Aria

 

 

 

“It’s Hypno-eyes.” Morgana’s eyes widened as they stared up at Alex.

I laughed as I wrapped an arm around the man that seduced me with his eyes.

“Yeah. His name is Alex. This is A. Hawthorne,” I said as Alex’s fingers traced circles on my back, inching lower and lower until he had a handful of ass cheek.

Morgana leapt at his extended hand. She shook it to the point I thought it might fall off.

“So, you sent me that cake two months ago. Thank you. It was delicious,” Morgana said.

Confused, I was about to ask Alex about it but he answered before I had time to speak.

“Aria said you loved cake, and I felt bad for making you think we, me and my security guard, were going to harm you. It was his idea to detain you.”

“Well, it was the best apology I have ever had. You are forgiven. Anything can be cleared up with cake,” Morgana said with a smile before a car passed by. Her head turned to watch but she frowned as it went further up the street.

“What are you doing hanging out on your parents’ front lawn? I thought for sure you would be waiting inside to be as close to your mom’s cake as possible,” I said.

She shrugged. “Just waiting outside for guests.”

I didn’t say anything because I knew who she wanted to see. A few weeks ago, I would have warned her that it’s best he not show up, but after witnessing Henrik’s pain earlier today, I kept my mouth shut. I might have been wrong about him. But it’s up to her to figure out if she was wrong about him too.

“Anyway . . . did you see each other again after we dropped off the painting?” Morgana’s eyes flicked between me and Alex.

“Something like that,” I said and glanced down at the grass beneath our feet. “I’ll tell you later. Maybe meet for lunch tomorrow?”

I wanted to tell Morgana everything. She’s my best friend and it’s been hard keeping this from her. One more thing I had to keep from telling her.

Evaleen found out, but she always seemed to know everything. Morgana’s my best friend, so it hurts when I can’t tell her things about my life. Like the fact that I am living in Henrik Payne’s old condo. She told me tales of his condo a few months ago when she first went there but I thought she was exaggerating. I was wrong, very, very wrong.

“Oh my God, you’re pregnant!” Morgana jumped up and down clapping her hands.

“What?” both Alex and I exclaimed at the same time.

“Is that true? So fast like that?” Alex said with confusion wrinkling his brow.

“No and no.” I groaned. “Morgana, you are too much like your mom, jumping to wild conclusions. And you,” I pointed to Alex, “you are coming with me so I can explain the birds and the bees to you.”

I pulled the sexiest, most oblivious man toward the front door. As we stood there I turned to Alex. “Did you really think I was already pregnant from four hours ago?”

I couldn’t help but laugh as his hypnotic eyes widened as he hitched his shoulder. “I don’t know how that stuff works. I never studied up on the technical side of sex, only the physical.”

“I guess that makes sense. But I should warn you first before we head inside, about Morgana’s grandmother. She’s—” I didn’t have time to finish as the woman herself opened the door without us having to knock. She either had a sixth sense or was listening at the door.

“Aria! So good to see you again.” Morgana’s grandma, Ms. Austin, threw her arms wide and pulled me in for a hug.

The hug was short and sweet, unlike her grandma. I loved Morgana’s grandmother but she lived in a very different reality than the rest of us. One where she swore Morgana and I were lesbian lovers, and that she had her pick of men, including one’s young enough to be her grandson.

“Oh my, well didn’t you just fall from the sky.” Her hazel eyes zeroed in on Alex as she perused his body.

Poor Alex, I knew Morgana’s grandma would take an instant liking to him.

“I didn’t fall from anywhere. I’m Alex. I’m friends with Aria.”

Completely ignoring me, she took Alex’s arm and guided him inside the house. He turned his head back to me with a look of fear, confusion, and muffled laughter.

I followed into the small two-level home with a very lived in feel. And by lived in, I mean not updated in thirty years.

Ms. Austin brought Alex into the kitchen, completely bypassing Morgana’s father, brother Daniel, and Daniel’s date in the living room watching baseball.

A slightly aged version of Morgana with graying red hair stood over a pot on the stove, stirring.

“Annette, Aria is here and she brought something very delectable,” Ms. Austin said as she squeezed Alex’s arm.

Morgana’s mom turned, her smile was wide and loving and shone with affection.

“Oh, Aria, I’m so glad you came. And could this be a special someone?” She walked over and clasped Alex’s hand. “Hi, I’m Annette, Morgana’s mom.”

“Special someone? Annette, you do know that Aria is gay.” Ms. Austin paused for a moment before turning to me. “It is still gay, isn’t it? I can still say that, right? It’s not another name like non-straight or same-sexual or something?”

“Aria’s isn’t homosexual,” Alex said and blew out a chuckle.

Morgana’s grandmother narrowed her eyes and was about to explain her reality to Alex when Morgana’s father walked in the kitchen.

“Are you Alex?” Morgana’s father, with his tall, burly body filled the doorway and glared at Alex.

