27. Tell Me To Leave
TELL ME TO LEAVE
TARA
After the days sessions, I meet Chris in the bar for a drink before dinner.
“So, how did you like your first day of the conference?” he asks, pouring his beer into the rather expensive looking glass the waiter had left him.
We’re settled into one of the booths, and I find it difficult to concentrate on our conversation while my eyes are drawn to the void above us, looking at the elevators and twinkling lights.
Pulling my attention back to my friend, I smile. “It was good. I found it more interesting than I thought I would.”
“Yeah, they get some pretty good speakers at the international conferences. Not that we don’t have decent experts back home or anything,” he’s quick to add, looking around to make sure no one overheard him.
In this industry, it pays not to get anyone offside, when you have no idea if you’re going to need their help at a later date.
“This is your second one, isn’t it? ”
He moved up in the industry when he left our office, and has been making a bit of a name for himself, which is amazing to see.
“Yeah. Morgan was able to come along on the last one, when we went to Hong Kong, but she had some stuff she had to do this time, so it’s just me.”
Knowing how hard it is for them to spend nights apart, I assume it’s something really important if she wasn’t able to join.
“Yeah, now that you mention it, I haven’t seen much of Morgan in a while, other than the wedding. Is work really busy at the moment?”
Chris shrugs. “Yeah, a little,” he says, and I eye him closely, wondering why he’s being so evasive.
Hoping nothing serious is going on with my friends, I allow the subject change when he asks me what I got up to last night.
“Aiden and I checked out the food market nearby, and then he took me to a dance club he found.”
Chris whistles. “Wow, that sounds like fun. Better than my solo dinner and early night to bed.”
“Yeah, it was, actually,” I reply, smiling as I remember how fun it had been… until it got weird.
“So you’re friends with him now?”
I shrug. “Yeah. I realised it was mostly me just being grumpy that was the problem. Things with Lis and then Dad have been getting to me more than I realised and I’d turned into a right old bitch.”
Chris tilts his head to the side while he studies me. “How is Annelisa?”
“Well, she says she’s fine, but she’s rarely honest with me these days, so I don’t know if I believe that.”
He’s quiet for a moment. “Did she mention Morgan reached out to her?”
I stare at him, stunned. “No. How did Morgan manage that?”
“Her author's social media profile. Guess her publisher forced her to have more of an online presence. They’ve chatted a bit. Nothing too in depth, but Morgan was so happy when she heard from her.”
I nod, remembering how hurt Morgan had been when Annelisa, her best friend since kindergarten, had just disappeared without a word.
Of everyone, Morgan had the most reason to be hurt, after Will, of course, but she’d just been worried and hadn’t shown any anger.
Chris, however, has been pissed enough for the both of them, angry at Annelisa for abandoning not only his wife but his best friend.
I’m actually surprised that Annelisa had replied to her, as she’d been so determined to only keep contact with Mum and me.
“Well, I’m glad she responded. I’ve been worried about her, over there by herself and refusing to communicate about whatever her problem was,” I say, and Chris nods.
“Yeah… Will has said a few things over the years, but I guess… It’s stuff she needs to sort through herself.”
This is the first I’ve heard that Will has told anyone about what might have caused Annelisa to run off.
I fight the urge to ask Chris about it, not wanting to get any further wrapped up in the drama around my sister and her ex.
But in my role as little sister, it’s fighting against years of needing to know everything there is to know about the woman I used to idolise.
“How is Will doing?” I ask instead, surprising myself.
Chris raises an eyebrow. “I thought talk of Will was off limits?”
I shrug. “I’m not a complete bitch. I might be mad at him about how he handled stuff with me, but I don’t hate him. He didn’t deserve what Lis put him through.”
Chris’ expression darkens. “No, he definitely didn’t. It sucks watching him try to move on but being unable to put her behind him.”
I know Will has become a regular guest at their house, and I’m relieved that he at least has people who love him to help him through it all. Even if it couldn’t be me.
