You, Me, and Her

Verse 22: Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart

Aidan came home with a heavy heart that day and pulled off his jacket, tossing it next to a box that contained gifts and letters from fans. Dropping his body onto the couch, he rested the back of his head and closed his eyes for a while trying to forget the image and the reaction that would probably stay inside his head for a long while---perhaps, even forever. It was at this time that his mobile phone vibrated and he would've ignored it if he didn't read the name on the ID: 'Glenda Pye' their manager.

"Hey, Aidan, where have you been? I've been trying to reach you."

"I went home. Is there something wrong?"

"Are you going to the studio tonight?"

"Nah, not tonight. I can use the studio here in my place anyway, so I won't be coming over in a few days." This, he decided at the last minute but it was for the better.

"Oh, well, someone's looking for you. A girl."

Aidan observed the time on his watch. It was already very late so it couldn't be a fan though it was not impossible. The band usually stays in the studio very late or sometimes they would go to his place since he has his own studio. Die-hard fans could stay outside of the studio for hours and sometimes even for days to get a glance at them. Nevertheless, the other girl he could think of to visit him, if not his cousin Meg, would be Gwen. But Gwen had never been in their studio and Glenda knows her, this visitor sounded like a stranger to his manager.

"She knows me?"

"That's what she claims. I mean, she doesn't look like one of those obsessed fan girls so I'm throwing her the benefit of the doubt. She does look rich and very pretty."

"What's her name?"

"Nia Hier."

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Five years.

It had been five years since he had last spoken to Nia and given the reason for their breakup, this was reasonable. Although Nia had always reached out to him every year, Aidan shunned her. He didn't completely block her but he ignored her. Yet as time passed by, so did his resentment. Hearing her name, Aidan didn't feel any sort of emotion anymore. No anger. No anguish. Not even a single stab of pain.

In fact, he felt more hurt whenever he thought of Hal than Nia which confused and bothered him...a lot.

There was no denying that Nia's appearance was more than pleasant. She was hot in an earthly sort of way and Owen, Floyd, and Dylan admitted this to themselves. They were staring at her, studying her countenance, wondering who she was in Aidan's life.

Noticing the men watching her, she gave them a pleasant smile. "You must be his band members."

"Yeah," Owen enthused. "This is Floyd, Dylan...I'm Owen. How did you know Aidan?"

Nia looked at her phone and frowned at the caller, she then pressed 'ignore' and stashed it in her purse before turning to Owen, rearranging her expression. "Sorry. What were you asking?"

Floyd opened a gum and offered a piece to Nia but she only shook her head. "He was asking how you did you know our guitarist."

"Oh," Nia laughed, a bit embarrassed. If she was acting at all, they couldn't tell. "He didn't mention anything to you about me?"

Dylan knitted his brows and fought the urge to let the woman know that if Aidan mentioned anything to them, they wouldn't be asking in the first place. Fortunately, Floyd had more patience than him and said, "Nope, I'm afraid he had forgotten."

Her face darkened for a while but recovered nicely. However, she wasn't fooling anyone and all three were immediately skeptical of her.

Owen, "Don't take it to heart, Miss. Aidan often doesn't tell us anything from his past. Well, except maybe, Hal..."