Circles
After his year in New York, Aaron had kept to his word and worked for the governor for another 6 years. He loved it there, New York had a real buzz about it, but he knew his heart lay in Washington and he was excited to get back there. The Secretary of State had been looking for a chief of staff and Aaron was quick to jump at the prospect. He went for an interview, and he got the job with plans to move to Washington within the next week. Everything had been falling into place with his career, but he couldn't help but feel like something was missing.
He arrived back to his perfectly kept apartment in New York late one evening and instantly threw his stuff down and collapsed on the bed without even changing. He managed to close his eyes for a total of 5 minutes before his phone started to buzz. He groaned, knowing that it was probably work calling him in for a situation that could be easily handled without him.
To his surprise, the caller i.d revealed that it wasn't in fact work. He sighed and answered the phone.
"It's 1am. You better have an excellent reason for calling me Warner." Aaron said as he ran a hand over his face.
"I'm getting married!" Warner blurted out as Aaron immediately shot up.
"… you're kidding. Vivienne actually said yes?" Aaron asked, never thinking Warner would ever settle down.
"Hey, don't sound so surprised." Warner said glaring down the phone. "I asked her tonight and I just couldn't wait to tell you man, she actually said yes!"
Aaron laughed; "I'm really happy for you man, this is great news, congratulations."
"Thanks Aaron. I take it that means you'll be my best man?"
"Seriously?"
"Well yeah man, you're my best friend and do you not remember the deal we made when were 15?"
Aaron chuckled; "Of course I would be your best man, you would be George's and George would be mine."
"Yeah and we are sticking to that. Though, George wants in on the bachelor party planning." Warner informed him.
"I would never plan a party without George." Aaron assured him.
"Great. We'll be getting married in Washington, don't worry you don't have to leave your precious compact city." Warner told him.
"Warner, I would go wherever you wanted me to go."
"You are just the sweetest." Warner mocked. "Listen man I gotta run, Vivienne is finally getting off the phone from all her girls, but we'll be in D.C next week to celebrate with you man and get wedding planning."
"I'll look forward to it. Congrats again Warner, I'm really happy for you guys."
"Thanks buddy, I'll talk to you soon!" Warner said before hanging up.
Aaron smiled down his phone. His best friend was getting married. They had certainly come a long way from the prankster kids they were in high school and the party kids they were in college.
While Aaron had found success in New York and Washington, Emily had found her own success, as minor as it was. After graduating from college, Emily considered doing what Aaron had planned and going to the mail room of the White House and working her way up, but luck was in her favour and she was offered a job as a deputy adviser to the governor if Iowa. It wasn't the most exciting job in the world, but she was able to work at what she loved, and she felt like she could make a difference for people. While things had been going well for her for the past while, like Aaron, she felt like something was missing, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what.
After getting a drink with a few of her colleagues, Emily started to make her way home. As soon as she got in her cab and told the driver her address, her phone buzzed and she smiled at the caller I.D.
"Hi Vivienne" she said happily.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" was all she heard down the line as he held the phone away from her ear and the driver chuckled at the scream.
"Uh… you ok there Viv?" she asked.
"I'm getting married!" she said excitedly.
"Oh my god! Warner actually proposed?! And you actually said yes?!" Emily exclaimed, never thinking this pair would settle down.
"Hey, don't sound so surprised." Vivienne said with a pout. "He asked me tonight and I just couldn't wait to tell you guys. This is so wonderful, isn't this so wonderful Em?"
Emily smiled brightly; "This is wonderful Vivienne, I'm so happy for you, congratulations."
"Thank you! I would be even happier if you would be my maid of honour?" Vivienne asked.
"Really?" Emily said as she put her hand on her heart, touched that her friend asked her.
"Yeah, remember the deal we made when we were 15?"
Emily chuckled; "Of course, I'll be your maid of honour, you'll be Lenny's and Lenny will be mine."