This conversation has taken a much darker turn than I thought it would, and it seems to dawn on Chris at the same time as it occurs to me. He clears his throat and checks his watch.
“Anyway, I should probably call Morgan before I get ready for dinner. I’ll see you in a bit?”
I nod, finishing my glass of wine. “Yep. Say hi to Morgan for me.”
He nods and heads off towards the elevators. I wait a few minutes before doing the same, wanting to have a little time to myself while I process the conversation we’d just had.
I’m quieter at dinner than I intend. Aiden has given up on trying to draw me into the conversation he’s having with his uncles when I’m unable to muster up more than a few words in response to his questions.
Once the meal has been cleared away, the band that had been setting up while we were eating starts playing, drawing a small crowd onto the dance floor.
“Dance with me?” Aiden asks, standing and reaching out a hand.
I take it, allowing him to lead me out onto the dance floor. The music has changed to a slower song, and he slides his hand to the small of my back, pulling me a little closer.
“You okay?” he asks, and I suspect that this is the real reason we’re dancing, getting me away from the rest of our colleagues.
“Yeah. Just had a weird conversation with Chris earlier and it’s messed with my head a bit.”
His expression hardens a little at the mention of Chris, which I think is strange but don’t comment on. He doesn’t reply, simply nodding before leading me into a slow spin.
I swear, this guy can dance to anything .
After an hour, I’ve had enough of socialising, and excuse myself to head up to bed.
“I’ll head up too. I need an early night after my crap sleep last night,” Aiden says, nodding towards his uncles and the two people from the Melbourne office.
They seem like they are settling in for a late night, glasses already cluttering their side of the table.
They wave goodbye, and Aiden follows me towards the elevators.
He’s been a bit weird with me ever since our first dance, and if I hadn’t been so preoccupied with my thoughts, I’d be wondering if I’d done something wrong.
He walks quietly beside me as we head down the long hall towards our rooms. When I pull out my room key, he moves closer, and I look up to find him watching me with an expression I can’t quite read.
“What’s going on with you and Chris?” he asks.
I raise an eyebrow. “Um… what?”
“Are you into him? Is that why things were weird between us last night?”
I gape at him, trying to wrap my head around his words. “Um… No. He’s just a really good friend. A very married friend,” I add.
Aiden has the sense to look a little ashamed. “Oh.”
“Yeah. So nothing is going on there. But what would it matter if something was going on?”
He groans, letting his head drop back and staring up at the ceiling. “All day, I’ve been trying to work out what happened between us last night.”
I lean my shoulder against my door. “What do you think happened between us last night?”
He brings his gaze back to mine. “I’m pretty sure we were seconds from kissing.”
My heart rate picks up while we continue to scan each other’s faces. He takes a step closer to me, and my breath hitches when he pushes my hair back behind my ear .
“Aiden?” I ask, my voice barely louder than a whisper while he gazes at my lips.
“Tell me to leave,” he whispers back.
I shake my head, unable to speak.
“Tell me it’s all in my head.”
Another head shake.
His lips hover over mine. “Tell me not to kiss you.”
“Kiss me,” I whisper.
He surges forward, claiming my lips with his own while holding my face, cupping my right cheek while guiding me back against the door. My arms move of their own accord, hands sliding up his back and pulling him close while I rise onto my toes to get closer.
It’s a kiss unlike any I’ve had before, full of pent up frustration and weeks of dancing around each other. I can feel his hunger when his tongue swipes across my lower lip, seeking access, and I part my lips, stroking his tongue with mine.
A soft moan echoes down the hall, and I realise it’s come from me, my body singing out for more.
“We should stop,” he whispers against my lips, before moving to kiss my neck, and I melt further into his arms.
“Or… you could come in?”
He pulls back, looking me in the eye. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
In all my life, I’ve never considered sleeping with someone that I’ve not been on even a single date with, but my hormones are screaming at me. Years of involuntary celibacy ready to be broken.
So I don’t hesitate for even a second when I bring my lips to his ear and whisper. “I want you.”
I feel a shudder run through him, right before he grips my chin and devours me.