😈~💚~🌹
Love begins with
an image; lust
a sensation.
-Unknown
🌹~💚~😈
Being back inside Aidan's house welcomes all kinds of comforting feelings by offering up a sense of safety and familiarity, yet it also provides huge amounts of joy in the form of crazy shenanigans. The noisy clatter of plates being laid out, alongside the general chit-chat of voices spilling in from the kitchen creates a homely vibe and has me itching to get further inside.
"I can't wait for Aidan to see you." states Kyle, unknowing to our presence in the next room along. "He's gonna lose his shit when he realises."
Aidan, having heard this, quickly halts all movement and shoots me a curious glance before slowly building up the courage to take another step forward, curious to see who the mystery guest is.
"Me too, Son. This last trip was too long." replies a deep voice, mature beyond its years.
"Dad!" blurts Aidan, proving Kyle right in his assumptions by, indeed, losing his shit.
The man, or rather Aidan's Dad as we've now established, responds by revealing himself from behind the kitchen door, matching his Son's enthusiasm with a blinding smile. I immediately place him at roughly forty five and whilst casually sporting dark jeans and a black T-shirt like he was born to do so, I conclude Jane is one lucky lady to have bagged herself a man like him. Then again, Jane is also incredibly beautiful, not to mention very kind. Perhaps he's the lucky one?
"What are you doing back?" questions Aidan, the pitch in which he uses rising to an all time high.
It's incredible to see him in such a state of happiness and I have to admit, I love seeing him like this. Aidan is never shy of flashing us all a smirk or two but very rarely is it the real deal. I more often than not recognise the pain behind that gorgeous gaze of his and seeing that disappear at the sight of his Father is truly wonderful.
So wonderful, I wish I could experience something similar with my own Dad.
"Surprise, kid." replies his Dad, interrupting my revolutionary thoughts by drastically flinging his toned arms around his youngest Son. "God, I've missed you." he whispers, seriously pulling at my heart strings.
At six ft tall with the natural ability to light up an entire room, it's easy to pinpoint exactly who Kyle and Aidan take after; branding all three Richards men well and truly blessed in the looks department. Were I currently not checking Aidan and his adorable cheek dimples out, I'm sure I would've caught Jane sauntering over and casually wrapping me up in a friendly hug, stating how happy she is to have me over for dinner. Her floral perfume attacks my senses in the most glorious of ways possible and I struggle to set myself free as she clings on for dear life.
"You feeling better?" she whispers, simultaneously stroking both my arms in a caring caress.
"Much better." I smile, unable to stop my gaze from seeking out Aidan's in a frantic need to feel closer to him again. "He's a great friend." I add, more for my own benefit than anything else.
I understand it's fruitless to keep saying that, as if doing so enough will magically make it true but maybe if I can convince those around us that we're just friends, their suggestive stares will become less, well...suggestive.
"I'm sure he is but you've got competition. Those two are the best of friends and haven't seen each other in a few weeks." she explains, playfully wafting a tea towel in between Aidan and his Dad. "Don't ignore our dinner guest, Will!" she scolds, only half attempting to sound intimidating.
Will, AKA Aidan's Dad, quickly pulls away from a visibly grinning Aidan and latches his deep brown, slightly green gaze onto me, revealing a smile similar to that of his sons.
"And who do we have here?" he asks, certainly not holding back on the introductions. "A friend of Aidan's?"
The tone in which he uses to reveal the word 'friend' is somewhat clipped and slightly on the sarcastic side, much to my absolute mortification and Aidan, do doubt sensing this too, suddenly stiffens in his stance.
"That's Amelia, the one I was telling you about." smirks Kyle, annoyingly imputing his opinion from the kitchen doorway. "Aidan's non exclusive girlfriend."
Immediately reddening at the cheeks, Aidan shoots his older brother the mother of all death stares, while I awkwardly encounter Jane and Will shooting one another knowing glances.
Kill me now! Or better yet, kill Kyle!
