Everyone had Valentine's Day plans except Aaron, and it put him in a sour mood. He would have asked Keeley out if he weren't going to be in Chicago that day for crucial meetings with business contacts vital to his hostile takeover.

Cameron planned to propose after taking Jennica to the opera. Aiden and Nova were having a candlelit dinner via video chat, despite being on opposite sides of the world. Meanwhile, Aaron would be stuck in meetings.

If he could just finish the meetings early and find a flight… it was only a two-hour flight from Chicago to Manhattan.

It was a stupid, desperate plan. Much depended on chance. One small delay, and he'd miss it, disappointing Keeley—which is why he hadn't asked her out.

Instead of making possibly doomed plans to see her, maybe he could surprise her. But how? He suspected she liked him after Christmas, but that was almost two months ago.

Pressuring her romantically too soon could backfire terribly. He could simply show up at her apartment as a friend, bringing a sweet treat, as he often did to her school. That wouldn't overstep their current boundaries.

Aaron triple-checked his schedule and rearranged things. It would be tight, but doable.

He opened his phone and smiled at their cheesy picture in matching reindeer onesies. He couldn't wait to see her.

Keeley struggled to concentrate on her homework while Jennica practiced a duet for an audition. The audition required pairs of actresses who could sing several songs together and demonstrate good chemistry.

They were singing "I Know Him So Well" from Chess. Jennica's part was a wife and mother abandoned by her husband, desperately wanting him back.

The lyrics resonated deeply with Keeley, reverberating through the apartment's thin walls:

"No one in your life is with you constantly, No one is completely on your side. And though I move my world to be with him, Still the gap between us is too wide.

Looking back I could have played it differently, Learned about the man before I fell. But I was ever so much younger then, Now at least I know I know him well."

She sighed. With Aaron's frequent absences, she found herself thinking about her ex-husband more and more. Comparing their relationship to Jennica's positive, healthy relationship with her boyfriend only worsened things.

Keeley had been foolish to get involved with her ex. She'd vowed not to repeat the mistake, so why did she miss this timeline's Aaron so much during his absences?

Upon reflection, her heart admitted she did like Aaron, just as her father suspected. But, as she'd told him, it wouldn't work; she didn't fit into his world. Like in the musical, some things weren't meant to be.

She couldn't believe she had a crush on the same man in two different lifetimes, even if their personalities differed drastically.

However, her freedom and dreams were more important than a small crush. She needed to nip this in the bud before it grew, like a weed.

He was often gone; she could get used to his absence. At least, that's what she told herself.

Even now, she was tempted to text him. Keeley was hopeless.

What was it about Aaron Hale? He wasn't that great! He was cold, cynical, and lacked a sense of humor. Well, that wasn't entirely true anymore, which made her feelings even more conflicted.

The first Aaron was a mystery she wanted to solve, and she fell in love along the way, though she never fully understood him. This Aaron was sweet and would do anything for her. What girl wouldn't fall for that?

She wondered where he thought this would go. Aaron had always been his parents' puppet, knowing his duty was to marry someone beneficial to the Hale family business.

So why did he even like her? It could only end badly for both of them.

Her phone dinged with a text from Aaron, which she ignored. She had to learn to ignore him to find peace.

Even acknowledging they were different people—that this Aaron genuinely cared and wouldn't cheat—she couldn't abandon her dreams for those awful socialites again.

Keeley deserved better. Her life was fulfilling before Aaron returned, with her research and friends. She just needed to return to that life.

Her father's words echoed: "You're going to break his heart."

Her own heart cracked at the thought, but there was no other choice. For a normal life, Aaron couldn't become more significant than he already was.

He'd be engaged soon enough, marrying a rich girl, while she pursued her research alone.

She almost cried at the thought of him never unexpectedly popping into the lab again. Stupid. Why had she gotten attached?

She could cherish the positive memories. She now knew what it was like to be treated well. Maybe someday she could find someone else as kind—someone normal.

The extraneous website promotion has been removed.