Legally Yours

- 9 -

Gianna

Well that happened. Aiden kissed me, I was kissed by my boss. I don't like saying it that way at all. I literally do not want to think of him as my boss anymore. Especially with that context behind it. Does that even make sense? I don't even know anymore.

We just got the pictures back anyways, I'm really glad we picked the spot that we did, the sunset in the background makes it look so perfect. So real.

Honestly I can't get the way he's looking at me in those pictures out of my head, he's looking at me like he genuinely loves me. I can't lie and say I wasn't doing the same, but I've never had anyone look at me that way before. Which it upsets me knowing that it's all fake. For a reputation he's not even expected to keep after we get divorced in two years.

I feel for him a little though, I know he's struggling. He's barely awake for one, he slept so much yesterday when we got back to my apartment. He fell asleep on my shoulder while we were watching a movie. I haven't got the heart to tell him that though.

"What do you think?" He passes me his phone with the post ready to put out there, for everyone to see. The caption is simple but effective, 'A new chapter with my love.' It's what he needs and I hope everyone else can see that.

"It's good." I smile at him and hand him his phone back.

"There's no turning back after this, you know that right?" He asks, almost as if he's asking me for confirmation.

"I'm sure." I watch as he breathes in deeply before posting it, I know he's dreading both tonight and tomorrow, especially tomorrow with the amount of stuff that we have to do. I need to move in before people realise we don't actually live together.

I'd be lying if I said I'm anxious for this next part, the two years? Fine, completely fine with it. Living with him is a different story all together.

"Do you think it'd be different at work now?" I ask him, finishing my post, sending it quickly before putting my phone down on his coffee table.

"In what way?"

"Surely people won't like me that much anymore, they may think I'm getting benefits for sleeping with the boss." He laughs the minute it leaves my mouth, I'm serious but I can't help but laugh too. The idea just sounds so weird. I think he agrees with me.

"I'll stand up for you, love."

"That fills me with so much confidence." I roll my eyes, a laugh still managing to escape my mouth. I look over at him and he's smiling, it's so refreshing seeing him smile like that after the whole of today.

"I didn't promise you that, when we agreed to this remember that." He says playfully, getting up and walking away. "Where are you going?"

"The kitchen? Why do you want something?"

"No, I'm good." I pick up my phone and scroll Instagram for a while before coming to his post, 100k likes. Fucking hell, I know he's a hockey player and all that but that many? It was ten minutes ago. I expected some type of attention but not that much, I like the post before looking at the comments. As I expected the majority are positive, you know people saying congratulations and all that but there's always one. Or a few depending on who you are.

It's going to be a fun night.

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Aiden

I do wish I could prepare her for the comments she's going to get, both on my post and hers. I mean I'm a little shaken up from earlier, I'm still trying to take it in. It's a nice photo, sure. But it's just a photo, there's nothing real there. Just two people who feel absolutely nothing for each other.

I didn't need anything at all, I just couldn't bare to be there while she read the comments. I knew she'd do it, she's curious and likes to learn and try new things. She showed that when she first started working for me. I just don't want her to read something then regret the whole situation and want to pull out of this. I cannot deal with another lecture from Quinn.

I don't know how she feels about anything really, by anything I mean the meeting, the photos and tomorrow. She's definitely not meeting my parents, I'd definitely let her meet my mom but you can never get her alone now my dad doesn't work. She's stuck with him, she can't leave him because she has no where to go. I know he made her cut off her family when they got married. Which I think is a load of bullshit. I love my mom so much but you do not marry someone who is telling you to cut off your whole family.

I guess I may not know the whole story but my mom spoke to highly of her family for me to get another impression other then the one I have.

If I ever get married for real, I wouldn't never be like my dad. He's a sick son of a bitch who deserves to rot. Especially for the things he's done to me mom, never mind me.

"Aiden?"

"Hold on." I close the fridge, completely forgetting what I was getting. I have a bad memory now too, I really regret taking those stupid drugs man.

"Aiden, what's going on? I feel like you're hiding something from me." She pauses and gasps quietly, "Aiden for the love of God, if you have been doing what I think you've been doing I will whoop your ass myself."

"No, I haven't. I'm sober still." Like it's an accomplishment, I've only been sober 5 days. Others have been sober for years.

"Thank fuck, Aiden, I'm worried about you."

"Don't be, I'm fine." I tell her and she walks over to me standing directly in front of me. "You're lying."

"No?" I definitely am. I don't know what's wrong, that's the issue. Realistically I should be happy, so far I'm out of rehab for the time being I haven't flown to my dads house to hit him. I should be very happy. But I'm not, something is missing and I just can't pin point it.

"Again, you're lying. Why won't you talk to me?"

"I don't know, I don't know what to tell you. I really don't." I run my hand through my hair, resting my other hand on the counter behind me.

"I don't care what this is," she gestures between us, "I care about you, I don't know if you realise that but I do. I want you to be okay, bottling everything up will not help you."

I mean I've had a few experiences with bottling up things, as a kid I wasn't allowed to cry. My dad would not let me, I'd get a beating for that. Then he'd go yell at my mom, as I got older he'd yell at me and go beat my mom instead.

I was stronger then him physically and he realised that very quickly.

"I don't know how I feel, Rose. That's the issue, I do not know what is wrong."

"That's okay. You're not used to talking like this, I can see that. It may take time but you need to trust me, okay?" She asks and I only nod at her, unable to form words. "If I hug you will you feel guilty about it?"

"No." I respond quickly, she smiles and wraps her arms around me. Honestly I can't talk about this stuff I never have been able to. But this is nice, somehow it may one day make up for what I lacked as a child.

Who knows when that day will be.