17 | have you ever
Aaron and I were watching a documentary about white-collar crime when we heard the front door open and close. Sprawled across Aaron’s body on the sofa, I lifted my head to welcome Jason’s arriving figure.
‘Hello,’ I cooed. ‘Did you have a nice day?’
Completely ignoring me, he flashed Aaron a fond grin. ‘Aaron. Good to see you, man.’
Aaron saluted him with a jerk of his head. ‘You too.’
‘How’s Dentons?’
‘It’s a dream come true.’
‘I bet.’
When he reached us, he didn’t hesitate to smother us with his weight. Squeezed into a sandwich consisting of two unfairly sexy men, I could hardly breathe.
‘Jason,’ I choked. ‘Can’t breathe.’
He squeezed me harder.
‘Oh my God,’ I mouthed as I lost my breath.
Laughing, he reclined toward the other end of the sofa.
‘How’s summer holiday?’ Aaron asked him and reached for the remote to pause the documentary.
‘It’s great. When the sun came out after three, Stephen and I went to the park with Livy and Giselle to work on our tans. Played some volleyball, messed about.’
‘I saw that on your Instagram story,’ I said, my lips protruding with envy.
‘Yeah. We missed you guys.’ He smiled affectionately. ‘Responsible twats that you are.’
Aaron chuckled. ‘Stephen and a tan? I can’t see it happening.’
‘Me neither,’ Jason said. ‘Man produces more UV rays than the sun. I had to wear my sunglasses for that reason alone.’
They burst into laughter at his joke. I shook my head at them, smiling.
When they finally calmed down, Jason asked Aaron, ‘Anyway, are you spending the night?’
‘I think so.’ Aaron turned his dark brown eyes toward me.
I hugged his warm body and smiled up at him. ‘Of course you are. Why else would I tell you to bring a change of clothes?’
Grinning, he planted a kiss on my head and brought both arms around me, pressing me against him.
‘Sweet,’ Jason commented. ‘Fancy a beer, then?’
Aaron shrugged. ‘Suppose the one won’t do any harm.’
Jason nodded and stood up. ‘How was work today?’ he asked me.
‘It was good. Much better than yesterday,’ I said, which was the truth. William and I had barely spoken, and whenever we had, we kept it strictly professional. He also hadn’t fucked anyone in his office, which was where I had set the standard since yesterday. So, whenever William didn’t shove his cock into somebody else in my presence, I was having a good day.
‘William treat you well?’ Jason asked as he turned for the kitchen.
‘Brought me coffee, actually, so yes.’
Aaron tensed beneath me, and it confused me.
Jason halted and turned around. ‘What?’ he asked, puzzled. ‘Isn’t he your boss?’
‘Yes?’
He looked stumped. ‘Then aren’t you supposed to bring coffees for him ?’
‘Oh, don’t be so conventional.’ I rolled my eyes.
He chuckled. ‘Right.’
‘I think he was just trying to make me feel welcome, or maybe he wanted to apologise for yesterday. ’
‘Yeah, you’re probably right,’ Jason said and disappeared into the kitchen.
‘What happened yesterday?’ Aaron asked.
‘I’d rather not talk about it,’ I murmured with a pout.
He hesitated. ‘Is it related to him walking in on us that time?’
I shook my head. ‘No, of course not. Why would it be?’
He looked sideways, and it roused some alarm in me. I wished I could hear his thoughts. Was he suspicious of William? Had he sensed something that awful day? Sensed my past with William?
‘I was just making sure,’ he finally said. ‘I’ve been worried that incident would make things awkward for you once you started work.’
Touched by his concern, I smiled fondly at him. ‘You’re very sweet for worrying about that, but you don’t have to. He’s acting like it never happened.’
‘Good.’ He rubbed my back. ‘I’m here if you want to talk about it, though –whatever it is.’
I hugged him tightly and drew his soothing scent deep into my lungs. ‘Thanks, but it’s really nothing. He just did something a bit insensitive, but it wasn’t on purpose.’
‘Was he too hard on you?’
