without the one thing she wanted. ”
“ She came over the other night wearing nothing but a fur coat he gave her. She used to hate the coat. ”
“ Probably because it was something he gave her to make up for being an asshole. He was always trying to buy her love instead of trying to earn it. ”
I study Aiden, knowing I don ’ t need to say it, but that I should. “ I watched the movies before I went to work at Captive. ”
“ The Keatyn Chronicles ? ”
“ Yeah, and I ’ ve never really apologized for being such a dick to you in high school. ”
“ All ’ s fair in love and war, ” he says, repeating a line from the movie and what I had actually told Keatyn when we dated briefly in high school. Whitney had sent me a text — a simple text, baby, please — begging me not to go away with Keatyn for the weekend but stay with her and try and work out our relationship. She had devastated me when she had broken up with me a few months before and to have her now saying she made a mistake, was what I had longed to hear. I realized too late, that I was an idiot for not staying with Keatyn and tried to win her back. For a short period, she dated both Aiden and I.
“ You wooed her. How did you know what to do? What would affect her? ”
He shrugs. “ I was just there for her when she was upset. I took her chocolate cake. ”
I think back to the movie. “ And gave her a four-leaf clover for luck, put stars above her bed, ran a feather earring across her neck, and brought her dirt. None of those things really cost money. ”
“ I bought her a purse she loved and some gorgeous gold feather earrings. But it’s not what you spend that matters, Dawson. You have to find what touches her soul and give from yours freely. ”
“ I was going to give her this. ” I show Aiden the necklace I planned to give Vanessa tonight. “ It ’ s just something the girls and I found in Venice, but the butterfly stands for rebirth and the infinity symbol on its wings reminded me of our path back to each other. ”
“ Why didn ’ t you give it to her? ”
“ It felt insignificant after seeing all those jewels. Hard to compete with them. ”
Aiden smiles at me. “ Here ’ s a tip, Dawson. All isn ’ t fair in love and war, but the victor always plays with heart. ”
In the car - L.A.
RILEY
I ’ m on my way to the hotel to meet Shelby when I get a text.
Ariela: I ’ m really sorry the note upset you. That wasn ’ t my intention.
I don ’ t reply, instead I call Logan. Once we exchange greetings, I get to the subject at hand.
“ So tell me about this new guy she brought in to be her assistant. ”
“ Kyle? I don ’ t know much about him. Seems like a nice enough kid. Good looking. Funny. Maggie and Grandma were drooling over him. ”
“ And what about Ariela? ”
“ They seem close. But they must not be too close because he thinks that Maggie and I are renewing our vows, so Ariela doesn ’ t trust him enough to tell him everything. ”
“ Is she fucking him? ”
“ Hmm, not sure. Based on the way he acts around her, I ’ d say he wants to but hasn ’ t. Why the twenty questions? I thought after homecoming you two made up? She even told us about the premiere girl getting pregnant. I was under the impression she wasn ’ t going to let that interfere with your relationship. ”
“ Did she tell you guys about the note? ”
“ What note? ”
“ On graduation day, she was too chicken to tell me in person that she was going to Princeton. ”
“ What do you mean? She told you in person then ran to her parents ’ car and left. ”
“ Yeah, I know. But that wasn ’ t her plan. Apparently, she didn ’ t have the guts to tell me in person, so she was going to leave a note on my car. But as she was going to my car, she ran into me, blurted everything out, and forgot to give me the note. She ’ s kept it all these years though. She gave it to me at homecoming and made me read it last
“ She came over the other night wearing nothing but a fur coat he gave her. She used to hate the coat. ”
“ Probably because it was something he gave her to make up for being an asshole. He was always trying to buy her love instead of trying to earn it. ”
I study Aiden, knowing I don ’ t need to say it, but that I should. “ I watched the movies before I went to work at Captive. ”
“ The Keatyn Chronicles ? ”
“ Yeah, and I ’ ve never really apologized for being such a dick to you in high school. ”
“ All ’ s fair in love and war, ” he says, repeating a line from the movie and what I had actually told Keatyn when we dated briefly in high school. Whitney had sent me a text — a simple text, baby, please — begging me not to go away with Keatyn for the weekend but stay with her and try and work out our relationship. She had devastated me when she had broken up with me a few months before and to have her now saying she made a mistake, was what I had longed to hear. I realized too late, that I was an idiot for not staying with Keatyn and tried to win her back. For a short period, she dated both Aiden and I.
“ You wooed her. How did you know what to do? What would affect her? ”
He shrugs. “ I was just there for her when she was upset. I took her chocolate cake. ”
I think back to the movie. “ And gave her a four-leaf clover for luck, put stars above her bed, ran a feather earring across her neck, and brought her dirt. None of those things really cost money. ”
“ I bought her a purse she loved and some gorgeous gold feather earrings. But it’s not what you spend that matters, Dawson. You have to find what touches her soul and give from yours freely. ”
“ I was going to give her this. ” I show Aiden the necklace I planned to give Vanessa tonight. “ It ’ s just something the girls and I found in Venice, but the butterfly stands for rebirth and the infinity symbol on its wings reminded me of our path back to each other. ”
“ Why didn ’ t you give it to her? ”
“ It felt insignificant after seeing all those jewels. Hard to compete with them. ”
Aiden smiles at me. “ Here ’ s a tip, Dawson. All isn ’ t fair in love and war, but the victor always plays with heart. ”
In the car - L.A.
RILEY
I ’ m on my way to the hotel to meet Shelby when I get a text.
Ariela: I ’ m really sorry the note upset you. That wasn ’ t my intention.
I don ’ t reply, instead I call Logan. Once we exchange greetings, I get to the subject at hand.
“ So tell me about this new guy she brought in to be her assistant. ”
“ Kyle? I don ’ t know much about him. Seems like a nice enough kid. Good looking. Funny. Maggie and Grandma were drooling over him. ”
“ And what about Ariela? ”
“ They seem close. But they must not be too close because he thinks that Maggie and I are renewing our vows, so Ariela doesn ’ t trust him enough to tell him everything. ”
“ Is she fucking him? ”
“ Hmm, not sure. Based on the way he acts around her, I ’ d say he wants to but hasn ’ t. Why the twenty questions? I thought after homecoming you two made up? She even told us about the premiere girl getting pregnant. I was under the impression she wasn ’ t going to let that interfere with your relationship. ”
“ Did she tell you guys about the note? ”
“ What note? ”
“ On graduation day, she was too chicken to tell me in person that she was going to Princeton. ”
“ What do you mean? She told you in person then ran to her parents ’ car and left. ”
“ Yeah, I know. But that wasn ’ t her plan. Apparently, she didn ’ t have the guts to tell me in person, so she was going to leave a note on my car. But as she was going to my car, she ran into me, blurted everything out, and forgot to give me the note. She ’ s kept it all these years though. She gave it to me at homecoming and made me read it last
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