Aubrey (Revolving With Axis)

014:

I'll admit. I was disappointed. His propensity for getting his way had become annoying.

He pulled into his garage and shut the outer door. I got out rather quickly, said thank you for the fun time, and made for the inner door, and from there to the front door.

I opened it.

Huge sirens went off. I slammed the door. More inner and outer alarms went off. He showed me his hand on the keypad. He could stop them, but he eyed me carefully. "Stay here, Aubrey. I swear I won't violate you. Just stay, okay?"

"And what?" I knew that these systems had a built in grace period so the owner could turn them off before the police were notified. I was more than annoyed, and the noise was raucous and disturbing. I covered my ears.

"And I'll turn this off without fanfare of course. Otherwise..." His stance was tense and determined.

I braced my hands over my ears, flashed an irritated expression. "What? You'll have me arrested for breaking in to your place?" I leaned against the door, the blasting noises making me really mad. He was forcing me, and I did not like to be forced.

"That's a certain possibility."

"That's a creepy thing to do."

"But you know I'm not a creep, right?"

"Yeah, I do."

"So, say you'll stay."

"I can't sleep with you."

"You have before."

"It wasn't planned."

"You can fall asleep in front of the TV, that won't be planned then either."

My gaze whirled over the possibilities and then I stomped back toward the kitchen and watched his hand on the key pad.

"Say you'll stay."

"You're pushing my last nerve."

"Say it. And I'll believe you. Ten seconds left."

"I'll stay." I said my back to him.

"What'd you say?"

I turned to him. "I said okay! I'll stay."

The sirens and alarms stopped blaring and I threw his hoodie onto the back of the couch in the TV room. He picked it up and laid in on the stair banister to go up. I flopped onto the couch and he didn't turn on any lights.

"I have a theatre room."

"This is fine." I acknowledged, still annoyed.

"I have a theatre room." He had grabbed the videos he'd gotten from my place earlier.

I rolled my eyes. I do not enjoy being pushed this way.

"I said this is fine."

"There's a bed in the theatre room."

"This is doubly fine."

He sighed theatrically and then came around to kneel in front of me. His eyes had that cute beseeching look in them. I deliberately gazed away from him.

He nudged my legs apart. I shut them hard, shutting him out.

He wedged his hand between my knees.

"You want me to go? 'Cause I don't like you pushing me this way. I'll sleep better in my own bed, in my own house. And I will not let you seduce me, Rafe Stryker."

"Your place then. Even better, you're right." He got up and made for the sliding glass door.

I sighed, pushing myself up awkwardly.

"Come on."

"Rafe..."

"I can carry you."

I was frustrated and had past my last nerve. The dredges of our fun was dissipating as reality crashed in. It was really just a few hours till church and surgery. At this point I might not even be able to go to church.

I passed him going out the door, and hurried in the cold damp air to my own patio, pressed my own key pad disarm and without turning on any lights I ran up the stairs into my room.

He was right behind me... but slower.'

"Aubrey?" He stood at my door and I debated slipping into pajamas, or just sleeping in his clothes.

"Yeah."

"There's a reason."

"Oh?"

I stood next to my bed, staring out the windows up here overlooking the ocean, the night lights were lovely and isolated. I stared at them impassively, thinking what possible reason could keep him here tonight?

"My best friend died Thursday." His voice was devoid of any emotion at all, thereby making it all the more devastated.

I felt a rip of shock race through me and sat down hard on the bed. All our acquaintance flashed in front of me. This whole time--- he'd known and hadn't let on.

"I want your company, not your sympathy. I need your company." He came into the room and took off his own hoodie, pulled his t-shirt over his head and sat down on the other side of the bed to pull off his sweats.

"Rafe---."

"There isn't anything you can say that will change it or make it better. Please, trust me, I just need to sleep--- with you."

I nodded, went into my bathroom and retrieved my tank top and pajama bottoms and yellow fluffy socks--- I usually slept in socks. I climbed into the bed, squished my pillow and turned on my side away from him. In a few seconds, he pulled back the covers too, slid in next to me and put his arm over me, squishing his pillow close under his neck. He sighed.

"Thanks, Aubrey."

And I swear, he was asleep before I was.

Author's note:

So--- there's little more here than boy meets girl. Actually--- a lot of controversy pops up with these guys. I was thinking of naming this something to do with Controversy--- but I couldn't think of anything. I'm really terrible with naming my stories--- honestly--- I just call them by the main character's names. Or just the main girl character in romance novels. Got any better title ideas?