32. "It has been you and me from the start."
When I woke up in the morning, Aiden was not in the room. Since it was dead silent, I figured he was working in the other room. Lazily pushing the covers off my body, I stepped out of bed and walked to the bathroom.
Pushing the door open, I stepped inside and closed the door behind me, but the sight before me made my eyes jump out of my sockets, causing my feet to plant firmly on the tiled floor.
Aiden stood under the shower, naked. Beads of water rolled down his chiselled, muscular body, adding more attractiveness to his already enticingly sculpted body.
I moved my gaze down as blood rushed to my cheeks, but that was a big mistake. Because then I was looking directly at the huge appendage hanging between his legs. Exactly what romance novels typically describe. Long and thick with engorged veins in the shaft.
Oh. My. God.
I forcefully peeled my wide eyes away from his perfect, sexy, body that was luring me in. My face was red as a tomato as I hurriedly gave him my back.
"I'm so sorry! I thought you were in the other room." I gushed embarrassedly, wishing the ground would open up and swallow me.
"It's okay," His thick voice replied calmly. I heard him turn the shower off. "Come here." He said a minute later.
My eyes widened. "W-what? No." I stammered, realising I should have run out the second I walked in.
"Relax, it's alright. Come here." He persuaded softly.
I gulped nervously, wondering why he wanted me to come closer to him. I started walking backwards until I was in the shower area and could feel his presence right behind me. My breath stood still in my lungs.
"Turn around, Aysel. It's okay." He urged softly.
I turned around to face him with my burning cheeks, and was surprised to see a towel now around his waist. Shyly looking at his face, I noticed how relaxed and normal he looked. His eyes seemed to reflect a raw emotion of gentleness and affection.
"Are you uncomfortable?" His voice was low and caring.
I shook my head slightly.
"Then relax your body, Aysel. You're so stiff." He instructed.
I inhaled a deep breath, relaxing my shoulders.
"Good girl," he muttered, his gaze becoming softer. "I don't want you to be afraid of me."
"I'm not." My voice came out as a whisper.
He took a step closer to me, however, still maintaining some distance between us. "I'll never do anything you don't want me to, okay?" His voice was a caressing murmur.
I stared at him wide-eyed.
"If you don't want to be touched, assert it, Aysel. I swear I won't touch a hair on your body if it makes you uneasy, if it's something you don't desire wholeheartedly." He continued.
I almost teared up, wondering if he knew how much that meant to me. The fact that he understood the concept and importance of consent. That he understood how harshly impacted I was by what had happened to me. That he cared enough to make sure I was never uncomfortable.
"You don't make me uncomfortable... I don't mind being touched by you." I confessed.
He smiled softly, extending his hand toward my face, but held it mid-air, asking permission through his eyes. I took a step closer to assert my answer.
My eyes fluttered close for a moment as he lovingly caressed my cheek with the back of his fingers. "I've fully realised that I do not appreciate any other man even looking at you the wrong way, let alone touching you. It boils my blood."
I swallowed.
"I'm sorry for how I reacted when I saw you with Andrew." He apologised, surprising me.
"It's okay... I'm sorry for lying to you."
"It's not your fault. It's mine. You don't owe me anything. No explanations, no truths. I had no right to blame you for meeting up with a guy when I... when I don't have any right on you... because you're not mine." He spoke.
I gulped. You're not mine. The words felt strange to hear, like a sting in my heart. Somewhat hurtful and disappointing, when it was simply the truth.
His gaze grew more intent. "Which is why, I think it's important for me to confess that I can't even picture seeing you with another guy..."
My eyes were so wide as I quietly listened to him. Is he...
"So I'd like to let you know," he snaked an arm around my waist, pulling me to his body. "That you're mine. I won't let any other man have you, Aysel," his eyes now burned with passionate flames. "You're mine and mine only."
I gaped at him, trying to find my voice. "Are... are you... are you saying that you're in love with me?"
He sucked in a breath. "I don't know what love is, little one. All I know is that I'm possessive about you, and driven crazy by the need to protect you. I need you to be all mine."
I bit my lip, my heart fluttering as butterflies soared in my stomach. "So... from now on... it's you and me?"
