Obliterate Me

CHAPTER THREE

After listening to all the whining of Kenji we eventually settled ourselves down along the long boardroom table. I smile a brief smile thinking about what happened in here two years ago.

Me...

And Warner...

Together...

In this room...

Where I told him I loved him, where I told him I wanted him. The moment where everything was aching for him. Him and only him. Where he lifted me on this table. How he lifted my shirt over my head. How he undid my pants together with my underpants from my small body. How I was lying on this table in nothing but my bra. His touch was so tender, so sweet but still so urgent. He was aching for me like I was aching for him. It was killing me how much I was aching for him without wanting to tell him. Eventually I did. And I'm so glad I did. So, so glad.

I look at Warner and he smiles at me, he probably sensed all the emotions that went through my body in this brief moment. In this moment in which I was thinking about how him and me became we. How we became one, one strong duo, one strong couple to rule the world.

I smile back.

'Okay what shall we talk about?' Brendan interrupts my thoughts.

'I don't know.' Winston steps into the conversation.

'Maybe we can talk about our feelings, just like I said before.' Kenji says.

I shoot him a sharp look back.

He shows me his tongue.

I sigh and roll with my eyes.

'What is your real name?' James cuts everybody off and looks directly at Warner. Every pair off eyes is on James, including Warners.

'What?' Warner asks. Surprised, confused and slightly terrified.

'Your real name, you are not telling me you have no name and only a surname.'

Warner is still looking confused. He shoots me a gaze, and he almost tries to say he needs help. He needs help because he knows he can't get out under this question. He knows he has to answer it.

Eventually Warner let's out a sigh.

'Aaron. My name is Aaron Warner.' He drops his gaze onto the table looking at his hands as if it's a real interesting subject.

'Oh. Well my name is James.'

Warner looks up, more confused than ever. 'I already knew that.'

'I know, but because you said your whole name, I thought I'd say mine as well.'

'Well okay.' Warner says shooting a brief and small smile at James, showing the cute little dimples in his cheeks. James shoots him a big smile back. You can notice Warner is feeling uncomfortable, he just stares at his hands or at the table.

'So... Does that mean we can all call you Aaron from now on?' Winston asks Warner. Warner looks up again. He shrugs his head.

'No, that you know my name now doesn't gives you the benefits to actually call me Aaron.' he says, voice a little bit more steady but still with a trembling undertone. Everybody at the table nods.

'I bet Juliette can call him Aaron without getting him all into mister crankypants mode.' Kenji murmurs. Both Warner and I shoot Kenji a warning look at the same time. But of course Kenji pretends like he doesn't notice.

A whole afternoon passes with us talking at the boardroom table in Warners office. At the end we ended up talking about our strategy for taking over Europe. Now we are all walking in full silent back to the cafeteria. Warner is walking on the left of me and Kenji on my right. Behind us is walking Adam together with James and then last in the row is Lily, Alia and Ian. We head to the doors of the cafeteria and push them open. There are only a few people who already are in the cafeteria. Some people I don't know. But Warner nods slightly at each on of them as a little salute. All members of our group take place alongside the table we used when we were here for lunch. We al settle down on the same places.

Eventually we all have our dinner right in front of us and are buzzy with eating it, especially Kenji. He is gulping his drink down his throat and he is stashing foor into his mouth and gobbling it like a beast.

'Kenji, can you please eat like a normal human being? Or as good as it works out for you, a little bit more in the quiet range?' Adam asks with a little bit of irritation in his voice. Kenji nods obeying and a miracle must've happened, because weird enough, Kenji does what Adam asks him and he starts eating a little more on a slow and normal tempo. I look at Kenji in surprise.

'What are you looking at J?' Kenji asks with food in his mouth.

'Nothing' it's just... Wow, Adam asked you to eat more proper and, weird enough... You are now almost eating like a human being!'

'Shut up...' Kenji murmurs.

'As you wish.' I say with a smile on my face. Everybody at the table is grinning. Apparently they think I was right, but it actually is weird that Kenji finally listens to someone but himself, or Castle. Eventually everybody stops grinning and starts eating their food again. Everyone, except Warner, who still hasn't started with eating his food.

'Warner...'

No answer.

'Warner...'

Nothing.

'Warner...'

Still nothing

'Aaron...' I hiss so only he can hear me.

'Uhm what? What is wrong, love?' He answers, eventually.

'One, you haven't touched your food, like anything. And second, I called you Warner for like three times and you didn't answer. I there something wrong?'

He shrugs his and and shoots me a smile, which isn't as convincing as he hopes it is. 'Yes, love, everything is alright.'

'Okay.' I say, unconvinced.

Like everyone else, I finish eating my food. Except Warner, but just as the rest of us, he returns his plate, except his food hasn't been touched for even a bit.

Everybody returns to their bedrooms. That's also something that has been changed over these two years, we all have our own bedroom now. At least no one has one for their own. The bedrooms are divided in pairs of two.

Adam and James.

Kenji and Ian.

Alia and Lily.

Sonya and Sara.

And as last,

me and Warner.

We all head inside of our bedrooms after wishing each other goodnight.

'Juliette?' Warner suddenly speaks to me when I just closed the door.

'Yes, Aaron?'

'Can we talk for a minute?' he asks me with a slight tremble in my voice.

'Of course we can.'

He nods while he pats the spot next to him on the bed. I go ahead and place myself next to him on the bed.

'I want to make an arrangement.' he says.

'What kind of arrangement?' I ask a little confused.

'I want you to talk to Adam, and you tell him I want to tell James together with we are brothers. I thought about what you said... And I know you're right, I know what promise I made two years ago. About how I wanted to spent time with Adam and James, and I still haven't done anything with them since I made that promise two years ago. And I think, I think that should change, I think that we, Adam and me, should tell James, as soon as possible.'

I sit still, thinking about what Warner just said. Honestly? I'm amazed he would say such a thing. But it makes me happy he thinks about it in that way, so the only thing I can do is smile. I smile at him and nod.

'I'm glad you just said that.' I say with a little bit of emotion in my voice.

He smiles back at me, dimples showing in his cheeks.

'I will try to talk to Adam tomorrow.' I say with a confident undertone in my voice.

'Thank you, love.' he says while he pulls me in an embrace. I say nothing, I just enjoy his touch and the way he holds me.

'I think we better get some sleep, love.' he says while he let's go of me.

I nod. 'Yes, yes we should.'