Chapter 10
ten
. . .
Aidan
Melissa is a beautiful woman. She’s driven and committed to her work, she volunteers with a local food bank, and she has her shit together.
I’m not attracted to her, though. Maybe I’m broken. Maybe I’m not attracted to anyone after what my ex did.
“Hailey says you’re a hockey player,” she says over lunch at Olde Boston Public House. I’m torturing myself by bringing her here, considering I’ll be back here with Annie tonight, but this is my go-to blind date place. “What’s that like?”
How the hell do I answer that?
“I… play hockey? What’s it like being a pediatric oncologist?”
“Sad,” she blurts out. “But rewarding.”
With a grunt of acknowledgment, I let the conversation lapse into silence as I eat more of my meal. After hearing Annie wax poetic about this salad, I had to order it for myself, even though I usually prefer salmon for my protein source.
She’s right; it’s delicious.
I’m so fucking nervous to meet her tonight. More nervous than I was for this asinine blind date. And maybe that’s telling. I’m hoping beyond hope that Annie and I get along in person.
But what if we don’t? What if our seven years of friendship go up in a puff of smoke? What if I’m too weird for her? What if she’s looking for a way to sell a story?
I shake my head, and Melissa cocks hers.
“Everything okay?”
Clearing my throat, I pretend like everything’s fine, like my mind isn’t swirling faster than a roller coaster and my stomach isn’t tied into knots.
“Yep.”
“This isn’t working, is it?” Her voice is full of sorrow.
“I don’t want to waste your time,” I say truthfully. “Hailey thinks I need to get out more, but I…”
A wisp of caramel and bourbon floats past me, and I freeze. Blood rushes through my veins so fucking fast it makes me dizzy. I set my hand on the table to steady myself and accidentally touch the hip of a woman brushing past me.
She doesn’t glance back at me, but my gaze fixes on her back.
I’ve seen her before; I know I have. A deep red scarf weaves through her chocolate-brown waves like a headband, pulling her hair off her face.
It matches her berry-red lipstick. I watch, entranced, as she sits at a corner table and pulls a laptop from her backpack.
This is not a laptop type of bistro. It’s quiet and a little sultry. Very much a business lunch, not a working lunch vibe.
Melissa clears her throat, and I snap my attention back to my date.
“Sorry,” I mutter automatically.
“You’re not interested.”
It’s not a question.
“It’s… complicated.”
“Hung up on someone else?” There’s no judgment on her face, but my internal scorn eats at me.
How can I be hung up on someone I’ve never seen face-to-face? After seven years, we’re finally meeting. We live in the same fucking city. Hell, maybe we’ve met before. Maybe she’s here right this minute.
It’s fucking terrifying.
“Something like that.”
Melissa stands, dropping her napkin onto the table. “I wish you the best, Aidan,” she says quietly. “Hopefully, the two of you clear things up soon.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
Her smile is tinged with sadness. “I’ll see you around.”
Right. Because she’s friends with my sister.
My nod is tight. Jerky. She squeezes my shoulder as she moves past me, and I stare at my half-eaten plate unseeingly.
What am I doing?
My phone burns a hole in my pocket. I want to message Annie. Find out where her head’s at. Is she as nervous as I am? We’ve been friends for so long. What if we hate each other in person? I don’t think I could stand it.
Heaving a sigh, I lift my hand and catch the waiter’s eye for the check. I can’t be here. Not anymore. Maybe never again.