He pressed his forehead to mine. "It has been you and me from the start."
My heart swelled up hearing his words.
We stayed in the position for a few more minutes, before I cleared my throat and took a step back.
"You carry on with your shower. I'll use the other bathroom." I announced.
"You're officially mine now," he smirked. "You can shower with me."
I blushed again. "Let's take baby steps... you carry on," I walked to the door and opened it. "And maybe lock the door next time?"
He chuckled. "I'll leave it open for you so you can walk in as you please."
I shook my head before walking out of the bathroom, with a silly grin plastered on my face.
———
Aiden joined me for breakfast downstairs a while later. His hair was wet, and he looked sexy as hell. However, I could not meet his gaze. Especially because whenever I looked at him, all I could recall was the large appendage he possessed between his legs.
Heat shot to my cheeks again.
"You're blushing again." He pointed out, a teasing smile on his face.
"Focus on your breakfast." I chastised, nervously looking at my plate. I still could not believe that he had called me his. That he actually wanted something with me.
"I am focusing on my breakfast." His smirk grew, his eyes refusing to abandon my face as he seemingly derived pleasure from my flushed state.
I swallowed the orange juice that Catherine had prepared. "You can't eat me..."
"Oh I can," he interjected smugly. "And you'll love it when I do."
My eyes widened, the butterflies in my stomach driving me insane.
Clearing my throat, I tried focusing on eating my breakfast in silence, in spite of his heated gaze.
"Go get dressed. We have to go somewhere." He said, after we had eaten our breakfast. I glanced at Catherine putting the dishes in the sink.
"Where?" I asked curiously.
"You'll know when we're there. Go get ready." He asserted.
My eyebrows knitted together. "But—"
"Don't be afraid, Aysel. It's fine. I won't leave you alone for a nanosecond." He assured patiently.
"I'm not just afraid for myself... you got shot the last time we went out." I reminded.
"Little one, it's alright. Trust me." He reassured.
I sighed quietly, trusting him to know what was right. Without further argument, I moved upstairs to choose an outfit. After some thought, I settled on a pale blue sundress with a pair of nude heels, and quickly changed.
Looking in the mirror, I decided to put minimal make up. So I dabbed on some pink blush and a pretty pink lip gloss, before spraying myself with my favourite perfume.
For some reason, I felt excited about going out. I wondered if it was because I had been forced to stay within the confines of a house for quite some time or because I was going out with Aiden.
It was still unclear where we were going, and I began to wonder if it was silly of me to dress up and put make up on.
Aiden entered the room the next minute and leaned on the wall near the vanity, his eyes drinking me in from head to toe, his lips lifting up into a small smile. He was dressed in a pale blue dress shirt and black pants.
"We're matching!" I gushed enthusiastically as I noticed, causing his smile to grow. My heart stood still in my chest as I appreciated how much more handsome he looked with a smile on his face. He hadn't ever smiled so fully and openly before.
"Great minds think alike," He remarked, stalking up to me and giving me a kiss on my forehead, causing my heart to skip a beat. "You look beautiful." He murmured.
I blushed, a shy smile forming on my face. "Thank you... you're not too bad yourself."
He snickered softly, before offering me his hand. I put mine in it and let him lead us out.
"Where are we going?" I hoped for an answer as we sat in his car.
"Somewhere." He replied.
"Do you have to go to work?" I wondered.
"No, little one. I'd tell you if that were the case." He responded, driving down the street.
"Then?" I pressed.
"We're going out." He answered.
I bit my lip. "For what?"
"For us," he replied. "To sit and talk. And for me to stare at your beautiful face for hours."
I blushed. "You're not serious..."
"I'm dead serious, little one."
I snickered softly, looking out the window, letting him take me wherever he pleased.
A while later, he pulled up in front of a coffee shop, and walked to my side to help me out of the car. My eyes lit up, my heart full, as we walked into the cozy and busy cafe. He walked us to a table in the corner, away from prying eyes and abandoned my hand to pull the chair out for me.
My heart fluttered at his sweet gesture as I sat in. Then he took his spot opposite to me.
I was smiling from ear to ear.