"What have I told you about sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong?" scolds Hayley, appearing from out of nowhere, still wearing her office attire. "I'm glad you're back, Will. This one thinks he's man of the house when you're not around and we can't have his ego growing any bigger now, can we?" she smiles, moving forward to hug her future Father in law. "I see you've met Amelia. She's the sweetest and a great friend to Aidan." she says, perhaps putting too much emphasis on the that dreaded word.
Still, I appreciate her efforts nevertheless.
"Hey sweetheart. It's good to be back, believe me. And good to have you both here, even if this one is up to no good already. Now." He pauses, allowing his gaze to, once again, fall on me. "I don't believe we properly met. We got interrupted. I'm Will, Aidan's Dad. You're Amelia, correct?"
"Correct, Aidan's exclusive best friend, not girlfriend." I joke, pulling an immediate grin from his face.
"I must say, I was about to commend you if you were romantically involved with my Son. He's a nightmare when it comes to girls." he reveals, intriguing me with what I assume is about to be 'story time'. "When he was in kindergarten, Jane and I got a call from the principle one afternoon. Aidan had apparently stole some poor girls lunch and called her a nasty name."
At this, I quickly shoot Aidan a curious glance, enjoying the clear state of embarrassment he's undergoing at the hands of his Dad's story.
"When we approached him about it, he eventually admitted to doing it because he liked the girl and that Kyle had told him playing hard to get was the way to her heart."
Will finishes his elaborate tale and I instantly laugh out loud, desperately clawing at my own mouth in the attempts to halt all giggles from escaping, much to my failure. Bad boy Aidan Richards is a big softie at heart and if it was even possible to begin with, I think I fall for him that little bit more.
"It's funny you mention that, you know. Amelia called me a nasty name when we first met." states Aidan, drawing everyone's attention to him as he discusses our first night together.
"Ah, well that's because I'm secretly in love with you, bestie." I smirk, sending a sly wink his way. "I mean, those are the rules right? You stud."
I nudge his shoulder and bust out laughing when his response it to smile at my mocking him, amused by my ability to do so with his family present.
"That's right, laugh it up but it was his fault. He told me being a jerk would work." replies Aidan, pointing an accusing finger at Kyle, looking innocent leaning in the doorway.
"Hey it worked for me. How'd you think I got Haylz to go out with me?"
At this, he earns himself a harsh slap to the chest, unimpressed by his fiancé's ability to fight back.
"Watch it, Mr. You and I both know you were a jerk to everyone but me." she defends, well and truly putting him in his place. "You always were and still are a big teddy bear around me, and don't think I won't tell people that." she then warns, extending her manicured hand to his chest.
"And I'll happily admit it. You got me whipped, baby." he offers, flashing her an outrageously cheesy grin. "Do you know sixty percent of American's go on to marry their childhood sweethearts. And you, my sweet lady, are exactly that."
At his random fact, I automatically turn my head to view Aidan, pleased to discover his eyes already latched onto mine. We share a knowing smile but before our unspoken connection can go any further, Jane interrupts, ever the peace keeper.
"Alright you two, cool it. Dinner's ready so go take your places at the table." she sings, making her way back towards the kitchen, thankfully diffusing the situation. "Not you sweet pea, you can help your Mother bring the dishes through." she adds, raising her voice and ruffling Kyle's hair on her way past. "Aidan, go get your sister. She's playing in her room."
With the orders barked out, Kyle begrudgingly follows him Mom whilst Aidan begins his ascend up the stairs, leaving Hayley and I alone with Will.
"So, Amelia, I detect a slight accent. You're not from around here are you?" he questions, leading us both towards the dining room and holding the door open for us.
Such a gentleman.
I cautiously enter the dimly lit area and position myself on a seat next to Hayley and opposite Will, addressing him as I do so. "I'm not. I moved here from New York a month ago." I explain, watching as his eyes widen in joy.
"New York, huh? I was there last week with business. I love it there." he prides, taking the jug of water and pouring both myself and Hayley a glass. "Kyle took you there for your twenty first, didn't he Hayley?" he asks, finishing up by topping up his own glass.
