Chapter Twelve

 

“Thanks.” I leaned over just long enough to place a soft kiss on his lips. “I’ll see you later.”

“See you later.”

The weekend had been amazing, there was no doubt about that, but it was safe to say we were moving really fast, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I took a deep breath, trying to remain calm as I made my way across campus. I knew Aron wasn’t going to be able to drive me to work every day, but it was nice that he had today.

My heart skipped a beat as I caught sight of Rebecca. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. You said you were going to do this; you bought it. You should just do it.

I didn’t want her to think that I was going to be a bitch to her just because she was being a bitch to me. No, I wanted to be the better one. I wanted to prove that I was mature enough to let things go, and if she wasn’t … well, that was her choice. I took a deep breath, opening my eyes and rushing over to her.

“Hey,” I said a little breathlessly, coming to a stop in front of her. “I got this for you.”

Before she could even speak, I dropped a keychain in her hand with I <3 New York written on it.

“I know you don’t have a lot of keys to put on it, but I thought it would be better than the tank top that had it written on it.” I forced a smile over my lips before turning on my heel and stepping out of her way.

“Wait,” she said.

I froze.

“You know … we’re going to the same class; I guess it wouldn’t kill us to walk together … I mean …”

I gave my friend a smile. “Sounds perfect.” I motioned for her to come on; otherwise, we were going to be late for class.

“So, you went to New York this weekend?”

“Yup.”

“That’s … cool.” I’m pretty sure I heard bitterness, but I didn’t mention it. “It must be nice …” She trailed off.

I knew what she’d been about to say. I swallowed dryly, trying not to feel hurt. It seemed like people were just going to think that I was with Aron because of his money.

“It was really nice.” I cleared my throat, pretending I didn’t know what she’d been about to say. “I mean, we didn’t do much. But it was really cool, you know flying for the first time and everything.” I forced a smile over my lips, trying not to let myself be hurt.

“That’s great! And you … you thought to get me something …”

“Of course I did; just because you’re mad at me doesn’t mean you’re not my friend. If I hadn’t gotten you something, I’d have been bummed.”

Aron had been right about that, and I knew it. Although I wasn’t going to admit that to him. I grinned as Rebecca perked up.

“I was a bitch; I’m sorry, it’s just … John …”

I shrugged, brushing away her words. “It’s cool. You don’t need to be sorry.”

I didn’t know what had been going on in her mind when she decided she was mad at me, but I didn’t care. It was in the past, that’s all there was to it, and that’s all I could tell myself; otherwise, I would be upset.

“So, how’s it been without me?”

“Horrid.” I raised an eyebrow. “I made a mistake. It was a stupid mistake, and then Sarah just wanted to talk and talk and talk, and then she tried to convince me it would be a good idea to try and pull some Queen Bee stunt on you and make everyone hate you, which I didn’t consider just for the record.”

“Well, thank you.”

“So … this guy you’re with. How are things?”

I glanced over. My friend refused to meet my eye. I gave her a soft smile.

“Things are … moving fast.” I took a deep breath. “I don’t even know what else to say. He asked me to move in with him.”

“What?” Rebecca came to a stop, pulling me along with her. “What did you say?”

“I … well, it actually might be a good idea … I mean, it would save me $900 a month, and I could put that towards his bills, or I could put it towards debt, and that’s rent alone. We’d be able to split food, and internet, everything.” It would save a lot of money. “I’m just not sure if it’s a good reason to do it. I mean, he’s the one who suggested it so I could save, but I don’t want him to feel like that’s the only reason I said yes; you know what I mean?”

“Yea. But I mean, he asked you, didn’t he? He might think it’s cool if you’re trying to save that money.”

I nodded, she had a point.

“I just … I mean, everyone already says it. So I don’t want him to feel like it’s true.”

“What about your parents? What do they say?”

I shrugged. “They haven’t met him yet.” I knew I was going to have to change that soon, or things were just going to be worse when they did meet him.

 

Class was long, and I could hardly pay any attention to it, but no one bothered me. I took a couple minutes to check the news, just to see if Aron and I were in it, after all, I wanted to keep up to date with what people were saying about us so that I knew.

When class ended, I hopped on a bus, heading downtown to the bus terminal where he had picked me up for the first time.

I stared at the building he’d come out of. Will he be mad at me? I wondered. I took the risk as I started making my way towards it. I hope he’s not mad at me.

It didn’t take long to find out what floor he was on, or even to find his office.

I stood out front of it.

“I know. I know,” he said. “I just … need you to wait, alright?”

My brow furrowed.

“I know; I love you too. Bye.”

I stood there, trying not to act like every girl in any romance novel I’d ever read. But I couldn’t help it. Suddenly I realized why those girls had acted that way. Jealousy wasn’t something you could easily control. It controlled you, and it did a damn good job. I took a deep breath and shoved it down, trying to pretend it wasn’t there—denying it even to myself.

