Meant To Be Yours #Wattys2016 [COMPLETED]

CHAPTER SIX: THE REUNION

There she was! Jennifer Avery Calhoun. Aidan stood transfixed at he watched her looking as beautiful as ever. More beautiful than he remembered. Memories buried deep inside his heart came back to haunt him.

Jennifer had been a friend to him as well until he had found out that she had a crush on him. It had triggered some emotions in him in turn and he had proposed to her on an impulse. But when she had said yes, he had been thrilled and had kissed her on the spot. He had to swallow at the bout of emotions engulfing him and the anger coming back to take possession of his mind blinding him to every fact.

Determined not to be swayed by her beauty, Aidan controlled his emotions. That was the woman who had humiliated him; betrayed him and left him without any apology and he was still reacting to her. Not physically as such but his damned heart still constricted at the sight of her. Was he doomed to feel so much for the one who had betrayed him? Would he ever get over his dark past?

Jennifer had not seen him yet and was busy smiling and greeting Kate’s family. Kate and Connor was nowhere to be found; something not very uncommon the past two days ever since he had related to Kate about the past. And it enraged him to know that Kate was spending more time with Connor than with him. It only meant one thing; Kate was siding with Connor and he wondered what kind of lies he had woven to dupe Kate. But why should he care? Now that Jennifer was here, he could have his revenge like he had planned initially.

“Jennifer,” he greeted as he reached her from behind and watched as she spun round in surprise and her eyes met his. And what he saw there was not what he had been expecting. What had he been expecting? A challenge maybe? Rebellion? Or even indifference. But instead, he saw guilt and a kindness which threw him off balance.

“Aidan,” she greeted him back making a move to hug him and he had to clench his jaw at the unexpected attitude of Jennifer. Hell, he had not been expecting that! When the only explanation he had gotten from her had been cold silence, he had assumed that she no longer loved him or cared about how he was feeling.

Unwillingly, he gave her a reluctant hug pretending like nothing was wrong and inhaled her scent deeply. It was nothing like he remembered. How weird. He could hardly say anything impolite to her with the Thorntons looking at them expectantly, all the Thorntons except for Kate. Where the hell was she anyway?

“Let me show you your room,” Mrs. Thornton offered her new guest politely while Jade took her luggage from her.

“Aidan…” Jennifer began uncertainly and he had no wish to talk to her; at least not in front of the whole family.

Dismissing her rudely, he asked the question which had been tormenting him ever since he had come down for breakfast. “Where’s Kate, Mrs. Thornton?” he queried looking in the direction of Kate’s mother and missed the expression on Jennifer’s face.

“Oh I forgot to tell you. She’s out with Ryce for her dress fixing and had asked me not to disturb you since you were still sleeping.”

Great! And now he was stuck alone with Jennifer. For some reasons unknown to him, he was unwilling to clear things between them. When she had not shown up for the past two days, he had assumed that she would not make it.

Now that she finally was here, he felt confused. Not about his feelings for her. He knew he still loved her and that was why he had been so angry by the betrayal. And after the way he had reacted to her it was clear that he still felt something for her. They had not dated long back then. Only three months. It had been too early for him to sleep with her since he always waited for at least six months of a steady relationship before taking the leap. Of course everything had changed after his graduation party. His ladies now he took them on the first night and made it the last.