Chapter 17 - Aiden
A iden looked at his phone. It was late, but he was two hours ahead of his little sister Lauren, who lived in Portland, so he shot off a text.
Aiden: Hey Laur, I have a friend who just moved back from Seattle coming over tomorrow morning for brunch. What music should I play?
Laur: What kind of friend?
Aiden: A women
Laur: Who?
Aiden: Doesn’t matter, you don’t know her
Laur: Tell me anyway
Aiden: Why, so you can tell mom?
Laur: As if! So I can tell Ethan.
Aiden: Well, her name is Olivia.
Laur: Seriously?! Tell me this isn’t the same Olivia that Ethan went on a date with. What’s wrong with you? What happened to bro code?
Aiden: Hey. I was the one who went to high school with her, and besides, Ethan said the date only lasted five minutes.
Laur: Fiiiiiine. But I need more details. Set the scene so I can get the vibe right.
Aiden: Brunch, at the cabin, eggs benedict, sitting on the dock, tomorrow morning
Laur: You’re cooking eggs bene on that shitty little stove, huh?
Aiden didn’t respond, waiting for her to come through for him.
Laur: Alright, play the album, “Hello Love” by the Be Good Tanyas, BUT don’t push play until you see her pull up. The first song will be critical for setting the vibe! Trust.
Aiden smiled and shook his head. “Trust.” He always did when it came to Lauren’s music choices. She’d introduced him to all his favorite bands as soon as she was old enough to peruse YouTube music videos. As soon as he’d left home for college, she sent him weekly emails with music links, and her tastes ranged broadly from classic rock to folk to hip hop.
Aiden: Always. Thanks little one.
Laur: And don’t eat inside the cabin. It’s creepy as fuck in there with all those eyes looking at you.
He laughed and looked around the room filled with Minnesota hunting trophies–taxidermied ducks, pheasant, and deer heads covered most wall surfaces. Shaking his head, he opened his phone to preview Lauren’s recommendation. He had to admit the music was pretty perfect. He fell asleep to the vocalist's sultry vibrato, looking forward to the alone time he would have with Olivia in a few hours.