I haven't said a word about our almost kiss. But then again, neither has Aaron. We went from hot and heavy, to cold, and now to...heating up again? One can only hope.
I know I'm not the only one feeling this way because since Aaron and I made our movie nights an every-other-day occurrence, I've noticed his awkwardness show up in the form of unsure glances and stumbling words. I have to hide my smiles every time I'm forced to ask him to speak up when I can't hear him or when his green eyes widen as I casually shuffle closer to him on the couch.
The most physical contact we've made is when our hands brush each other's as we reach into the popcorn bowl at the same time, but I hold the door open and something about him is different. His back is straighter, he's not avoiding my eyes, and he walks in like he owns the place, even if he is on crutches. My head is tilted to the side as my eyes take him all in.
I wouldn't trade the usual Aaron for anything, but I'm curious to see what's got him changing his tune. "Welcome back."
"Thanks. How was your day?" He asks.
"Hmm. Boring. But I'm much more curious about yours." He takes a seat on the back of the couch, facing me and I move to stand in front of him, a few feet away so as to not startle him out of whatever is going on. I'm letting him make the next move and he has yet to figure it out.
"The usual. Notice anything different?" He asks and I narrow my eyes.
"Give me a hint."
"No," He smiles. I look him over again, from his feet all the way to his ears but I don't notice anything new until I scan back over his lower half. My eyes widen and I can't help but move closer simply to be in his space.
"You got your boot off!"
"Normal cast now. Much smaller and much easier to get around, though I won't be able to wear jeans until it's off."
"That's great. How does it feel?"
"Surprisingly well. The doctor said it's healing nicely."
"That's great."
"You said that already," He quirks an eyebrow up and I purse my lips.
"You eat yet?" I ask as I turn my back on him, moving to walk back to the kitchen but a hand on my wrist has me spinning back around, stumbling closer to Aaron than I was before, standing almost between his legs.
"Not hungry. I was thinking maybe we go out to eat instead of having you cook."
"I don't mind cooking—"
"I'm asking you out, Maddie."
"Well, you're not doing a very good job of it if I don't know," I grumble and he smiles, reaching for my other hand and sliding his grip down on the one he already had in his so that he's just barely holding on. Green eyes meet mine and I hide my smile.
"Let's go out to eat and call it a date. We can do anything else you want too," He offers, his wide, hopeful eyes trained on mine. His naivety gives him confidence. His heart hasn't ever been broken and he's willingly giving it to me.
"I'm no good at this..." I warn.
"You've never done this with me, how could you possibly know?" He asks and I nod. My hands drop his and I slide my arms around his neck loosely, pulling myself into his neck and placing my lips by his ear.
"Do I get all the benefits?"
He inhales sharply, "With time," he says, holding his ground as I pull back and let my lips move so close to his without quite touching.
"Promise?" I look into his eyes and he blinks once before touching his nose to mine.
"If I can promise you one thing Maddie, it's that I want everything with you." My eyes soften at his admission. "So you want this too?" He asks and I take a few seconds to think but no more than that. I nod.
"Now where to?"
"You know me so well," I deadpan, looking over at Aaron who squeezes my hand in reassurance. He's taken—well, directed seeing as I drove—me to the city where he directed me to park and slowly led me to a nearby building.
The art gallery is empty save for the attendant, and my eyes light up at the sight of the interior. The only galleries I've ever been to were for events for my mother where I was expected to be, not places I imagined someone taking me because they knew I would enjoy it.
"Welcome. You must be Aaron," The attendant introduces herself to us but doesn't waste her time showing us around, she simply leads the way to an elevator and presses the button. My eyebrows furrow and I look over at Aaron who tries to hide his smile, reaching for my hand again while we wait. I grit my teeth in frustration when Aaron has to let go of my hand once again to use his crutches.
"This is why I like staying home," I say, reaching for his hand once he's comfortably leaning against the wall and balanced on one leg.
"Really? Because we do so much hand-holding at home."
"We could. Starting tonight."
"Didn't take you for the type."
"Didn't think you'd keep making assumptions after that first night but...here we are," My words perfectly time up with the halting of the elevator and the opening of the doors.
My lips part in awe as I see the third floor of the building. It reminds me of the Louvre, with the glass vaulted ceilings and ornate framed paintings. The floor covered in fake candles and flower petals must have been all Aaron though.
"The Make-A-Wish foundation really pulled through..." I say, turning around to smile up at Aaron. It turns into a grin when I see his eyes already on me, taking in my expression and reaction to his gesture. "Feeling confident about my answer, hmm?"