Vivienne screeched down the line again as Emily laughed. "This is just so perfect! We're getting married in D.C where it all began and you'll be my maid of honour and Aaron will be Warner's best man."
"Aaron huh? That's a name I haven't heard in a while" Emily said with a soft smile. It had been the guts of 7 years since they last crossed paths, though Emily had heard from Vivienne that he had been doing well in New York.
"Well maybe this wedding will be the perfect opportunity for you two to resolve this whole 'we bicker because we have unresolved sexual tension' thing you've had going on since we were 16…"
"Vivienne!"
"Oh, come it's true, everyone knows it's true…"
"I haven't seen him in 7 years. There is no tension, trust me."
"Yeah how did you tell your mother that he wasn't actually your boyfriend?" Vivienne asked, curious as to how Emily got out of that one.
"I just told her we broke up… somethings aren't meant to be etc. etc." Emily said.
"She was disappointed, wasn't she?"
"I have never seen her more disappointed. I'm pretty sure she's still convinced we're soul mates, she always asks me about him, despite me telling her countless times that we don't talk."
"Yeah I'm totally with Karen on this one. You'll meet someday soon and sparks will fly and all will be well in the universe." Vivienne said dreamily.
Emily chucked; "Ok Viv you can stop with your crazy fantasies now."
"Ok fine… I have to go anyway; my fiancé is waiting for me. Oo, I love saying that. Fiancé!" Vivienne said happily.
Emily laughed; "Go, have a good night, I'll talk to you soon. Congratulations again."
"Thanks Emily. Talk soon!" Vivienne said as she hung up the phone.
Emily sighed with contentment. Her best friend was getting married, and it looked like another one of her brief, yet excited encounters with Aaron Shore was upon her.
Vivienne and Warner had decided that they didn't want to wait long before they got married, so 6 short months later, Emily found herself on a plane from Iowa to Washington for what Vivienne had described as the wedding of the century. As she walked through the airport in Washington, she felt a great sense of calm wash over her. She felt like she was home. She walked out the front door of the airport, ready to get a cab, but stopped in her treks and smirked at the sight in front of her.
Aaron Shore, leaning against his fancy Jeep, arms and ankles crossed, aviator sunglasses, dark wash jeans and a white t-shirt. Looking hot as ever. When he spotted her, he quickly reached over onto the bonnet of the car and lifted a piece of paper.
Emily took off her sunglasses and walked closer so she could read the paper.
Minor Leaguer.
Emily rolled her eyes; "Dear God…" she said as she swatted him on the arm.
"Aw I missed you too" Aaron teased.
"Glad to see you're still a wise ass."
"Only with you. How are you Emily?" he asked as he took her bags and put them in the trunk of his car.
"I'm good, I didn't realise you were my chauffeur for the day." She said as he came back and opened the car door for her.
"Vivienne gave me very strict instructions about safely delivering you to her and I would hate to disappoint the bride on her wedding weekend." Aaron said.
Emily nodded; "Especially if the bride is Vivienne…"
A few minutes later the pair were driving through the streets of Washington. Aaron noticed that Emily's face was full of light as they passed through the compact city she loved more than anywhere in the world. He could tell she would give anything to be back here.
"So… how's Iowa?" he asked.
"Iowa is fine… it's not Washington though, but it's a wonderful job and a wonderful opportunity that I couldn't turn down." Emily said.
"Right. You ever see yourself coming back here?"
"Oh yeah. You know it's my favourite place on Earth and working in Washington has always been my goal. What about you Mr 'deputy chief to the secretary of state'. That's a huge deal." Emily said.
"Yeah it's pretty awesome but uh... I've been scouted for another job." He confessed.
"Wait, I thought you'd only been at this job for 6 months?" Emily asked.
"Yeah I have but this job is a bit of a step up."
"What is it?"