‘Aaron.’
He chuckled. ‘Sorry, I’ll stop.’
‘Thanks.’
§ § §
Something tilted me to the side. When I opened my eyes, Aaron was smiling tenderly at me, and it was infectious.
‘Morning,’ he cooed and swept a lock of my hair behind my ear.
‘Morning.’ I rubbed my face. ‘What time is it?’ I rolled onto my back, spread my arms apart and relished how refreshed I felt. Sex last night had been exactly what I needed, and it had been good .
‘Half six. I woke up half an hour ago. Made you breakfast.’
‘Aw, Aaron.’ I lunged forward and hugged his naked back. ‘Thank you,’ I said and covered his neck with soft kisses.
‘Why don’t you have a shower while I set the table for us?’
‘Sounds wonderful.’ Releasing him, I climbed out of bed. As I walked completely naked toward the door, I felt his gaze on my back, so with a crooked smile on my face, I turned my head to catch him in his ogling.
‘We’ve got time for a quickie,’ he said .
I chuckled. ‘Have you showered yet?’
‘No.’ His usually calm voice was saturated with eagerness.
‘Then let’s spare the environment and do it together,’ I said and walked out.
He charged after me without a moment’s hesitation.
§ § §
Aaron resembled husband material as he placed a mug of coffee in front of me on the table. With a grateful look in my eye, I gripped the black porcelain and raised it to my mouth.
‘How long are your days?’ he asked, grabbing the seat opposite.
‘Eight to five, but they may differ depending on the workload. You?’
He unlocked his phone and opened a newspaper app. ‘Same as you,’ he said, dragging his own mug of coffee to his mouth. ‘By the way, are you free next Saturday? Not this one, but the next.’
I frowned in thought. ‘I think so, why?’
‘Tyler is celebrating his birthday. He said to invite you.’
I stiffened. ‘Shit, when’s his birthday?’ I asked, worried I had forgotten to congratulate him.
He chuckled. ‘Next Saturday. Don’t worry. Can you make it?’
‘Yes, of course. Any ideas for a present?’
‘Boxers. He’s in dire need of them, he said.’
A chuckle escaped me. Student life in a nutshell, that was. ‘Sorted.’
‘Perhaps we could sleep at yours then, so Tyler and Valentina can have the flat to themselves.’ Valentina was Tyler’s girlfriend of one year.
‘Good idea.’ I nodded. ‘Let’s do that.’
We had been sitting there for a few minutes when I suddenly started comparing him to William. They were so different, yet somehow so similar. Their drive and intellect were alike, though Aaron was much gentler. It made me wonder why I hadn’t ever developed feelings for Aaron. A relationship with him would have made perfect sense. He was supportive, reliable and sweet, not to mention that he brought out the best in me. Without him, I doubted I would have reached as far as I had in terms of my career. So why couldn’t this be love? Why had I never entertained the idea of pursuing a relationship with him?
We had been doing this for three years, yet I had never considered dating him. Meanwhile, William had made me consider dating him the same night I had met him and several more times since then.
I wondered if Aaron had ever been in my place, where a girl he was attracted to had made advances. Had he rejected her to maintain a strict focus on his career? Had he given it a go, but later discovered that they were incompatible? Or perhaps the opposite had happened. Perhaps he had fancied a girl and had pursued her, but she had rejected him instead.
I was curious to hear his perspective on this. We had never discussed it before, but I was about to change that.
‘Have you ever considered dating someone while we’ve been together like this? Cassie, for example?’
Aaron froze, his cup of coffee remaining by his full lips for several seconds. While staring into my eyes, he lowered it slowly.
‘What’s brought this on?’ he asked with furrowed brows.
I shrugged. ‘Just wondering. I know we’re not supposed to talk about others to each other, but it’s been three years, so I’m curious to know if it’s ever happened during that time. If it has, I obviously won’t get mad.’
His frown intensified. ‘No, it hasn’t.’
‘You’ve never considered it?’
He shook his head. ‘Not at all.’
‘Why not?’
He scoffed. ‘You know why.’
