Vacant Heart

Chapter Thirty-Five

"Very clever," I hum pleasantly as Samantha relays her quick-thinking plan, the ultimate groveling gift—locating and coaxing Aidan Hughes to travel straight from California to Seattle to make it to my surprise birthday party—which he's unbelievably done, despite not even knowing it was my birthday.

Aidan is at my side, an untouched drink in his grip, and he chuckles at Samantha's drunken attempt to tell a coherent story. My mother is unusually quiet on my other side. In fact, everyone in the circle doesn't have much to say. Bradley's inward vibrations of anger are damn near close to projecting on all of us, and it's caused all lightheartedness to disappear.

Clearly, Aidan Hughes showing up with my mother in tow is really hard for him to swallow, and I don't blame him. I didn't do much to inform him of how serious it's become with the reluctant photographer, nor have I divulged the fact that my mother has fallen in love with another man for me.

She's been on the Bradley bandwagon for years, and now, she's noticeably attentive to my choice, to show me, more than anything I think, that she respects my decision.

Samantha turns to me, dangling her arms over my shoulders, only face level with me because of the massive stilettos on her no doubt swollen feet. "Are you happy? Are you surprised?" she asks, excitedly, hopping to shake me.

I nod, blushing awkwardly. "So surprised."

"When Aidan said he would come, I knew it would make your whole day. Mr. Hughes, you know you're dating a celebrity now? Right?"

He chuckles, admiring how uncomfortable I've become, unprepared for whatever word vomit she's about to produce.

"And you can meet us now. I've been pretty skeptical, I'm sure she's told you, but," she walks over to him, squinting her eyes right in front of his face, "you have a kind face. Do you know that?"

Oddly enough, in this embarrassing spectacle, he's calm and collected, enjoying her ranting. It's in this moment that I am so glad I haven't confided with her about anything serious regarding him. She'd tell the whole party. "I've heard that before."

"It's true. Your eyes are like, so grey. I've never seen such grey eyes before." I grab her before she touches him, holding back a laugh.

"Sam, Sam."

She snickers, waving her hands around, leaning into Aidan. "Oof, she's very territorial, isn't she?"

"I don't mind," he says, his eyes flickering to me, a gleam of mischief inside his stormy irises. Mine instinctively move to Bradley, who immediately spins without a word, walking off into the crowd.

"Oooh, he's not happy."

"I'll go say hi to him," my mother says, softly to me, graciously. Samantha grabs her hand.

"We'll go together. I'll take her," she tells me, and I grimace, nodding as she whisks my mother into the party in order to find Bradley, and give us some time alone.

"Well...she's something," Aidan says amusedly as soon as we're alone, lifting his drink to his mouth.

I grab onto his hand and pull, forcefully, dragging him through the mess of drunks, my co-workers that are still high off of this morning's chaos around the office.

"What's wrong?" Aidan asks as I search for a hidden area, a hallway in this godforsaken place. I check around us as I lead us down a hallway with bathrooms at the end.

"Um, Jo?"

"Yes?"

"Where are you taking me?"