in the minority on that one. Then again, I was feeling no pain after playing a few rounds of beer pong and thought it was the actual guy and not my sorority sister. So I don’t think that really qualifies as experimenting. I suck even with the ladies.
“I win,” Darren announces when I dart my eyes away from him for a second.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
“You’re losing your touch, sis. Are you sure nothing else is going on?”
I hate that he knows me so well and can hear my thoughts as if they were plainly written all over my face. And I’ve been trying my hardest not to think about it. About him. No, not Alex—it’s much worse than that.
Aiden.
“Julia?” Darren says, concerned. “What’s the matter? You know you’re eventually going to tell me, so stop dragging it out and just do it already.”
I let out a breath that I didn’t even know I was holding and focus on the bottle opener on the table between us. “I saw Aiden the other day.”
“Holy shit,” he whispers.
“Yup, that pretty much sums it up.”
“How did it go?” he asks.
I sigh. “Not well.”
“What the hell did he say to you?”
“Not much.”
“Julia, cut the shit and tell me what the fuck happened.”
I put the beer bottle down and lean forward until my elbows are resting on the countertop. “Darren, he’s getting married.”
“Who would be stupid enough to marry that asshole?”
“Oh, the story gets better.” I pause and look up at my brother, who is staring back at me in shock. “I helped plan his engagement party. As a matter of fact, that’s where I ran into him.”
“Jesus fucking Christ, Julia,” he mutters under his breath.
“Exactly.”
“So let me get this straight,” he says. “You knew he was getting married and helped plan his engagement party anyway?”
“Do you honestly think that if I knew it was the Aiden, I would have gone along with it? Come on, Darren, give me at least a little bit of credit here. I’m not that much of a glutton for punishment.”
“To be honest with you, I’m not sure.”
My eyes widen in disbelief that he would think that, and I open my mouth to defend myself.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, relax,” he says quickly with his hands up in defense. “I just remember you telling me that he was like the one that got away or some sappy shit like that. So it wouldn’t surprise me if you had taken on the party knowing it was the Aiden.”
“He’s not ‘the one that got away’ for me, Darren.”
“He’s not?” he asks with a raised eyebrow. “Then what’s the problem? Why are you letting it bother you so much?”
What is the problem exactly?
This is getting ridiculous, even for me. When I’ve run into an ex in the past, I usually do one of two things: say a polite hello or run in the opposite direction. But I never let it bother me to the point of distraction like this. I have to wonder if there is possibly more to my unresolved feelings toward Aiden. Because there has to be more to it at this point.
I picture seeing Aiden at the engagement party again in my mind’s eye. And it hits me … the engagement party. Engaged. He’s engaged … to somebody else. Not me. And that’s okay because he’s a jerk. No, the answer is so simple that I almost want to kick myself for not seeing it sooner. He never had any intention of spending his life with me. I was just a pit stop for him, someone in his probably long line of women whom he strung along like a dog on a leash with empty promises of a future that would never come to fruition.
“Come on, Julia,” Darren says. “Why does it bother you?”
“Because,” I answer.
“That’s a child’s answer, Julia.”
I rub the heels of my hands against my eyes in frustration. “When did you become Dr. Phil? Jeez, psychoanalyze much?”
He’s smiling when I drop my hands from my face, still waiting on my answer. “Okay, fine. He’s not the one. He’s more like the unresolved one.”
“Sounds kind of like the same
“I win,” Darren announces when I dart my eyes away from him for a second.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
“You’re losing your touch, sis. Are you sure nothing else is going on?”
I hate that he knows me so well and can hear my thoughts as if they were plainly written all over my face. And I’ve been trying my hardest not to think about it. About him. No, not Alex—it’s much worse than that.
Aiden.
“Julia?” Darren says, concerned. “What’s the matter? You know you’re eventually going to tell me, so stop dragging it out and just do it already.”
I let out a breath that I didn’t even know I was holding and focus on the bottle opener on the table between us. “I saw Aiden the other day.”
“Holy shit,” he whispers.
“Yup, that pretty much sums it up.”
“How did it go?” he asks.
I sigh. “Not well.”
“What the hell did he say to you?”
“Not much.”
“Julia, cut the shit and tell me what the fuck happened.”
I put the beer bottle down and lean forward until my elbows are resting on the countertop. “Darren, he’s getting married.”
“Who would be stupid enough to marry that asshole?”
“Oh, the story gets better.” I pause and look up at my brother, who is staring back at me in shock. “I helped plan his engagement party. As a matter of fact, that’s where I ran into him.”
“Jesus fucking Christ, Julia,” he mutters under his breath.
“Exactly.”
“So let me get this straight,” he says. “You knew he was getting married and helped plan his engagement party anyway?”
“Do you honestly think that if I knew it was the Aiden, I would have gone along with it? Come on, Darren, give me at least a little bit of credit here. I’m not that much of a glutton for punishment.”
“To be honest with you, I’m not sure.”
My eyes widen in disbelief that he would think that, and I open my mouth to defend myself.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, relax,” he says quickly with his hands up in defense. “I just remember you telling me that he was like the one that got away or some sappy shit like that. So it wouldn’t surprise me if you had taken on the party knowing it was the Aiden.”
“He’s not ‘the one that got away’ for me, Darren.”
“He’s not?” he asks with a raised eyebrow. “Then what’s the problem? Why are you letting it bother you so much?”
What is the problem exactly?
This is getting ridiculous, even for me. When I’ve run into an ex in the past, I usually do one of two things: say a polite hello or run in the opposite direction. But I never let it bother me to the point of distraction like this. I have to wonder if there is possibly more to my unresolved feelings toward Aiden. Because there has to be more to it at this point.
I picture seeing Aiden at the engagement party again in my mind’s eye. And it hits me … the engagement party. Engaged. He’s engaged … to somebody else. Not me. And that’s okay because he’s a jerk. No, the answer is so simple that I almost want to kick myself for not seeing it sooner. He never had any intention of spending his life with me. I was just a pit stop for him, someone in his probably long line of women whom he strung along like a dog on a leash with empty promises of a future that would never come to fruition.
“Come on, Julia,” Darren says. “Why does it bother you?”
“Because,” I answer.
“That’s a child’s answer, Julia.”
I rub the heels of my hands against my eyes in frustration. “When did you become Dr. Phil? Jeez, psychoanalyze much?”
He’s smiling when I drop my hands from my face, still waiting on my answer. “Okay, fine. He’s not the one. He’s more like the unresolved one.”
“Sounds kind of like the same
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