CHAPTER 29 Fan Girls And Fan Clubs
December 31, 2010
I woke up panting and disoriented, my forehead moist with cold beads of sweat. “Where the fuck am I?” The room was pitch black, and a second before I started panicking, I made out William’s bean bag and guitar stand on the floor next to me.
We’re in Sagaponack.
The bedroom door flew open. “Billie?” Lily rushed in. “Are you okay?” She sat on the bed next to me.
God. “Yes.” I took my hand to my forehead. “Just a bad dream. Where’s William?”
After seeing William’s lifeless body over a puddle of blood in my dream, I needed to take a look at him to give my adrenal glands the signal to stop pumping cortisol into my circulatory system.
It’d been a while since I had a nightmare, one of those nightmares where Thomas shot William or Caleb. Or both. My guess was the nightmares got triggered by stress. And I’d been stressing out the past few days after my last conversation with my dad on Christmas Eve.
And now, the slight hint of a headache began to pulse in my frontal lobe, reminding me of all the wine we’d drunk last night.
“He went to the grocery store with Joel,” Lily explained. “You know they like going early to avoid it being too busy. The town’s extremely crowded, as you witnessed yesterday.”
Lily and I na?vely thought we could go for a quick run to the liquor store undetected, but many people, tourists and locals alike, were asking to get selfies. They mostly asked Lily, but I was surprised to have people approaching me, too.
After being photographed with William outside of Parson’s and on Christmas Eve, I had been stopped by a few people whenever I went out. Nothing crazy. It was wild, though, to get recognized by random strangers. But being out with Lily made us more visible. Luckily, Aaron was there and escorted us out quickly.
Not only were we celebrating New Year’s Eve, but Lily’s birthday was on January 1st, so there was even more reason to celebrate.
“Didn’t William bring everything he needs to cook tonight’s dinner?” I grabbed the blackout curtain remote and clicked the button to roll them up. It was a somewhat grey day, but the light reflected intensely against the snow, stinging my sleepy eyes.
“He said he was missing some herbs or spices or something like that.” Lily chuckled. “And Joel wanted more beer since they almost finished it last night.”
“Aren’t you hungover?” I stretched my arms over my head with a yawn, making my head throb a bit more. “You seem … fresh.”
“Ehh.” She shrugged. “I’m more scared about what state I will find myself in tomorrow.” She laughed, and I shook my head with a smile. “So, are you feeling better?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I dismissed her concern with a carefree wave. “Did Naomi arrive?”
Naomi was going to attend a New Year’s Eve party in North Haven, only a 15-minute drive from Sagaponack. Lily and Joel invited her over since they had decided to change publicists and hire her instead. They would use this time to discuss media plans for the wedding before she had to leave for that party.
Tobias was doing the switch, too, once he returned from visiting Cecile in Paris.
I’d been wanting to give Aaron some time off work, but he insisted on coming. I wasn’t sure if my dad forced him to work on New Year’s Eve, but I knew Aaron’s father wasn’t doing great, health-wise. I guess he’d rather keep himself busy than spend his time inside his head about it when he couldn’t fly to visit him.
“She arrived about half an hour ago.” Lily’s eyebrow flew up. “Aaron and her have been bickering about every single thing they talk about. Including the correct temperature to drink coffee.” Naturally. Aaron and Naomi had a rocky start when they first met. Whenever they crossed paths, they refused to be cordial to one another. I was hoping they could coexist for a few days. “But I’ve been ignoring them and keeping myself busy with wedding stuff.”
Shit. I’d promised Lily we would go through her to-do list this morning, and I slept in. “Let me take a quick shower, and I’ll meet you downstairs to get started, okay?” I was so embarrassed. With so much going on in my personal life, I hadn’t been the best maid of honor. But I was determined to change that.
The wedding was upon us. Lily and Joel were getting married in June, and I still had a shower to throw and her bachelorette party to organize.
It hadn’t been all so bad, though. Wedding dress “shopping” was so much fun. And I quote shopping because Enzio de Luca designed a gown exclusively for Lily. For free. Of course, photos of Lily wearing it would appear in every fashion magazine, so it was meant to be a win-win for everyone involved in the exchange. However, trying on some existing models to narrow down a specific style and seeing Lily’s excited face was priceless.
There was still so much to do before the big day, and I wanted to show Lily I was there for her.
I showered and changed into leggings and William’s oversized Hammarby hoodie.
The smell of coffee invaded my nostrils as I descended the stairs and headed toward the kitchen. Aaron was sitting in the living room with a book, wearing black cargo pants, a black long-sleeve t-shirt, and boots. I had to do a double take because I almost didn’t recognize him without his suit. But I was glad he’d listened to me. I’d asked him to relax and leave his suits back in Manhattan. He seemed so … domestic.
“Good morning,” I said to Aaron.
“Morning, Miss,” he replied with a nod. I was afraid to make eye contact out of fear that he would jump up from his seat and start following me inside the house. But he didn’t. He’d made himself at home as William and I had insisted he should.