"Are you happy I brought you here?" He asked as if my bright face wasn't evidence enough of my glee.
"Yes! I love cafes." I told him excitedly.
He smiled. "I figured you'd appreciate coming here for a date."
My ears perked up. "We're on a date?"
"Yes, to make things more official between us."
My heart thumped excitedly, my cheeks tinting red.
Before I could find a response, the waitress came up to our table with two menus and presented them to us. I ended up ordering a hazelnut latte and a blueberry muffin, and Aiden ordered an espresso and a chicken sandwich.
As the waitress left, Aiden once again shifted his entire attention to me. He put his elbow on the table and rested his face in the palm of his hand as he affectionately gazed at me.
"So, can we cuddle at night from now on?" He asked, his eyes gleaming.
I blushed. "We'll see."
"You already cross the useless pillow boundaries." He pointed out.
My blush deepened. "The weather's so nice." I tried changing the topic, even though the sun was shining a little too bright, and it was hot that day.
He raised an eyebrow, looking out the window momentarily. "If you say so."
"Tell me about your hobbies. Besides being bossy and scary." I said, folding my arms on the table as I leaned in to listen to him.
The waitress returned with our orders just then.
He shrugged once she left. "I like dating pretty little doctors."
I snickered, taking a sip of my coffee. "How many doctors' lives have you ruined?" I teased.
"By leaving them?" He countered with a smirk.
I rolled my eyes.
"What are your hobbies?" He questioned.
"Ummm... Netflix, music...romance books!" I answered with a grin at the end.
His smirk grew. "Romance books... of course. Very fitting."
"You watch crime documentaries, very fitting for someone like you." I countered.
"You remember." He replied with a small smile.
I grinned. "Yes, I do. Fun fact: I watch crime documentaries too. Let's watch together sometime."
"My little doctor likes crime documentaries?" He teased with a handsome smile on his relaxed face.
My heart skipped a beat at 'my little doctor'. "Yes, they're fun to watch."
"Murder documentaries are the best."
I snickered. "I'm not surprised you think so, but yes, they are."
"Do you want to join the hospital from tomorrow?" He asked, catching me by surprise.
I gulped down the muffin I was chewing. "How come?"
"Safety concerns aside, do you want to?" He pressed.
"Yes, of course I want to. I love working. But—"
"Either I or Samuel will take you. You'll have bodyguards, but they won't be in your way.
Nobody will even notice that they're there.
You'll go to the hospital, take care of patients, then sit in the car and directly come home after your shift ends.
Sound good?" He explained the whole plan while I sat staring at him.
"Wow... yes... I mean, I'm scared, but I'm also very excited to be back at the hospital." I said.
"You don't have to be scared. I'll ensure that not a hair on your body is harmed." He assured firmly.
I smiled softly. "Okay," my face fell a little. "But what if someone follows me back to where we're staying?"
"I've thought of everything. You don't need to worry about anything." He guaranteed.
"Okay then... how come you're letting me go to work now?" I wondered curiously.
He sighed, taking a sip of his espresso. "It's uncertain when I'll be able to get a hold of Liam. I do realise that you miss working, and I think it's unfair that you have to sit all day doing nothing when I get to work anyway."
My lips twitched up into a smile. "Ooh, we're talking equality, huh?"
He snickered. "I guess... more importantly, we're talking about what makes you happy."
I grinned. "Will you come visit me at work?"
"Definitely. I'm your boss, remember?" He smiled cheekily, the gleam in his eyes returning.
I giggled softly, nodding my head as I sipped on more of my latte. "Here, have a bite." I extended my half-eaten muffin towards him.
He shook his head. "I can't be consuming sugar."
My eyebrows knitted together. "Why not?"
"Defeats the purpose of working so hard on my body." He replied.
I rolled my eyes before my cheeks heated up as I recalled the image of his naked body in the shower.
"Okay fine, I'll take a bite since you asked me to." He said, taking hold of the muffin, dragging my mind out of the reminiscence of his sexy body.
I grinned despite the heat spreading through my body.
His mouth wrapping around the muffin turned me on even more, sending waves of excitement down to my virgin core.
