The Pretend Girlfriend

Chapter Twenty Seven ~ A Day at the Park

The cab dropped them at the park. When they got out of the car, Aiden offered her his hand in helping her climb out. She accepted, and when they started walking, they didn't stop holding hands. Without all the huge buildings to block out the sun, it really did look like the start of a nice day. There were a few traces of silky clouds very high in the sky, adding some texture to the blue. And the sunlight felt nice on her face. They started walking down the broad paved path, past the various statues and displays. They couldn't be far from Strawberry Fields, which Gwen had yet to visit. She hadn't really come to the park much, despite having wanted to visit it when she first came to the city. They passed joggers and dog walkers and little old men and women feeding the birds from brown paper bags filled with breadcrumbs. The fresh air, still cool with the morning breeze, coupled with the sunlight, rejuvenated her.

"You know, you still haven't told me how you knew where I was," Gwen said.

The scent of hotdogs wafted towards her from a nearby cart and her mouth started watering. When Aiden noticed, he took her over and bought her one, and one for himself. He liked ketchup only, where Gwen put both mustard and ketchup on hers. They began their stroll again, enjoying the scenery as well as the food.

"It was Beatrice," Aiden said after swallowing a mouthful.

A little dollop of ketchup lingered in the corner of his mouth. He started to dab at it with his fingers, but Gwen stopped him. He hadn't grabbed any napkins. Lucky for him, Gwen had noticed and gotten one for him, too.

She wiped the ketchup away from him. This felt nice. Nice and normal, like what a real couple would do. Again, Gwen experienced that comfortable familiarity around him that she didn't get with some people she'd known her whole life.

"What do you mean?" Gwen said.

"Beatrice called me this morning. She told me how you were going to, and I quote, 'give up and spill your guts' to Henry."

So she is getting my messages! Gwen thought. She dared to hope that maybe things weren't so dire after all. If Aiden would show up to save her even after she'd broken his trust, maybe she could win Beatrice back, too. She took another bite of her hotdog, which was now mostly devoured.

"And you decided to come rescue me from myself?" Gwen said.

Aiden nodded, "Something like that. She kept going on about how much you like me, and how stupid I would be if I let you go..." he grinned, "And she also told me that if I hurt you, she'd... uh...'take care' of me. What does that even mean?"

"With B? Who knows. Probably something you'd rather not experience, though, I bet." Gwen couldn't help grinning. Yes, there was definitely hope left.

"Well then, I guess I'd better avoid hurting you," Aiden said.

"B may not be the biggest person, but it's the little ones you have to look out for," Gwen said, happy that she could joke again.

For a while there, especially in Henry's office, it seemed as though all the humor had left the world. They took a left and started going deeper into the park. They passed one of the large greens, pausing briefly to watch an emerging game of ultimate Frisbee before carrying on.

"So what's going on with you two? Anything I can help with?" Aiden said.
"It's complicated," Gwen replied, wondering if she should get that as a tattoo or something. It had clearly become her catchphrase. "I said some things to her. Things I shouldn't have. And now I don't know if things will get better between us."

They started the winding maze of narrow trails, passing by the first guidepost with its map. Gwen had never been through this part before, and it had always intrigued her. The trees and brush pressed in pretty close, and it felt as though the entire metropolis surrounding the park had dropped away and she was on a nature hike. Wasn't there a castle hidden there somewhere, too? Gwen couldn't remember for sure.