"President Richmond and Charles Langdon want me as the deputy chief of staff." Aaron confessed. He hadn't told anyone yet, but he felt like work talk with Emily was a safe space.
"You're kidding. That's amazing Aaron, congratulations""
Aaron smiled; "Yeah nothing's set in stone yet but things are looking good. Richmond's only 6 months into his first term so he's still trying to set things in stone, see whose worth having on the team. They clearly like something about me."
"Yeah clearly… you really are in the major leagues huh?"
"It was always the goal. Come on, we're here." He said as he pulled up to the curve outside Vivienne's town house. Aaron got out of the car while Emily sat back in her seat for a moment. Everyone around her seemed to be going places in life, getting want they wanted. Everyone but her. She knew she was only three years out of college, but she knew what she wanted. She knew she was stubborn and she knew she was impatient, but she didn't know when it would be her time.
As if my magic, her phone buzzed, receiving an email. As she read through its contents she became giddy and excited, hugging her phone to her chest. This was her chance to make a difference. This was her shot.
The wedding had gone beautifully and Vivienne and Warner's friends and families had now gathered for the reception is the fancy hotel Warner's parents had a holding in. Perks of being a rich kid.
Emily had been laughing and giggling on the dance floor all evening with Lenny, and as Lenny spun her around, she laughed her way right into Aaron's arms. As she stumbled on her feet, Aaron held her still. She turned her head slightly and saw Lenny laughing, before giving her the thumbs up and rushing off.
Emily hid her face in embarrassment before saying; "Sorry, we're not the most graceful of dancers..."
"Oh I remember that you were quite the dancer at your brother's wedding… how is your family by the way?" he asked as they naturally formed a dancing position with the other couples around them, exactly like they had danced at Sam's wedding.
"They miss you terribly despite only knowing you for the weekend" Emily said as Aaron chuckled. "They thought you were fun, which is weird seeing as you've stripped yourself of that title now. Warner was telling me you're a bit of a workaholic."
Aaron shrugged; "We've all got to grow up sometime. Though I can't help but be a little stupid around you."
"Yeah I have been told before that I bring out the worst in people" Emily joked.
"So how long are you staying in Washington?" Aaron asked, hoping she would stick around for a while.
"Well… I had been planning on leaving tomorrow, duty calls and all that, but I actually have an interview on Tuesday so it looks like I'll be staying." Emily said.
"Oh really? For who?"
"The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Tom Kirkman, is looking for a new chief of staff. I met him a few times at some political events, he seems like a really great guy with some really great ideas, I would love to help him out, make a difference to someone's life." Emily said.
"Ah… the minor leagues."
Emily stiffened her posture; "Are we really going to go with this crap again?"
"I'm just saying that if you want to get somewhere in Washington, HUD might not be the best place, you'd probably be better off working for the governor." Aaron said harshly.
"We all have to start somewhere Aaron, you said yourself you were prepared to work in the mailroom, but thank God you had some rich friends with connections." Emily said raising her voice slightly, drawing the attention of some people around her.
"Emily come on that's not fair."
"No Aaron!" She said breaking away from his hold. She soon realised that people were staring, including Vivienne, Warner, Lenny and George, so she quickly departed from the room, but Aaron was hot on her tails.
As she got into the hallway, she kept walking, not wanting to look back for a minute.
"Emily, wait!" she heard Aaron shout as he burst through the doors.
"Leave me the hell alone Aaron"
"Why are you so mad?"
"Are you kidding me right now? I get that you're in this amazing job and you're about to get an ever better one with Richmond, but not all of us can have things handed to us straight away, not all of us can have the opportunities that you have had. HUD or the governor of Iowa may be the minor leagues but I am not a minor leaguer, I am here to make a difference and I will do that. God, I just don't understand why you insist on thinking that I can't do this!"
"That is not what I said." Aaron said firmly.