I wondered how it might feel, having his lips graze along every inch of my skin.
To feel his hands all over my body. What would it feel like having a man touch me?
With my consent. For my pleasure. To have him touch me.
The only man whose touch I craved. The only man whose proximity did not feel appalling.
"What are you thinking?" Aiden dragged me back to reality with his voice. He put the muffin back on the plate and pushed it towards me.
Nothing. Just having inappropriate thoughts about you.
I cleared my throat. "Nothing... I'm... excited about working again."
He inhaled a deep breath. "Don't spend too much time with Andrew."
I gulped. Andrew. I hadn't spoken to him ever since he confessed his love for me. I had received some missed calls from him, but I had been too caught up in taking care of Aiden and anticipating his recovery to return any of them.
It would be so awkward to face him now.
"Aysel?" Aiden's brows dipped as he sought my attention.
I took a deep breath, taking another sip of my coffee. "Don't talk about him right now..."
He tapped his fingers on the table, taking more sips of his espresso as silence fell between us for the next few minutes.
"Can I ask you something?" He then asked, cautiously.
I nodded.
"Do you ever talk to your... parents?" He cleared his throat. "I've never seen you do so, so I was just wondering."
"Um... my dad is... dead." It felt awkward saying it.
He went stiff. "I'm sorry." He mumbled.
I shook my head. "It's alright... I wasn't close to him anyway."
"Why not?" Curiosity sparked up in his eyes.
"He was a very busy man, rarely ever home, so I don't have much memories with him. Besides, I was a child when he died." I explained.
"Oh.... And your mom?"
"Oh I do talk to mom. I text her a lot." I told him.
He nodded, falling silent for a few minutes, appearing pensive. "My mom loved cafes." He spoke up several minutes later, his tone reminiscent.
My heart ached.
"The four of us... mom, dad, Olivia and me, we would go to cafes and talk for hours... Olivia used to throw a tantrum to have coffee. Mom would get her steamed milk, and she'd get so excited thinking she was being allowed to have coffee." He chuckled sadly as he recalled the fond memory.
My heart twisted in my chest, a lump building in the back of my throat.
His sad eyes met mine. "We used to be a very happy family... dad was the biggest businessman in the country, yet he always made time for us."
A small, sad smile crept on to my face. Reaching my hand out over the table, I held his shaking one.
He cleared his throat, sucking in a breath. "Sorry... I shouldn't be melancholic right now."
I shook my head. "You can say anything to me anytime you want... except for rude things." I attempted to joke.
He snorted, his face easing up a little. "Are you ready to go?" He asked, noticing my empty cup and plate.
I nodded.
He paid the bill, and then we walked out of the cafe hand in hand, back into his car.
I didn't ask questions about where we were going as he drove down the road.
All I knew was that we certainly weren't going home.
And it wasn't like that didn't excite me.
I was enjoying his company. Him sitting close seemed enough.
About twenty minutes later, he pulled up in front of a park.
"You brought me to a park?" I asked excitedly, my eyes gleaming.
"Yes. Let's walk and talk." He said before stepping out and walking around the car to help me out.
I watched the kids playing in the park, with desperate eyes. Especially the ones that sat on the swings. I wanted to swing as well.
Aiden's hand enveloped mine as we walked on the track in the side.
"Do you like kids?" I asked, looking his way.
He seemed to think. "I... don't know."
"Would you want to have kids one day?" I wondered.
His eyebrows dipped as he fell into thought. "Who would want a father as fucked up as me?"
I cringed, shaking my head. "Look at the kids," I gestured with my head towards the two kids on the swings. "They're adorable."
He followed my gaze. "They're alright."
I rolled my eyes. "Mean." My eyes remained plastered on the kids as they sat swinging on the swings, and the urge to be on a swing grew more and more intense within me. "I wanna sit on a swing so bad." I spoke under my breath.
"You want to go on the swing?" Aiden raised an eyebrow, and I awaited any taunts he might want to come up with. "They'll have to move then." He declared, starting to walk up to the swings.
I gasped, my eyes widening. Pulling on his arm, I managed to stop him. "Do not tell me you're going to scare those little angels."
