Sorting through Kyle and Hayley's items and assembling them into categoric piles is a long and tedious process, made easier by Aidan's therapeutic presence. Chatting aimlessly while throwing things into labelled boxes is an afternoon well spent in my opinion and with the added view of Aidan's muscles bulging every time he manoeuvres heavy items around the room, I'm certainly not one to complain.

"Stop checking me out, you." Aidan jokingly demands, obviously catching my greedy stare as I drink in his tensed up biceps, due to the fact that he so effortlessly seems to be carrying box after box full of heavy electrical appliances.

Quick to avert my gaze, I focus my attention on Hayley's Jewellery box and with a blush resembling that of a sweaty marathon runner, I quietly mutter out my weak defence.

"Stop being so sexy then." I breathe, fully intending for Aidan not to hear but of course, with ears on full alert, he does.

"Sorry darling, can't help that. You'll just have to control yourself around me." he retorts, smugly to which I decide a soft blow to the head will sort out.

Following through with my plan, I pick up the feather-light pillow, firing it straight away, and smile when it comes into contact with his face.

"Arrogance is never sexy on a man, Aidan." I inform, pointing a finger at his brilliantly toned chest and laughing at his slightly disorientated expression.

He throws his head back in deep laughter and with a smile not even butter could melt, he offers up a flirtatious wink that has me both shaking my head it amusement and laughing hysterically.

"That's bull shit and we both know it. My confidence alone is what got you hooked in the first place." he says, the sheer cockiness radiating off of him hitting its all time highest point.

His statement causes a mocking scoff to fall from my lips and as I absentmindedly rummage through Hayley's endless amount of jewellery, a giant pillow is hauled at my head, causing the entire box to fall on the floor.

"Oh, nice one, dick face!" I joke, crouching down to retrieve the shiny objects; safely returning them to their rightful position.

After successfully locating most of the jewellery, I turn my attention to the far right corner where I notice a small red velvet box hanging open and next to it lies a glistening diamond ring, beautiful enough to put most hand jewellery to shame. Assuming it belongs to Hayley, I crawl on my hands and knees, ready to place the items back in the box, only to have Aidan protest in my doing so.

"Amelia, leave it!" his voice sounds desperate and as I register his pleading tone, an unsettling shiver runs up the full length of my spine.

Ignoring his demands, I allow my eyes to focus in on the golden band, which I now realise is an engagement ring, and with no knowledge as to why, I find myself drawn to the elegant piece of jewellery, picking it up to further inspect. Its subtle oval shape diamond is the perfect size and with its colouring consisting of a transparent, pale pink, the beautiful stone compliments the white gold band impeccably, adding to its sheer beauty. Although breathtakingly stunning, the clear pink stone is not what holds my attention but rather the engraved message inside.

The harsh realisation of what I've just stumbled upon slowly sinks in and as my brain begrudgingly accepts the hard-to-digest information, the very few pieces I have left of my heart painfully shatter into nothingness, leaving me feeling completely numb from the inside, out. As if that wasn't bad enough, the sudden inability to breathe takes over my entire body and as every ounce of oxygen leaves my lungs, my entire world caves in, metaphorically leaving me with nothing but a dark emptiness that appears to be swallowing me whole.

Aidan being engaged to Sophie is bad enough but to know I could've literally be in her position right now, had I not been so stupid, is a different type of pain all together and one I'm not sure I can physically handle. I'm no stranger to misery, having had my fair share of unfortunate circumstances happen to me throughout the years, but nothing quite compares to knowledge that you are one hundred percent responsible for your own damned unhappiness in life.

I could've been Aidan's wife, yet here I am; single, along and heartbroken.

Burning hot tears painfully begin to sting the corners of my eyes and as a strangled sob leaves the back of my throat, I lose whatever restraint I have left and openly break down in front of him.

Still clutching the ring in my right hand, I shut my eyes tightly and unsuccessfully attempt to un-see my beautiful engagement ring that never made it onto my marriage finger, curtesy of my less than rational behaviour four years ago. With my attempts proving pointless, yet another heartbreaking whimper escapes my mouth, only for it to be immediately cut short by Aidan passionately pressing his lips to mine, the unexpected gesture both thrilling and comforting me.

