Chapter 20
AARON
“You good?” Oliver asks when I open my front door.
No, absolutely not. I’ve already changed my mind about going fifteen times this morning.
And it’s only seven. Except, I can’t do that to him.
Not when he’s told his family that I’m coming.
Not when he’s so excited about our road trip together.
I don’t want to go, but, more than that, I don’t want to let Oliver down.
“All set.”
“Need help with your bags?”
“Nope.” I sling my duffel bag over my shoulder and grab the tote bag stuffed with drinks and snacks for the drive.
“Is that it?” Oliver looks inside my condo as though he might be missing a steamer trunk.
“It’s only a few days.” How much stuff could I possibly need? “Was there something special you were hoping I’d bring?”
“I guess not.” He seems surprised rather than disappointed, so I let it go and follow him out to his car. When he opens the trunk, I gasp. There are three bags—not small, either. What could he possibly have packed in there?
“How long are you staying again?” Maybe I missed something in our discussion.
I know he’s cutting his trip short so that he can get me back in time for my next shift.
Usually, he’d have gone home for at least a week, enjoying time with his siblings and parents—one significant advantage of working virtually.
There’s not much I can do for my job without being there in person.
Until the robots manage to evolve to do my job, my only option is to be on-site.
“Three days, same as you.”
“And you said that your family doesn’t do presents, right?”
“Only for the kids and my parents have those covered.” He pushes his suitcase aside to make room for my bag.
“I’m high maintenance.” His face turns a bright shade of purple.
That’s not exactly how I would’ve described him yesterday, but now I’m not so sure.
I’m more than a little curious as to what he might have stuffed into those bags.
“Let’s say I did have more stuff, where exactly would we put it?” He closes the trunk before I can gesture toward the complete lack of space.
“The backseat is empty. Mostly.”
I run through my mental checklist for what I packed. Nope, can’t think of anything I might be missing. Oh well, if it comes down to it, I’m sure we can run out to a store if I’m desperate for something.
“Need anything else before we hit the road?” Oliver turns on the car but doesn’t put it in drive.
Instead, he leans over and puts a hand on my knee, stilling it from bouncing up and down.
I’ve been doing my best not to let my nerves show.
I even got up early and went for a run, hoping it would burn off some of my energy. Apparently, it didn’t work.
“Nope, I think you packed enough for five road trips,” I tease. The blush returns to his face, and I can’t help but grin. I love the way he responds to me. So often he’s unflappable, it’s nice to know that I get to him. Even if I’m not quite sure what that means yet.
I get myself situated in the passenger seat, arranging two water bottles in the cup holders and storing the snacks between my feet.
As soon as we’re on the highway, Oliver hands his phone over to me and tells me to pick something for us to listen to.
It’s a big job, one he’s trusting me with.
It’s a long enough drive that something like a podcast seems like a good choice, a way to help kill time.
I scroll through the ones he subscribes to and grin.
They’re so very Oliver, a strange mix of true crime and cozy baking that shouldn’t go together.
“How about Flour they keep talking over me. “Guys,” I say louder, practically yelling. That does it. Their mouths snap shut as they step back, eyeing me suspiciously. “This is my friend, Aaron.”
Five sets of eyes turn to look at him as I register my mistake. I’m not sure which is worse, being completely ignored or overwhelmed, but he’s about to find out.
“It’s so nice to have you here,” my mother says, extending her hand to him. Fuck, they’re being gentle. I’ve never known her to do anything besides throw her arms around someone. I guess my warning speech actually took for once.
“Thanks so much for letting me spend Christmas with you. I hope it won’t be too much of an imposition.” My brother Daniel snorts at the comment, but Aaron doesn’t seem to notice.
“Nonsense. We love having you here. Any… friend of Ollie’s is welcome.
” Subtle, Mom. “Why don’t you two go put your coats up and grab some lunch in the kitchen.
Sandwich stuff is still out on the counter.
We tried to wait for you, but the little ones got hungry.
We’ll introduce you to everyone else later.
” She gives Aaron a knowing look. “Maybe one at a time.”