Aden

Chapter Three

Aden

How the fuck do you forget to eat?

I wanted to shout it at her, but I stayed pensive, silent as I watched her wipe her mouth and reach for her drink. She gathered up the trash and tossed it all away in the bag and tied it before placing it in the trash bin.

Aries sat at her chair as he began working on the computer, he pulled out his toolkit and probed and prodded at it before typing away on the keyboard that seemed louder than usual.

"Hi," She said, standing next to me.

I spared her a glance and noticed how tired she seemed today. It was her eyes. They told me everything I needed to know. She didn't sleep. I don't think she's slept since that night. I should have done something to help her, but I didn't know how to.

What was the right or wrong response? How do I even approach this subject without hurting her? How do I let her know that I want to kill the man responsible for hurting her?

Too many questions swarmed in and around my mind and it felt like I had a million bees buzzing in the back of my mind, and I couldn't even come up with a single answer. I couldn't even fucking say hi back. Nervously, she tucked her bangs behind her ear only for the betraying frizzy curl to fall right back down.

"Leila, can you come here for a second and pass me that?" Aries asked, his head poking from the bottom of her desk as he worked on the dimension box.

My eyes followed her movement as she went over to where he was pointing, and my breathing hitched as I saw her bend over and reach for the tool. My hands formed into tight fists as I responsively and avidly stared at her ass while my mind ran with a hundred dirty scenarios of her bent over for me naked.

I bit down on my bottom lip as I tried to memorize the shape of that perfect ass and my hands craved to reach out and touch her. She straightened her back and handed the tool to Aries who took it without looking up.

"All right, I'm almost done. How's work?" Aries asked.

I didn't even know why I came with him. I heard him say her name during the meeting Alex held, and then I was standing up and following him outside. Then I heard that she was hungry, and I wanted to bring her food, to see her eat, and then I'd leave. I'd leave right as soon as Aries finished.

I had business to tend to. Work. Meetings to be at. I shouldn't be here staring at her, wondering about her, or even thinking about her. Leila and I were complete opposites.

She was loud, smiled too much, and loved to talk. I liked silence. I liked being alone. And I hated talking. It was such a waste of time to speak to someone when I could just glare at them until they walked away and left me alone.

"It's good. Tiring, but you know, can't complain. How's your family?"

"They're good." He stood up and wiped his hands with the towel he had. "It should be all fixed now. Come here and try it out."

He moved out of her way, and she walked with such elegance to her chair. I saw him give her a slight push and she smiled up at him. She turned it on and waited patiently. 

Aries reached over her to click something and the fact that I was angry spoke volumes. I didn't want him near her. I didn't want any man near her. Leila didn't stiffen up or look uncomfortable. I saw her nod her head as he spoke to her and smiled as he pulled away.

"Aries Grayson you're a fucking lifesaver. I owe you a free drink." She cheered.

"I love free drinks. Aden, you can leave if you want. I'm gonna have a drink then head back."