"Yeah, that's where he proposed." she replies, shooting me a loving smile. "Right outside the Cheesecake Factory. Romantic, huh?" she winks, pulling a small chuckle from myself and Will.
"Very." I agree, taking a sip of water, rather enjoying my time spent with two people considered Aidan's loved ones.
It's a nice environment and I'd even go as far as to say enjoyable but the sudden realisation that it won't be like this for long strikes me hard in the gut, making my stomach churn.
"You ever heard of Benny's Pizza Parlour?" he asks, bringing me from my horrid thoughts by mentioning the one thing I happen to miss about that place.
Well, besides my Mom of course.
"Yes!" I yell, perhaps over compensating for the fact that I'd love a distraction in the form of discussing a restaurant that sells $2 pizza slices. "I love it there, I used to go all the time." I pride, no longer worried about looking or sounding like an idiot.
"I don't blame you, it's a great place." he delights, having no choice but to agree with me on this one.
The place is run by fifty year old Benny and his wife, Donna; the two bring about as Italian and a French baguette. Benny had inherited the money from his late grandmother and decided to open the restaurant not long after she passed, honouring her "all time favourite meal!" It was a thoughtful gesture in his own warped version of thinking and I loved the dingy place all the more for it. The entire interior screamed tacky but by god could they magic up good pizza.
My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
"So what brings you to California?" asks Will, casual enough in his enquiry, which happens to make things extremely awkward for me.
It's a perfectly acceptable question and I'm kicking myself for having not been more prepared to answer it.
"Umm..."
Thankfully, Aidan enters, followed by a bouncing April, gifting me a moment to gather my thoughts. I'd rather not bring up the whole 'dead Mom' thing over dinner but also don't want to come across as a lier. What other choice do I have?
"Hi Amelia." greets April, wearing what looks to be a fairy outfit.
"Hey!" I reply, zooming in on her glittery wings. "Loving the dress." I remark, earning myself a toothless grin.
"Catch kiddo!" yells Will, throwing an air kiss to his only daughter.
April happily catches it and puts her hand to her cheek, lovingly smiling at her Dad afterwards in a 'butter wouldn't melt' kind of way. This is the way kids should be with their Dad, so why am I so different?
"What are we talking about?" asks Aidan, taking up residence next to his Dad and making a grab for his water.
"Well' Amelia and I just bonded over Benny's Pizza and I was asking what brings her to California."
At Will's explanation, Aidan immediately stops gulping water to latch his concerned eyes into mine, shooting me a reassuring smile.
"Amelia is Jack's daughter, Dad." he reveals, thankfully stepping in for me where I'm unable to. "You know, Hannah's husband. Mom's friend."
"Ohh, right." Expresses Will, eventually cottoning on. "Oh," he then adds, as if suddenly remembering exactly who I am and what I'm doing here.
Yep, he knows alright.
Luckily, he chooses not to stay on topic and instead, moves onto more pressing matters, like my Father.
"So, Stark huh? Tell me, how's your old man finding life in advertising?"
Once again, I possess the ability to completely choke under pressure, not having the slightest clue how to respond. In all honestly, I have no idea what Jack does for a living but revealing that seems about as appealing as individually plucking all my eyebrows out and so, having no other option, I lie.
"Yeah, loves it." I nod, certainly not missing Aidan's skeptical look at my doing so.
I feel truly terrible for not knowing such a simple thing about my own flesh a blood and what's worse, it's entirely my fault.
"Right, you lot! Time to feed the lions!" announces Jane, bursting in the room with a basket of bread in one hand and salad in the other.
Kyle follows behind with a giant bowl of what looks to be seafood pasta and my appetite comes hurdling back with a sudden vengeance. It smells absolutely divine and the idea of digging into it literally has me salvaging from the mouth.
"Dig in!" she announces, once all plates a resting on the table top.