Our lips slowly gliding together in a perfect dance is heavenly and as our breaths mingle together as one, I feel at peace with the world, needing and wanting for nothing more but to stay in this moment forever.

The harsh dig of his nails slowly penetrating my waist, as well as the force in which he uses to keep our swollen lips connected is enough proof that Aidan needs this as much as me and with a moan resembling that of complete satisfaction, I find myself addicted to his lips, unable to bring this moment to an end.

"Darling, hold onto me." whispers Aidan, breathlessly taking a break before slamming his lips, hungrily over mine again.

I immediately comply, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and in one smooth motion, I'm being lifted off of the floor and walked over to the bed, where I'm slowly put down in a seated position with my legs hanging freely over the side. Aidan sits himself on the floor in front of me, in between each leg, and while bringing his head up so that his eyes are level with mine, he grabs either side of my face and starts softly kissing my tear stained cheeks, gently caressing them while doing so.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry." I cry, still not emotionally stable enough to speak but wanting him to know the whole truth behind my lack of knowing. "I didn't know, Aidan, I promise I didn't know." I continue to ramble as fresh tears begin to roll down my cheeks, stinging my already tender skin.

"Hey, shh." coos Aidan, gently in my ear while rocking my body back and forth, desperately trying to comfort me in a loving embrace. "Amelia, look at me." he begs, once again taking both sides of my face in his hands. "I need you to stop crying darling because it's fucking killing me seeing you like this. I never meant for you to find out and I sure as hell never expected you to find out like this." he explains, the sincerity behind his voice almost making me feel guilty for accidentally stumbling upon it.

I offer no reply, simply too shocked to say anything and as my mind dangerously begins to wonder about the 'what's if's', I find myself slowly hitting rock bottom again, knowing all too well that every chance I had at being happy with Aidan has been painfully ripped away from me.

"Yes, I was planning on asking you to marry me." he admits, his sudden revelation causing another sob to sound from the back of my throat.

"I was going to ask on graduation day but for obvious reasons, I never did." his voice cracks ever so slightly at the end and with no other words apparently available in my vocabulary, I whisper out a pathetic apology.

"I'm sorry." I squeak, my volume barely audible. "This is all my fault, I should never have broken up with you. I wish I could go back in time and undo it all, Aidan." I admit, seemingly finding my voice along with my ability to function rational sentences.

He begins to violently shake his head out of protest and with his grip on my face tightening ever so slightly to emphasise his desperation, he brings his line of vision directly in front of mine, ready to speak.

"Amelia, I need you to listen to me very carefully darling, it's really important that you take in everything I have to say." he speaks, the underlying amount of determination pulsing through his voice making me nod my head in agreement. "You did the right thing breaking up with me. It was tough year for both of us; losing a parent each and then our baby. As much as I needed and wanted you, I was being selfish and I honestly believe that if it wasn't for you being brave enough to end things, we would've grown to resent each other and I don't think I could live in a world where you hated me, darling."

He pauses slightly and I assume he's gathering his thoughts, so I stay silent, waiting for him to continue.

"You were the selfless one, putting my needs before your own wants and I responded by fucking leaving you to go to England. You may have ended things, Amelia, but I'm the one who ultimately walked away from us. I wasn't even there for you when you were grieving for our baby and I fucking hate myself everyday for that, I hate how I let you down." he admits, the slight waver in his words bringing more tears to my eyes.

Hearing the self loathe in his voice and finding it almost unbearable, I bring my hands to rest on his chest, allowing my right hand, still holding the ring, to linger ever so slightly over his fast beating heart.

"I think we both made mistakes back then and are equally responsible for the falling apart of our relationship," I offer, desperate to share some of the blame, "but it's pointless trying to undo them, none of that really matters anyway, what matters is this, us and what we choose to do now." I gesture between the two of us, hoping to break the tension that appears to have settled around us.

