An age gap love story.
A brokenhearted billionaire.
A college girl.
*****
"Nevaeh," Aiden whispers, "can I rest my head on your shoulder?"
I nod, letting him rest his head on my shoulder. He closes his eyes.
"Thank you." He sighs in contentment. "...
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Seeing Aiden coming to this house again fills my heart with a lot of emotions.
I feel happy. Grateful. Nervous. Scared. Angry at my dad. All of these feelings are mixed up and create chaos in my mind, but I would never choose any other way.
I want to be with Aiden, and I'm glad that he's here again even though he has to face Dad's wrath.
I want to hug Aiden, kiss him, and tell him how much I love him, but I don't want to ruin another day. I have to take things slow.
Yesterday, I was overwhelmed with my emotions that I didn't think clearly. I was panicking. I was scared that Aiden would disappear from my life again just after we got back together, which still felt like a dream. I didn't want to think about how my parents would feel and how Dad would react. I was just...rebelling.
I've learned my lesson. Not again. No more panicking. I have to be patient.
Mom is willing to try to get to know Aiden, and hopefully, Dad will be too. I know that it seems impossible now, but sooner or later, if Dad can just open his heart and see that Aiden and I love each other, he'll realize that we belong together.
While I'm preparing the table for the barbeque party and talking with my family, I notice that Aiden is watching me. I know from his expression that he misses me too, so I give him a warm smile. The way he stares at me never fails to create butterflies in my tummy.
Mom asks me to share the food with the neighbors who live across the street -- an elderly woman and her little grandson. Mrs. Richards has always been kind to our family too, so I'm more than happy to visit her house to give them the food.
After taking the box from Mom, I approach Aiden. "I'll be back shortly. I'm just going to give this food to my neighbors. They live across the street."
Aiden smiles. "Okay."
I start walking toward the gate, and when I glance back at him, he's still watching me. I smile softly at him and return my attention to the gate, which is then opened by the guard.
The sight of Aiden I saw just now fills my heart with gratitude because he'd never looked that happy before. Even though he still has to face another challenge of winning my family, Aiden looks happy. It's glinting in his eyes.
Aiden Klein is no longer a broken man who's haunted by his past. The future we hold together will be filled with more happiness. I'll make sure that he'll never have to feel such pain again.
I'm in the middle of crossing the street when I suddenly stumble and drop the box in my hand. Shit.
When I look down, I notice that one of my flip-flop straps has been detached from the sole. No wonder. These flip-flops are old, yet I keep wearing them because they're my favorites.
I bend down on one knee, picking the box and trying to fix the strap of my flip-flop. There's an alarming noise coming from somewhere in the distance, but I don't really pay attention because I'm too focused on what I'm doing. I can't walk in these flip-flops with one of the straps broken. I may just opt to walk bare feet if I can't fix it now.
