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melissabik

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After lots and LOTS of thought about my situation with Aiden, I knew what I had to do.  As I sat in my office with my head plopped on the desk, I heard a knock at my door.  “Who is it?” I asked with my head still down, in a very depressing voice.  “Anne?” I heard Kip call.  I peeled my face off of my desk and pulled off a paper that was stuck.  I looked up at Kip and tried to be nonchalant.  “Hey, Kip.  What’s going on?” I asked.  Kip stood at the door with his hands on his hips; his usual stance.  “You know what’s going on.  Aiden…” he began.  I interrupted him.  “… Is going to be back to work very soon.  I know he wanted to take some time off, but I think I can convince him to come back…” I replied.  “I’ll fix it,” I added.  Kip looked at me skeptically.  “What happened between you two?” he asked, sitting down in the chair in front of my desk.  I shrugged my shoulders.  “Nothing; and that’s the way it’s going to stay.  I promise you that everything will be back to normal by tomorrow morning.  I can see that we need Aiden’s help here,” I stated, fixing the papers on my desk.  Kip shook his head at me.  “Something is going on between you two, but you better fix it before we start losing clients,” he warned as he got out of the chair.  I rolled my eyes.  Kip turned back and caught me.  “Hey; I know you do that behind my back…” he stated as he opened the door.  I smiled slightly.  “It’s all because I love you, Kip.  You keep me glued together,” I replied.  “Shut the door on your way out,” I added.

As soon as he was out the door, I was dialing Aiden’s number.  I was really nervous; like a little school girl calling her crush for the first time.  I could feel my palms getting sweaty, and I didn’t know if Aiden was going to answer.  Just as I was about to hang up… “Hello,” I heard Aiden say.  I took a deep breath.  “Aiden…  It’s Anne…  I need to talk to you about last week,” I stated nervously. 

“Have you figured out what you want?”

“Yes…  But I don’t know if this should be said over the phone…”

“Just tell me, Anne.”

“Fine; I’ve been thinking about this a lot…  I think that the decision I made before still stands.  We are only professionals, and nothing more.  Do you see how much trouble all of this caused?  You and I spend time together, and this happens.  You left the office…  I just think it is better to just be professional about this…”

“That’s how you really feel then?”

“Yes…  I’m sorry Aiden.  I can’t…”

“If that’s what you want, then I’m done fighting against it.”

“Will you come back to work then?”

“Yes…”

“My parents can’t come to the wedding,” Sarah stated through her tears.  This was just getting ridiculous.  Sarah was beginning to cry about everything.  I tried to calm her down as the tears continued to flow.  “What do you mean?” I asked.  Aiden and Dylan stood behind her, wondering what was wrong.  “Daddy just called me and told me that they are snowed in,” she sniffled.  I had no idea what she was talking about.  “Where are they, Sarah?” I asked.  Sarah threw her hands up in the air.  “They’re on a second honeymoon in Alaska,” she replied.  Alaska?  “Your parents are having a second honeymoon just days before your wedding?” I asked, a bit surprised.  Sarah nodded.  “And they’re snowed in?” I added.  She nodded again.  “Apparently there was this huge snow storm today, and they won’t be able to make it here in time for the wedding.  I just can’t have my wedding without my parents.  Daddy was supposed to walk me down the aisle,” she whined.  That whine was getting higher and higher in pitch as her wedding drew nearer.  My ears were starting to hurt.  “Well, we can’t postpone the wedding; we have another wedding booked to start on next week,” Aiden replied.  That wasn’t the answer Sarah was hoping for.

“I can’t have my wedding without daddy here,” she stated, plopping onto my chair in my office.  I turned to Aiden and Dylan.  “Guys, do you mind if I talk to Sarah alone?” I asked.  Both men looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and walked out the door.  I sat down next to Sarah.  She was still sniffling.  “Sarah, I know how much you want this perfect wedding of yours…  But you can’t always get everything you want,” I told her.  She threw her hands up in the air.  “I haven’t gotten ANYTHING I want so far!  The church was booked, I wanted doves to fly through the window, but Animal Rights said they would protest, and now my parents are snowed in and can’t make it to my wedding!” she yelled.  “I don’t know… maybe this is a sign.  Maybe I’m not supposed to marry Dylan.  Everything is going wrong; it must mean that fate is trying to pull us apart,” she added as the tears began to fall again.  Comfort her, Dr. Phil…  “Sarah; don’t think something like that for a second.  That is the dumbest thing I’ve heard.  All weddings have problems; things will ALWAYS go wrong.  But I can tell that you and Dylan really love each other.  That man would do anything for you to make your day brighter.  I wouldn’t let go of someone like that.  He loves you…  And I know you love him just as much.  Forget about fate for a second; you two were meant to be together,” I replied.

