girl, and she looked so damn beautiful. Deep brown eyes. Silky brown hair. Beautiful smile. It's like her face has this light to it. I can't even explain it other than to say I couldn't look away. I didn't want her to go."

  "What the hell, man?" Pete practically spits out the beer he was drinking. "You freaking like this girl, and definitely not in the friend way. Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

  "Because I didn't want it to be true. I've been dat
ing Celine for a year. Then I go to Vermont and meet this girl and now I don't know what's happening. I don't know why I can't stop thinking about her."

  "You've gotta just forget about her. She obviously doesn't feel the same way, and you're with Celine."

  "I think that's about to end," I say, swigging my beer. "I'll have another," I tell the bartender.

  Pete's eyes widen. "You're breaking up with Celine? Are you serious?"

  "I don't see a future with her. We hardly have anything in common and we don't have fun together anymore. Honestly, I've never really had fun with her. She's always so serious. She can't relax."

  "Dude." He puts his hand on my shoulder. "Think about this. You give up Celine, you lose your job. Your car. Your future at a company that could be yours someday."

  "I know all that, but I can't be with someone I don't love."

  "You don't love her?" Pete drops his hand from my shoulder. "Is this because of Sophie?"

  I pick up the beer the bartender dropped off and take a drink. "It isn't about Sophie. I was feeling this way even before I met Sophie. Celine and I just aren't right for each other. I kept telling myself I was only feeling that way because she kept pressuring me to get married. Like I was looking for excuses not to, but that's not what it was. And yes, it took meeting Sophie for me to finally put that together."

  "Put what together?"

  "That Celine and I just don't work. I can't even talk to her without her interrupting, like whatever I'm saying doesn't matter."

  "That's just Celine. She's like that with everyone."

  "But it should be different with me. If we're in love and talking about getting married, I should be able to tell her things without her constantly interrupting me. I listen to her for hours and yet I can't get even get her attention for a few minutes. And she refuses to do anything outside of New York. She won't even go to Boston with me to see my parents. They had to come here to meet her."

  "What about your job? Are you seriously willing to give that up just because you're having problems with Celine? Why don't you guys try couple therapy? It worked for my brother and his wife."

  "Therapy can't fix this. Celine isn't going to change and I don't expect her to. She is who she is, and I knew that when I met her. But I've realized she's not the type of girl I want. I need someone I can talk to. Someone who likes the same things I do."