Aaron picked at the bottle label in his hands, peeling the paper back and letting it fall to the floor. He hadn't seen Jen for a long time, and it had been quite deliberate. It was tough for him to see her even now. He really did love her, and to see her doing so well without him, especially when he wasn't at all doing well without her made him sad. He listened to her speak and then nodded a little.

"Oh yeah....ummmm sure, if you want." If truth be told, he wanted nothing more than to put his beer down and get the hell out of there. He couldn't just leave when she asked him to sit though. He sat opposite her and sipped his drink.

"I'm glad to hear you're doing well Jennifer."

Aaron was confused. Was Jen serious? He thought he looked awful. She must have just been trying to be nice to make him feel better. He wasn't sure if he was happy to be here talking to her. It made all the pain from months ago come back, from that moment when she had handed him his engagement ring back and told him it wouldn'twork. He sstill had the ring in his wallet. That made him feel even more nervous. Aaron nodded a little as he nervously sipped at his beer again. He was trying to be nice and make her think that he was doing really great.

"You know...it was a nice day. I thought it would be nice to get out." That was only partly true. "How about you?"

Aaron gave Jen a little smile and nodded. He felt anything but fine, and this was one of the only times, work and the need for shopping aside, that he had even been out at all. He never felt like it anymore. He stared down at the table for a while before trying another smile.

"Yeah. I saw the sun and thought," he shrugs. "I might as well go out and stuff you know." He nodded when she spoke. He didn't know yet if they could be friends. It was tough to be the person who was dumped. "Yeah. Yeah you know....I missed you too." He looks around sheepishly.

Aaron shook his head slowly. "Jen don't be sorry. I don't want you to feel sorry for me. Honestly, I'm good. I'm fine. I'm alright." He was lying. Fine or alright was far from how he felt, but he didn't want Jen to feel bad. Not at all. He nodded. "Maybe we can be friends, you know. I'd be willing to try at least." He took a drink of his beer again.
"I've just eaten. I can leave you in peace if you want me to."

Aaron nodded. He didn't want her to feel bad. If truth be told, he still loved Jen, and he wanted her to feel better if nothing else. He smiled a little as he finished his beer and ordered a coke, trying not to make her think that he was becoming reliant on alcohol. "Ok..." he nodded. "Yeah, nothing wrong with that. I just thought maybe you were meeting a date or something and I didn't want to be in the way." He swallowed hard. It hurt him bad to even think of Jen with anyone else, never mind say it.

Aaron is surprised a little. "You haven't? Really? No offence intended by the way Jennifer. I just thought it was what people do you know? The whole getting back on the horse thing." He took a drink of his coke. "Sounds good. You still have a lot of celeb friends though so at least they have an excuse. People like...Lauren and stuff aren't even famous anymore, but they disappeared for the last few weeks." He shrugs. He looks over at Jen looking a little nervous and playing with the knives and forks in front of her. "Are you ok there Jennifer? Did I say something wrong?" He wondered if she was still pondering what had happened. Aaron never quite understood why they had to split, but he had tried his best to pretend that he did.

"you haven't? Can I ask why?" He was surprised that a girl as beautiful as Jen hadn't been bombarded with offers now that the world knew she was single. Aaron sighed a little. Aaron nods then and looks at her. "Yeah me too. I think it was better that we didn't talk for a while though. I mean, I was upset for a few days and stuff," he lies. "It was hard to get over you and stuff really. Really hard." He tries a little smile.

Aaron shakes his head. "Nonsense Jennifer. I'm sure that as soon as you want to find a new boyfriend that there will be many guys ready to take that task on. They would be mad not to want to. You're the best person I've ever known." Aaron listens to her for a while, feeling that all-too familiar sadness creeping up inside him. He nods slowly. "I know...I just...I guess I've always wondered why that meant we had to split altogether. I didn't understand. I would have been able to forget you eventually if I felt like I knew what it was all about." He smiled and shrugged. He was telling her the truth now, no matter how it made her feel.

Aaron shrugs. "Yeah....I know that much. But I meant like why couldn't we have just slowed it down? I just...sorry. It was just really hard. You were only my second real girlfriend you know and it hurt a lot." He shakes his head a little. "You didn't piss me off Jennifer. You know me. I don't get annoyed at stuff. I was just really sad. For that first little while I just lay in bed for a like a whole week. I just wanted to see you again. I'm just glad to hear you're doing well. I still care about you a lot."

Aaron nods slowly. He shrugs a little and then smiles. "Well that's fair enough then. I mean, I hope, and I'm being totally honest here, I do hope that you find someone to make you happy and stuff some day. I'm sorry that I couldn't." He sits back as she eats a little. "Why do you feel sad though. Honestly I'll be fine and stuff. I will. How's the food?"