Catching Whitney (12 page)

Aidan slowly moves toward me, his gaze never leaving my face. Once he’s by my side, he nods to Lindsey.

“Good to see you again, Lindsey! How have you been?”

“It’s good to see you too, Aidan! I’m doing well, thank you.” She shoots me a mischievous look. “I’m gonna go get something to drink. Aidan, please tell Blaine I said hello the next time you speak to him.” With that, she practically skips away.

“Will do,” he says, but he never takes his eyes off of me. He allows himself a moment to take in my costume and smiles. “Nice choice! How did you manage that last minute?”

“Last minute?” I pretend I have no idea what he means.

“Considering you barely knew what Star Wars was before this afternoon, I’m guessing that wasn’t your original costume.” He crosses his arms and tilts his head, give me another once over.

“Oh. Yes. Well, I thought Caleb might like it.”
Liar! You hoped Aidan would like it!

He steps back and spreads out his arms, showing me his own attire. “What do you think?”

I nod, not knowing who he’s supposed to be. “Looks great!”

He gives me a skeptical look. “You have no idea who I am, do you.”

I smile sweetly. “Not a clue.”

“I’m Han Solo. It just so happens he’s Princess Leia’s love interest in the movie.”

“Oh!” I can’t seem to come up with any other words. How did I choose so perfectly? I had no idea what his costume would be.

Just then Caleb runs up to me in full Jedi garb, complete with battery-powered lightsaber. Thankfully I’d seen something similar in the store and knew that it was from the movie.

“You look fantastic, Caleb! What a handsome Jedi you are!”

“Isn’t he just?” Says a light, southern voice directly behind him.

I look up to see Rebecca dressed in a skimpy, low-cut nurses uniform. Her ample breasts are propped up for all the world to see. She looks at my clothes, then back at Aidan's, and smiles; it’s not flattering in any way. It’s more like a cornered dog bearing her teeth. I get the impression she thinks I somehow planned this costume matching, and she’s disgusted by it. I start to second guess how I can exist in Aidan’s world with Rebecca around. Maybe I’m fooling myself. Surely she wouldn’t be this territorial if there was nothing between them, right?

I notice Aidan giving Caleb a reassuring smile, and I decide to push all negative thoughts from my head for now. I can deal with all that later if necessary. I need to stop putting the cart before the horse.

I motion to the refreshment table. “There are drinks and snacks over there if you all are hungry. Games are set up at that end, with the photo booth near the basketball hoop. If you’ve a mind to dance or want to request a song, the DJ is happy to accommodate you.”

Caleb pulls on my arm. “Whitney, will you go with me to get some punch?”

“I’d be glad to.” I take his hand in mine and inform Aidan we’ll be back shortly.

I try to keep my mind on Caleb as he chatters away about his costume, but my eyes keep straying to where Aidan and Rebecca are standing. She has her arm draped possessively over one of his shoulders and keeps leaning into him now and then. Her laughter is just loud enough that I can sometimes hear it from across the room.

While Caleb and I snack on finger foods, I work to give him my full attention. I catch a glimpse of Aidan at the DJ booth. When he turns away, I can tell he’s looking for someone. His eyes land on me, and he smiles. He walks toward us and reaches us just as a slow song starts.

He offers his hand to me. “Miss Dawson, may I have this dance?”

How can I turn down the chance to be in his arms again? “It would be my pleasure, Mr. Walsh.” I place my hand in his, and he pulls me to my feet. Caleb giggles behind a fist full of crackers, and I give him a wink.

Aidan leads me to the middle of the gym where a few other couples are already dancing. He places one arm around my waist and pulls me close, his other hand still clasping mine. I’m sure we are a respectable distance apart, but I can still feel the heat radiating off of every inch of his body. My mind is screaming at me to get closer, and my heart agrees, but I know this isn’t the time or place. We should be alone when I confess my feelings for him. An audience would only make things awkward. Besides, I still harbor a small amount of fear that he doesn’t want me. I’m not going to let that deter me from trying, but it’s a concern I’ll have to overcome.