My statement is followed by a slight pause where neither of us says anything and after a while, I open my mouth, ready to break the silence.

"You should take this, it's yours." I say, opening up my hand and revealing the engagement ring. "It's beautiful, by the way." I add, hoping my compliment isn't too inappropriate, given the circumstance.

"I knew you'd like it." smiles Aidan, hesitantly taking the ring from my hand and inspecting the shiny object as if to look for any changes. "Kyle helped me buy it. Him, my Dad and Hayley are the only people who knew of my plans. No one else." he continues, the pain in his voice speaking volumes, thus, resulting in my own pain making itself known.

I desperately blink back my ever approaching tears and as I allow my eyes to focus in on the image in front of me, all control ceases to exist. The mere sight of him down on one knee, holding out the ring, my ring, seems tragically ironic and as more tears glide effortlessly down my face, Aidan begins to panic.

"What? What is it?" he asks, frantically searching my eyes for any clues as to what has suddenly set me off again.

I simply shake my head and desperately attempt to offer up a fake smile, hating how hopelessly lost Aidan looks.

"Nothing. You're just on one knee with the ring." I explain, to which his eyes grow wide in horror at the realisation of his current position and out of curtesy, proceeds to stand up, pulling me along with him.

"Shit, sorry." he apologises making me laugh slightly as his firm arms snake around my waist; forcing my still trembling body into a hug.

Reaching up and gliding my hands, smoothly through his thick hair, I lock my gaze into his beautifully green-lit hazel eyes and with a double meaning behind my words, I reply,

"I forgive you, Aidan."

----

"Wait, let me get this straight, he referred to you as Holly throughout your entire first date and you still married him ten years later." Aidan asks Hayley in a bewildered voice that has both myself and Kyle cracking up.

"Yep, to be fair though, he apologised afterwards and more than made up for it by supplying me with endless amounts of orgasms." she replies in a wine-fuelled slur, that causes me to chock on my own drink, while Aidan shamelessly laughs at the expense of his slightly over intoxicated sister-in-law.

"And that's enough wine for you, dear." Kyle declares, removing the bottle out of her reach and offering me some instead.

Shaking my head in a polite decline, I return my attention back to my take-out food and fish around the never ending amount of noodles for a piece of chicken.

"In Kyle's defence, that's nothing compared to what Aidan did to me once." I announce, finally locating some chicken and popping the delicious meat in my mouth. "For Christmas he made me three 'fuck vouchers' which stated very explicitly that I was able to cash in sex when and where I wanted as long as I stuck to the terms and conditions." I explain, causing Kyle to offer up an amused smile, while he disapprovingly shakes his head at his younger brother. "Which, you know, would've been fine if I hadn't opened the damn thing in front of my Dad and Hannah." I finish, the sound of uncontrollable laughter soon following as my big finish is finally revealed.

"Hey, to be fair, I also got you those earrings that you wanted and you certainly weren't complaining when you cashed in your vouchers." he teases, causing a slight blush to settle on my cheeks as a tiny giggle falls from my lips.

"So I think the moral of both stories is that no matter how much you two fuck up, we'll still love you." Hayley speaks, inputting her opinion, while looking between Aidan and Kyle; not noticing her slight slip up.

Her statement, although awkward is not entirely untrue and keen to keep the atmosphere light and easy, I reply with a small smile and a quick "yep." looking to Aidan afterwards to find his intense stare burning into me as a huge grin claims his face.

Suddenly interrupting our shared moment is the sound of the back door opening and closing, revealing a tired looking Will, along side a seemingly hyper April.

"Please Dad, I promise I'll tidy my room everyday for the rest of my life." pleads April as both her and Will enter the kitchen area which we are currently occupying.

He kindly acknowledges my presence and with a tired sigh, turns his attention back to April, responding to her dramatic pleas.

"No baby, you're not getting a tattoo." he says, causing a deep frown to form on April's face as his rejection, no doubt, settles in.

"But Aidan has one!" she moans, protesting her point while gesturing towards the table as if to exaggerate her argument.

