It's hard for me to think straight in the situation I'm in right now.
"Aiden...ah, now...is not the best time..."
The guy interrupts my attempt to speak with a deep kiss.
I suppose he has already realized that he chose the wrong moment.
Only if his plan was not to take advantage of my current vulnerability...
I dismiss disturbing thoughts and return to reality, where my man shows love to my body.
Every time I frown, Aiden reads my emotions and kisses the pain he inadvertently causes.
He just has no idea how much more intense suffering I'm used to experiencing. The inconveniences that I have to feel now can even be called pleasant.
The more time passes, the less I pay attention to them.
How fascinating it is to see such a tough man so gentle and caring!
He is my fortress, behind the walls of which I fear nothing.
Moreover, my body is wrapped in him right now, like he's my armor.
"Don't let me go," I whisper, entwining even more tightly with Aiden.
"Never," he promises, breathing raggedly, his voice husky.
I catch myself thinking that the most inflaming thing for me is our breathing - heavy, hot and shaky.
We share every breath as though we're one.
As a whole, what I'm feeling right now is beyond any comparison and description.
This is unity, a connection of an unearthly order. Something ancient, primordial, savage, cosmic. Raw emotions, fervent feelings.
Truly the best feeling in the world is to be skin to skin, heart to heart, soul to soul with someone you love ardently and unconditionally.
After all, Aiden kisses my shoulder, falls on his back, gives us both some time to catch our breaths and eventually pulls me to him.
I make myself comfortable, resting my head on his chest.
"Don't you regret that it's me?" he suddenly asks, overcome by inner doubts.
I raise myself on my elbow and, surprised, even a little scared, look into his eyes, "No, never."
I want to tell him that I love him, but remembering my failed first experience of love confession and what followed, I change my mind, "Thank you for thinking of my comfort."
"Always," he replies shortly, kissing my hair when I find myself on his chest again.
Surprisingly, I don't feel shy about my nakedness at all. Perhaps it's a matter of great fatigue, and in many ways of the fact that the room is hardly lit by a bedside lamp.
"Aiden, is there anything better than sex?" I wonder, snuggling up to the guy drowsily.
"Yes, lovemaking," he replies with a smile, tracing the curves of my body with his hand. "I discovered it today thanks to you."
I hide my face, shy, melting with happiness.
"I love the way you blush. I'm going to miss it."
"You think it will change?"
"Yeah, definitely. In the future, I'll be the one blushing," the guy laughs, wrapping his arms around me, but then his face quickly darkens. "I'm sorry I ruined your innocence in every possible way."
"Please don't say that. You give me so much more," I try to assure, basking in the warmth of his lulling embrace.
Another sad, incredulous laugh escapes Aiden's lips, "What's the best thing I'm giving you?"
I don't need to think long for an answer, "Confidence. And me you?"
The guy is silent for a while, "Peace. You're so tiny compared to me, but I feel so safe with you. You're my safe haven. When we were in the car, running away, I felt with all my being that I was ready to hide even for the rest of my life if it was for your safety. I was made to always protect you, because you, in turn, rid me of my doubts, my demons."
"You also rid me of mine," I whisper with my eyes closed.
Aiden, seeing that it's getting harder for me to fight sleep, covers me more tightly with a blanket.
I hope he didn't say anything else, because my consciousness immediately stopped responding to reality.
***
In my sleep, I suddenly hear a gentle, "Vivian."
My eyes hardly want to open, there is a strong but pleasant soreness in my body.
I feel a light kiss first on my forehead, then on my cheek and finally on my lips.
Smiling, yet without opening my eyes, I stretch out my arms to hug Aiden.
"I have to leave on business. Leo is free, he will take you to the lecture and back," the guy whispers and presses a soft kiss on my temple.
I'm falling asleep right on his shoulder.
"Are you feeling well?" Aiden worries, seeing my condition.
I hurry to calm him down, muttering, "Yes, everything's fine. I just want to sleep."
"No wonder, it's not even 6 am yet," a smile can be heard in his voice.
I turn my face, nuzzling his neck, "Don't go away."
Aiden sighs heavily, "You have no idea how much I don't want to go, but I can't stay. I promise to be back as soon as possible."
Being deprived of his closeness, I lose the sleep-inducing warmth and finally open my eyes.
Only now the guy is gone.
The lecture at the university is at 11 am, so I still have enough time to curl up in bed.
Having almost fallen into oblivion in the cocoon of the blanket, I remember that I didn't set the alarm yesterday, and I reach for my phone to fix it.
Now I can go back to sleep.
***
A stranger is looking at me in the bathroom mirror - an embarrassed smile, sparkling eyes, a gentle blush from memories of last night, unusually bright lips (as I guess, from endless kisses).
The thing is happiness is marked on my face.
Only red marks on my arms and legs, turning into bruises, spoil the blissful picture.
My mood is a little spoiled, and I tear my gaze away from the reflection in the mirror, starting to get ready for an outing to the university.
I don't want to bother Leo once again, so I text him to tell that I will get there on my own, and we can go back home together.
"Just not home, but to the place I've been wanting to take you to for a long time," he answers finally.
On the one hand, I want to refuse in order to get home to Aiden as soon as possible, however, on the other hand, curiosity doesn't allow me to miss the opportunity to see and learn something new, so I just answer Agreed and go have breakfast.