Sarah let out a sigh.  “You really think so?” she asked as she began to blow her nose with her used tissue.  I nodded when I suddenly had a thought.  “What would you say if I told you there was a way to get your parents here in time for your wedding?” I asked.  Sarah looked at me skeptically.  “Well, I would say, ‘let’s do it,’” she replied.  “It may cost you some money, but I know a guy who knows a guy that owns a helicopter.  He could probably make his way to Alaska and pick your parents up; they would make it in time for the wedding,” I explained.  Suddenly Sarah’s eyes lit up.  She was glowing from happiness.  “Are you serious?  You would do that for me?” she asked.  I nodded.  She lunged forward and hugged me tight.  “Oh, Anne…  I would be so happy if you could do this for me!” she squealed.  Dylan and Aiden walked in after hearing Sarah’s scream.  I decided to exit the room to make that phone call so Sarah’s hopes wouldn’t be shattered.  She explained my idea, and everyone was pleased.  I got a hold of my old pal, Bud, and he confirmed that he would be able to pick up Sarah’s parents.

“Another one of your good ideas, Anne,” I heard Aiden reply as he stepped out of the conference room.  I smiled at him as I hung up the phone.  “It’s good to have connections,” I replied, staring down at my phone.  I didn’t quite know how to react around Aiden anymore.  Was I supposed to joke around with him?  We were supposed to be professionals…  Maybe I should just keep my distance; we should keep our distance.  “Well, I’m heading out to lunch.  If you need me, just call my cell,” Aiden stated as he grabbed his coat and scarf, heading out the door.  “You’re going out alone? You usually just eat in the kitchen,” I replied, wondering what he was up to.  Aiden just shrugged his shoulders.  “Not today,” he stated as the elevator doors opened.  Where was he going?  What was he up to?  Was he having lunch with someone else?  I bet you she’s some hot model with the perfect body…  Listen to yourself, Anne.  I heard myself getting jealous.  I wasn’t supposed to be jealous.  I was supposed to be perfectly fine.  But I couldn’t help but wonder why Aiden was going out to lunch…  So I followed him.  I know, a stupid thing to do, but I was going crazy not knowing.

Wedding number 392; I was almost up to 400 weddings. (And counting…)  Sarah was in her dressing room putting on her veil when I told her the bad news.  I wanted to make sure she was sitting down and that she had all ready put on her mascara.  That way she might not want to cry so it wouldn’t run down her face and make her look “all uglified,” as she would say.  I was dreading even spitting out the words.  “Sarah, you look so pretty,” I started off.  Sarah smiled happily, still not aware that there was a problem.  “Thank you, Anne.  You look, lovely as well…” she replied.  That made me roll my eyes; it also made what I was about to tell her a little easier.  “Sarah, your parents won’t make it to the wedding,” I stated, cringing for her response.  “WHAT?” she gasped.  “But I thought you said they would make it,” she wondered.  I nodded slowly.  Me and my big mouth…  “My friend Bud said he was delayed because there was another storm last night.  He picked them up, but they won’t be here until 8 tonight,” I explained.  Sarah shook her head.  “Then we’ll have to wait until then,” she replied stubbornly.  I rolled my eyes again.  “Sarah, you can’t do that.  They’ll be here for the reception…” I reasoned with her.  Tears began to stream down Sarah’s face, making little black mascara lines. 

“But…  I wanted Daddy to walk me down the aisle.  Who will walk me down the aisle, Anne?” she cried.  Before I could answer, Aiden was there.  I guess he must have heard the whole conversation.  “I’ll walk you down the aisle, Sarah.  I know I’m not your father, but if you want, I would do it,” he offered.  It was the sweetest thing had I ever heard.  Sarah must have thought so too.  “Oh…  You would?  Really?  Thank you so much, Aiden,” she replied through her sobs, giving Aiden a hug.  “You’re welcome,” he returned.  I thought Aiden was a saint; he was so caring to do something like that.  After Sarah wiped and fixed her mascara, we exited the little dressing room and headed towards the chapel.  Before the music began, I noticed Aiden’s bowtie was a little crooked.  “Let me fix that for you,” I offered, straightening it just as the music started.  “It’s a wonderful thing you’re doing for Sarah,” I replied just as the doors opened.  “I know,” he stated with a wink as Sarah put her hand under his arm.  As Aiden moved away, I wondered why I had just done that.  Why did I fix his bowtie?  That was something girlfriends and wives do…  Not professionals like us…  But I just pushed the thought aside.  “Let’s go,” Sarah replied anxiously.  “Cue the wedding march,” I stated into my earpiece.  The wedding commenced; it was beautiful…  Even Dylan shed a tear, before he remembered he was supposed to be a “macho man.” 