Upon hearing this, I screw my face up in confusion and shoot Aidan a questioning look, not entirely sure whether to trust April's accusations, or not.

"Young lady, Aidan is much older than you and is legally allowed by the law to get one, end of discussion." Will replies, shooting April a stern warning look that would even have me, a twenty one-year-old, backing down.

"So when I'm older can I get one?" she continues to push, clearly ignoring all signs to drop it.

"You, my little munchkin, can come and ask me again in ten years, deal?" he asks, resorting to methods of compromise as clearly flat out denial doesn't seem to be working.

April, seemingly overjoyed by Will's answer, sequels in delight and runs to the other side of the counter to wrap her tiny arms around him, expressing her utmost happiness. The very situation makes me smile, reminding me of Emily and her demanding ways and as Will's attention, once again, settles on me, Aidan clears his throat next to me.

"It's getting late," he speaks, standing up and grabbing his car keys from the kitchen counter, "I'll take you home, Amelia."

----

Pulling up beside my apartment building roughly twenty minutes later, I offer Aidan a genuine smile and express my utmost appreciation.

"Thanks for the ride." I state, barely able to make out his expression, curtesy of the poorly lit street just outside. "I had fun today, minus the slight meltdown halfway through." I joke, to which Aidan laughs, seemingly seeing the brighter side of things.

"I had fun as well, I always do when I'm with you." he admits, sending my already fast beating heart pumping at a dangerous speed.

Through the darkness, Aidan reaches for my hand, gently squeezing it to convey his silent gratitude and with a feather-light kiss placed softly on my cheek, I ask the unthinkable.

"Would you like to come in?" my voice is quiet and even my uncertainty shows through.

I still can't make out his face but judging by the slight shift in his body, along with the sharp intake of breath, I know I made a stupid mistake asking him to come inside.

If only I could keep my mouth shut.

"Sure, I'd like that." he replies, instantly relieving me of my hand and opening the car door.

Following his exit, I lead him inside the building, up the stairs and into my apartment, all awhile my heart hammers away in my chest and with a lame attempt to ease some of the built up tension, I once again, pathetically open my mouth.

"Would you like some coffee?" I ask, more than desperate to escape to the safe confines of my kitchen and away from Aidan's manly temptation.

"Coffee would be great." he replies; the sudden urge to sigh in relief barely containable.

I all but sprint towards my kitchen, filling up the kettle once there and waiting patiently for the water to boil, setting up two mugs while I do so. Quickly and mindlessly, I prepare the coffee and while giving the liquid a last minute stir, I sharply turn around, spilling the drink when I come into contact with a solid surface. Aidan, unknowingly standing right behind me, lets out a strangled yelp as the scalding hot coffee seeps though his thin T-shirt, no doubt burning his skin.

"Shit, Aidan I'm so, so sorry." I apologise, quickly setting the two mugs aside and grabbing a tea towel from the counter top. "I didn't realise you were-" the rest of the sentence fails to leave my lips as my eyes focus in on his bare chest, for once, his defined abs and perfectly smooth skin not grabbing my attention.

Instead, I find myself gazing at the numbers inked onto his chest, unable to tear my eyes away from the black digits that clearly and proudly state two important dates to him.

'11-23-2012'

'05-18-2013'

Jane's death and the day we lost our baby.

Aidan frantically uses his T-shirt to wipe away the burning hot liquid currently running down his stomach and with my eyes still lingering on his tattoo, I subconsciously find my feet walking me forward, nearing him. Only inches separates us now and as I force myself to come to a stop, halting my entire body while I carefully think over my next move, I shock myself by leaning forward and planting a red hot kiss directly over his inked skin.

His entire body instantly tenses and as a deliciously deep moans stems from the back of his throat, his hand snakes it's way through my hair, holding my head firmly in place, making sure I don't stop.

Having his smooth, warm skin against my lips again is like a dream come true but with the sudden realisation of what we're doing being horribly wrong, I clumsily take a step back, putting some much needed distance between us.