“Yes, I’m Alex.” He stood a little straighter in the presence of Mr. Drake’s intimidating stance.

“Your mom’s here.” Just as Morgana’s dad said the words a hand, covered in jeweled rings, pressed on his arm causing him to turn.

“Thank you so much . . . uh, oh, I don’t believe I caught your name?” Alex’s mom appeared uncomfortably close to Mr. Drake, causing that big bear of a man to turn crimson.

“It’s James.”

“And I’m Annette, his wife,” Morgana’s mom said, her tone curt.

Alex’s mom ignored her and moved into the kitchen. Her gray eyes scrutinized the room causing her lips to purse.

“Thank you for inviting me into your very humble home. I’m Emma Hawthorne, Alex’s mom. Sorry to interrupt your fun, but I realized I forgot to tell my son something very important and since I am leaving in the morning, it just couldn’t wait.” She clasped her hands and refused to look anyone in the eye.

“There’s a great invention called a cell phone,” I mumbled.

“What was that, Aria?” Alex’s mom said as she lowered her eyes to me.

I was about to tell her it was nothing when Morgana’s grandma piped up.

“She said there’s an invention called a cell phone. Unless cell phones are too bourgeoisie for you?” She arched her brow and in that moment, I never loved Ms. Austin more.

“Yes, well, this is something that needed to be told in person.” Mrs. Hawthorne sneered at Morgana’s grandmother before turning to face Alex.

“This couldn’t have waited until later?” Alex said under his breath as his mom came up to him.

“No, it couldn’t.” She glanced over to Morgana’s father who had been staring wide-eyed at her for the entire conversation. “James, I hate to be a bother but is there somewhere I could speak to my son in private?”

“Yes, of course, you can use Morgana’s old room. It’s now my weight room,” he said as he flexed his arms.

Alex and his mom followed Mr. Drake out of the kitchen as I heard Mrs. Hawthorne say, “Oh, James, is that why your arms are so big?”

I nearly threw up in my mouth.

“What a manipulative bi—” Morgana’s grandma said before she was cut off by Morgana’s mom.

“I really don’t like that woman. Come with me, ladies.”

Morgana’s mom took us up the stairs and into a room that was decorated for Christmas before shutting the door.

“Have you not taken down your Christmas decorations?” I asked because it was June, not December.

Mrs. Drake knitted her brow. “Of course not. This is my year-round Christmas room. It used to be Daniel’s room but once he moved out, well . . . I love Christmas so much and this was always my dream.”

Oh.

“Yes, yes, it’s wonderful you have a room now to fulfill your delusional dreams, Annette, but why did you bring us here?” Grandma shied away from the animatronic Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus as if they might come to life and drag her back to the North Pole.

Morgana’s mom ignored her mother-in-law and knelt before a vent in the wall. She brought a finger up to her mouth gesturing for us to be quiet.

We came close and knelt too, leaning close to the vent. That’s when I realized we could hear into the weight room.

“I’ll leave you two to it.” I heard Morgana’s dad’s voice and the door creak shut. We heard footsteps in the hall and I figured it was Mr. Drake returning to his beloved chair and baseball game.

“Alexander, as you know I am leaving tomorrow for California,” I heard his mom say.

“Yes, you already told me. Why did you do this? I’m meeting Aria’s friends and people she is close to, and you purposely show up to cause trouble. Can’t you let me live my life?” Alex said.

I was proud of him. My heart soared hearing him stand up for himself.

“If you wish to get to know them that’s your business but know it will make it that much more painful when you have to leave.”

Leave? What did his mom mean? Did she know about our plan?

“How did you find out about Aria and me leaving?”

I could hear Mrs. Hawthorne’s bitter laugh through the slotted grate. “I don’t think you will want to leave when I tell you what will be in Las Vegas next week.”

My heart began to speed up. People could get married quickly in Las Vegas. Many a drunken night ended with a legally binding marriage the next day in that town.

Is Alexa there? Is that what all this was about?

“What could I possibly want in Vegas? I’m not a gambler or much of a drinker, Mother, so why would I want to go there?”

“She’s going to be there for you, Alex. Who we spoke of earlier. She wants to see you. After my trip to California this week, I’m going to Vegas the following week, to be with her. I know it’s been a long time, too long. But, I know deep in your heart you love her. It’s time she’s in your life forever, as it should be.”

My jaw began to hurt as I gritted my teeth. I didn’t like how this felt. It was all new. My heart felt like it was being ripped from my chest and thrown across the room. I wanted to race into that room and tell Mrs. Hawthorne that Alex was mine. That Alexa will never have him.

Perhaps I was wrong to think my feelings for Alex were fleeting. Maybe this was what it felt like to be in love.

A slight flutter tickled my chest at the realization but it didn’t last long. My joy and happiness at finally wanting to give my heart freely to a man ended as that man stabbed it into a million pieces with his words.

“I do want her in my life. I have thought about what you said before and I keep imagining holding her in my arms for the first time and never letting her go,” Alex said as tears fell from my eyes.