Emily sighed; "You know what Aaron… just forget it. I'm not going to do this anymore, I'm not going to think that we're having this nice time together that we're having fun and then you just shooting me down. I let it slide for years, but we're grown-ups now I'm not some kid with big dreams, my dreams are becoming a reality and I'm just… I'm not going to do it anymore."
At that, Emily turned and walked away quickly and this time, Aaron did not follow. He screwed up, he took the minor leaguer crap too far. He let his ego get in the way and he was letting his pride get in the way now. He didn't feel like partying anymore, but instead, walked off in the opposite direction.
Back at the reception, Vivienne, Warner, George and Lenny were all sitting around the table, waiting for their two friends to arrive back in the room, but there was no sign of them.
"What do you think happened?" Lenny asked as she tapped her fingers anxiously at the table.
"I don't know but Emily looked pretty mad" George piped in, grabbing a champagne flute from the waiter.
"Then my guess is Aaron made some pig headed, egotistical comment" Vivienne said through her teeth.
"Come on Viv, we don't know that for sure." Warner said, not wanting his friend to get berated.
"Warner, you know what Aaron had gotten like since he got to the White House, he thinks he's king ding now! The weekend, he finally loosened up a little bit with Emily, she is the one person that he has been able to do that with, even after 7 years and then suddenly, she gets mad and storms out? Looks like she got a glimpse of the new Aaron." Vivienne said, leaning back in her chair, feeling defeated for her friend.
"You know I was convinced those two would get together." George commented to which Lenny nodded in agreement; "but it looks like fate had other plans."
"I still think they're going to get together." Warner said as the other three looked at him with scrunched up faces. "I know it seems ridiculous now but people fight! It's normal. They'll be on speaking terms before we know it and then bam, they're the most loved up pair we know." Warner defended.
"I hope you're right Warner. I really do." Vivienne said with a sigh, not liking how things were right now.
The thing that annoyed Emily and Aaron's friends about them the most was their stubbornness. They both refused to give into things and it usually worked in their favour. But this time, they were maddening.
Emily was still mad at Aaron and Aaron was mad at Emily for being mad at him and his pride was getting in his way of reaching out to her. He knew that he had no right to be mad, but when it came to Emily, he felt like his judgement was always clouded. She got inside his head. He was normally so together and so collected, and he hated to admit that she had some sort of hold over him.
The next time they saw each other was when Warner and Vivienne forced them into the same room as each other for their baby shower. They had come back from their honeymoon with a little wedding surprise. As unexpected as the pregnancy as, they were over the moon and had named Emily and Aaron as godparents. As frustrated as they were about sharing this role, they were willing to put their difference aside, but only for their godchild.
Lenny and Emily had thrown the most beautiful baby shower for the happy couple and after asking many times whether it was necessary to invite Aaron, Emily finally gave in, getting fed up with the response of; 'Yes Emily he's the godfather, how many freakin times do I have to tell you this.'
So here they were, 8 months after the wedding, trying to avoid each other in a room full of people. They had been doing well so far, with only a couple of instances of awkward eye contact. The party had been spread throughout Vivienne and Warner's town house, so it was easy enough to keep their distance.
Emily made her way over to the food table to pick up some nibbles. She piled her plate high, hoping to not have to come back seeing as Aaron was in the far corner.
"Oh my god these salmon puffs are incredible." She heard a voice say beside her as she turned her head to see a blonde girl she hadn't seen before.
"I can give you the caterers number if you want, they own a little café down town." Emily offered the stranger.
"That would be amazing, thank you!" she said happily. "Did you organise all of this?" the girl asked.
Emily smiled; "Yeah me and my friend Lenny pulled it all together."
"It's seriously beautiful."
"Thanks… I'm Emily by the way" Emily said holding out he hand as the girl shook it.
"I'm Caroline" she responded.
"I take it you're a friend of Vivienne and Warner's?" Emily asked.
