Chapter 15
“Why are we stopping here again?” I asked Aaron.
We had just landed at the airport in the city. He kept telling me he needed to make a detour to drop something off for his brother, but that was all he was willing to share.
I was wondering if it was my turn to meet his parents, but he kept that piece of information to himself.
“Alright, we’ll just wait here,” Aaron said, as we took a table in one of the stands inside the airport.
“You mean we’re not going to leave? Didn’t you need to see your brother?” I asked him.
He nodded, but ignored my other question.
After that, he remained quiet. I wanted to disturb the silence, ask him so many questions. The solemn expression on his face was what stopped me.
I sighed and allowed myself to think back to this weekend.
I hadn’t seen Jeremy after visiting Matt. I said I wouldn’t see him, but it still didn’t feel right. I just knew that with Aaron by my side, I couldn’t exactly have a peaceful conversation with Jeremy. Aaron was jealous of Jeremy for some reason.
My parents hadn’t complained when I boarded the plane. My mom was so happy with Aaron, I almost felt like she wanted to push me away and join him instead. The idea made me laugh, and it made Aaron snap out of his daze.
“What’s funny?” He asked, a smile taking over his lips.
“I think my parents like you,” I told him, without emphasizing that it was my mom who went dreamy with Aaron’s presence.
“Your parents are cool and your mom’s really nice,” Aaron told me, grinning widely.
So he’d noticed the extra attention from my mom. I had to laugh at that.
“How are your parents?” I asked him.
“They’re okay I guess. Like any other parents,” Aaron replied, shrugging casually.
Before I got to question him anymore, he got up from the table.
“Jordan’s here,” Aaron said, before walking away.
“Oh-kay,” I said more to myself because Aaron had already taken off.
I saw Aaron approach a guy, maybe an inch or two shorter than him. I stared in their direction while they talked. I hadn’t noticed I was frowning until I felt the strain in my forehead.
Aaron and his brother Jordan were nothing alike, at least not in features. Their bodies were probably the only similarity between them. Both were lean and toned.
I was too far from them to see the color of Jordan’s eyes but his hair was a sandy brown color in contrast to Aaron’s dark hair. His skin had a light tan, while Aaron was more on the pale side.
If Aaron hadn’t told me they were brothers, I would’ve never guessed it.
“It’ll be a while for our flight. We should probably eat here,” Aaron said when he came back.
I was curious to ask him so many questions, but something in his expression stopped me.
I figured I could at least ask about his brother. Surely Aaron must’ve known that if his brother came, I would have questions. It bothered me that Aaron didn’t even try to introduce us.
“So he’s Jordan?” I asked, pointing in the direction where Aaron’s brother had left to.
“Yeah,” Aaron replied.
“What did he need?”
“Wait up,” Aaron said, getting up from the chair he was sitting in.
“What are you going to want? We’ll eat now,” he told me.
The way he abruptly stopped me from asking anything felt like he was trying to find a way to dismiss my questions.
While we ate, Aaron remained on the quiet side. For him, that was not normal. He loved to make conversation or to show things.
I was starting to get worried.
“Are you expecting me to behave like the past four hours didn’t happen?” I asked Aaron right after we boarded the plane.
“What are you talking about?”
“Are you serious?”
“I am. What’s up?” He asked, acting like if I had just imagined him behaving weirdly while we made that stop back in the city.
“Never mind,” I told him, and got comfortable on the seat.
If he wanted to pretend like nothing had happened, then I would to. It didn’t mean that I had missed his behavior, especially when his brother showed up.
“You guys made it!” Jess quickly jumped at me, making me stumble back a few steps.
Aaron wrapped his arm around my waist to steady me, but I shrugged him off as soon as I was able to stand straight.
“We said we would,” I told Jess.
My tone wasn’t exactly cheery and it took Jess next to no time to notice it.
“Alright, what did you do?” Jess asked Aaron, cocking her hip and placing her hand on her waist.
“Me? What do you mean what did I do?” Aaron asked.
“What’s going on here?” Ronnie asked when he approached our little group.
Jess was glaring at Aaron, while Aaron wore a confused expression.
