WOAH... Did I just fall into a "Men and Black" movie? I thought as I stared up at five identical, silent clones. Well, not clones, but the bodyguards certainly acted like it in their matching crisp black suits and aviator sunglasses. My gosh... Aiden is a freaking ray of sunshine compared to these stone statues.
"Um... Hi," I said lamely, past my mouth full of scrambled eggs. I waved awkwardly at the silent men when they didn't respond. After a beat, they all nodded a silent hello in unison as they looked down at me sitting across from Tate in the hotel buffet.
With the sudden display of the Men in Black showing up and surrounding my table in the middle of the hotel's breakfast rush, the stares had doubled. Looks like they are going to cause me to be even more noticed.
"Ms. Summers, these are..." Tate paused. "Actually I didn't catch any of your names."
When they didn't offer them Tate looked back at me with an exasperated expression. "...Your new bodyguards."
"New Aidens," I said, turning to smile at the men once I had swallowed my mouth full of food. "Hi. I'm Laliana Summers."
And that was the one and only sign of communication we shared for the next week. Great...
Book tour had gone from chaotic to routine in a matter of hours. With the arrival of five new bodyguards, all silent, all staring, and all surrounding me like a freaking bubble everywhere I went, it was the most well-protected I had ever been but the most isolated.
Tate was quiet, looking physically uncomfortable as he sat next to me in the back of the car a week later. It was the first time I had been around him since the "Aiden knock-offs" were introduced to me. But it wasn't much of a reunion. I was sandwiched in between Tate and another bodyguard in the back of a car as we drove towards Toronto, which so happened to be FOUR HOURS AWAY. Worst sandwich ever.
I felt like Darryl from The Office, stuck in a car with Michael Scott when he and his girlfriend were in the middle of a breakup. I didn't want to be Darryl. I wanted to be free. Even if it meant walking for seventy-nine hours which would come out to... about three and a half days. This train of thinking left me pulling out my phone and comparing the driving time to taking a bike, or a bus, or... well you get the idea.
The entire thing was awkward and left me tempted to crawl over Tate and make a break for it. But there were five Aiden's and a Tate and I was pretty confident that I would run out of sprinting energy before they did. Especially since they would just drive slowly next to me until I gave up and crawled back into the car.
In the silence, my mind drifted to Aiden. He had all but vanished since the new bodyguards arrived. Tate had been cryptic about his whereabouts, most likely due to the forever gazing of the others, but I was able to piece together a few things.
Aiden had gone to the doctor and much to my surprise had headed back to Los Angeles without a word of goodbye. It left me confused and convinced of two things. One, him being my fake boyfriend was WAY worse than him being my real bodyguard, and two... he totally remembers our kiss and had to get as FAR away from me as possible as soon as he remembered.
First date, terrible. Second date, no show. First boyfriend— First FAKE boyfriend... nonexistent. First kiss... caused said fake boyfriend to run away. Go me.
It was hard not to think about him. Especially when every single question at my book signings was about him. I didn't blame my readers' curiosity. I was right there with them, wondering about him, thinking about him, feeling like a vulnerable idiot about him. It took a lot of acting to pretend to know things that I was oblivious to...
When did you guys start dating? No idea. I guess when he showed up at the restaurant to save me from embarrassment. "A few weeks ago. We went to the Santa Monica Pier."
Are you in love? Just smile and look embarrassed by the question before asking for the next one.
How did you two meet? He saved me from a creepy guy in front of a bathroom... "We met at a coffee shop."
My new phone chirped, pulling me from my rerun of the previous week's events. After losing my phone in the Ottawa River, I was left phoneless until Sanders shipped me a new one with all of my contacts already loaded in, minus the phone number the stalker had texted me on. That number was lost to great Canadian waters.
A text message from Sanders stared up at me.
I've scheduled a dinner date with Aiden at the Royal Ontario Museum. You'll have the place to yourselves. The bodyguards will be stationed at the exterior exits.
- Sanders
I stared down at Aiden's name, flustered and suddenly willing to sit in the car for far more than four hours with the "Aiden clones" if it meant the alternative was being left alone with Aiden for the first time since the hotel room. I did and didn't want to see him. I was and wasn't excited. And I was and wasn't scared. Apparently, I was a walking contradiction of emotions.
When you leave the museum, there will be photographers waiting outside. Give them a good view of a kiss and then you can head back to the hotel. You're doing great, Bright-Eyed Girl.
-Sanders
I changed my mind. I didn't want to see him. I didn't trust myself to kiss him and be okay afterward. I didn't want to hand him my heart on a silver platter with everyone watching. I just wanted to go back to my life before this. Before a boy who never asked for my heart, got it anyway. Back to a time when love was just a theory that I wrote about. "Easy for you to say," I muttered down at my phone like it could hear me.