“Did you eat already?”
“I did, Miss. Thank you.”
“What are you reading?” I tilted my head with curiosity.
He lifted the book to show me. The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper. “It’s great so far.”
“I’ll have to borrow it once you’re done.”
“Of course, Miss.” He offered me a tight-lipped smile before turning his attention back to his book.
Lily was sitting at the dining room table with binders, invitation samples, and wedding magazines spread all over it. William was making eggs, and Joel was sitting in one of the high chairs, drinking a cup of coffee and watching William cook. Naomi was nowhere to be seen.
“Good morning.” I ran my arms around his waist and clung to him.
“God morgon, ?lskling.” William kissed the top of my head after I buried my nose in his chest and took in his usual scent of citrus and spices.
“Lily said you had a nightmare.”
I nodded against his chest, unwilling to let go. He broke the embrace for two seconds to turn off the stove and went back to hugging me. “I’m right here.”
“I know.” I looked up at him and jerked my chin at the huge pan with scrambled eggs. “That smells good.”
“You smell good.” He pressed a soft kiss on my lips. “Let me get the plates. There’s fresh coffee in the pot, too.”
“Thanks.” I grabbed a mug and poured myself some much-needed morning fuel. “Joel?”
“Ibuprofen?” He guessed.
“Yup.” I pressed my lips together.
“I’ll get you the bottle.” He offered me a warm smile.
“Thanks.”
Joel’s hair was dyed a bit lighter than his usual brown for a role. Lily hated it, but he’d be done filming before the wedding. The color wasn’t as fair as William’s, but it made their resemblance even more prominent. It was a bit creepy how much they looked alike.
Lily made space for William and me to sit down to eat. When William offered her a plate of eggs, she refused.
“Lily, you need to eat,” I reminded her. Stress is expected when planning a wedding, and she’d been insisting on how stress in general made her lose her appetite. She’d barely touched her dinner last night. But her wedding dress looked beautiful in the previous fitting, so I hoped she made an effort to maintain a healthy weight before the wedding.
Joel placed the ibuprofen bottle next to my plate. Memories of that summer night I spent here and having breakfast the following day with a terrible hangover flooded my mind. It felt like it’d been a million years ago. So much had happened since that day.
“You hungry, babe?” Joel asked Lily as he served some eggs on a plate.
She sighed. “Um, sure.” She closed her binders and put all her stuff to the side in a neat pile to make room for her plate. “I’m so overwhelmed,” she said to no one in particular, a heavy tone of defeat coating her voice. “There is still so much to do, and I swear I can’t think anymore.” She braced her elbows on the table and dragged her fingers through her long caramel hair.
“Isn’t that what the wedding planner’s for?” Joel asked na?vely, bringing two plates to the table and setting one in front of Lily. She drilled him with the meanest side eye. “What?” He sat and picked up his fork with a chuckle. “We’re paying that woman a fortune! You shouldn’t be stressed when it’s her job to do all these things.”
“She can’t decide everything on her own,” Lily snapped at him. “She sends me to-do lists of all the things I need to decide. It’s not like this”—she pointed at the stack beside her with her fork—“is all there needs to be done for the wedding. There are a thousand details and intricacies! Not that you would know since you rarely get involved.”
I lifted my mug and sipped on my coffee. Then, I settled it back on the table and kept to my eggs. The tension was palpable and rising.
“You know I’ve been busy with work and traveling like crazy. It’s not that I don’t care,” Joel retorted. “Besides, the only time you asked for my opinion, it didn’t go well. You’re better than me at all of this. So I’d rather we keep the peace and let you handle the decision-making.”
“I can’t do everything on my own!” Lily dropped her fork, and it clanked on the plate, making me wince. “I’ve been declining job offers left and right because I’m so fucking overwhelmed about everything! I’m afraid the agency might drop me because of it.”
Joel’s jaw flexed as he dragged a rough hand through his hair. “Well, you were the one who insisted on the big wedding.” He stabbed some of the scrambled eggs and took them to his mouth. “You wouldn’t be as stressed if we’d opted for the smaller venue and more intimate guest list.”
Lily’s eyes watered, and her lower lip started trembling. She was staring at Joel with equal parts disappointment and a strong desire to bite his head off. I’d never seen them fighting like this before.
“We decided the type of wedding we wanted together,” she reminded him, waving a hand between them. “I asked you a thousand times if you were okay with a bigger wedding, and on all occasions, you said yes, so don’t put this all on me.”
Joel wiped his mouth with a napkin and parted his lips to speak, but William interrupted him. “Joel.” William blinked slowly at him and said something in Swedish while he shook his head disapprovingly. Joel replied in Swedish in a somewhat heated tone.
“That’s it.” Lily stood, and tears fell down her cheeks as she stared down at Joel. “I fucking hate you sometimes.” She accidentally knocked the binders and magazines off the table, causing them to fall to the floor with a racket. Then, she stormed off toward the stairs.