I knocked and opened the door.

Aron stared at me with wide eyes for half a minute before he stood up.

“H-hi.” He rushed over to me and pulled me into a hug, placing a soft kiss on my lips. “What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

“Yea. I just wanted to drop in. I was on my way home from school, and I thought … I might surprise you. Is that okay?” I bit my lip.

Had I crossed a line?

“Yes! Of course. I’m so glad you’re here.” He pulled me into his arms and placed another kiss on my lips, closing the door behind us.

“I won’t stay long; I know you’re working, and you’re busy. I just wanted to drop in and say hi. That’s all.” I paused, looking around his office. It was clean, spotless actually. “How is work going?”

“It’s been … long.” He pulled away, letting out a deep sigh. “I’ve got three projects I need to get done. What are your plans for the night?”

“I … I don’t know. Do you want me waiting for you when you get home?” I raised an eyebrow as a smile spread across his lips.

“You have no idea how much I would love that.”

“Then I’ll take a bus to your place.”

“No.” He turned away and headed for his desk.

I opened my mouth to question him as he pulled out his wallet and opened it.

“Here,” he handed me a credit card. “2321. Take a cab. It will be a long bus ride for you.”

“I don’t mind.”

“I do. Please, let me take care of you.”

“As long as you know I don’t need you to.” I bit my lip. Should I have turned him down? Or should I just let him give me the card?

I had no clue, so I reached out and took the card. If it were a cheap ride, I’d just pay for it myself.

Aron grinned broadly. “I’ll see you later.”

I closed the distance between us and pulled him into a kiss, my fingers tangling in his hair, pulling him closer to me. My teeth grazed his lower lip.

“I’ll be waiting for you when you get home,” I promised, my voice a whisper.

I pulled away, shooting him a wide grin before leaving his office.

 

Before heading to his place, I took the bus up to mine, packed up an overnight bag, mostly full of lingerie, but it did have some school books I knew I’d need. From my apartment, I took a cab to Aron’s place.

It was only a $30 cab ride, so I paid for it myself before slipping out of the car and heading to the pond where Aron kept his spare key. I unlocked the door and let myself into his place, glancing at the clock. I still had a couple of hours before he would be home. I could make dinner, I thought.

Or I could get my essay done. I bit my lip. I wanted to do something cute for him, but I wanted to get my essay done too … At least, if I get my essay done, I can spend time with him. Even if that did mean that we’d have to make dinner together. I’d rather have to make dinner with someone than have to sit and watch them do homework—so I was going to do my homework first, and maybe with the benefit of a few cups of coffee I’d be done before he got home from work, and I could get started on dinner before he got here. Or we could just order something.

My heart skipped a beat. If I move in with him, this is what it will always be like. The idea of being home waiting for him … I hated admitting even to myself how much I liked that idea.

I sat down at the kitchen table, shoving a stack of books out of the way so I could put my computer down and start getting to work.

 

I didn’t realize just how much time had passed until I heard the door open.

“Hi!” I called, still focused on the essay in front of me.
He didn’t return my answer for a couple of minutes. I heard him slip out of his boots and make his way into the kitchen.
My heart skipped a beat. I can’t believe I’m so excited to see him, I thought.
“Uh, where’s dinner?”
I looked up from my computer.
Aron stood in the doorway frowning. My mouth fell open. What? He’d just asked where dinner was as if he’d expected it from me.
“I ... I was going to get started on it as soon as I finished my essay; I guess you got home before I could.” I smiled. “That’s okay; we can order in if you want.”
“ Great,” Aron muttered. He turned on his heel and headed out of the room. “Just great. It’s not like I’ve been working all day.”
I wasn’t sure if he meant for me to hear it or not, but I did. My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach as guilt twisted at me. Wait, I shouldn’t feel guilty. I frowned, anger replacing the guilt.
“Hey.” I pushed myself up from the chair, slamming the computer down. I followed him out of the room.
How can he be acting like this? He was so nice about me coming over ... Of course he was; he thought I was going to have dinner ready for him.
Aron ignored me as he made his way up the stairs.
“You know ...” I reached out and grabbed him, pulling him to a halt. “It’s not like I’ve been sitting around shopping for the past ...” I looked at my phone. “Three hours. I’ve been working too.”
“ Mhm.” He pulled away from me. “Whatever, I get it. I have to make my own dinner.”
It wasn’t hard to hear the bitterness in his voice.
I watched him walk up the stairs. I couldn’t believe he was mad at me for this.
“You of all people I thought would understand what it’s like to work all the fucking time. I can’t ... I can’t even believe you’re acting like this.”
I turned on my heel and without another word stormed into the kitchen to collect my stuff. I grabbed my computer and the backpack I’d brought with me.
Aron didn’t come after me, which just hurt even more. I knew it was stupid, but I wanted him to come after me. I wanted to know he cared enough to come after me.
I took a deep breath and stood up.
I stared at the fridge as if it was taunting me. Anger boiled inside me as I crossed over to it and pulled it open. I chewed my lip, looking at everything inside it, and then I pulled out three things. Cheese, mayo, and butter. I crossed over to the counter and pulled out the bread.
It took me a few seconds to put a sandwich together for him. I left it on the table on a plate, where my computer had been.
Here’s your stupid dinner.