"Oh no actually, I'm here in a plus one situation. I told him he didn't have to bring me but he was really insistent on it…" Caroline said with a laugh; "but I'm glad I did, I've had fun and was introduced to these salmon puffs." She joked.
Emily smiled; "Who are you here with?"
"Aaron Shore? He's the godfather, he went to school with Warner and Vivienne."
"Yeah, I know Aaron, I also went to school with him. I'm godmother to the baby so…"
"Oh my gosh I should have put two and two together!" Caroline said looking embarrassed. "Aaron said that the godmother was called Emily and when you said you organised the party it should have clicked, I'm sorry."
"It's ok, really, no big deal" Emily said feeling bad that she had embarrassed the girl. "How long have you and Aaron been together?"
"Only about 2 months but it's been awesome, he's a really good guy… I suppose you know Aaron pretty well then if you went to school together." Caroline said.
"Uh yeah pretty well… we kind of tormented each other with practical jokes and what not and… we didn't always see eye to eye. Still don't…" Emily said honestly.
"Huh… I can't imagine Aaron playing practical jokes, he seems too devoted to his job." Caroline responded.
"He's done a bit of maturing over the past few years so he is a bit of a workaholic."
"If you don't mind me asking… why didn't you always see eye to eye?" Caroline asked cautiously.
Emily gulped. She didn't want to stand here and talk crap about Aaron to a girl she barely knew, but she also wasn't about to lie to her. She had to find a happy medium.
"It was mainly work stuff. We both work in politics and he used to joke about me not being good enough for the big leagues but it's no big deal…" Emily said trying to brush it off.
"You're kidding? That's horrible, I'm sorry…"
"Oh no please don't be sorry, it's just stupid Aaron and Emily stuff, we're probably always going to have our differences." Emily said, starting to feel bad about things, but then again, it wasn't her fault that Aaron had said that stuff.
"Right…" Caroline said quietly with a sombre face. She never expected something like that from Aaron, he had always been so encouraging towards her.
"Hey, Em" Lenny said poking her head around the corner, "Vivienne and Warner want you for photos."
Emily nodded her head and turned back to Caroline. "Look… love in Washington doesn't happen very often, you should hold onto it as best you can."
At that, she walked away, not before seeing Aaron peering over at the pair with a concerned look. She walked down the hallway and into the kitchen and soon felt a tall figure on her tail.
"What did you say to Caroline?" Aaron asked and Emily didn't bother to turn around.
"Oh, hello to you to Aaron, it's been what? 8 months since you last made me feel crap about myself, thank you for the apology by the way it was nice of you to put your pride aside for once in your life… oh… wait… that's not right…" Emily said sarcastically as she furrowed her eyebrow and Aaron rolled his eyes.
He held her arm and spun her around, forcing her to look at him; "Cut the crap Emily, what did you say to her?"
"She asked me about going to school with you and I said we didn't always see eye to eye and she asked me why and I told her the truth." Emily said.
"God Emily why can't you just keep your nose out of things?" Aaron said, frustrated. "I call you a minor leaguer and you go and screw up my relationship?"
"Get over yourself Aaron, anything that goes wrong in your relationship is on you, stop blaming other people for what you do wrong." Emily said quickly pushing past him and walking into the kitchen.
"Oh good there you are! Where's Aaron?" Vivienne said looking around her.
"Aaron is here" Aaron said walking into the room.
"Ok, I want a godparent photo." Vivienne said, summoning Aaron and Emily over. They stood and posed beside Warner and Vivienne and then just Vivienne and then just themselves and everyone could feel the tension in the room. They quickly wrapped things up before Emily and Aaron found something to bicker about and as Aaron walked away, Emily grabbed his arm.
"I didn't try to sabotage your relationship Aaron. I told her the truth because I am not a liar, but I also told her that love in Washington doesn't happen very often and when it does, it's pretty damn special so… she should hold onto that." Emily said as Aaron didn't respond and allowed Emily to walk out of his life for what felt like the hundredth time.