Tate shot me a questioning look. I held up my phone so he could see the message. He smirked, not understanding, not knowing that Aiden had already kissed me. That it had resulted in his amnesia of the entire thing and disappearance. I shot Tate a text. I don't want to kiss him in front of a bunch of cameras.
Tate's expression softened. Just look into those irresistible eyes of his you like so much. That'll help.
I snorted and was rewarded with the other bodyguards eyes suddenly flying over to look at me. "Um... funny meme?" I said, staring down at my phone. "Cats are funny," I muttered.
Tate coughed to cover up a laugh as he typed out his next message. Good save there Laliana.
Don't judge. I'm an expert at thinking on my feet Tate!!!
He rolled his eyes. Said the Author who gets to take her time to craft answers on paper but crashes and burns when she improvises in real life.
I turned and smiled at Tate after sending my next message. I've missed talking to you. When can we finally ditch the Aiden clones?
He paused, fingers hovering over the keys on his phone for a moment. Not sure. I don't see them letting up anytime soon. Not until we figure out who is behind these attacks.
So forever then? I guessed with a grim expression. I was going to be trapped with my own set of identical-looking Avengers until the stalker either got bored and gave up, or was caught.
...
I stared up at the sharp metal sheets, fanned out like a deck of cards that made up the entrance to the Royal Ontario Museum, feeling as disjointed as they looked. The tapestry was breathtaking, but looked like it could fall, crushing you like a hammer would a nail without a thought.
There was something about places that were filled with art that made me feel exposed. Artists painted and sculpted their passions, pains, fears, wants, and desires into pieces, transferring those emotions to the viewer. Art made you vulnerable. It was emotional manipulation with a pretty filter. It wasn't a judgment. Just a fact.
I was afraid of feeling vulnerable. I didn't want to have any other reason to have my heart on display and a museum left me with a very high risk of that.
I really hope their art sucks... Really, really, really sucks. But the entrance had already reminded me how fragile life was, hinting that it was only the beginning of an evening filled with beauty, not counting Aiden, who on his own was as breathtaking as any sculpture garden. I'm in emotional trouble.
I pushed down a set of butterflies mixed with terror and walked through the front door. I found Aiden inside, his back to me, staring up at a large colorful archway standing above a large stained glass window. The setting sun washed out all of his features, leaving him in shadow. He was a silhouette surrounded by sun and glass. The archway and glass were painted in a hue of blues and yellows. Sun and sky woven together filled the large entrance, snaking up the walls and up to the ceiling, each fighting for dominance.
"Wow," I whispered. But in the quiet museum, it echoed, bouncing off the walls far too loudly, showcasing my praise and awe for the site before me until the word finally sunk into the walls and became part of the museum.
I was too mesmerized by the woven tapestry of beauty to care about my verbal gasp. That's how I knew the art was special. It overruled my self-consciousness to be seen and heard in my enjoyment of it.
"Do you like it?" Aiden asked, turning to look at me. I still couldn't see his face, lost in the shine of the afternoon sun.
"It's beautiful," I whispered, eyes taking in every inch of the archway. "How long do you think it took?"
Aiden moved to stand next to me, staring up at the archway above us. "It took eight months to install the ceiling." I turned to look up at Aiden, watching as the smaller pieces of the tapestry, hues of red and grey caught in his eyes, creating a minute tapestry of magic, glistening with flashes of color. "It's made up of thousands of pieces of Venetian glass."
"I've never seen anything so beautiful in my life," I admitted.
"I thought you'd like it."
It clicked in my brain. This wasn't Sanders kind of date place. "You picked this place."
He nodded. "It's quiet. No cameras. Just beauty."
"So heaven?"
Aiden's lips quirked up slightly as he looked down at me. "Exactly." It was at that moment that I realized he wasn't wearing a suit. He wore a pair of dark jeans, and a blue button-down shirt that made his eyes shine. It was a casual look that matched mine.
I wore a dark grey sweatshirt dress and a pair of black leggings. A deep blue scarf hung around my neck and a pair of knee-length flat boots finished my outfit. I felt like myself and by the look of it, Aiden did too.
He motioned over his shoulder. "There's a whole lot more to see. You ready?"
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Thank you for reading chapter thirty-two! I hope you are enjoying the story! Or are at least curious to see where it goes! Add this story to know when the next chapter drops!
UPDATE DAYS - A NEW CHAPTER EVERY FRIDAY!
It's date time! And there aren't any cameras or a show to put on. Will that change things?
Where has Aiden been since that night in the hotel room? Will Laliana ask him why he left without saying goodbye?
Will Laliana listen to Sanders and kiss Aiden?
If she does, how will it go?
Did Aiden actually forget their kiss, or is he just pretending?
CHAPTER QUESTION - Describe your perfect date. (If you know what movie this quote is from drop it in the comments!)