*hello readers! Thank you so much for sticking with me! Get ready , the men are about to make this harder for Aria. Tell me who you're rooting for below!!*

♡♡♡

●ALEX POV●

Aria finally agreeing to coming with my saturday was a feat in itself because she did not want to go without knowing where and why she needed to pack an overnight bag. I wanted to make up for last weekend and treat her to something nice for working so hard with Trip during the week.

I know we had said that we would keep things professional between us as far as this fake relationship goes but there was something last week . During our date that made me start thinking otherwise . She's incredibly smart, witty , open, understanding and insanely beautiful .

The night that we matched , honestly, was just so I can get my feet wet again . After Penny I was lost and I hadn't been able to bring myself to even look at another woman. But then my buddies convinced me to get on this dating app . They knew what I had gone through and thought that meeting new people, specifically new woman, was the way to go .

There were a few girls on there that I thought was pretty . I matched with them and met with a couple but they were all brainless faces . Although they were attractive , physically, they couldn't hold my attention . During our 'date' if you would even call it that , they were glued to their phones; taking selfies and posting it to whatever social media they were on.

I was about to delete the all when Aria's profile matched mine . I had to blink a few times because my instant reaction was that she was gorgeous but at the same time warm and familiar. I didn't have to think twice at meeting her although the request was a bit odd .

When I arrived at the club where she and her group were , I was taken aback . I was stunned into silence because Aria radiated a different air about her . Hands down, she was the most beautiful woman in this place , hell , the most beautiful woman I had ever seen . The smile of hers lit up the room and I wasn't the only one to notice.

Some of the other men around the bar were talking about the woman in the VIP section with the black dress and the brunette hair . She was the only one in black in that area and I felt lucky to be the one meeting her.

After our meeting and the subsequent dates that followed I knew that this was fate. I faintly remembered her as a kid , I mean at that age I was more interested in frogs but I remember the girl with the clear hazel eyes . I remember thinking that they were so pretty . Although our families saw each other a lot , I was a shy kid and I just watched everyone else play with each other . Now that I look back , she was always around Warren and Trip . They doted on her as if she was doll .

Now, 20 years later I had a chance to get to know Aria and I can't deny the overwhelming attraction I feel for her . She is a breath of fresh air from all the other women I've met and she made me instantly forget my heartache . I

This overnight trip is something that I think she'd like and maybe it'll bring us even closer together . She and I had either been texting throughout the week or at least talked on the phone . So I have gotten to know a few of her likes and dislikes .

Tonight , I hope to finally share that kiss that we almost had . I need to touch her and make sure that what I feel isn't just in my head .

I woke up at 5 this morning to make sure I had the car packed with everything that we would need during this short roadtrip . When it was time to pick Aria up , I rushed out of my apartment .

She was already waiting for me with a duffle bag in front of her building and I couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear at the sight of her.

"Goodmorning," I greeted.

"Morning to you too, you're in a good mood today," she says to me .

"Well, I am spending the whole day with a beautiful woman , so I would say this is a great day," I tell her while I open her door.

She slides right in , "Okay casanova, will you tell me where we're going now?" She says to me trying to hide her blush from my compliment just a moment ago.

"You"ll see. I promise you'll like it."

She gives me the sweetest smile , one that could melt any cold heart , "I better," she jokes with me.

As we pull away she says , "So , I had an interesting night last night."

"Yeah? What happened?" I asked her.

"I ran into Warren at my favorite restaurant and we ended up having dinner together."

That made me freeze just for a moment thinking if maybe something was going on between them . But I erased that thought because if they were she wouldn't be telling me this.

"I didn't want to keep anything from you , considering what you two had been through regarding Penelope. I know we're not in a relationship but I don't like hiding things and you should know it was very innocent. We had dinner , talked and then I went home," she tells me straightforward.

This , this is why I like her . She has this no nonsense quality about her and I appreciate that Aria thought about me last night .

"Thanks for letting me know. How is he?" I ask .

"He's good and for the record, I'm really happy you guys worked it out," she says with a genuine happiness. Just knowing her for this short time makes me believe that her ex boyfriend was a complete idiot for letting her go.

