Aiden roared in laughter “Good lord, I’m glad that I don’t have to work with people like that on a daily basis.”
“Hey, at the end of the day, what I say goes.”
Aiden looked behind Vinny as Cassie and Natalie walked towards them. He noticed that Natalie had been crying.
“Hey Vin, I think Natalie needs you.”
Vinny stood up and wrapped his arms around Natalie, who had started crying again. “Please, I don’t want to lose you again.”
He stroked her hair. “I’m not going anywhere, baby girl. You hear me? You will always have me no matter what.”
Cassie sat down next to Aiden “Nice work Cass, I didn’t think she was going to come out of the woodwork until we left.”
“She’s very torn up about what she did. I hope you understand this, Aiden.”
He simply nodded “I do now.”
******
“So wait, the main reason you were with me was because I reminded you of Cassie?” Natalie asked with wide eyes.
“That is the general consensus that all of us have agreed upon, yes” Aiden said in a matter-of-fact voice as he drank from his pint glass. “Just like how you were with me because I reminded you of Vinny.”
“I…I have no words. Really I don’t.” Natalie stammered.
“Sometimes there are things that are best left unsaid.” Cassie took a bite out of her Chicken Parmesan.
Vinny placed his arm around Natalie “It’s alright baby. I’ve known for a while that this guilt has been eating at you”
Natalie turned to Aiden. It was time to address the elephant in the room.
“Look Aiden, I’m sorry… for all of it. Everything I put you through, those feelings of loneliness and heartbreak. I know you wouldn’t understand or-or would’ve understood had I told you the truth. I know it was a very shitty thing for me to do to you and…I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
Natalie was taken aback “Why not? I betrayed you in one of the worst ways possible and you have every reason in the world to hate my guts. So why don’t you?”
Aiden folded his hands on the table in front of him
“Well correct me if I’m wrong but we both got into our relationship together for all the wrong reasons. We’ve already established that, yes?”
Natalie nodded her head.
“And yes, what happened in the aftermath of you leaving was an all-around awful time for me. However, if it never happened…” He slipped his arm around Cassie “…Cassie and I never would’ve ended up together. She is my true love and I can’t imagine my life without her at this point.”
Cassie blushed “Baby…”
Aiden gestured with his other hand. “Plus, even I have to admit you two make a great couple. When Vinny comforted you after you came into the restaurant with Cassie, I can tell that he really cares about you. He seems like he has a good head on his shoulders and wants nothing but the best for you.”
Vinny laughed, “I wish everyone would say that about me.”
“Plus, you two look happy together. Happier than we ever were when we dated and I really do mean that. With all of that said, I forgive you Natalie”
Natalie had calmed down by then “Thank you Aiden. Vinny really does mean the world to me and I hope that one day we can tell our family about us.”
Vinny put his arm around her “And if they don’t like it, then to hell with them.”
Natalie smiled. “By the way Cassie? You’re very pretty. I can see why Aiden adores you so much.
Cassie blushed “Aww, thanks.”
A message came over the loudspeaker “Flight 1178, All Nippon Airways flight non-stop from LAX to Tokyo is now boarding at Gate C32.”
“Oh shit, that’s our flight!” Vinny stood up as he placed three 20-dollar bills on the table. “I’m not sure how much the drinks were but this ought to cover it.” He winked at Aiden and Cassie.
Natalie picked up her backpack and Aiden & Cassie stood up. Vinny reached out and shook Aiden’s hand “It was great to meet you Aiden. You take care of Cassie for me alright?
“I will, you…keep an eye on Natalie yeah?”
Vinny laughed, “I swear on my grandmother’s grave.”
Aiden turned to Natalie, who stood there unsure what to do. Without thinking, he hugged Natalie and patted her shoulder. “You two make a great couple. Don’t worry about me, I’m better now than I ever was.”
“Thank you Aiden. That means a lot to me!” She smiled at him.
Meanwhile Cassie and Vinny hugged each other “You take care of yourselves you hear me? If Aiden happens to mistreat you, look up Vinny D’Errico on Facebook and send me a message. I’ll come a-knocking.”
She giggled “Trust me, if Aiden were to do that, he knows that I would be the one who came a-knocking.” The two shared a laugh.
They bid each other goodbye as Vinny and Natalie rushed out of the restaurant. Aiden & Cassie sat back down at the table.
“Well, this has turned out to be an interesting day. Eh Cass?”
Cassie finished eating her meal. “Yeah, how do you feel Aiden?”
“Knowing that I’ve gotten closure on what happened last year? At peace. Still, it’s surreal to me that Vinny & Natalie are almost like our doppelgangers. This is like some glitch-in-the-matrix shit.” Aiden leaned back in his chair as he stared at the ceiling.
“Deep down, I guess a small part of me was still bothered by it but after what just happened, I truly feel at peace.”
He put his arm around Cassie and pecked her forehead. “And it’s all thanks to you. I love you, baby.”
She looked back at him and kissed him on the lips. “What you did was a very mature thing to do. This is why I love you so much!”
They finished their drinks and made their way to the gate as their flight was announced over the intercom.
As they got settled in their seats on the plane, Cassie put on her neck pillow and closed her eyes as she fell asleep while Aiden leaned back in his seat. As the plane departed from LAX, he was treated to one final view of the sprawling metropolis below. He replayed the events of the day in his head and what role his cousin played in helped him obtain the last bit of closure that eluded him for so long.
At long last, his eyes started to close as one last thought crossed his mind.
I want to marry Cassie…
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