I kept giving Jess pointed looks, wanting her to get off Aaron’s case. I had actually been hoping to question her about Aaron’s family.
“I’m going to go check us in,” Aaron told me, pressing his lips against my forehead for a moment.
Jess and Ronnie were used to that behavior between us, so they found nothing strange about it. It wasn’t until Aaron lowered his face to brush his lips against mine that Jess gasped.
“Are you two…?” She asked, after we had broken apart.
Aaron was grinning widely before he turned to walk to the front desk.
Jess began dragging me towards the elevators. I was carrying a fairly heavy duffel bag, but Jess didn’t seem to care. She made me walk faster in order to keep up with her.
“When did this happen? I thought you were mad at him and then he kissed you!” Jess practically yelled.
We got the attention of people getting off and on the elevators.
“He asked me to be his girlfriend when we were at my parents’ house. Did you know he was going to catch up with me on Saturday?” I asked her.
“Oh,” she mumbled, looking around and trying to distract the attention from herself.
“You knew?” I asked her, putting the duffel bag to the side and crossing my arms on my chest.
The elevator dinged just then. It stopped our conversation while we boarded.
“We’re going up to my room while Aaron signs in and stuff,” Jess told me, still keeping her gaze away.
“Why didn’t you call me to warn me that he was leaving a day early?” I asked her.
Aaron and Ronnie were supposed to hang out on Saturday, so I was sure Jess knew about Aaron’s early trip.
“He wanted to surprise you. Please don’t tell me you two had an episode of cheaters? Ronnie told me that he talked to Aaron yesterday in the morning and that Aaron sounded upset. I don’t think I’ve seen Aaron upset,” Jess said, now sounding worried.
It was my turn to look away.
“What happened between you two anyway? I mean, yeah he just kissed you downstairs but there’s some tension around. I can feel it,” Jess said, raising her eyebrow in a questioning manner.
I looked around at the other five people with us on the elevator and gave her an ‘I’ll tell you later’ look.
“So what happened?” She asked me after we arrived in her room.
The beach was visible just outside the balcony. It wasn’t that close, but I could still see it a few blocks away. I hadn’t been happy about the high floor Aaron reserved for us until I got to see the view Jess and Ronnie had in their room.
“It’s a long story. But, this is about something else,” I told her, taking a seat on the bed.
I dumped my duffel bag on the floor and propped my legs up, wrapping my arms around my knees.
“Do you know Aaron’s family?” I asked her.
She shrugged. At first, the question didn’t seem like a big deal to her. The longer she took to reply, the deeper her frown became.
“I don’t. I’ve met his brother, does that count?” She asked, plopping down next to me.
“I met his brother too. They look nothing alike,” I told her, recalling the strange meeting between Aaron and his brother.
“Yeah, they don’t. Is something wrong with his family? You’re starting to worry me.”
That was the problem. I didn’t know if everything that had happened back home was making me paranoid.
“I don’t know. Do you think you can ask Ronnie, just on the down low and see what he tells you?”
“Ask him what exactly?”
“Just ask him if he’s ever met Aaron’s family and how they are. Don’t make it obvious,” I said, giving her my best stern look.
“So you and Aaron, huh?” Ronnie asked, nodding his head slowly in a knowing manner.
I had to chuckle at the suggestive look he was giving me.
“We’re together.”
“I was expecting that would happen. I just thought it would take longer,” he told me.
“I thought they would’ve been together since they first met,” Jess added, winking at me.
I didn’t understand her wink, but I never really understood many of the things Jess did.
“I thought she would never go for me,” Aaron added, smiling at me teasingly.
I didn’t know what to say, so I just laughed at the group.
“You’re right, she is out of your league,” Jess told Aaron.
When Aaron flicked her forehead, Jess stuck her tongue out at him.
“So do you guys want to go down to the beach? Or maybe we could go clubbing,” Jess excitedly proposed.
We’d been lounging around by the pool. It was already late at night. Although the hotel was buzzing with excitement and people leaving to explore the city, I was ready to head up to bed.
“What do you think?” Aaron asked, brushing his hand over my cheek.
