Chapter 21 Aiden
Chapter 21 AIDEN
W hat’s so bad about real life?
Bad was not quite the word to describe his life. Of course, Consequat was turning out to be a problem, but his real life—or, better put, his life outside Nora’s house—was far from bad. Even though it was a life that didn’t include her. And after these last few hours getting to know Nora it felt just plain wrong not to have her with him from that moment on.
Did the questions really work? Was it love? What if it wasn’t? What if it was? Aiden didn’t want to go there yet.
He should come clean with Nora once and for all. It would be best if she learned the truth from him and not from some tabloid. But he couldn’t bring himself to break the spell.
Sod it. She deserved his honesty. Otherwise, how could he hope for any sort of relationship with her?
“Well... in real life, I—” He looked at his phone absently to stall and his mouth fell open in disbelief. “Shite. I’ve four missed calls from my mother.”
“Then call her back! I don’t want your mom storming in on us, even though we’re fully clothed.”
Aiden looked at her for a second, enjoying the smirk on her lips and the mirth in her eyes. She was teasing him again—and he loved it. Reluctantly, he let go of her hand to return the call.
She picked up at the first ring. Needless to say, his poor mother was hysterical with worry about the tornado. Aiden wanted to get back to Nora, but knew he needed to reassure his mother. He moved to the dining room and tried to be as brief as possible, but she insisted on updating him about his father’s constipation, which she’d already told him about three times in the last week. He was finally able to end the call after claiming he was exhausted—which wasn’t a lie, at least.
When he got back to the living room, Aiden found Nora lying on the sofa, eyes semi-closed.
“My personal problem is that I am half-dead here. What should I do? What do you think about it?” she said in a drowsy voice.
“For someone who doesn’t enjoy sleeping... You should surrender. Tonight has been quite the night. And I think I could rest my eyes a bit, too. I don’t remember the last time I stayed up this late.”
“Glad it was with me,” Nora said with a soft voice, on her way to dreamland. Then she patted the spot beside her, beckoning him to take it. “There’s room here for you.”
His heart raced. “You sure?”
“Yes. Looks like I’m sleeping with you tonight after all.”
Aiden smiled, trying to think of a flirty or witty comeback, but Nora was almost asleep. He considered whether he should decline her invitation, but he knew first-hand how comfortable her sofa was for a nap. Also, they were both fully clothed, and seeing her yawn triggered his own reflex. So, yes, they would sleep together, and there was something so intimate about it that Aiden thought that maybe, just maybe, the slow route Nora requested was indeed the best path.
He lay down beside her, arms stiff by his sides to give her some proper space. But as soon as he settled down, she hooked her leg over his and rested her head on his shoulder. He embraced her, and she snuggled closer. Aiden let out a content sigh, then kissed the top of her head. “Goodnight, my Nora.” But she was already out.
The loud buzz from Nora’s phone brought Aiden back to consciousness. It took him a few moments to recognize the room and remember where he was. The fire had died, but he was toasty, thanks to the ravishing woman still pressed against him. Soft sunlight filtered through the curtains, bathing her in a diaphanous halo of white gold. Nora was still asleep, her features relaxed. The softness of her hair lured his hand, his fingers threading through her brown locks. Aiden felt her hands slip under his shirt and caress his stomach. Eyes closed, Nora nuzzled his neck and found her way to his jaw, tracing up with her lips until they grazed his. She locked his bottom lip between hers and her breathing grew heavy as if getting ready to deepen the kiss. Aiden remained alert, waiting for next move, when, all of a sudden, she pulled back and rested her face on his chest.
“I’m sorry,” Nora said, her voice hoarse, and Aiden wasn’t sure she had been awake until now.
Aiden traced her cheek and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her kaleidoscope eyes opened to find his. They didn’t have to go all the way. They could go as slow as she needed. “Did you kiss me in your sleep?”
“Maybe?” she croaked. A smile bloomed on her delicate lips, a secret smile just for him.
It filled him with a strange pleasure to know that, unconsciously, she had kissed him. Yet, the unconscious part was a bit dejecting. “So it didn’t count. Can I have another one?”
Her eyes squinted, her teeth gnawing on her bottom lip—only one answer could come from that expression.
“Maybe later,” Nora said, much to Aiden’s disappointment. She then grabbed her phone. “The lockdown has been lifted!”
Ah, so that must have been the buzz that woke him up. Aiden supposed it was good news—they were safe. But it meant he would have to leave sooner than later. Perhaps he should check with Becky on the status of his flight back to LA. But not right at that moment. Judging by the light, it was still somewhat early in the morning.
“Did we really finish that questionnaire?” she asked. “The last question is hazy. I might have slept while you talked...”
We’re not quite finished , Aiden thought with guilt. But now the moment was gone. And then he remembered one thing they’d skipped.
“Well... after the last question, we’re supposed to stare at each other for four minutes straight.”
Her face lit up. “Should we also try not to laugh? I like this game, I always win.”
“Timer is set... go.” Lying by her side, would he be able to stare into her alluring eyes for that long without kissing her?
Nora moved her face, slow and steady, nearer and nearer to his, until she stopped just a hair’s breadth away. It was no staring contest. It was bloody torture.