"They've been there long enough. You should have a turn now." He reasoned seriously.
Warmth spread through me. He was caring for me in his own little twisted way. And was not even judging me for wanting to go on a swing.
"No, no," I smiled softly. "Let's just walk." I pulled him back to the track.
Butterflies erupted in my stomach as he kissed my temple and wrapped an arm around my waist.
I had him explain the technical stuff of his work life to me as we walked down the path, and then he listened to what work was like for me. We kept talking until a lady's voice from behind made us halt.
We turned around to find an old lady. If I were to guess, I would say she was at least seventy. Aiden stood quietly by my side as the lady slowly approached us with the help of her walking stick.
"Hello. Can we help you?" I asked her politely.
She smiled sweetly at both us. "Are you two lovely kids a couple?"
I blushed.
"Yes, we are." Aiden beat me to an answer, giving me more butterflies.
"Well you two are absolutely adorable." She commented.
I gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome, dear... Do you think you can help me? I need to find my husband."
"Your husband?" I asked.
"We were walking together. Then I went to get something from our car, and when I came back, he wasn't here... Can you help me look for him?"
"Sure!" I turned to Aiden. "Let's look for her husband, hmm?"
He wore his usual experience. "If you say so."
"It's a good thing helping people." I whispered to him. He didn't reply.
The lady told us stories as we set out on the mission to find her husband.
"Young man, you have a gem of a girl here. Take great care of her." She told Aiden, making me giggle.
"Sure, of course." He replied.
As she started telling another story, Aiden interjected. "Is that your husband?"
We both looked ahead, seeing an old man, around her age, carrying a small bouquet of colourful flowers in his hand.
"Garret!" The lady called out to him, her old feet picking up pace, relief and glee washing over her face.
I stood back, watching with hearts in my eyes as she practically collapsed in his arms. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"
"I wanted to pluck your favourite flowers for you." He told her, presenting her the little bouquet he had made himself.
Tears shone in my eyes as I watched the old couple. It made me realise that growing old with the love of your life did exist. It wasn't just something we read in fairytales.
Aiden tapped my shoulder. "Come. Let's go." He whispered in my ear.
"Should we say goodbye?" I wondered.
"They're too engrossed in each other. Come. It's getting late. We should head home now." He replied.
I nodded, noticing how the couple was too busy being cute to care about anything else.
Hand in hand, me and Aiden walked back towards his car, and I gave a final wanting look to the swings.
"We'll come back for the swings again some time." He gave my hand a promising squeeze before helping me into the car.
"What's your favourite flower?" He asked after a few minutes of driving in silence.
"Red roses!" I exclaimed. "Are you going to buy me flowers?"
"No." He said, causing my face to fall. I pouted, turning to look out of the window.
We arrived back home a while later. When we stepped into the room, I headed straight towards the bathroom to change and freshen up. When I came out, I found Aiden standing in the middle of the room with his phone in his hand.
He moved his gaze to me when he realised my presence. "I have to work on something. It will probably take the entire night." He apprised.
I blinked. "You'll be working the whole night?"
He nodded. "It's important. You go sleep. You have to go to the hospital tomorrow."
I nodded. "Okay... good night."
He walked up to me, making my heart flutter as he pressed his lips to my forehead. "Good night, little one. I hope you had a good day today."
I beamed at him. "I had a great day. Thank you for taking me out."
He smiled back, a charming smile that resembled a constellation in the dark night sky. "I'm glad. I'll see you tomorrow."
Cupping my cheek and giving me a quick kiss on my lips, he left the room, and I retreated to the bed with my beating heart and blushing cheeks.
Basking in the warmth of the raw and beautiful moments we had shared that day, I finally fell asleep.
The next morning, my alarm woke me up. A familiar, sweet scent flooded my nostrils as I sat up in the bed that was still devoid of Aiden.
Blinking to clear my vision, I looked at the nightstand, my heart standing still in my chest.
The source of the scent was a big bouquet of red roses on the nightstand with a card attached to it. With a heart swelling with joy, I picked the card up and read it.
Good luck on resuming your doctor duties, little doctor.
-Your bossy, scary CEO
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