“I’m tired,” I said.
While Ronnie chuckled, Jess frowned at me.
“Annie, are you purposely trying to be a party pooper?” Jess asked, throwing the little umbrella from her drink in my direction.
“You guys can go,” I said, looking between Ronnie, Aaron, and Jess.
“I’m tired too,” Aaron stated.
I got up from my chair right after Aaron stood up.
“You two can go out though,” Aaron shrugged.
“She’s been dragging me all over the place since we got here yesterday,” Ronnie added in a groan.
“It seems like we’re going for round two. I guess Aaron and Annie want some alone time now that they made it official,” Jess said, with a teasing grin on her face.
“We do so we’ll get going now,” Aaron said, before grabbing my hand and dragging me away.
Jess was yelling out things after us, and I couldn’t help but laugh at how silly she looked.
“Thanks for leaving me with her!” Ronnie sarcastically remarked.
Just before we got to the glass doors to enter the hotel, Aaron turned around.
“She’s your crazy girlfriend!” Aaron yelled back at Ronnie before opening the door to the hotel.
“What do you want to do?” Aaron asked once we got to our room.
“Talk?”
“You want to talk?” Aaron looked surprised.
He took a seat on the bed and patted the spot next to him.
“What’s up with the strange stop to see your brother?”
Aaron shook his head and lied down on bed. I remained sitting down, but I rested my arm over his stomach, running my fingers over his shirt covered chest.
“Trust me when I say this, you don’t want to meet my family. I guess, not until you have to,” Aaron replied with a sigh.
“Why? What’s so bad about them?”
“It’s not so much that they’re bad. They’re just nothing like your family,” he replied.
“What about your brother?”
“He’s cool, but today wasn’t a good day,” Aaron said.
“Does he know you have a girlfriend?” I asked.
Instead of answering my question, Aaron grinned at me.
He wrapped his arms around me and brought me down over him.
Our chests were pressed tightly together, and his face was only an inch or two away from mine.
“I’m really happy you’re my girlfriend.” Aaron brushed his lips against mine after saying that.
I wanted to continue our conversation, but his kiss made me forget what we’d been talking about. I could only focus on Aaron, and how soft his lips felt moving against mine.
His hands were on my lower back, grazing the skin where my shirt had risen up.
We were both breathless when I pulled away. A smile was on his lips and I could see his eyes were lit up. I loved how carefree he looked.
“He knows you’re my girlfriend,” Aaron said.
“Huh?”
“My brother, he knows that you’re my girlfriend. I’ve been seeing less of him lately, but we still talk on the phone or online. I told him about you right after I met you,” Aaron replied, chuckling lightly.
I blushed at that, but it wasn’t so much a surprise. Aaron had made his feelings towards me clear from the beginning.
Something about that, it made my insides feel warm and my stomach do somersaults.
“I sound like a creeper saying that, huh?” Aaron asked.
I laughed at his words and playfully slapped his chest.
“A complete creeper. In fact, I might be a little scared right now,” I told him.
“You’re scared but cuddling with the creeper? This is modern society nowadays,” Aaron said, his hand tightening around my waist to bring me closer to him.
“I love you Annabel,” he said.
The playfulness in his voice was gone, replaced by something more intense. I didn’t get a chance to say anything because his lips pressed against mine right after he spoke.
I smiled against his lips, letting myself enjoy the amazing sensations running through my body where Aaron’s hands touched.
“I love you too,” I told him when he pulled away.
Aaron looked at me with wide eyes. Even though he’d already told me he loved me, it was the first time I had said it to him.
“You don’t have to say it back. Honestly, I’m just happy that you said yes to me,” Aaron told me.
I looked into his hazel eyes and couldn’t hold back the smile that took over my lips.
“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it,” I told him.
He smiled at me and brought me into his arms. I nuzzled my head against his neck, trailing light feathery kisses over his skin.
“I love you Aaron,” I whispered, and I felt his arms tighten around me.
“I love you more Annabel,” he whispered back.
Comment and vote if you'd like. I know it was a while, sorry 'bout that. Hard times I guess. I won't be such a sucky updater from now on though.