"Whoa. That was brilliant." Bailey, my ex-classmate, munches her potato chip while we're watching her favorite thriller movie in her living room. "That girl has the guts to call 911 while her kidnapper is in the same room. Does she not think that he can hear her anytime?"
"I'm having goosebumps," her twin, Brea, shudders in her blanket as she hugs her knees on the couch. Her eyes are glued to the TV. "But, really, she's a genius for faking that call. Right, Nevaeh?"
I snap my head toward them. I haven't been able to focus on the movie because my mind is somewhere else.
"Yeah," I answer shortly and return my gaze to the TV.
I can feel Brea squinting at me. She probably realizes my lack of attention. Even though I'd been dying to have a sleepover at their house during my vacation in New York, the way I've been acting for the past few hours shows the opposite.
Bailey and Brea are my good friends who moved from Texas to New York a year ago. They'd picked me up in Aunt Melanie's house today to have a sleepover at their house, just as we'd planned a few weeks ago.
And right now, we're having a midnight Netflix time.
Earlier today, it was quiet in Aunt Melanie's house. Everybody still couldn't get over what happened yesterday, especially Max, who came home at lunchtime with a weary look.
Of course, he's still upset. He thinks of Aiden as his own brother.
My heart is still restless from thinking about Aiden. The pain in his expression is still very much visible in my eyes, and every time I want to get that vision out of my mind, I keep telling myself that I deserve this horrible feeling. This guilt.
His girlfriend of five years, the woman he loves, the one he believed he would spend the rest of his life with, just left him in front of the world in a blink of an eye. Without any word.
Again, my heart clenches. I can't concentrate on anything. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't stop thinking about Aiden Klein.
"Now she just has to wait for the cops to arrive. Gosh, it's so gripping." Bailey bites her nail in anticipation, still talking about the movie we're watching.
"I hate the waiting, especially in this critical time." Brea lets out a small scream when the kidnapper suddenly appears beside the girl. "Shit. That was unnecessary."
Bailey laughs and throws a pillow at her twin sister. "That's the best thing about this movie."
Waiting.
That one word makes my stomach churn again. I have a bad feeling. A really bad feeling.
Is it possible...
My pulse suddenly quickens. My heart is racing inside my chest. I don't know why, but I suddenly have the urge to leave this place.
I glance at my wristwatch. It has just passed midnight. I know that he can't be possibly waiting for two consecutive nights, but...
I shoot to my feet, startling the twins as I rush into their bedroom. After ordering an uber, and while waiting for the driver to arrive, I toss my phone onto the bed and quickly change my pajamas into a pair of jeans and a sweater.
Bailey and Brea watch me with mouth agape. "What's happening?" they ask in unison.
Luckily, the car I've ordered is nearby and will arrive in a minute.
"I'm sorry," I say with guilt. "There's an emergency in my cousin's house. I have to go back now," I lie, slinging my backpack across my shoulder.
"What?" The two of them follow me when I walk out of the room toward the front door.
"Is it that bad?" Brea asks with worry. "We can send you there."
I halt and turn around, shaking my head. Little do they know that I'm not going there. I'm going somewhere else.
"No, that's okay. I've called an uber," I say breathlessly.
"But it's already late at night. It's better if we--"
"Don't worry," I cut her off. My voice sounds like a plea. "I'll be okay. I have to go now." And with that said, I turn around and leave.
I run as soon as I get out of the car. My sneakers thump on the ground as I rush into the property.
The parking lot is deserted, but instead of a dark building, I see lights emitting from the hall. The sight heightens my fear, letting me know that my assumption is correct. My mind is denying everything.
Please tell me that it isn't true. It shouldn't be.
Why am I having this feeling, as though I know what's happening to him?
I slow down my pace when I'm close to the hall. My breathing is heavy as I walk on the sidewalk next to the garden. The tall windows of the hall give me a clear view of the empty place.
Right. Nobody is there. I hope that there's no one in there.
But then, my legs come to a sudden halt. Someone is speaking.
The door near the altar is opened, but I don't dare step inside. Instead, I peek inside, and my heart thuds.
Aiden Klein is sitting in a row facing the altar, still in his wedding suit.
My heart bleeds. He hasn't left this place. He's been here for two nights.
He's speaking on the phone, and I abruptly push my back against the wall, slumping down. I hug my knees, shifting my gaze to the garden in front of me. On this silent night, I can hear Aiden's voice clearly.
"Switzerland?" he asks the person from the other side of the line. He pauses for a while before the next words leave his lips, "With Roman?" His voice is shaking, barely a whisper. He listens, and after the person finishes talking, the call ends.
My chest hurts as I wait for his reaction.
How cruel.
The woman he loves and his best friend flew all the way to Switzerland.
Are they starting a new life there?
I hear nothing, and my anxiety builds up. I peek again, and the sight I'm seeing makes my heart shatter into pieces.
Aiden cries, covering his eyes with his shaking hand as he looks down.
His chest heaves up and down, and I can feel that my chest is about to explode too. His sobs break, and it makes me feel like the world is falling apart.
A tear falls onto my cheek, followed by another, and another. They can't stop, just like the tears that are now streaming down his face.
I hug my knees on the ground and squeeze my eyes shut, throwing my head back against the wall. I grip my chest with my trembling hand.
My throat hurts. My heart hurts. I can feel his pain. It's here, so close to me, as though my heart is being sliced by a knife.
He loves her. He loves her so much.
He doesn't deserve this.
I cover my mouth in my hand, trying my best to not make any sound as I cry with him. I almost choke because I can hardly breathe.
It hurts. It hurts so much to see him crying.
I don't know how long I cry, but Aiden's sobs are still echoing in my ears, and so my heart keeps bleeding. Endlessly.
"Excuse me." There's a voice inside my head, but it seems so far away. "Miss?"
My eyelids flicker, and I frown. Still, I can't see anything.
"Why are you sleeping here?"
My eyes snap open, and when I push my body back, my head knocks the wall.
Ouch. I wince in pain.
A middle-aged man, who looks like the gardener due to the clothes and the gloves he's wearing, stands before me. Worry crosses his expression.
The sky has turned blue. Rays of the sun cast on my face while the sound of birds chirping fill the air. It's morning.
"I'm sorry," he says, putting his hands up. "I didn't want to wake you up by touching you. Thank God you're awake. Why are you sleeping here?" he asks the same question again, while here I am, feeling dumb.
Did I just oversleep here? On the floor? Next to the garden?
Abruptly, I sit up and peek inside the hall, only to find that it's empty.
"There's someone..." I falter, wondering about Aiden's whereabouts.
"The groom?" the gardener finishes my sentence, and when I turn my attention back to him, I see the sadness on his face. "He left just before you woke up. Poor man, being left at the altar like that." The gardener shakes his head in shame. "Is he your friend? I doubt that he saw you because he went through the other door. Maybe you should try to call him."
I stare at him with a lost expression. With difficulty, I stand up. My head is still spinning from crying all night. I feel so exhausted.
Slowly, I step into the empty hall and scan the place. A soft sigh escapes from my lips. The gardener is right.
Aiden is gone.