Chapter Two
Zach grinned to himself as he stood in the elevator with a bag full of snacks and supplies, excitement welling up in his chest. This time tomorrow, he’d bemarried.
He’d never really expected that to happen. Until he met Aiden, he couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to marry him.
He was nervous as hell, afraid he’d screw it up somehow, but the thought that someone as gorgeous and fun andexcitingas Aiden wanted to marryhim, of all people, was enough to override that. This was a dream come true, and he could hardly wait to start the rest of their lives together.
“Honey?” he called as he slipped into their hotel room, not seeing Aiden immediately as the door closed behind him.
He was probably in the shower. He’d said he wanted one before Zach went out, and he hadn’t been gonethatlong, and sometimes Aiden meant to do something but got distracted by his phone or something and it took him twice as long as everyone else.
Zach liked to think of that as endearing.
He left his bags on the bed, figuring they could go through them later, and pushed open the door to the bathroom.
No Aiden.
Huh.
Another sweeping glance of the room made his stomach sink.
Aiden’s suitcase was gone. It had been right next to Zach’s own, still packed, and now it… wasn’t.
He swallowed thickly, unsure what this meant. Cold dread crept up his spine, fear that all the times he’d thought this was too good to be true were coming back to haunt him.
Maybe they were just being moved to a different room. Yeah, that had to be it. Aiden was only gone for a second, and he’d be back any moment. Reception would know. He could call.
Zach’s knee bounced nervously as he waited for the receptionist to pick up the phone. He chewed on his lip, jumping at the sound of the call finally connecting.
He didn’t make a lot of phone calls. He tried to avoid them at all costs, usually, but this seemed urgent.
“Umm, hi,” he said in response to the receptionist’s greeting. “I’m staying here with someone and-”
He cut himself off, finally noticing a note next to the phone. His name was scrawled on it in Aiden’s slightly shaky cursive.
“Oh,” he said to the receptionist. “Umm. Never mind, I think, uh. I’ll call back,” he said, hanging up the phone in a panic.
His fingers trembled as he reached out for the note, teeth digging deep into his bottom lip as he skimmed the contents, his stomach tying up in knots.
I can’t do this, it read.Sorry. It’s not about you, it’s about me. You’re great, and I hope you have a great life.
Aiden.
Not evenlove, Aiden. Just…Aiden.
Tears sprung up in Zach’s eyes.
Some part of him had been expecting this.
Some part of him knew that it had all been too easy, that there had to have been some mistake, that this great, gorgeous guy he’d met and been swept off his feet by couldn’tpossiblystick around. That he didn’t deserve it. That at some point, Aiden would realize he could do better and walk away.
He hadn’t exactly expected it to happen on the eve of their wedding, though. Aiden had seemed excited, too.
Shit. Maybe Zach had been reading him wrong all this time. Maybe he’d been making an idiot of himself for months.
A knock on the door made him jump.
Maybe… maybe Aiden had changed his mind?
