The Reluctant Heiress (A Christian Romance Novel)

Chapter 23: Friday of all Fridays

Friday was monumental for Aiden. He had waited for this for so many years. He used to just dream about Telly and he could not believe that tonight, he would meet her, just the two of them, right at New York City. It may not sound like a date for Telly, but for Aiden, this was more than what he asked for.

Flashback of their childhood moments together came into his mind. He was five years younger and she had always treated him like her little brother. They used to play a lot when his mom and dad would come to the de Lavi's house to clean. They would normally tag along their only son Aiden which Mr. Ric de Lavi approved of so that Telly would have a playmate.

So Mondays became their play dates and something both of then had always looked forward to. They shared so many milestones together that her joys became his joys, her dreams became his dreams, and her hurts became his hurts.

Things started to change though when Telly went to high school. She pulled herself away from him and hang out with high schoolers. And then she had a boyfriend. And it broke Aiden's heart. Then they broke off and Aiden was happy again. And then she had another boyfriend, and his heart was broken all over again. And the saga went on and on.

The biggest heartache though came five years earlier. That was the first time Telly was engaged. She had a couple of boyfriends before which did not normally last long. So when she was finally engaged, Aiden's world came crashing down.

But a year after, a few months before the wedding, he did not know who called it off, but he just learned from Mr. de Lavi that the wedding wasn't happening anymore.

Hope sprung up. Aiden thought that maybe because of this,  Telly would finally come home to Smyrna and start anew. And they'll be closer to each other. He even thought that maybe, she'll find work in Atlanta and give him an opportunity to tell her everything that was in his heart.

But he was wrong. Telly was determined to stay in New York, and fulfill her dreams. And her dream got bigger, and bigger.

Aiden had a choice then, of following her in New York and apply in many lucrative jobs there. Why not? He had a good fighting chance. He just had his MBA, he had a good banking resume in such a short time. And then his father passed away. He believed his mother needed him more than ever. And so after much thoughts and prayer, he decided to stay and let go of his dreams of being with Telly, having faith that if it is God's will, their paths will cross again.

And he loved the farm, that even if thoughts of New York City life excited him, nobody can remove the country boy in him. It was a tough decision. But He believed that he was planted there in Atlanta for a reason. And so he chose to stay and bloom where he was planted.

Wells Fargo did notice this young talented and determined man. Aiden worked his way up from being an Accounts staff, to a Financial Analyst to his current position, the AVP of Finance. He was one of the youngest AVP in the finance circle, an accolade that he partly give credit to Telly. Without her knowing it, Telly had inspired him to dream big, to aspire for the impossible and to keep pursuing excellence.

Aiden fondly remembered the days, when he was about 8 and she was 13, when they would be by the creek a mile from the De Lavi's residence. He would play a small guitar, and she would sing "Moon River". It didn't use to have any meaning for him then. He was just gladly jamming with Telly who adored that song so much, which she kept telling him was her parent's fave song.

But now, he wished they could sing it together again, and maybe, just maybe, dream together and be the two drifters off to see the world. And maybe, he could be her Moon River. Just maybe.

It took him a couple of attire changes, before he finally settled for a casual grey t-shirt, almost greyish-blue Wrangler jeans and cowboy boots, perfect for summer. He looked at his watch, 9:05pm. They were meeting at 9:30pm at the cafe at the lobby of the hotel she was staying in, a 15-minute walk from his. It's time to go! he told himself.