What Happens Next

Vigor

"Em J, how was your date? You don't look like you got much sleep last night," Lizzie teased her at work the next day.

"It was good," Emily Jane said timidly.

"You went out with the man of your dreams and that's all you have to say for yourself?" Lizzie asked incredulously and looked at Amanda and Lily who were also awaiting for Emily Jane's blow by blow account.

"Well, what do you want me to say? I don't kiss and tell," she answered coyly

"No!"

"No!"

"No!"

Lizzie, Amanda, and Lily all screamed out loud. Lizzie ran up to her friend and started jumping up and down. Emily Jane covered her ears with both hands and shut her eyes tightly.

"Spill! You can't drop a bomb on us like that and then not expect to be grilled about it!" Lizzie excitedly said.

"Well, there's really not much to tell. We went to this little Greek place and had the best three hour conversation I've ever had. He's a really interesting person, no airs about him. He's an actor, not a celebrity. He's in the business because he loves acting, not because of the lifestyle that comes along with it. I've come to respect him beyond the glitz that I thought I fell in love with. Even if he wasn't THE Aiden Carter, he would still be the man of my dreams."

"Aww, Em J!" Amanda cooed.

"He's really sweet," Emily Jane continued. "He drove me home, and we both didn't quite know how to end the night, so I just kissed him on the cheek, a sign of my gratitude for taking the time out of his busy schedule and acquiesced to my invitation. And then he kissed me."

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!"

"It was just a quick one, relax," Emily Jane giggled.

"Still!!!" the three said in unison again.

"And he's the man of your dreams! Your love bug!" Lizzie added.

"Well, I'll just cap it off by saying I had a wonderful time with a wonderful man. Even if that was the one and only time I'll have a date with him, I can die happy."

"Em J, the eternal optimist; the hopeless romantic," Amanda said. "You'll have a second date. I can feel it."

"Well I'm not gonna overthink anything. It's better to not be disappointed, not that I have any expectations," Emily Jane shrugged.

"We'll do the expecting for you, right girls?" Lizzie asked the two other women in their office.

"For sure! This is my favorite love story right now...I'm always looking forward to the next chapter," Lily admitted.

Lizzie and Amanda started laughing. It was true; they were always looking forward to the next time they see Emily Jane after she'd been with Aiden.

"You know, you two kinda remind me of his parents," Lizzie started. "I mean, in the way that Ava was an ordinary girl and Owen was this superhero action star. It's very sweet."

"And like Uncle Jake and Aunt Beth: rich guy, poor girl, in the broadest sense of the situation, of course," Amanda added.

"You guys! I'm trying to be positive about this, that now that the party is over, I may never hear from him again, much less see him," Emily Jane said with wide eyes. "Let's just drop it."

"Okay, we won't talk about this anymore," Lizzie conceded. "In front of you, at least."

The three friends laughed as Emily Jane pouted before heading into her office. They loved to goad her because it was so easy to rile her up about her love bug. She wouldn't admit it, but ever since she found out about Aiden Carter, she didn't date around anymore and became very picky. If she couldn't have Aiden Carter himself, she only entertained men who resembled Aiden in some way. But she got one better; she got Aiden himself.