What Happens Next

Issues

Emily Jane looked straight into her fiance's eyes, waiting for an answer to her question. She felt uneasy with the familiarity between Aiden and Vanessa, and she wanted to know why her stomach was twisted into knots. Vanessa regained her composure and picked up the pencil she dropped. She saw Aiden reach for Emily Jane's hand and held on tightly.

"Um..." Vanessa started, not sure how to answer Emily Jane's quesiton.

"Sweetie, Vanessa and I used to date," Aiden said to his girlfriend, his voice even.

"Oh," Emily Jane said. "Well, that's...nice," her voice croaked a little.

"Em J, that was a long time ago. A very long time ago," Vanessa quickly retorted, feeling the same amount of discomfort that was registered on Emily Jane's face.

"So that's why you can relate. I see," Emily Jane tried to smile. "Uh, wow, look at the time. I still have a client meeting in half an hour," she took a quick glance at the watch on her wrist.

"I'll just email you when the sketch is ready, okay?" Vanessa called out to her.

"Sure, that'll be great," Emily Jane's voice sounded peppy, but she felt far from it. "Thanks, Vanessa." She released Aiden's hand and walked up to Vanessa to give her a quick hug. "Bye."

"Bye," Vanessa said slowly. She mouthed an 'I'm sorry' to Aiden, not really sure why she's apologizing, and he just nodded in return.

Aiden followed his fiancee out of the boutique and found her standing next to his car already, busy talking to someone on the phone. He unlocked the door to his car with his clicker and was about to open the door for her, but Emily Jane beat him to the punch and quickly went in. He got in and heard her tell whoever she was talking to she would meet them at the office in a few minutes.

"Sweetie," Aiden said when Emily Jane hung up.

"She's pretty," Emily Jane voiced out, her eyes straight ahead.

"Sweetie, Vanessa and I were over a long time ago. She was my past. You are my present and my future. Why are you making such a big deal about this?"

"You're right. I am making a big deal about this," she countered, feigning nonchalance.

"Sweetie."

"It's just weird, you know. It's such a small world. You shouldn't trivialize how I'm feeling, Aiden. Don't make me feel like a child and that I'm stupid for 'making a big deal' about this," she used her fingers to air quote. "It's not your fault you never mentioned her, we never talked about your ex girlfriends, but now that I've met one of them, one so beautiful, one who told me that if she ever saw her ex again, she may or may not be over him yet...." she faltered, her train of thought all over the place. "Lo and behold, her ex was you."

"Sweetie..."

"Just let me be irrational. Just let me be jealous. You were irrational and jealous with Blake, someone who I have no feelings for, let me be the same with Vanessa, someone you were once in love with."

Emily Jane opened the door and got out before Aiden can even put the car in park. He followed her, running up to get to her before she got into her office building, and grabbed her elbow, spinning her around to face him. He didn't give her time to breathe, just covered her lips with his, coaxing her mouth open, making her feel like she was the only one he cared about. He kissed her until she moaned, although he wasn't sure if that was out of pleasure or because her lungs were on fire just as his were.

"Sweetie, I love you," he said when they pulled apart. "I'm gonna marry you. There was a reason why Vanessa and I didn't work out. We were young back then, ambitious, pulled apart in different directions..."