Sarah carried the assortment of flowers from the flower bed outside, and she had one of the pink posies in her hair.  We draped the pews with white ribbon lined in pink to match the flower, and there was a beautiful white candle in the front that Sarah and Dylan lit as a symbol of them being “one.”  After the wedding, millions of flashes went in people’s faces, Sarah pouted because mommy and daddy weren’t there, when we heard, “Pumpkin!  We’re here!”  Everyone turned around to the back of the church to find Sarah’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Winters, marching down the aisle towards them.  “Mommy!  Daddy!” she yelled, running past a crowd of people.  She embraced them both as tears began to well up in her eyes.  “Anne said you wouldn’t make it until 8 tonight,” she replied with a sniffle.  “We were, but lovely Bud worked some magic, and here we are!” her mother stated happily.  They walked towards the front where the photographer was.  “Well, let’s get mom and dad into the picture!” he yelled.  It was a beautiful moment; I was glad that Sarah was happy.

At the reception, Sarah and Dylan danced their first song to, "Follow Through” by Gavin DeGraw.  (One of the songs I would have chosen for my first song with my husband…)  People took thousands of pictures of the happy couple; and they really were happy.  This was a marriage that I knew would last.  Sarah had found someone to spend the rest of her life with.  And me?  Well, I was pushing that person away…  I was too afraid to get what I really wanted…  As the evening progressed, people did the chicken dance, the robot, and even the bunny hop.  It was so amusing to watch people dancing around like fools.  When the electric slide came on, I was the first one on the dance floor.  Aiden stood far off in the corner watching.  I wanted to drag him to the dance floor, but I didn’t know if I should.  We were only business partners now; not friends…  Screw it… He needs to let loose.  I walked over to him, a little sweaty and mussed up, and asked him to dance.  “I’m not familiar with this one,” he replied, shaking his head.  He wasn’t going to shake me so easily.  “Oh, come on Aiden…  Have a little fun.  The dance is actually really simple; you just go right, right, left, left, forward, backward, and back again,” I stated.

Aiden looked at me with that look of his.  “Come on; just try it,” I begged.  Aiden stood there for a moment debating, but he finally gave in.  “Fine… But I have two left feet with scenarios like this…” he warned as he followed me onto the dance floor.  It was funny to watch him try the moves as he bumped into people for the first few tries.  After about the fifth try, he had gotten the hang of it, and actually was pretty good.  When the song was over, he was clapping and laughing; he had fun, just like I thought.  “You were right, Anne,” Aiden stated while he tried to catch his breath.  “That was fun,” he added.  I smiled at him as I walked off the dance floor and a slow song began to play.  I had to avoid that dance with Aiden…  “I told you; I’m always right,” I stated proudly.  Aiden rolled his eyes at my comment.  “No, Anne…  You’re not always right.  No one is,” he stated.  Did I detect a bit of hostility in his voice?  I sat down to rest for a minute as Sarah and Dylan made their way across the dance floor to us.  “Thank you so much for giving me the perfect wedding,” Sarah stated to me as she gave me a hug.  “Perfect?  But I thought…” Before I could finish my sentence, Sarah shook her head and responded.  “It was perfect, Anne,” she assured me.  Dylan nodded as he gave Aiden a firm and hardy handshake.  “This will be something I will always look back on; it was a wonderful wedding.   You both did a great job,” he replied.

I sighed as I took a sip of my drink, watching the happy couple walk back towards their guests.  “We did it,” Aiden stated, sitting down next to me.  I nodded my head as I pulled off my stiletto heels.  They were breaking my feet.  “It really was perfect, wasn’t it?  Even with all the problems… They really look happy together,” I added.  “I want something like that,” Aiden stated quietly.  “So do I…” I replied in a whisper, partly because I didn’t want him to hear.