Vinny smiled “Well that makes two of us. We’re both from Tampa but our layover is here as well! So I figured I’d take this time to gather a ‘peace offering’ for the family.”
“Hey you know Vin Diesel always said that you never turn your back on family.” Aiden quipped.
They both laughed as they went to pay for their items. For some reason, Aiden thought he could trust Vinny. Almost like a lost long friend.
As the two left, they headed toward the main terminal area. As they walked amongst the crowd, Vinny turned to look at Aiden.
“So where are ya headed?”
“Terminal 3, Concourse F.. And you?”
“My man! That’s where I’m headed as well. My girlfriend is probably going stir crazy wondering where I am!”
“Haha, well you’ll get to meet my lovely Cassie as well!”
They both passed through the entrance to the Concourse and kept walking & soon Vinny raised his right hand and waved.
******
Natalie had stammered to come up with an answer when she saw her boyfriend Vinny waving at her with a large bag in hand. Her attention was then drawn to the man walking next to him. It didn’t take long for her to figure out that it was Aiden.
“Oh shit, nononono. This isn’t happening” Natalie whispered to herself as she started to cry. She looked towards Cassie, who never took her eyes off of her.
Cassie remained assertive “What’s wrong Natalie? I told you I’m not going to hurt y-…”
Natalie suddenly stood up in a panic and grabbed her phone. How did Vinny run into Aiden? She felt sick to her stomach and needed to get away. “Sorry, I have to go!”
She quickly ran away down the concourse but left her backpack behind.
Cassie turned around and saw Aiden with Vinny, the pieces started falling into place for her.
“I see…” Cassie said to herself.
******
From afar, the two watched as Natalie got up from her seat and ran down the concourse.
“Uh oh, looks like she’s got to use the restroom. She always gets a bit antsy before a long flight.” Vinny remarked
“Not everyone is a flyer.” Aiden smirked
Aiden & Vinny walked towards Cassie, who was still sitting in her seat as she looked at the two. She directed her attention to Aiden “Hey babe, it looks like you made a friend!”
“I did. Cassie, meet Vinny! Looks like you’ve already met his girlfriend” Aiden smiled
Vinny walked up to Cassie and extended his hand towards her “Hi there, nice to meet you, I see you’ve already met Natalie!”
Cassie looked down at his hand then back up at him. She did not return the gesture and just shook her head. “So you’re Natalie’s deep dark secret.”
Vinny took back his hand and looked at her in confusion. “Huh? What are you talking about?”
Aiden looked at her puzzled “Cass, what’s wrong? What are you going on about?”
Processing what Cassie just said, Vinny turned to Aiden with suspicion.”Yeah…and, come to think of it, why did my girl suddenly get up and high tail it out of here when she saw you?”
“That’s because Aiden is Natalie’s ex.” Cassie stood up and pointed a finger at Vinny “YOU are the reason why Aiden had his heart broken in the first place.”
Aiden stared at Cassie in disbelief. “Wait, as in Natalie D’Errico?” To which she simply nodded.
A look of fear came across Vinny’s face “Hold up…are you Aiden…Schroeder?”
Aiden turned to look at Vinny. This was the guy that Natalie left him for?
He balled his fists as he stared Vinny down “So it was you…”
Vinny was quick to put his hands up in a panic “Oh shit, look! I told her it wouldn’t be right if she left you for my sake because I’ve been cheated on before & it is the worst fucking feeling in the world. I would never put anyone through that willingly! I know it all sounds like bullshit, but you have to believe me!”
Aiden exercised an inhuman level of restraint. Yes, he wanted nothing more than to tackle Vinny to the floor and introduce his face to the carpet beneath their feet but a voice in his head told him to let Vinny speak. He crossed his arms and looked at him.
“Ok, let’s hear it. I’m willing to hear you out but it had better be good” Aiden’s voice was tense with anger.
Vinny sat down and placed his hands in his face.
“Look, when me and Natalie came to the conclusion that we had still feelings for each other, we didn’t immediately tear off each other’s clothes and fuck; In case you were wondering.”
He sighed
“I told Natalie that I didn’t want her to end her engagement to Aiden for my sake. I was willing to let her go because I KNEW that he would be devastated if she followed through with her plan.”
Aiden continued to look down at Vinny. This was the man that Natalie had left him for. He wanted to be mad, but he could no longer bring himself to do so. Something in the back of his mind told him that he was speaking the truth.
Cassie chimed in “You know that’s the exact same thing that Natalie told me. So unless you pre-rehearsed this, your story checks out.”