‘Do I?’
‘Yes. It’s because, like you, I’m not interested in anything romantic right now. I prefer just sticking to what you and I have got going on.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘Why? Have you?’
I tucked my cheek into the palm of my hand. ‘No, not really.’
His head jerked back. ‘That’s not quite the answer I was expecting. What do you mean “not really”?’
I looked away and folded my arms. ‘Well, there was one guy who wanted me to give him a chance, but I rejected him, so I was only curious about whether you’ve ever been in the same boat.’
‘When was this?’
‘Some months ago. Anyway, it’s history, so you don’t need to worry. I was just curious to hear your perspective, that’s all.’
‘Well, Cassie has asked me out, but I rejected her point-blank, so the answer is still the same – I’ve never considered it.’
I gasped. ‘I knew it. When?’
He rubbed his neck. ‘At the party after our last exam.’
I remembered Aaron and I had gone home together that night. Poor Cassie. It must have hurt to see that.
‘See? I knew she had feelings for you. ’
‘Well, it doesn’t change anything.’
When the satisfaction of being proved right subsided, my lips protruded. ‘Poor Cassie. Was she upset?’
He wrinkled his nose. ‘Of course. I don’t think anybody enjoys being rejected.’
I sighed and raised my cup of coffee. ‘I expect she hates me now.’
‘It wouldn’t surprise me, but it would be misplaced. In the end, I’m the issue, not you.’
‘Good morning!’ Jason exclaimed as he burst into the room. Aaron looked entirely unaffected, but I nearly fell off my chair.
‘It’s a beautiful day!’ he sang, quoting U2.
‘Bloody hell, Jason! Did you fire crack up your arse this morning?’ I scolded.
He gave me a smile to die for, complemented by a wink, and moseyed over to grab Aaron’s shoulders. Squeezing them, he leaned over him and then stole a piece of bacon from his plate.
‘Haven’t you made me breakfast, Cara?’ he asked with a wounded tone.
‘Sorry.’ Aaron chuckled. ‘I made it this morning. I wasn’t aware you’d be up this early when you’re on holiday.’
Jason raised a brow. ‘Med student. Hello?’
‘Right. Serious as they come.’
‘Exactly.’
‘His earlier show says otherwise,’ I muttered. ‘But you can have the rest of mine. He made far too much.’ I pushed my plate toward him.
‘Thanks, darling.’ Jason smiled and went to the kitchen counter to toast some bread.
‘Did you wake up by yourself today? I was going to wake you in a minute.’ I turned in my chair and stared at his naked back. Like his brother, he was athletically built and very tall, with defined muscles that merited admiration.
‘No, I was woken by the sound of your sexual moans arriving from the shower,’ he said without looking at me.
My face paled. ‘Oh,’ I squeaked. ‘Sorry.’
‘Was weirdly erotic. I almost got a boner, but then I remembered that you’re basically my sister, so it’s all flaccid.’
Aaron guffawed while I sagged into my seat, mortified.
§ § §
Aaron got ready to leave before me, seeing as his workplace was further away. As I was seeing him out, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close. Descending onto my mouth, I felt him smiling against my lips. It was a sweet kiss, and it was likely to assist me through the day.
When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against mine and said with affection, ‘Have a nice day at work, love.’
I grinned. ‘You too.’
Leaning back, he called, ‘Bye, Jason. Have a great day, yeah?’
‘You too,’ Jason replied from a closer distance than I had expected. Sure enough, once I had shut the door after Aaron, I turned to discover that he had been peeking at us from around the corner.
‘Pervert,’ I said.
Laughing, he walked into full view. ‘Honestly, I’m only fascinated. How the hell have you managed to keep your feelings in check for three bloody years? You look like a couple! If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I would never have believed it was possible.’
I shrugged. ‘Well, aside from you and Livy, he’s my best friend. I don’t know how to explain it. It just...is.’
‘I’m genuinely amazed. Where do I get one?’
I giggled and shook my head. ‘I’d start by breaking up with your hand maybe.’
‘Noted.’