Chapter Six
Finn
Aaron looked so defeated. So sad and heartbroken that all I wanted to do was hold him and make him feel better. But he hadn’t let me. Was he sad that he hadn’t been able to get Tad alone this morning? Oh god. He was probably trying to win Tad back. That was why he cooked for him and tried to surprise him this morning. He must’ve realized he’d wanted him back after seeing him again last night. Maybe I should go. Maybe I should leave so they could have some privacy. That would be the right thing to do, right? As much as it pained me to think about it, I wanted Aaron happy. And I liked Tad a lot. I wanted him happy too.
“Maybe I should leave so you guys have some privacy,” I said as soon as I walked into the kitchen.
“What? No,” Tad said with wide eyes and a pleading face. “I don’t want to be left alone with him.”
“Why not? I thought you wanted him back?”
“No, why would you think that?”
“Uh, ‘cause you said you missed him and that it was hard to see him last night.”
He shook his head. “Yeah, I miss him, but that doesn’t mean I want him back. He was a terrible boyfriend.”
I furrowed my brow. Aaron had been a wonderful boyfriend in high school. “What do you mean?”
“He was never around. Never. He’d go weeks without calling me back sometimes. When he was around, he was great, sweet and attentive, but I always felt like he just forgot I even existed if I wasn’t right in his face.” He shrugged apologetically, as if it were his fault.
It was strange, though. Aaron had never been like that with me. But I didn’t want to say that to Tad in case it made him feel bad. Plus, I felt awkward since it seemed like Aaron wanted Tad back. I cringed internally at the thought. I didn’t want him to want Tad back. But it wasn’t like I could do anything about it. Not if Aaron had feelings for Tad. I cringed again.
“What’s wrong?” Aaron’s voice surprised me. I hadn’t heard him walk into the kitchen.
It took me a second to realize he’d been asking me. I must’ve accidentally really cringed. Whoops. “Nothing,” I answered quickly.
He eyed me for a moment before walking over to the stove and taking the spoon out of Tad’s hands. “I’ll heat it up. You guys can go sit down.”
“Thanks. I’ll go sit down. I’m sure you two have a lot to catch up on,” Tad said, shooting me a smile as he walked past me and out of the kitchen. What the hell was he doing?
After a minute of awkward silence, Aaron asked me, “So what big restaurant are you the head chef at?” He looked over his shoulder at me with a warm smile.
I took a deep breath. Being the head chef at a big restaurant used to be my dream. But dreams change. “I’m not. I’m actually part owner of a bakery. I do the decorating, and sculpting cake toppers and stuff.”
“Really?”
“Yep. When I was in school, I started leaning toward the baking side more than the cooking. You know I always liked art in school, so once I started putting art and cooking together, it was perfect. Plus, my best friends own the bakery with me, which is pretty cool.”
“Oh wow, that’s awesome. What’s the bakery called?”
I bit my lip, afraid and maybe a little embarrassed to tell him.
When I didn’t answer, he looked at me and started laughing after he saw my facial expression. “Is it really that bad?”
I nodded my head slowly.
“Oh god, now I’m really curious. You have to tell me.”
I shook my head.
He laughed again. It was a beautiful sound, one that had haunted my dreams over the years. “I’m not giving you any soup until you tell me.”
“Oh come on, that’s not fair.”
“Sure it is.” He was full-blown grinning.
I sighed and crossed my arms.
“You’ll never outlast me. I’m the one with the food.”
I glared at him.
He chuckled, then poured some soup into a bowl, grabbed a spoon and took a bite right in front of me. Then the bastard moaned. “Uhmm. This is a good batch. Want some?” He held the spoon out to me, so I took a step closer to him and the jerk shoved the bite into his own mouth and hummed.
I gasped. “You are such an ass.”
He laughed. “There’s an easy solution to your problem.”
I closed my eyes and blew out a breath before mumbling the bakery’s name.
“What? I couldn’t hear what you said.”
I huffed. “Fine. It’s called Aaron’s Bakery, okay?”
He froze and stared at me with wide eyes. “You named your bakery after me?”
“Ugh.” I turned on my heel and stomped out of the kitchen. “Obviously,” I threw over my shoulder as I passed Tad, who was walking back into the kitchen.
I shrugged apologetically at Tad, then ran up the steps to the bathroom. Apparently it was my turn to hide in there.