Since I'm not a student, visiting the university doesn't take much time - just one Orpheus' class and I'm free.
Feeling uncomfortable in the company of strangers, I always try to sit in the back.
However, it often turns out that such places are taken by those who are completely uninterested in following the professor's narrative.
Sometimes it's really difficult to hear at least something, and there are gaps in my notes that I hope to fill in by asking Orpheus for materials.
I won't have to take the exam, yet I'm going to learn everything because my professional life on this side depends on it.
Today, while the professor is preparing to start the class, a pregnant woman passes by him and hands him a phone, which he apparently forgot somewhere.
Everything points to the fact that this is his wife.
Orpheus has told me so much about her that I have long wanted to get to know her personally - in his opinion, we have many common interests.
It's a pity that the lecture will start soon - I would definitely come over to introduce myself.
"Oh my God, just look at how fat she got," a student girl sitting not far from me sarcastically comments to her girl friend. "Yup, she gained fifteen kilos, no less!"
"I'm sure she won't be able to get her before-baby figure back."
"So, soon our professor will start looking for a replacement. Hopefully among us, young blood. Don't you want to sit closer next time?" they burst out with conspiratorial laughter.
It's disgusting!
I'm so outraged that I'm almost ready to speak out, but just at the moment when I take a deep breath, finally gathering my courage, Orpheus begins his lecture, so I have to calm myself down and switch to study.
When I leave the building after class, Leo is already waiting for me by his car.
"Hiya, rose bud. Why so pensive?" he immediately asks, opening the door for me.
"Why a rose bud?" I clarify softly in order to change the subject.
"Well, it suits you. And you work with flowers," the guy explains with a smile. "So what happened?"
I don't want to go into details and generally remember about the unpleasant incident, so I have to answer a little untruthfully, "I'm lost in guesses about where you're going to take me."
"Wait and see," Leo intrigues, winking cheerfully.
We drive, as it seems, through the whole city, which takes a lot of time, taking into account traffic jams.
"Planetarium?" I'm surprised when I see the inscription on a large beautiful building, in front of which our car stopped.
"I thought you'd like it," my friend replies, and I smile gratefully at him before getting out.
We buy tickets for the next session in the big star hall. The film about the solar system and its cinematography are breathtaking.
I've never been very interested in space, but now I want to learn more.
On the way out of the hall, I suddenly, to my great surprise, see Aiden.
"And here's our black hole!" Leo tells me goodnaturedly.
"I heard everything."
"That's why I said it."
I can't help but smile and roll my eyes at their boyish squabble.
"Hi," Aiden almost whispers in a softer tone, gently pulling me to him and touching my lips with his.
Luckily, no one pays attention to us because of the discussion of impressions and the nearby exposition of the solar system.
"I see the time you spent after you left me at the party yesterday hasn't passed in vain," Leo comments a little reproachfully.
I can't believe it hasn't even been a day yet!
So much has happened...
"I came to pick you up..." Aiden suddenly starts telling me, but his friend immediately cuts in.
"We have another step in our plan. You can join us," he offers with exaggerated condescension and turns away, leading the way.
"Well, yeah, of course," Aiden snorts categorically, crossing his arms over his chest.
I smile again from their childishness and grab his wrist, intending to lead him.
I have to turn back to him and try to grab him with both hands this time, because the guy still doesn't move from his place.
"I could easily swing you over my shoulder and carry you to the car, but it's even more fun this way," he teases, and, nevertheless, he still gives in, intertwining our fingers.
The last step in Leo's plan turns out to be the Infinity mirrored room.
Multicolored crystals resembling stars are floating in the air, but how they hold on is a big mystery.
Aiden comes up to me and hugs me from behind, gently kissing my temple.
"It's like being in the middle of the galaxy," I mutter.
"And yet you are the brightest among all the stars," he says, his warm breath brushing my ear.
I look at our reflection in the mirror and I can't believe it's us.
"You know, you could talk to Vivian more often about your feelings and make compliments. The girl doesn't know what kind of gem she really is!" shouts Leo from another corner.
Mirrors make the space wider, and it seems that the guy is farther away than he really is, and he doesn't hear anything.
"You mind your own business," Aiden answers him and takes his phone out of the pocket of his black jeans.
I'm not used to being photographed at all, so I turn away almost completely, burying the side of my face in his clothes.
"Well, that's a start," he says, chuckling.
While I'm looking at the details of the installation, I manage to catch him on a secret photo hunt for me several times.
"Since when are you into photography?" I ask, coming closer.
"Since I saw you," Aiden admits and supports what he said with a peck on my lips.
At the moment when I want to know the details, Leo interrupts us, "People are very indignant there that you two are stuck in the best selfie spot."
"Do I look like I care?" begins Aiden, annoyed with the interference.
"I think it's time to go home, we've already seen everything here anyway," I say, touching his chest with my palm soothingly.
To my surprise, it really works, and we all go to the exit.
"Thank you so much for bringing me here. I'm open to any recommendations on the topics of space and stars," I turn to Leo when it's time to say goodbye.
"Really? Then expect an avalanche of links," my friend promises, waving his hand before disappearing in his car.
I smile when I imagine Aiden grumbling during our viewing of the very first minutes of any documentary from the future list.