He nods. "You don't say how you feel but I just know..."
"Oh yeah?" I ask. "How exactly do I feel then?"
"Now? Happy. Nobody's ever done this for you before, or anything like it. You like that I put some thought into it. That it's something we both like. You would've hated if I'd bought you something." My lips quirk to the side. "You've allowed me into your life and your apartment almost every day since I got out of the hospital. One may think you pity me but I think you missed me. I think you don't know what you want but you want me."
I nod. "What else?"
"You show me how you feel every time you invite me into your space, cook for me, drive me somewhere that's too far to walk...I said it before but I'll say it again. I'm falling in love with you, Maddie." My eyes are wet and I grit my teeth when my nose starts to burn.
I open my mouth but no words come out. It doesn't deter him in the slightest and he comes closer, brushing some hair out of my face that had fallen when I put my head down. "I know," He says softly.
"I've never done this before," I mumble.
"Neither have I."
"We're fucked."
"Don't write us off just yet. I just got my shot." I laugh.
"So eager to start and you haven't even seen the benefits yet."
"I mean..." I reach up to his cheeks and squeeze them together.
"Cute," I tell him, pushing his face away gently and turning my back to him. The sound of his crutches approaches but he stays behind me as we circle the gallery bit by bit. We discuss the paintings and the theme of the gallery which seems to be romance.
"Did you ever finish that book?" He asks with a cheeky grin stretching at his cheeks.
"I finished it the next day. Nothing works as better motivation than smut."
"Smut?"
I stop and let him come close, turning to speak over my shoulder. "Sex," I whisper, winking at him with the hopes of flustering him a bit. Unfortunately, it doesn't work and I don't get to see that cute pink blush cover his fair cheeks. Hearing his laugh more than makes up for it though.
"Let me read it next. It sounded interesting. And from what I've read..." I push his shoulder, less out of embarrassment and more as an excuse to put my hand on him.
"Feel free to steal it," I tell him to end the topic at hand. We're both quiet after that, though Aaron sometimes hums contently and every time, I smile then school my expression into a neutral one before he can see it. Can't let him know that I'm whipped already, though I'm sure he has an idea.
"Let's get out of here. I'm starving," I say as we near the back wall of the gallery. Aaron nods, grabbing my hand but he doesn't make a move to leave. I stand still, breathing evenly and unknowingly matching his movements. "Grab takeout on our way back? Drive-thru?" I offer and he narrows his eyes at a painting before turning to face me.
"Let's go," He leads the way back to the elevator and we're quiet as we wait to descend.
"You didn't answer my question."
"I will," He says, and my curiosity spikes. A side glance at his profile shows me his determined expression and I have a feeling if he weren't on crutches, he'd be quickly marching out of here with me in tow.
We get to my bike and I lean against the side, careful not to put too much weight on it. The kickstand is meant for a lot of weight but I'm not risking a scratch. "Where are we going?"
"That depends on how you feel about room service?"
"You can't order room service to my a—" I stop myself when I realize what he wants. "We just started going out and you already want to take my innocence," I give him my best faux-innocent look but he returns it with a knowing one. This side of Aaron is one I haven't seen in a while. He may be naive, but he knows what he wants.
"No. I want to order room service and watch a movie and if things get intimate, I'd like it to be in a place I'm not thinking about what you may have done with someone else..." He trails off when he sees my face and tries to backtrack.
"Aaron. Are you serious?"
"I mean—" My abrupt laugh startles him. Back to floundering and apologizing, I ignore him completely.
"I wish you'd asked. Is this something you're anxious about?" He shrugs. "So yes," I answer for him and he nods.
"I just..."
"I understand. But you have nothing to worry about. I'm not nearly as...promiscuous as people say, and you're the first person to step foot in my apartment other than service people. Now Xander, Charlotte, Reed..."
"You've never brought anyone back," He says and I shake my head, standing up straight and sliding my arms around him, looking up against his chest.
"A hotel could still be fun though. But nobody has ever fucked on my bed. Can't say the same for those—"
"Alright, alright." He covers my mouth with his hand. "I get it. Thank you for the visual," He sighs.
"Up to you."
"I quite had my heart set on ordering hotel room service. I don't think I've ever done that. But I'm a little put off—" I hold a hand up and type something on my phone.
"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of the hotel part." I smile mischievously up at him. He may not have big plans for the night but I believe a proper seduction is in order and hotel rooms are full of possibilities.