The-Spanish-Love-Deception-www.indianpdf

the present.
I turned to him briefly, not finding my words so I just nodded.
My attention jumped back to where my ex—and the best man—was, and
as I watched how he hugged and clapped his brother’s back, I felt Aaron
stepping closer to me. I didn’t move. I was rooted to the floor.
Aaron closed some more of the distance between us, positioning himself
to my side, right behind me. And I was shocked at the warmth that his body
radiated on my back and how his side quashed some of the uneasiness. It
reassured me. He did. And I didn’t understand how or why, but I didn’t have
the time to pick that apart. Not with Daniel and everybody else there. So, I
just held on to it.
I inhaled deeply and watched how the best man started the round of
greeting everyone with kisses and hugs. Around the group he went, and I
swore there was something suspended in the air as he did. As if every single
person around me was holding their breath until the moment Daniel reached
me.
Hating how the atmosphere seemed to thicken with every pair of eyes that
turned to me, I reminded myself that I had already been expecting that kind
of reaction. Everybody knew what had happened between Daniel and me.
How ugly it got and how hard it was for me. And most had pitied me back
then. I knew most of them did in this moment, and some always would.
Daniel took that one last step in my direction, causing a churning
sensation to twist my stomach in knots.
“Lina.”
It had been ages since I had heard my name from Daniel’s mouth. It
brought everything right back, the good moments we had shared—and there
had been really amazing moments—all that joy that came hand in hand with a
first love you foolishly thought was going to last forever, but also all the pain
at having that turned into an ocean of hurt. Because, sure, Daniel had been
the one to break my heart, but the real damage had been done by everybody
else. By everyone who had learned of our relationship and tarnished it with
stupid and poisonous rumors that—
No. Not the time to think of that.
Daniel placed a hand on my upper arm and planted a kiss on my cheek. If
it hadn’t been for Aaron’s warm palm, which had somehow landed on the
small of my back, I would have stumbled backward. That was how off guard
that friendly kiss had caught me.