Chapter 29
Alex’s Point of View
My eyes scanned the airport terminal, searching for a specific brunette who had the most gorgeous hazel eyes I’ve ever seen. But, all I saw was families giving each other bone crushing hugs with suitcases rolling behind them.
I bit on my lips, as I stared at the time written on my phone. I had just gotten off the airplane from France, and Aerial promised me last night that she was going to be waiting for me an hour earlier than the time my flight arrived.
“Alex?” a soft voice suddenly asked from behind.
I recognized the smooth voice immediately, as I turned around. My eyes locked in Aerial’s, who looked more beautiful than the last time I saw her years ago. Her eyes shined bright, and her cheeks were pink and dewy. She had even taken the thought to apply some cherry red lipstick onto those luscious lips of hers. I almost wanted to wrap her into my arms, and kiss her as hard as I could.
She let out a soft laugh, as she approached me. She laugh sent shivers down my spine, as I stood frozen in my place, still not believing the fact that the girl I was still in love with was standing nearly inches away from me.
“Are you okay?” she asked, taking her fingers, and poking my left cheek. “You look a bit pale. Have they been feeding you well in France?”
Her voice almost sounded teasing, as I finally let out a small chuckle. Her hand was still on my cheek, as I cupped my hand over hers. Immediately, her cheeks turned red, as I pulled her finger away shyly.
“They have, actually.” I smirked. “They serve the world’s finest snails.”
She gave me a sly smile, before bursting into a misfit of laughter. “I bet you miss having Big Macs.” She paused, giving me an unsure look. “Do they even have McDonald’s in France?”
I gave her a look of amusement, as I finally realized exactly how much I’ve missed her throughout these years. Aerial was one of the biggest nerds back in high school, yet she still manages to asks the simplest questions. “Of course, Aerial.” I laughed. “I went to France, not the dinosaur era.”
She blushed, as she tucked a piece of loose hair behind her ears. “Oh.” She muttered. “I knew that.”
I grinned, before looking around the airport. “Is Hayden and Damian here? Or is it just you?”
She gave me a bland look, before the corner of her lips twitched up into a small smile. “Why? Am I not good enough for you?”
My blue eyes focused into her hazel ones, as I gave her a small smile. “You’re perfect for me.” I whispered.
Aerial’s eyes widened, as her cheeks turned crimson red. She cleared her throat, as she dwindled with her fingers nervously. “Right.” She let out a deep breath of air, shifting her gaze to the floor. “Hayden went with Damian to do the cake testing, and Aubrey and Clarice went to find bridesmaid’s dresses.”
“Why didn’t you go with them?” I asked, giving her a smirk.
She gave her a glare, before she gave me a light punch on my shoulder. “I had to come get your ass. Now come on, I want to see if we can make it in time to go do cake testing.”
“When does it start?” I asked, as I picked up my suitcase, following Aerial out of the airport.
“In ten minutes.” She simply said, as we entered the airport’s parking lot.
I frowned. “But, how are we going to make it in time?”
Aerial gave me a smile. “We’ll manage.”
I had to admit that I completely underestimated Aerial as a driver. She may look like one of those safe drivers, who are always fussing at everyone if they go a mile over the speed limit. But, she was a hell of a dangerous driver.
“How the hell did you even pass your driver’s test?” I asked, horror plastered on my face as she went twenty miles well over the speed limit.
She laughed, as she rolled the windows down. The wind immediately entered the car, tossing Aerial’s long, wavy hair behind her head. “I’m not horrible. I mean, you should see how Hayden drives.”
I chuckled, remembering the last time I was in Hayden’s car. He was the worst driver I’ve ever met to this day. I solely remember him even going as far as letting go of the steering wheel to get a bag of chips from the back seat of his car.
The two of us were lucky that we didn’t die that day.
“We’re here.” Aerial finally said, as we parked in front of a bakery that’s been in town ever since I was a little kid. I remember that this place was known for making the state’s best cake.
We entered the bakery, as a whiff of sweet cookies and cupcakes filled my nose. My stomach immediately grumbled, as I realized that I hadn’t eaten anything during my plane trip back.
“Alex!” Hayden suddenly called out, as I felt a pair of strong arms around me.
I scrunched up my nose with disgust, as I pushed Hayden off. He had a wide grin across his face, and I couldn’t help but smile. “You’re still an idiot, Hayden.” I said, giving him a shove on the shoulder.
Hayden ignored my sarcastic insult, as he grinned, patting my on the back. “Man, I’ve missed you!”
I finally let out a chuckle. I was about to open my mouth to say something back, but Damian’s voice interrupted us.
“Montgomery!” Damian grinned, opening his arms out to give me a friendly pat on the back. “Man, I was wondering when you were going to come!”
I pulled away from Damian, giving him a smirk. “Congrats on you and Clarice, man.”
“Thanks.” Damian chuckled, as I pounded my fist against his, something we always did back in high school.
Suddenly, a round man wearing a white chef’s hat came from the back of the bakery. His hair was just turning a salt and pepper shade, and he had a thick mustache.
“Damian,” the baker smiled warmly at Aerial and I, “who are you buddies?”
Damian stepped right in, putting an arm around Aerial and I. Aerial, who was on the other side of Damian, turned flush red, as she hid behind her curtain of hair. “This is my wife’s maid of honor, Aerial.” Damian ruffled up Aerial’s hair, much to her dismay. “And this is Alex, one of my groomsmen.”