I nod at her and feel a certain ease being around Aria , "Yeah, you were right about it too . Warren and I are good , of course it's going to take some time but I think it'll all workout at the end."

"So the wedding is coming up in a couple weeks, how do you feel about that?" I only knew the surface bit about why we're doing this. But I really want to get to know her better .

♡♡♡

●ARIA POV●

How do I feel about it ? Let me think, I haven't actually and that's thanks to the Wells brothers . They've been keeping me occupied and next weekend starts the wedding festivities, so this is my last week before we go through , what I call , hell week.

"Now that you brought it up , I am dreading it . I have next week off because my sister wants to do it big . Bachelorette party and wedding preparations," I answer him .

"Are you ready to face everyone with me by your side?" He asks, taking me by surprise .

"You know at first I thought this might have been a terrible idea but you know , it doesnt seem so bad anymore. Besides we're helping each other out, although yours is a longer time frame," I grin at him.

He returns with a smile , "Well , that's why I wanted to take you somewhere nice ."

He then asks , "Before all that stuff went down with your ex, how were things between you two?"

I sigh , "I was blindsided . Everyone thought we were the perfect couple . Everything aligned so well between us and we were even planning out our future JUST that morning that everything went to hell."

I'm reminded of that betrayal and how much it hurt . But I wasn't going to be the one apologizing or groveling. I caught him in the act and that's an image I don't think I could forget .

"He was my everything . That apartment I live in? Was ours , under my name, but you know, we lived together. I thought he loved me because he went as far as taking me the jewelry shop," I can feel a little tremble in my throat , "but I was fooled. It wasn't even being embarrassed that he was running around behind my back, but that everything I thought was real, ended up being fake."

Alex then cuts in , "He's a damn fool if you ask me . You're the total package and he got stuck with , I don't even know what you'd call that ."

"Trash," I answered , "she always was flirting around shamelessly even after we met . She didn't care . But you know what? She got what she wanted and now I'm free."

"Free?"

I nod , "I loved Dylan but that love was clearly one-sided . I sacrificed a lot for him , I invested my time , my heart and a lot of money to help him out."

"So he was partly using you?"

I shrug, "Maybe, but I really don't want to find out . I cut him off of my bank account when I threw him out."

"Couldn't your sister's fiance tell him that he couldn't bring a plus one?"

I laughed , "We did and Brittany went all psycho on everyone. So they told Dylan that the functions he'd be invited to were limited and that she wouldn't be invited to any of the bridal party activities. He tried to protest but Delilah said she'd break off the engagement if Dylan fought this."

"Wow, your sister really does have your back," he says surprised.

"We're bestfriends and she knows what heartache I went through with him."

We finally arrived at our destination and it was this cute little beach house sitting on the sand . My face lit up and I was ecstatic to be by the water, "How did you know?"

He smiled , "I listen and you told me it had been awhile since you came to the beach. So I thought , why not rent out a house for the day. I brought food in the cooler that we can cook up inside . That way we can enjoy the beach house completely."

This gesture , made my heart melt . Even Dylan never did anything like this and he was supposed to be my boyfriend. "Thank you Alex, this means so much to me."

On impulse for my gratitude, I leaned over and kissed him on his cheek . I may have overstepped my boundaries because he didn't say too much before getting out of the car and grabbing our things .

I decided that I had thoroughly embarrassed myself and went straight into the first room I found, which, was the master suite . I just keep crossing all sorts of lines, weren't I. After giving a proper amount of time and letting my stomach grumble loudly I finally got out of the room .

Alex had a table set up on the patio and I could smell the food he was grilling up . As if by instinct I let my stomach guide me outside . As soon as I opened the door he turned around and gave me a wide smile, as if nothing had happened in the car .

"Lunch is almost done, I hope you don't mind hamburgers," he says as he goes back to manning the grill.

"I love burgers . I'm not like some women are where they hardly eat anything other than a leaf. I like meat," I say that last part only realizing the innuendo that it could be interpreted as.

"That's good to know," he turns around bringing the patties to the table, "I'll make sure you get as much meat as you can handle."

I choked on the drink on the table and now it was his turn to get red in the face, "I didn't, wait , that's not how I meant it--"

His stuttering was actually pretty damn cute .

"Relax, I get it. But you have to admit that was pretty funny."