My Beautiful Mistake

Chapter Nine

Aiden was unbelievable. Even after I had told him off, he still had the nerves to say something like that to me. Was anything I said not able to make its way into his thick, conceited skull?

After that little scene with Mr. Ego, I was more than determined to go on my date with Miles and apologize profusely for what had happened. I arrived at the coffee shop nearly an hour late. Aiden was to blame for that.

Much to my dismay, I saw Miles sitting sullenly at a little table in the corner of the shop staring at his phone. He looked so hurt, yet he chose to wait possibly in hopes that I would arrive sooner or later. 

The coffee shop was usually a very happy place; the pastel decorations and assortments of delicious pastries in the glass display were enough to brighten any day, but today it just felt gloomy. The dark storm hovering over Miles' head seemed to encompass the entire shop.

I walked quietly up to him before slipping into the seat across from him. He didn't even spare me a glance, much less look up from his phone.

I managed a weak, "Hey," before giving a sheepish grin, mentally preparing myself for the surge of angry emotions that was bound to be directed my way.

He looked up rather quickly and instead of sadness, I saw a flicker of joy in his expression. 

"You made it," he declared, the sadness now completely gone from his eyes.

Somehow, this made me feel even more guilty about what had happened earlier. He had done nothing to deserve getting stood up and yet, he was so quick to forgive my lateness. 

"I'm so sorry for being late. Something came up..."I let my voice trail off as I racked my brain looking for the right words to say next.

He snorted as an indescribable emotion crossed his face. "Your boyfriend?"

There was the angry Miles I was preparing myself for. 

I gave him a feeble smile. "Aiden isn't my boyfriend."

His eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. "You're telling me a guy who's obviously possessive enough to grab your phone and answer for you isn't your boyfriend. Brooklyn, I wasn't born yesterday, and I sure as hell am not stupid."

"He's not. Aiden's more like a friend." I tried convincing him, although the tone of my voice wasn't enough to convince even myself.

He chuckled darkly. "I sat here waiting over an hour for you when you asked me on this date. And what do I get? A girl looking for a hook-up. If I had known it would've turned out like this, I wouldn't have given you a second thought after I beat that bastard up at the club," 

His words had no other effect than making my guilt rise ever so quickly. "I'm sorry, Miles, but I said the truth. I have no relationship with him and if I did, I wouldn't have shown up for the date, nor would I have asked you out."

He got up from the table abruptly and glared at me. "You're not fooling anyone. And whatever respect I had for you before is now f*****g gone. Find some other man-toy to play with, bitch." 

He scowled before leaving the coffee shop, leaving me in a state of shock. 

Even not being here, Aiden had found a way to utterly mess with my life. Damn you, Aiden Reyes.

I sat hopelessly at the table, hoping nobody had heard his loud outburst about my love life. 

"You okay, dear?" a soft, concerned voice caused me to look up to see a worried waitress standing by my table.

I gave her the most genuine smile I could muster while feeling like utter trash, "I'm fine."

To my surprise, she took the seat where Miles previously sat. 

"I heard the whole thing," she stated, causing me to groan loudly and bury my face in my arms on top of the table.

"Do you want my opinion?" 

I looked up. "I watched him sitting here for over an hour, as he said, and initially, I thought who could be so heartless as to stand up a guy like that. And when you walked in, you looked so genuine and apologetic that I knew there probably was an actual reason for you doing that to him. And then when you tried explaining yourself, but he didn't wanna hear it, I realized that he deserved it. He couldn't care less for your explanation, and that sweetie is why he's just not worth your time."

She gave me a warm smile as she concluded her very long opinion about my situation. 

"Thanks, but it was completely my fault," I shrugged my shoulders, "I shouldn't have asked him out when there was another guy on my mind."

Her expression changed to sympathy. "That isn't your fault, sweetie. Love can be confusing and it is entirely normal for situations like this to happen. And the way you talked about the other guy made it obvious you have some feelings for him. I would suggest exploring a relationship with the other guy before getting back to this one." 

Her advice was actually pretty decent for a complete stranger. I nodded, grateful for her feedback. 

"Thanks."

She winked at me and got up from the table. "Anytime, and if you do decide to follow my advice, keep me updated because I would love to see where this goes. My job is boring, so if you ever need someone to talk to, come visit again sometime." 

A giggle escaped my lips as I looked at her in wonder. "I'll do that. Aiden does deserve a chance."

She did a double-take as if wondering if she had heard me right. 

"Aiden?" she asked, her voice suddenly low and cautious, almost a whisper.

"Um, yea," I replied, utterly confused by her reaction at the mere mention of Aiden's name.

Her eyebrows rose and the worried expression was back, "Dear lord, sweetie, I'm gonna pray for you. Getting involved with a Reyes was not the smartest thing to do."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked her, knowing that she knew more than she let on.

She shook her head slowly before walking away from the table, leaving me hopelessly and completely confused.