“Hey.” I shook the baker’s hand as he stuck it out for Aerial and I to shake. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
The baker snorted, letting out a raspy laugh. “Don’t call me that, bud. You and Aerial can call me Dave.” He paused, staring at the time on his golden Rolex watch. “How about we start the cake tasting now, eh? I have some of my best samples in the kitchen.”
“That sounds great!” Hayden piped up.
We all laughed, as we followed Dave towards the back of the bakery. Lined up neatly on a kitchen counter were plates of little cakes that had been cut up into smaller portions.
“Try this one first.” Dave said, handing us each a plastic fork, as we poked it into a slice of cake that looked dark on the inside.
Hayden was the first to give a reaction, as he scrunched up his face. He forced it down his throat, before giving it a thumbs down. “This is so,” he tasted his tongue, “bitter.”
Dave laughed. “It’s dark chocolate cake. It’s primarily more popular to the elders.”
“I think we all agree that we pass on this one, right?” Damian asked all of us for our opinions.
Aerial and I nodded, as we moved onto the next platter of cakes. It had white frosting on the outside, and it looked chunky and rough on the inside. I took one bite, as I carefully tasted it. “Is this carrot cake?” I asked.
Dave nodded. “Sure is.”
“Not bad.” Aerial muttered, licking the cream off her spoon.
I smirked with amusement at her, as her eyes finally reached mine. Her tongue was still touching the tip of her spoon, as she pulled away quickly, a deep blush forming on each of her temples.
“What are you looking at?” she muttered towards me.
I grinned, as I stepped closer to her. She let out a surprised gasp when each of my hands found their way to her hips. I pulled her closer, completely forgetting that we were still testing out cakes. I dipped my finger into some of the white cream from the carrot cake, as I dabbed it onto her nose.
She let out a shriek, as she shot me a glare. “What the hell?” she bit back her laughter.
“You look cute like that.” I said without thinking it over.
Aerial’s eyes went wide and innocent, the same way she used to look in high school. Her lips parted open, only to tempt me even more.
“Hey, you two can flirt later, but no making a mess in my kitchen, alright?” Dave asked teasingly, noticing the blob of white frosting on Aerial’s nose.
Immediately, Aerial stepped away from me, her back hitting the counter. She looked flustered, as she cleared her throat.
“Guys, come try this!” Damian called out, on the other side of the counter already. “I think we have a winner.”
Aerial’s eyes shifted towards mine for a split second, before she went over to Damian and Hayden. “I’m coming.” She whispered.
*
After the cake testing, Aerial called it a day and went home. Damian, Hayden and I were all over at Damian’s new apartment, which he shared with Clarice.
“Aiden, don’t be shy, okay?” Damian whispered towards his son, who had a finger in his mouth. His hair was naturally platinum blonde, like Clarice’s, and his eyes were big and wide. “Say hi to Uncle Alex.”
I was sitting on Damian’s couch when Aiden ran up to me full of giggles. “Hi Uncle Alex!” he chirped, as a laugh escaped my lips.
Aiden’s speech was incredibly well for a three year old, like himself. “Hey buddy.” I grinned.
“Daddy says that you’re my uncle, right?” he managed to say without mumbling too much.
I saw from the corner of my eye Damian smiling when Aiden called him his father. “Your dad is right.” I shook his little hand.
Aiden stared up at me with wide green eyes, before he bursts into giggles. “Does that mean you’re married to Auntie Aerial?” he asked innocently.
The entire room became quiet, as my face went blank. I stared down at the little three year old that was by my knees, a grin across his face.
Damian let out a cough, as he scooped up Aiden in his arms. “Aiden, I think it’s time for you to take a nap.” He muttered.
Aiden frowned, kicking his feet. “Wait, daddy! I want to play Lego’s with Uncle Alex!”
“You guys can play later.” Damian assured. “Uncle Alex won’t be leaving any time soon.”
“Is that true?” Aiden asked, smiling. “Do you promise to play Lego’s with me?”
I nodded, giving the little man a smile. “I promise, Aiden.”
Damian disappeared with Aiden in his arms, as I heard him trying to shush Aiden down for him to sleep. I was left alone in the living room with Hayden, who seemed to have his eyes on me the entire time.
“So, how are you and Aubs?” I asked, plastering on a grin across my face that never met my eyes.
Hayden gave me a blank stare. “Do you still love her, man?”
I gulped, but I just pretended like I didn’t know what and who Hayden was talking about. “What do you mean?” I nervously chuckled, downing a can of beer.
Hayden rolled his eyes, grabbing the can away from my hands. “Aerial, you dick. I’m talking about Aerial.”
I stared at my best friend, whom I’ve known since I was in the first grade, for a long while. I finally let out a long breath of air, as I ran a hand through my dark hair. “Of course I still love her.”
Hayden didn’t say anything after that. We were always the best of friends, and we could tell each other anything straight out, but this time, Hayden had nothing to say. Neither did I.
We waited for Damian to come back, who eventually did a few minutes later. “Sorry about Aiden.” He breathed, as he planked himself down on his sofa. “He tends to run his mouth sometimes.”
I let out a broken laugh, shaking my head. “It’s fine. He’s great, actually.”
“Do you have any idea what color tie we should be wearing at the wedding yet?” Hayden asked, grabbing his can of beer from the coffee table.
Damian smirked, nodding. “Red.”
I frowned. “What? Red?”
Damian nodded. “Clarice texted me earlier today, telling me how she and Aubrey found some red bridesmaids dresses that apparently look ‘hot’ yet ‘appropriate’.”
Hayden chuckled, a grin spreading across his lips. “I can’t wait to see Aubrey in it.”
The highly requested chapter of Alex's point of view is finally here! Vote if you like it, please! :)