Run, Girl (If You Can)

Chapter 173: Because I Love You, You Idiot

During the couple's first dance, Keeley decided to utilize the free Wi-Fi at the venue and scroll through Facebook. One of the first things that popped up was one of those annoying suggested tabloid ads. She didn't even follow any gossip pages!

She was about to keep scrolling past until she saw the headline 'Aaron Hale Proposes at Lacy Knighton's Party In Front of Everyone' and did a double take. Not wanting to read more, she shut her phone off immediately and stuffed it back in her clutch.

So he had been lying. Figures.

What had she expected from him? His words were meaningless. 'I only have one wife' indeed.

It was truly unfortunate she had to stay until the very end of the wedding. The rest of it passed slowly, like time was moving through molasses.

She didn't even register anything that was happening around her until realizing everyone was leaving. She had been functioning on autopilot the whole time.

Keeley made her way to one of the many piers in the area and took her shoes off so the freezing ocean water could soak her feet and the hem of her hideous dress. She looked out over the San Francisco Bay feeling emptier than ever.

Without thinking, she began composing a text message to the person who had been on her mind all weekend. 'Congrats on your engagement. You'll probably have fun forcing Lacy into submission for the rest of her life'

Her phone buzzed immediately. 'I'm not engaged, especially not to that leech'

Nice try, idiot. She had seen the news. Dozens of people saw him propose. 'Tell that to all of the witnesses'

'So you saw one of the articles. I'm really not engaged. Aiden and I faked it because Lacy was going to announce being engaged to me without my consent. We beat her to it'

How was Aiden even relevant in this conversation? The lies never stopped with this one. 'If you're going to lie to me at least make it believable'

'I'm not lying. Aiden was dressed up as the woman I proposed to. He left on a month-long vacation this morning as compensation. You can ask him'

If Aaron was telling her to ask him that meant a) he was telling the truth or b) he had warned Aiden to lie for him beforehand. She wasn't sure which one to believe.

'Do you think I'm stupid?' she texted.

'No, I think my life has spiraled out of my control to the point of sounding like the plot of a really bad novel'

She snorted at the comparison but was still skeptical. It was too ridiculous. 'Why would you do something like that?'

'Lacy needed to be punished publicly for thinking she could control me. The look on her face was amazing but I'm not sure if it was worth all the hassle I'm dealing with now. I wish I could escape the country too'

Someone was being oddly talkative today. 'Why can't you? You have money; you can go anywhere'

'I also have work commitments. I'm staging a coup, remember? No vacations until that's over'

She couldn't even afford a vacation. Ugh, rich people. Her response was sarcastic. 'What a shame'

She kicked her feet back and forth in the water until his next message came in. 'What are you doing right now?'

'Staring dramatically out at the ocean like a depressed person in a movie' she responded wryly.

Her phone rang immediately. Why was he calling her?

"Why are you depressed?" he demanded, a hint of worry in his cool tone.

Because of you, stupid. No, that wouldn't go over well. She could tell part of the truth; maybe he would get the hint. "I hate weddings."

"Aren't weddings supposed to be happy occasions?"

"Not when you don't believe in what they stand for," she said sourly. This was his fault and he deserved to know it.

"Ah." Aaron went silent for a few moments before speaking again. "I suppose that's because of me, isn't it."

He caught on quick. "Someone's surprisingly self-aware."

"That tends to happen when you have a lot of time to think. I know I wronged you terribly and I'll never be able to make up for that."

"Then why are you still trying?" she asked, frustrated. What was the point of continuing to invade her life in the name of making things right when he knew it was impossible?

"Anything is better than nothing," he said softly. "Just because I know you'll never forgive me doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying to make things right. If nothing else, I'll make sure you're taken care of whenever you need it like I should have done all along."

Those stubborn tears made an appearance again. This jerk. Why did he have to be like that even though he knew she hated him? Why did he have to keep being nice?

"I really don't get you. You don't have to feel guilty towards me; I'm fine."

She was far from fine but he didn't need to know that. Truthfully, she probably needed a therapist but who would believe her story? She'd be hospitalized for delusions of grandeur.

Maybe if she pretended like it all happened in this life…but no one would believe she had been married, divorced, and separated from her ex for many years before he came back to bother her at age twenty-four. If only she was older.

"You think this is because of guilt?" he asked coldly.

"Duh. What else would it be?"

"…because I love you, you idiot. I want you to be happy and healthy and able to achieve your dreams."

Her brain short-circuited. Did he just say something that sounded like what a supportive boyfriend would say (calling her an idiot aside) or was she hearing things? He wanted her to achieve her dreams? What kind of bull was that?

They had known each other for twelve and a half years in their first life but Aaron didn't know what her dreams were, let alone care about them.

"You don't know anything about my dreams," she said derisively.

"I know you're becoming a geneticist because you want to find a cure for cystic fibrosis in memory of your little brother. I didn't know about it before…but as soon as I found out I've done my best to support you in it."

Keeley had no idea how he had pieced that together since she never mentioned Kaleb's disease or how he died to Aaron in either life. But she couldn't deny that he had been supportive since they met up again.

He constantly asked her about her research with seemingly genuine interest and sent her brain food to keep her going when she had long hours in the lab. In that small way, he was supporting her dream.

She had never put two and two together. How had she missed this?