It's upon ogling the food that I notice Aidan still has his gaze glued to me and once our eyes meet from across the way, he mouths a quick, 'you okay?' whilst gently kicking my leg under the table.
'Fine.' I mouth back, throwing in a quick smile as to appear just that.
Fine.
When the truth is, I'm anything but.
My own Father is a stranger to me and it's all my doing. Sure, it takes two to tango but there's only so many times one can compromise before throwing the towel in completely. It had been Anna and I who insisted no more trips to California and I'm only now just realising how hard that must have been for Jack; having to deal with the fact that both of his daughters were uninterested in him. Still, what's that old saying again? 'Grab the bull by its horns' and that's exactly what I plan to do.
Starting now, I'll do everything in my power to set things straight. We may never establish a 'normal' relationship but if we have half the love and respect Aidan's family display, it sure as hell beats what we have now.
I need to at least try.
~~~~
"What's wrong?"
Aidan's question hits me as we pull into my driveway; our journey up until now having been completely silent.
"Nothing." I defend, perhaps a little too eagerly. "Your family are amazing. Your Dad is funny-"
"Cut the crap, darling. Tell me what's wrong."
His no nonsense tone shocks me into shutting up and on a sigh I'm reluctant to let go, I attempt to unbuckle my seatbelt.
"Amelia." His hand comes out to stop mine, warming me instantly from the inside out.
"Aidan don't." I plead, feeling the familiar rise of unwanted emotions.
I feel terrible enough as it is without having to speak about it. I'd rather just get home and begin executing my get-to-know-Jack-better plan.
"No, you don't." he fires back, reaching for my chin and pulling my head close. "You can't hide what you're feeling forever, Amelia. It's not healthy and-"
"And by that you mean my inability to grieve for my Mom?" I snap, no longer able to contain my rising anger. "Jesus, what is so wrong about wanting to suppress what I'm feeling? Excuse me for wanting to protect myself."
"But you're not protecting yourself! You're shutting yourself off from everyone and it's not good for you. You told Jess and Chloe about your Mom today and that was great but now you're back to being closed off.-"
"I'm leaving." I cut him off, once again reaching for my seatbelt to unbuckle myself.
Warm, soft, slightly trembling hands stop me and hold me in place while his I'm-taking-no-shit-from-you-now eyes bore into mine.
"Stop running away from bad situations." he instructs, in no way accepting my departure for what it is.
A desperate plea to get away.
"I'm not running away. You're pissing me off, so I'm leaving." I state, noticing for the first time how close his face is to mine.
Only a mere inch away, I'm close enough to feel his ragged breath on my cheek and I hate how attracted I am to such a simple sensation.
"Don't kid yourself. You're not pissed off at me, you're pissed off at yourself because you know I'm right." he retaliates, still firmly gripping my wrist. "You won't admit how you feel because you'd prefer to run away-"
"No, I won't admit how I feel because I'm fucking scared!" I spit, the handle I once had on my emotions well and truly gone. "I'm scared because I'm only just realising I'm a terrible person. I left my Dad, just left him and now my Mom is dead because of- never mind. The only thing that really matters is that you lose everyone you love one way or another and I'm trying to do the right thing. I'm trying not to like you, Aidan because it's the decent thing to do but it's too late. It's too fucking late because I'm falling for you and I hate the thought of losing you!" I yell, mortified for having said so but too far invested to backtrack. "I just need to be alone, so for the love of God, stop making things difficult for me and just be my god damn frien-"
I'm unable to complete my sentence for the sudden feel of Aidan's warm lips on mine halts all potential emotions I was about to express. Instead, I allow his mouth to mould onto mine in a desperate fight against time, as if doing so will ease the tense atmosphere somehow. Needless to say, it doesn't and instead, we both take our anger out on each other, using our passionate kiss to do so. I purposely bite down on his lower lip a little harder than what's considered normal and the sharp tug of my hair is certainly no accident on his behalf. Still, it feels wonderful to have him this way and although my rational mind is screaming at me for being a huge hypocrite, the other half, the much more reckless half, is doing a happy dance inside.