We’re swaying to the music, and I’m having a hard time looking him in the eye. My mind keeps wandering to the hotel room in Illinois, and I can feel the heat of the memories rush through me.

“Whitney?” he says ever-so-softly, and then he waits until I look at him. “What are you thinking about?”

I try once again to tamp down my fears and embarrassments. I take in a fortifying breath. “Honestly, I was thinking about our time together in the hotel room.”

His expression grows serious. “Really.” He pulls me a little closer and the hand on my lower back is tracing tantalizing circles that I can feel even through the fabric of my costume. “What part are you remembering?” He gives me a lazy smile.

“I was thinking about how you held me.” While the sex was amazing, simply being held and cherished by this beautiful man was mind blowing. I feel sure I’ll never find that again with anyone else.

He gently coaxes my head to lay on his shoulder, then places an affectionate kiss just above my ear. “Yeah, I think about that too.”

I want to look at his face and reassure myself that he’s serious. He sounds sincere, but I still find it hard to believe someone as amazing as Aidan Walsh is interested in someone as dull and plain as I am. I keep my face buried in his neck and enjoy the contact until the song ends. He’s reluctant to let me go and pulls me close for a quick kiss. I can’t help but feel a bubble of joy over his obvious and very public affection.

He leans to whisper in my ear. “I know I said I’d be on my best behavior, so I apologize if kissing you broke the rules. To be completely honest, I’ve never liked rules much.”

He puts his hand on my lower back and leads me to the spot where Caleb is sitting. I don’t have time to respond to his comment about breaking the rules before Rebecca has an arm around Aidan, claiming she needs to speak with him urgently. She hauls him back to the dance floor, and he looks at me apologetically. I give him a smile and turn to Caleb.

“So how many of those pastry things have you eaten?” I ask, pointing to a whip-cream-filled eclair.

He licks his fingers as he takes the final bite. “I think I’ve had four. Maybe five.”

I roll my eyes. “You’re gonna get a stomach ache if you keep going. How about you find something else to do?” I hear the music pick back up and look around the gym. Rebecca has pulled Aidan to the far side of the gym, and she is speaking animatedly. Whatever she’s saying, she doesn’t appear happy. Aidan looks pretty miserable too.

“Hey, Caleb, what do you say we dance off some of those sweets, huh? This sounds like a fun song. We can show the whole town our awesome moves.”

He laughs and nods his head enthusiastically. “I’ll go shake my money maker!”

I manage to choke on air. “Your what?”

“You know, my butt!”

I shake my head and work very hard to hold in a laugh. I know I shouldn’t be encouraging this. We walk out on the floor hand in hand. As we start to dance, I feel compelled to ask. “Who told you it was a money maker?”

He shrugged. “I think I saw it on TV somewhere.”

“I see.” I should ask Aidan about Caleb’s viewing habits.

We dance until the end of the song, and I walk Caleb back to a seat not quite as close to the refreshment table. “If you’ll excuse me, Jedi Caleb, I need to go the ladies room.”

He nods again and is wiggling in his seat to the next song blaring through the speakers above.

I make my way to the side of the stadium seating where the bathroom and girls’ locker area is situated. The entire area is empty, so I enter the nearest stall. I’ve just locked the door when I hear two other ladies enter. One of them is sobbing uncontrollably.

“Aw, don’t cry, Rebecca. It’ll work out.”

Rebecca? Caleb and Aidan’s Rebecca?

“I don’t know what I’m going to do, Katie! He’s fallen for that homewrecker!”

I hear the sound of tissues being pulled from a box, then Rebecca blows her nose.

“I try so hard to make him happy. I wasn’t even sure I could wear this dress tonight, with the baby and all, but even though it’s a bit uncomfortable, I wore it for him. He used to love it when I dressed like this. He used me and now he’s pushed me aside for that... that... mousy little teacher!”

