The Next Best Thing: Part II

Fifteen

I could feel them staring at me, their eyes boring into my back. Bet they didn't expect to find out my identity as fast as they had. I collected my drinks and headed back to the table; they just stood there, and it looked like they were deliberating whether to interrupt my afternoon.

"Excuse me? Zoe?" Red could have as well yelled, running up to me. "Is your name really Zoe?"

"I would believe so, yes. Why?" I already knew why. I just wanted to hear it from her to believe it.

"Someone named Zoe is trending on Twitter and I thought it was an odd coincidence that the person behind us was named Zoe too."

I feigned surprise, internally rolling my eyes and on the verge of screaming. "I'm sure it is just a coincidence. I don't assume you won't meet at least four Zoes before the end of the day, though. You'll be surprised at how common a name it is." I smiled sweetly at her and made my way to my friends intently watching my little run-in.

"What was that?" Rae asked.

"She thinks I'm Zoe," I answered, switching on my phone. I was getting to the bottom of this.

"Babe, you are still named Zoe. I don't think that changed in the past day or so."

"No, I mean Zoe. She's trending on Twitter."

I saw the trend, #hernameisZoe, and I knew. I figured it out.

"Oh. My. God! Mitchell Crawford!"

He told the world about me?

"Zoe, calm down. What's going on?" Tyler asked in a low tone hardly above a squeak.

"I can't believe him. I cannot believe he would do that, especially with everything that's happened. He had no right."

I Googled my name and it's affiliation to him. A dozen pages popped up, all with similar headlines: Mitchell Crawford of 5SOS mystery former girlfriend?; "Her name is Zoe" - who is this mystery girl?; Young starlet longterm relationship eludes paparazzi AND fandom.

I selected the first one and read it aloud, my mind carefully digesting the new can of worms my doomed relationship had just opened.

"He was talking to Zane about me. He basically revealed my name, how we dated secretly and that we've broken up. 'It was a brief comment on his current relationship status. Although it's relevance wasn't quite clear, we sure needed this dramatic turn of events.' Dramatic turn of events. Hmm."

"Is there a reason why he did this? Do you know?" Tyler didn't seem surprised. She must have expected it to happen sooner than later.

"I guess he was trying to shoot back at the Misley dating rumours," Rae answered.

"Rae, what are you talking about?"

She was disappointed that I was still staying off all social media and I had stopped reading any tabloids - I wasn't going to unfollow him on Twitter or unfriend him on Facebook, and I promised myself not to read all the toxic nonsense making me feel worse.

"Zo, him and Paisley were rumoured to be dating officially and Misley is their ridiculous ship name," Rae informed me. You still remember what that is, right?"

"Rae, I'm not retarded. I'm just stupid for thinking I could finally move past this whole drama," I replied, desperately in need of an explanation. "Do you think I should call him?"

Tyler thought it was a bad idea at the time, afraid that it would kerb my healing process. Rae already thought that the damage was done already so I might as well. That meant a third opinion was needed.

I texted Aidan 7 hours away from where I was. I missed his no-nonsense advice, and I needed it. He replied me immediately, but because I had woken him up I asked if I could call in the morning and we talk.

"Didn't you say he called you though, Zo?" Tyler inquired.

"He did but I missed the call. I didn't know if I should have called him back."

It was too little, too late for him to be coming out of the closet with this. It only made things more awkward between us, especially now that I wanted to move on.

"I guess we won't be inviting them to Min's anymore."

...

"Hey, Zoe. Is now a good time?"

Aidan called me back at around midnight. I was in bed, watching the sappiest movies on Netflix and cheating on my new diet with decadent cronuts endowed with chocolate.

"No, I'm still up," I replied inbetween mouthfuls. "Thanks for calling me back.".

"Yeah, well I figured you'd wanna talk. You're trending on Twitter by the way," he informed me. I already knew that, of course.

"Imagine my surprise when I heard these girls talking about me right in front of me. I really need you to explain what the hell is going on."

I paused my Sleepless In Seattle just before the big Empire State building finale, the best and most romantic scene in the entire film.

"I just paused my movie for this, that's how desperate I am," I added.

He knew me well enough to know I hated interruptions during my movie marathons so he had to make it worth my while.

"I told him to fix this whole Paisley and him bullshit because it was messing with him and I didn't want him to do anything stupid again. Apparently fixing it meant telling the truth about you two. I thought he'd tell you first, of course. I guess I thought wrong."

Aidan had always wanted us to be together, joking that we would have the cutest babies with the worst vocabulary and dirtiest mouths. He got what he wanted; unfortunately he wasn't a part of it.

"What does he expect me to do? We can't continue being us without severe consequences. I love him so much, I really do. But we have to see other people. I won't hurt him again."

"Zo, he loves you too. And you and I both know he's an idiot so he won't always make the best decisions. You were the best decision he ever made and I hate seeing you both miserable," he said. "If only he knocked you up. Then you would have no choice but to stay with his stupid ass."

"You will be an uncle sooner than you think, Aid. You could just make your own you know and we wouldn't need to have this conversa-"

"Aidan, is something wrong?"

I was interrupted by a sleepy voice, a familiar voice, in his hotel room with him. In his bed with him.

"No, it's just Zoe. Lemme just finish up quickly?" he replied her in a very silky tone, one I'd obviously never heard before. My, my.

I have a knack for laughing inappropriately in awkward situations; this called for my weird giggles, ones I wasn't particularly proud of.

"Did you leave the poor girl just to talk to me? That isn't how I raised you, babe," I scolded him. "Shame on you."

"Lil was asking after you actually," he answered matter-of-factly.

Lil, as in Lily? Lily Kanagawa, as in Min's little sister Lil? Oh my, Aidan you naughty boy!

"Aidan Irvine, why is Lily Pad in your bed?"