Before I know it, I find myself drastically freeing my body from the confines of the seatbelt to straddle his waist, positioning my hands on either shoulder as I continue to kiss him. I know this is absolutely not what friends do and take the sudden growth from beneath me to mean we're taking things a step too far but I couldn't care less. I need to feel good and Aidan has the ability to make me feel phenomenal.
"Friends." I mumble, doing so against the fast beating pulse on his neck.
"Just friends." he pants, grabbing onto my hips and deliciously dragging me along him.
Our simultaneous moans counteract each other and I'm suddenly thankful for the lack of street lighting in my neighbourhood. Lord knows, my nosey neighbour would have a field day watching this and I can only imagine she'd be only too happy to alert Jack of my on goings.
"Aidan."
My statement is meant as a means to protest but comes out rather desperate and suggestive, only further encouraging him and his current assault on my body. He immediately unbuckles his seatbelt and moves us further up the seat, attempting to remove my shirt in the process. Unfortunately it gets caught on the steering wheel and just as I ache my back to help him out, the horn sounds as my hip bone presses into the button, starling us both into stopping.
"Oh shit." breathes Aidan, no doubt letting the reality of the situation sink in. "Shit."
"Oh shit, indeed." I sigh, pulling my shirt back down and resting my forehead against his. "I have a proposition to make." I then tell him, feeling the flutter of his eyelashes against my cheek as he looks up at me.
"I'm listening." he replies, trying but failing to steady his breathing.
His hands come to rest and my hips once again, only this time it's done so out of affection and not lust. He then further pulls on my top, keen to hide any evidence of exposed skin and removes a strand of hair from my eyes afterwards.
"How about every day we go without kissing, we both put a quarter in a pot." I suggest, immediately sensing his confused frown.
I pull away from him to further gauge his reaction, smoothing out the creases in his forehead with my fingers as I go along.
"When one of us feels the time is right, we take the money we have saved and take the other on a date."
He eventually smiles at my suggestion, finally cottoning on to my explanation.
"Not a dollar more, not a dollar less. We use exactly what we save to go out and then, the person who still has their pot uses their savings for the second date, should they feel the time is right."
"And what happens if that person decides the time is right?" he asks, slightly smirking at me.
"Then we date." I simply reply, being brutally honest.
It's no secret that we both want that eventually, so why not say it out loud?
"And what happens if we kiss before then?"
"Then whatever's in the pot, we double it." I answer, realising after how I'll likely be bankrupt before we even go on our first date. "Right now, the time just isn't right-"
"I know." he interrupts, once again positioning his forehead against mine. "It's just too damn hard but you're right, we need to try harder. I promise to be on my best behaviour from now on." he adds, inflicting a subtle squeeze to my hip.
I smile at his willingness to try and land a friendly kiss to the side of his cheek, careful as to appear platonic.
"Just friends?" I ask, pulling away to look into his dreamy gaze.
"For now." he smirks, mirroring my actions and kissing me right back, planting it on my left cheek.
I smile at his affection and proceed to climb my way off of him and onto the safety of the sidewalk, leaving him sitting there, engine still running and headlights still beaming, no doubt trying to wrap his head around what in gods name just happened. I know my mind is certainly grasping at the puzzle pieces and frantically trying to place them together, hoping that by doing so it helps in some way.
Needless to say it doesn't.
I'm still confused to hell but at least I'm now rest assured that we're both on the same wavelength with regards to our future together. It's obvious we have feelings for one another but the timing isn't right for us. Embarking on a relationship now, whilst simultaneously undergoing personal issues is a recipe for disaster and if that means holding off for a while in order to be together eventually, so be it.
The only question is; can we both hold out for that long, because believe me, it's getting hard!
"Friends," I happily confirm, flashing him my best smile and leaving him by walking away. "for now."
~~~~
Andddddd, meet Aidan's Dad...
Things are heating up in that car of Aidan's and it won't be long before the explosion takes place...
Be sure to stick around for that one ;)