Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right

By the time I’d calmed down enough to function, I freshened up in the restroom and headed straight for the airport. Ron wasn’t kidding about cutting it close–the plane had already landed by the time I got there.

Tall, probably over six feet, rocking an unbuttoned black dress shirt under a matching vest, paired with tailored black slacks. He gave off major celebrity vibes, the kind where people turn to stare without even realizing they’re doing it.

I plastered on my polite–work–smile and stepped up. “Hi, I’m Keira Kay from OceanixCorp. Mr. Shane had an emergency, so he asked me to pick you up,” I said, offering a handshake.

“Aaron Ace,” he replied, shaking it briefly. “Give me a second. I need to grab my checked luggage.”

“I’ll come with you,” I said, falling into step beside him toward baggage claim..

That’s when I saw them–Lena and Nate.

Even without context, it was obvious what was happening. The way they walked, hand in hand, with just one suitcase between them, said it all. Nate was leaving. Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

Neither of them spoke as they made their way to the carousel, stopping just shy of the crowd. There was this quiet heaviness in the air, like the kind that wraps around you before a storm.

“I’ll handle the check–in. You should go back,” Nate finally said, breaking the silence in this gentle, almost hesitant way.

Lena didn’t answer. Instead, Nate brushed a strand of her hair back, his fingers lingering for a beat too long. He didn’t need to say anything else. What could he even say? No words were going to

change the fact that he was ♦ leaving—or make Lena feel any less alone once he was gone.

“I’ll handle it,” he repeated, taking a step back. But before he could move, Lena grabbed his hand, pulling him closer. Then she kissed him.

For a second, Nate froze, like he couldn’t believe it. Then he let his suitcase drop, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her back.

It didn’t matter that they were surrounded by strangers or the chaos of the baggage claim. For that moment, it was just them, pouring every ounce of emotion into a kiss that said everything they couldn’t.

But no matter how much they wanted to hold on, reality wouldn’t let them.

Lena was the first to pull away. She placed a hand over Nate’s eyes, her touch so soft it almost broke me. Then, before he could stop her, she slipped out of his arms and walked away without looking back

I took a step toward her instinctively, wanting to go after her, but a hand on my arm stopped me.

“At a time like this, she’d probably rather be alone,” Aaron said, his voice calm.

His words made me stop in my tracks. I glanced at him, curious. He was watching Lena walk away, his expression impossible to read.

“Mr. Ace…”

I started to say something, but he didn’t wait. He just turned and kept walking toward baggage claim like nothing had happened.

***

By the time we got to the parking lot, fate decided to mess with us–Lena was there again.

Her red, puffy eyes were a dead giveaway. She’d been crying.

I stepped forward, holding out my arms. “Want a hug?”

Lena didn’t say anything, but her gaze slid past me and landed on Aaron instead. Her whole vibe shifted. “What are you two doing… together?”

At first, I didn’t catch anything weird about her tone. “I was picking him up. He’s a partner for our company’s new project.”

Her expression darkened slightly. Her voice dipped as she asked, “When you saw me and Nate earlier… did he see us too?”

“Of course. Not just us-“I started to explain how the entire baggage claim probably noticed, but Lena cut me off mid–sentence.

“Uncle Aaron,” she blurted out.

Wait. Uncle?!

I whipped around to stare at her. Cool, calm Lena actually looked nervous for once. Her eyes were glued to Aaron like she was bracing for impact.

“I thought you went back?” she asked.

“I did. And now I’m back,” Aaron replied, his gaze steady on her. “Not happy to see me?”