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Chapter 110: Not To Be Rude...But

Keeley scrutinized the stranger next to her at the table because she realized she didn\'t know this timeline\'s Aaron Hale at all anymore.

He was wearing a long-sleeved tee shirt and sweatpants—actual lounge clothes!—and was petting a cat while talking to her like a normal person with feelings. It was bizarre. Absolutely bizarre.

This man looked identical to her ex-husband and had a lot of the same mannerisms but aside from that he was like a completely different person. He wasn\'t quite as bossy, overbearing, or cold.

In high school she could easily believe they were the same person but now…those five years apart seemed to have really changed him. Again, she wondered if it was fair to judge him for the other Aaron\'s sins against her. Since meeting up with him several months ago, he had been surprisingly thoughtful.

He was sincerely trying to be her friend. He wasn\'t being annoying by encroaching on her life on purpose. Was the great Aaron Hale actually lonely?

"Um…not to be rude…but am I the only friend you have that isn\'t on your payroll?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I see you\'re as direct as ever. And yes, yes you are."

Well great. Now she felt guiltier than before. He really was lonely; that was why he kept clinging to her. How was she supposed to ditch a lonely person in good conscience, even if that person strongly resembled the one she hated most?

No wonder he texted her every day and was willing to drop everything to bring her food or help her out when she was sick. Somehow, inexplicably, she had become her enemy\'s best friend. The irony was too much.

"That\'s really sad, Aaron. You need to find better friends."

"Where?" he asked with a somewhat bitter chuckle. "Everybody in this city knows of me. It wouldn\'t work."

He had a point.

"Besides," Aaron said in his usual cool tone, his bitterness evaporating. "No one else would make me such good brownies. You\'re all I need."

The sentiment was both sweet and frustrating beyond belief. If it were coming from someone else, she might have even been touched. As it was she realized she had dug a deeper hole for herself by being on friendly terms with him through text messages. He was even more dependent on her than before.

Would she ever be able to escape him permanently? All she had wanted after being reborn was an Aaron-free life!

This Aaron may be different but he would still always remind her of bad memories. She couldn\'t be swayed by guilt. Her life was her own; she didn\'t owe him anything even if his life was so pathetic that she felt sorry for him.

"I have homework to do," she said as she rose from the table. "I need to get going."

"Already?"

Was that desperation tinging his tone or was she going crazy because she felt bad for him? She had to stand her ground!

"Yes. I really did only have time to pop by and drop them off. PhD students never sleep, you know."

"Alright. Let me drive you back."

Surprised that he was respecting her wishes rather than trying to get her to stay longer, Keeley agreed. She kissed the top of Dinah\'s furry head as she lay on the table before they headed down to the parking garage.

===

Keeley didn\'t say much on the drive back but Aaron was just happy to have her there. She had asked the oddest question earlier though. What was she thinking?

Did she…care what happened to him? It seemed that way. If so, that was tremendous progress.

When she wanted to go home he abandoned the plans he had been coming up with all week to get her to stay longer because he didn\'t want their relationship to backslide.

"Would you like to get lunch together tomorrow?" he dared to ask. "You can choose the place."

"I visit my dad on Sundays."

Right. He\'d forgotten that. "How is your dad these days?"

Her expression fell slightly. "I think he\'s lonely. I\'ve been pretty busy lately so I missed a couple of weeks last month. Plus the holidays are coming up and that\'s when he misses my mom the most."

Aaron knew that feeling well. He had never been the biggest fan of holidays to begin with but Keeley brought a bit of festiveness into his life. After she died, he never thought of Christmas the same because he was bogged down by memories of her.

"I could go visit him sometime," he offered. "He likes me so I\'m sure he would appreciate the company."

Keeley\'s exaggerated look of shock nearly made him laugh out loud. "…he\'s my dad; you really don\'t have to do that."

He shrugged. "He\'s always been very kind to me. It would be my honor."

Talking to Robert Hall might give him further insight on how to win over his daughter. It would be mutually beneficial.

"If you\'re sure…I\'ll tell you which Sundays I\'m not able to go. You can visit him then. It\'s his least busy day of the week."

"I can do that."

"Thanks, Aaron. Maybe you\'re not that selfish either."

It was almost a compliment. He\'d take it. "Happy to help. I hope you know that I\'m always available if you need anything. Anything at all."

"I know." She smiled at him but it seemed almost heartbroken. That didn\'t make sense given the context.

Keeley waved goodbye when she exited the car in front of her fake apartment building. He really wondered how long she would keep up the charade. It had been months already. She would have to confess eventually.

Aaron had every intention of being an active part of her life. He would even get to know her roommates if that was what it took. Aiden had managed it so it couldn\'t be that hard.

His one goal in this life was to get Keeley to marry him again. No matter what he had to do, he would make it happen.

He would be the supportive husband he should have been all along and wouldn\'t force her to change herself for anyone. He would be there at her PhD graduation, celebrate her research accomplishments, and watch any movie she wanted at the movie theater even though he didn\'t like to go.

Anything to make her feel loved and happy this time.