That was all the note read. No goodbye, no heart, no signature.

I walked out of the kitchen and to the door; then out the door.
I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and called the cab agency that I’d just called a couple hours ago, requesting that they come pick me up.
When I ended the call, I sat down on the steps, waiting silently. I knew that I could go in there and patch things up with Aron, but I didn’t want to. I wanted him to come to me. I deserved to have him come to me after the way he had acted towards me.
The door opened behind me. My heart skipped a beat.
I didn’t dare turn around to see him.
“What are you doing out here?”
“I’m waiting for my cab,” I said, refusing to turn and look at him, but I wanted to know what his expression was. I wanted to see the hurt in his eyes—and if there weren’t hurt, I’d know then and there that this wasn’t a relationship I wanted to stay in. I took a deep breath and forced myself to focus on the road ahead of me.
“You could have just borrowed a car.”
“Oh no, I wouldn’t want to do something like that. For all I know, you could have needed all of them.”
I still hadn’t seen his garage, but I was sure he had more than just the three that he had outside.
He sat down beside me, and my heart did a backflip.
“Are you even going to look at me?”
“ No.”
“You’re being immature; you’re acting like a child.”
“Oh,” I snorted. “I’m the one acting like a child?” I spun to face him. It took everything I had to lock eyes on him. “I’m not the one who is being pissy because there wasn’t dinner on the table. Because I had to work.”
He opened his mouth, then closed it.
Nothing? He wasn’t going to say anything to me? Fine. I turned back to stare at the road, not saying a word to him.
“ You must understand where I’m coming from.” He reached out and touched my knee. “I work so hard and to come home …”

“No ...” I cut him off. “I don’t understand it because I’ve never had someone else have dinner ready for me. I get home from work or school, and I have to make my own dinner and do more school. I don’t get the pleasure of having someone else do it, and I don’t have the money to order in as much as I’d like. So, no I don’t.” I knew it might have been harsh, but what else was there to say?

“Come back inside and we’ll talk more.”

I bit my lip. Was it really worth going back inside to talk to him? Would we get anywhere or would it just become more apparent that we weren’t meant to be together.

I stood. I can’t just give up.

“Fine, let’s go.”

Aron jumped to his feet and followed me into the house, closing the door behind him.

I wasn’t sure what we were even supposed to talk about. What was there to say? That I was supposed to make him dinner every night? That wasn’t going to work.

I took a deep breath, waiting for him to say something. He didn’t.

“You know,” I cleared my throat. “I’m not going to be able to make you dinner every night.”

“Why not? Why can’t you put something in the oven?”

My jaw dropped. “Because!” He didn’t fucking get it. “Because I’m busy. I’m fucking busy; I can’t ‘just’ put something in the oven because I’m already going to be doing something.”

“Fine.” Aron turned away from me.

I felt the anger boiling back up. I took a deep breath, trying to calm it. In and out. It wasn’t helping. My fists tightened.

“I will have dinner ready for you when I can.” Aron spun to face me, glaring. It was the best I could do. “I work long hours just like you do. I expect you to understand that, and if that’s not the case, then there is no point for us to stay together or talk about moving in with each other.” I hated saying it, but I knew it was true.

“I don’t want to lose you.” It was a whisper.

My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach. “I don’t want to lose you either, but if I can’t be what you expect me to be then there is no point in pretending, is there?”

He opened his mouth, then closed it and nodded. “Aright, well … I’ve been making myself dinner most of my life. I guess it wouldn’t be too crazy to think that I could keep making it.”

I stared at him speechless. I had been sure he wouldn’t have been this accommodating.

“And I’ll make it when I can,” I said. “We’ll get a slow cooker, and we can see that as often as we are able to.”

A smile touched his lips, though it was a soft one. He reached out and took my hand. “We can make this work,” he whispered.

“I want to.”

And I believed him. He did truly sound like he wanted to make this work, but was that going to be enough?
I honestly had no clue.
“So ... Do you want to bring some of your stuff here?”
I stared at him with wide eyes. “Yes,” I said without thinking it through at all, without even thinking about what he had just said.
Yes. I wanted to bring some of my stuff over. I wanted to move forward. I wanted to see if we could make this work.
A grin touched his lips. “Good. You can grab some stuff on your way home from school tomorrow.”
I opened my mouth to protest; I wasn’t going to be able to take it all on the bus. But I didn’t want to keep fighting; instead, I nodded.
“We’ll work out the details later,” I said.