“Hearts are not things that should be listened to,” Dad says. “You need to be listening to your gut, Nicole. You’re a sensible girl. Trust yourself.”
“But what if someone’s hurt and doesn’t want to try?”
“If you think they are worth the effort, you have to show them that you can be trusted with their feelings. It’ll take work, but that’s what relationships need, sweetie.” Mum smiles and pats my hand.
I nod, thinking about Aaron and his goodbye. It consisted of a giant apology for hurting me, when in fact, it seems to be him who is hurting the most. I pushed him further than he wanted to go. He shared things that I know he hasn’t shared with anyone else.
I won’t break his confidence with my parents. There doesn’t seem to be anything to gain. Instead, I opt to help clear up and make excuses about jet lag and work so that I can leave early.
At home, I finally bite the bullet and call Maya. I’ve spent nearly a week licking my wounds alone, but telling her everything (minus the juicy bits that I have to leave out because my face can’t stand the blushing) is really cathartic.
“Is it okay that I’m still processing that he flew all the way to London just to make sure you weren’t upset with him?” she says.
“I know. It took me a while to accept it too. I just…I thought he was an arrogant ass. When I left Atlanta, I was convinced I had him worked out; rich playboy, manipulative, and sexually controlling. But over here, he wasn’t like that at all.”
“What was he like then?”
“I don’t know…kind and sweet, concerned about my feelings. And vulnerable.”
“Have you googled him yet? If you haven’t, I think you should.”
“Why, what does it say?”
“I’m not going to tell you. Just do it and call me back.”
“Okay,” I say nervously. “I’ll speak to you in a minute.”
It takes five minutes to fire up my laptop, and I’m fidgeting the whole time. Maya’s voice was strange, and the anticipation of finding out what she knows is overwhelming. Aaron’s Wiki page practically glows with accomplishments and details about his wealth. In the featured photo, Aaron is gorgeous, younger and lighter somehow. I stroke over the screen, remembering how those green eyes sparkle with humor and grow dark with desire.
I’m halfway down before I find what Maya must have been referring to; information about a scandal that had rocked Aaron Harrington Pharmaceuticals six years ago.
I shudder as I read about how Aaron was duped into revealing the formula for an experimental cancer treatment before it was patent protected. The loss of the new drug was a massive knock to AHP; the share price plummeted, and confidence in Aaron was destroyed.
I search American news websites for more information and discover a woman was involved. There are pictures of her at a charity event with Aaron, her long red hair, and model-perfect features making them a striking couple. They were engaged when she’d been diagnosed with cancer – a ruse to get him to spill his company’s secrets – and it seemed that Aaron had been frantic enough about her illness to put himself and AHP on the line.
It had been a disastrous error of judgment, not so much for the company as it bounced back within a few months, but more for Aaron personally. I hurt for him as I imagine the moment he found out that his fiancée was a deceitful honey-trap. The humiliation must have been hard to bear, and it’s apparent that he still hasn’t recovered.
I know what it’s like to discover that a person who you think you know is actually a liar and a cheat. When you’ve laid yourself on the line and been trampled, it’s terrifying to imagine taking that risk again. I can’t imagine what it would be like to deal with all of that in the public eye and to have everyone at your company looking at you with pity and maybe anger too. People’s jobs had been at risk because of what happened.
I call Maya back, and she answers on the first ring.
“You read about the scandal?” she says.
“Yeah. I can’t believe anyone could be that mercenary.”
“She was getting paid, Nicky. Drugs like that are worth a fortune. She was going to be set for life.”
“I just feel so bad for Aaron,” I say, the ache in my heart getting worse with every word.
“I know. But he’s a big boy, and he’ll get over it.”
“He hasn’t yet, though, has he?”
“Maybe he needs some help,” Maya says cautiously.
“I know what you’re trying to do.”
“Do you really think that a man like that meets a girl like you every day?”
“I’ve just spent ten minutes browsing images of him with supermodels. I know who he meets, Maya.”