“Nora,” Aiden said, realizing how strangled his voice sounded, “I really, really want to kiss you right now. I believe my self-control has been used up, so, unless you’ve changed your mind about kissing me—a proper kiss, mind you—maybe we should do this four-minute exercise next time.”
Nora swallowed—was that lust in her eyes? She shook her head and became serious. “Okay. Next time.”
“Brilliant. I consider us to be done with the questionnaire. I believe congratulations are in order. Now we are officially in love with each other. Isn’t it nice?”
Nora giggled, hiding her face in his chest. “Yeah. It’s nice. It’s all happening so fast. Next thing we know, we’ll be married.”
“Can we skip to the honeymoon, then?”
She delivered the mandatory slap on his arm, though it was weak this time, for their entangled limbs didn’t allow her much space.
“I’m joking, love.” He wished he wasn’t. Aiden could think of quite a few things he would love to do with—and to—her, but he’d agreed to abide by her wish. “So, what now?”
“Breakfast?”
It wasn’t the first thing that would have crossed Aiden’s mind, but it wasn’t a bad idea at all. “Breakfast sounds lovely.”
“There’s this café two blocks from here that I love, Woody’s, they should be open by now.”
“I believe you mentioned your perfect day starts with breakfast in bed?”
She smiled. “I did. But then we’d have to do the dishes later.” Her eyes widened. “Shit. Aiden, our perfect days are not compatible.”
With a laugh, Aiden placed a kiss on her forehead. “Nora, I’d gladly do the dishes to grant you your perfect day. And it wouldn’t ruin mine, I promise.”
Their faces were close, their breaths mingled.
“You can’t turn off the sweetness, can you? But really, I don’t think I have breakfast stuff at home. We need to go out.”
Aiden’s chest tightened, but he glanced outside the window and relaxed somewhat. Surely so early in the morning, especially following a storm, there wouldn’t be many people about. And maybe, so out of his usual context, he wouldn’t even be recognized. Except for that one teenage girl, he had stayed unscathed that afternoon while he wandered the streets. It was Nashville, after all, not LA. He would have some peace to enjoy a meal with Nora. It would mean that, for a little longer, he could avoid his “real life.”
She was worth the risk. It could be their first date of sorts. And, even if someone recognized him, he was sure she would understand, especially after the night they’d just shared. “Perfect. Let me just wash the sleep from my face.”
He had to force himself to pull away from her warmth and sweet scent, and drag himself to the bathroom. His drenched clothes were in the dryer. He could get them after breakfast, before leaving for the airport—regardless of how much he would like to stay.
Aiden put on his chukka boots and then found Nora in the entrance hall, slipping on her shoes, wrapped in a smart trench coat and a fluffy scarf.
She opened the door for him again—this time they shared a knowing smile about Brazilian superstitions—and a pearly, soft light engulfed them. The sky was not yet clear, but the storm was gone and there was a pleasant chill in the air, crisp and brisk, just the way Aiden liked it.
“The wind must have blown it away last night,” Nora said.
“Blown what?”
“The umbrella from yesterday. It’s not there anymore.”
Oh. He had forgotten about it. “Don’t worry. It wasn’t mine to begin with.”
“You stole it?”
“Well, not exactly. I—”
As expected, she landed a slap on his upper arm. “You thug! You stole someone else’s umbrella right in the middle of a storm?”
“Wait, it was not like that. The old lady—”
He should have known, again, that another slap was coming. “An old lady, Aiden? Seriously?”
“She dropped it; I swear!” he said. “I ran after her for a few blocks to give it back to her, but she vanished into thin air. And that wild chase brought me to the door of a certain house, where a young woman bravely brought me inside. She lives nearby, you might even know her.”
“You’re lucky; in this case, the end justifies the means.”
Aiden had been afraid the sunlight would break the spell between them, but if anything, it made their connection feel more real. “You know what? I think the old lady was, in fact, you from the future. You dropped that umbrella, knowing what would come of it.”
“And I think you watch too many movies and that’s how you’ve come up with such a far-fetched story. Why would I come back all the way from the future to drop an umbrella? Because I wanted so much to meet you?”
“No, because you needed me to rescue you. Keep you safe during the storm.”
Nora gasped. “Remind me. Who almost fainted at the sight of a drop of blood?”
“It wasn’t a drop,” he said under his breath. “Doesn’t matter. In fifty years we’ll know.”
She beamed. “Deal. Wait,” she said as she turned back to the door, “I forgot something.”
In less than a minute she was back, holding a folding umbrella with a black cover. “Here, take this one. Someone left it at a party I threw a long time ago, so at least you’re not stealing it.”
“A gift? You know how to spoil a man. Should I open it now?”
Before he could start taking off the black cover, Nora stopped him. “It’s not raining, silly. It’s for another rainy day.”
He tucked the compact umbrella in his duffel bag, and left it inside by the door. “My lady?” Aiden offered her his arm. Nora accepted, putting her arm in the crook of his, but then slipped her hand downwards, interlacing her fingers with his. Aiden gave her a sideways glance and tried not to smile too broadly.
“I hope you’re hungry. Their food is the best!” Nora spoke with such joy that it was contagious. Aiden couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this content. This was shaping up to be a good day. A perfect day.