“Now, now Rebecca. I’m sure he’s just sowing some wild oats. There is no way he really wants her over you. You know that.”

Loud sniffles and a hiccup follow. “I know. I just hate that he’s using her to get back at me. We’ve been fighting a lot the last year, but I thought he’d forgiven me for asking for some personal space. I just needed time. Then we... well, you know. The baby. Now he’s rubbing her in my face to show me just how much the space would hurt me.” Her sobs grow in volume again for just a moment before she calms herself.

I sit on the closed toilet seat, stunned. Aidan and Rebecca are expecting a baby? They are an item, and I’ve been played for a fool. Again. Tears prick my eyes, and I angrily swipe at them but more follow, and I can’t keep up. I hear the ladies wash their hands and then leave. Once I know they are gone, I let out a small sob and place my face in my hands. How could I have been so naive? I knew there was no way he would have chosen me over her. I’m just a tool for revenge.

I wait until I feel I can exit the bathroom without my emotions being too obvious, then leave realizing I never actually used the toilet. I just step foot outside the ladies’ room door when I feel large hands push me up against the wall. Aidan plants a passionate kiss on my lips, and I’m too stunned to react. He pulls back and starts murmuring about how badly he’d like to take me home. I just catch bits and pieces in my haze of hurt and fury, and then something snaps.

“You absolute jackass!” I slap him. Hard.

He steps back in surprise, his hand instinctively going to his now reddened cheek. His eyes narrow. “Excuse me? What the hell was that for?”

My rage is bubbling to the surface, and I can barely speak. My entire body is shaking from the intensity of it. “How dare you! I thought you were different! I thought you were better than most of the idiotic men I’ve met over the years. But no, you’re worse than all of them put together!”

I give his chest another hard shove as I pass by him. I hastily jog the short distance to the side doors and leave the gym. The damn Leia hair is giving me a headache, so I toss it on the ground as I exit the front doors of the school and jog down the steps.
Damn the hair! Damn the costume! Damn Aidan Walsh!

I find my car and dig my keys out of the pocket hidden in the folds of the costume. That’s when I hear Aidan behind me.

“Whitney, please wait! Whitney!”

I unlock the door and get in, but he reaches me before I can slam the door shut.

He grabs the door and holds it open. “You mind telling me what the hell just happened?”

I refuse to speak and only stare at my dashboard.

“Whitney, please. Was it because I kissed you? After our dance, I got the impression you want me as much as I want you. Was I wrong? Did I cross that damn invisible line again?”

I turn my face to look up at him. Tears are now flowing freely, and it takes all my willpower not to crumple in a heap right here in my car.

“No, you weren’t wrong. I wanted you. But I refuse to be a pawn in your sick chess game. If you want to make Rebecca jealous, you’ll need to find some other patsy.”

“What?” Confusion etches his features, and he runs a hand through his hair in frustration. That gives me the opportunity to jerk the door from his other hand and close it. I start the car as he beats on the roof of Sir B.

“Whitney, you have to talk to me about this! You can’t run away from what we have!”

I pull out of the parking spot and take one last look behind me in the rear view mirror. Aidan is standing there with his hands on his hips, watching me drive away.

I get home and toss the rest of the costume in the trash. I hope I never see another Star Wars anything ever again. I slip into an over-sized t-shirt that I sleep in and pour myself a glass of red wine. Staring at the wall, I contemplate the idiotic decisions that lead me to this point. The weekend away. Pancakes and a one-night stand with Aidan. Caleb teaching me video games so I could be closer to them. Believing I was good enough to be desired over someone like Rebecca. I’m such a loser.

My cell phone rings, and it’s Lindsey. I hit decline and turn the ringer off. I’m glad tomorrow is Sunday because I plan to do nothing but eat ice cream and drink. Okay, not really, but it sounds like a good idea. I’ll likely sleep and watch old movies until I can’t stand myself anymore.

I finish off another full glass before I decide to call it quits. I have just washed and put away my wine glass when I hear a loud pounding on my door.