Vinny weakly laughed “Trust me, I’m not smart enough to think of something that elaborate.”
Instead of rage, Aiden chose reason and sat down next to Vinny “So tell me this, how did you and Natalie meet?”
Vinny shook his head “I don’t know if I should even tell you, man. It would absolutely screw things up with me and Natalie.”
Cassie moved to the chair next to him “It can’t be any worse than me and Aiden. Natalie already figured out we were cousins, so yours can’t be as bad…”
Vinny looked up & shot his head towards Cassie.
“Please tell me you’re bullshitting me because that isn’t funny!”
Aiden shook his head “No Vinny, it’s 100% true.”
Vinny looked down at the floor. “Look, I’ve known Natalie for a very long time, since we were kids.” He took a deep breath. “You see, we’re cousins as well.”
Aiden and Cassie both replied “You’re what?”
“It’s the truth. She’s my older cousin by a couple of months. We were raised and grew up together like most good Italian families. I watched her go from my bratty cousin to this beautiful and alluring young woman. She was my first kiss when we were both 18 years old and we did…fool around a bit afterwards.
All of that changed when we both left for college and we both decided to end our relationship. We thought that by dating other people those feelings would go away but it didn’t. Those feelings were still there.
He looked up “Then she came back for a family reunion a year ago and that’s when we realized our feelings for each other were still there. I had just been through a bad break-up and told her that I didn’t want her to leave Aiden for my sake, but yet she did.
Vinny leaned forward and clasped his hands, still looking at the ground.
“In spite of what happened, she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I really hope that one day we will start a family of our own together.”
Cassie and Aiden nodded their heads, they both understood now. Cassie excused herself.
“I’m going to find Natalie, you boys get us a booth at the restaurant over there. I think it’s time we settled this once and for all.”
Vinny stood up “Let me. Please I need to be there for her!
Cassie shook her head “I appreciate the gesture but this is something that needs to be talked about between us girls.”
“Alright…let’s go Aiden” Vinny nodded
Aiden went with Vinny as the two got a table for four. As they were waiting for their server, Aiden had to get something off of his chest.
“Just so you know, I’m not mad at you. Not anymore because I get it now. She was in love with you but thought she couldn’t be with you so she dated someone that reminded her of you in order to ignore those feelings. I’m just as guilty of doing that.” Aiden reflected.
Vinny laughed “I figured as much by looking at you and Cassie. Pretty much a dead ringer for Natalie if you ask me!”
******
Natalie sat at a bar on the far end of the concourse, her eyes red from crying. Things had been going so well for her but then the universe decided to intervene on account of her actions. She didn’t want to go back out there and face Vinny and especially not Aiden
She downed her shot of tequila as she heard a soft voice to her side “Hey Natalie…”
She turned to see Cassie standing there with her arms behind her back.
Natalie started to cry again. “Please just go away, haven’t you done enough already!? I know I’m a fucking horrible person. Karma has finally caught up with me for what I did to Aiden and is now demanding that I pay the fucking toll!”
Cassie fenced her arms in front of her and whispered “It’s okay. Vinny told us everything.”
“Oh god, no!” Natalie broke down into tears and buried her face in her hands
She then felt Cassie’s arms wrap around her in an embrace as she still sat in the chair “Shhhhh nothing is ending, honey. Vinny is still madly in love with you. I can’t say I agree with how things ended between you and Aiden but I at least understand why you did what you did and so does Aiden.”
Natalie stifled another sob and looked up and over Cassie’s shoulder in shock.
“How? How can anyone be so understanding after what I did,…especially Aiden? I broke his heart for the most selfish reason imaginable.”
Cassie let go of Natalie and looked her in the eyes.
“You and Aiden were only together because you two reminded each other of who you truly loved. Can we at least agree upon that?”
Natalie felt a lump in her throat as she nodded her head.
“Look, I’m sorry for what I said to you earlier. I really am. I didn’t know the full story.” She wiped a tear from Natalie’s face.
Cassie continued “You need to come with me so the four of us can sit down and talk. It’s time for both you and Aiden to have closure so that you can move forward.”
She sniffled “I don’t know if I can look Aiden in the eye after what I did. I don’t deserve his forgiveness.”
Cassie placed her hands on her shoulders. “This is something he wants to do. Not because anyone is making him do it, but because this is also important for him. So please, come with me and have a drink with all of us.”
Natalie wiped her eyes and nodded.
“Okay.”
——-
Vinny took a sip of his beer and loudly boasted “So then I told him: Yeah, but the difference between you and me is that I have one asshole. You apparently have two and you won’t stop talking out of the second one.”
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