“Shit … Babe?” Joel pushed back his chair and went after Lily while William and I helped pick up Lily’s stuff from the floor. I didn’t blame her for reacting the way she did. She really was under a lot of stress, and feeling like you don’t have your partner’s support must be frustrating.
“What a dick,” William said, taking back his seat at the table and lifting his cup of coffee to his lips.
“They’re both under a lot of pressure.” I tried to remain neutral because I knew how much Joel adored Lily. They were obsessed with each other, and I knew how excited Joel was about marrying her. Maybe he wasn’t as thrilled about the planning part. But we’re all wired differently. Not everyone knows how to show their support, even when they care. But he was covering 100% of the wedding cost and continuously agreed to every detail Lily requested because he wanted to please her.
Joel had always been the more reserved of the brothers when it came to expressing his feelings in general. And no one knew him better than Lily. I was sure they would work things out after she had the chance to vent about her feelings with him.
William and I returned to our breakfast, and once we were finished, I took our plates to the sink. When I walked back to the table there was a medium-sized green box with a silver ribbon made into a beautiful bow.
“This for me?”
He nodded. “Your delayed Christmas present is finally here.”
My heart was jumping with excitement inside my chest. I’d given William his present on the 25th, but he asked me to give him a few days to finish sorting “something” out. I’d been dying to find out what it was, and now it was finally time to open it.
I pulled on the ribbon to undo the bow and lifted the lid. At the top, an envelope read, “9A,” and beneath it were two other items. One was wrapped in red tissue paper, and the other was a black nondescript box.
“Open it.” He flashed me a naughty smile.
It was a white bikini. A tiny, stringy, white bikini with a Brazilian-style cut that would surely put 90% of my ass on display. I’d never owned something like this.
I loved it!
“I know I said I’d get you a red one when the hot tub was ready to use, but when I saw this one, I couldn’t resist.”
“Thank you!” I stood and sat on his lap to kiss his face silly while I looped my arms around his neck. “Can’t wait to wear it.”
“How about we spend all day tomorrow in the hot tub?” He pulled me closer by the waist. I nodded and pressed my forehead against his. “Now open the rest of your gifts.”
I went for the other item inside the box, leaving the envelope for last. When I unwrapped it, I gasped. “William!” It was a Leica M9 camera. But not just any M9, it was the Titanium Edition. “This costs more than twenty thousand dollars!” After my father told me he’d stop financing my studies, I lost all hope of being able to afford a new camera. I’d been saving up to buy the regular Leica M9, which went for a 1/5th of the price, and I had stupidly shared that piece of information with William. But, of course, he went out of his way to get the Titanium Edition, which had only been in the market for a month.
“The company only manufactured five hundred of these,” he said proudly. “Since it’s a collectible, it’ll be worth even more in a few years.”
“How on Earth did you get your hands on one?” I asked as I scrutinized the parts, unwilling to set it up. A part of me was still processing the fact that this camera was mine.
“With my Black Amex card?” He laughed, and I elbowed him playfully in the stomach. “It was all Alice. I was in Vancouver and freaking out about wanting to get it for you, but she made it happen.”
Ugh, as if I needed any more reasons to love Alice.
“I’m speechless.” I hugged him tightly and pressed my face in the crook of his neck. “Thank you so much. I absolutely love it.”
“Of course. I’m glad you love it.” He stared into my eyes with his signature hypnotizing look, the kind that sucked me in and made time stop. “You still need to open the envelope.”
“Right.” I shook my head twice to snap out of my trance and took a deep breath. “I’m nervous about this.”
“Just open it.”
I tugged on the envelope’s flap and pulled out a handwritten letter.
Valid for a trip to the Australian Open in Melbourne
from January 16th - January 23rd. Yes … Liam is coming.
Tobias too.
Merry Christmas, ?lskling.
W.S.
My audible gasp made William laugh. “I’ve never been to Australia.” I was stunned with excitement, but my smile quickly melted off my face when my father came to mind. How was I going to pull this off? The semester started on January 21st, but I didn’t think it would be an issue if I missed the first two days of school.
“I was thinking we could have to fly to L.A. on the 14th since I’m presenting an award at the Golden Globes on the 15th, and I would love for you to come with me. I’m also required to meet with the production company to sign the paperwork for the Haldor Stormbreaker movie deal and will probably have to pay a visit to the costume designers and have my measurements taken. We would then fly to Australia the next day.” He grabbed my hand and kissed it. “Enzio de Luca will have a few dress options waiting for you in L.A. if you agree to come with me to the Golden Globes.”
My jaw dropped to the floor. That was a lot to take in, and William must’ve seen it written all over my face because he laughed. This was going to be our first red carpet event together as a couple. Media from all over the world would be there to cover the event. It was equal parts terrifying and exciting.
I was speechless.
“Is that …a yes?” William lifted his brows expectantly. I turned to look at him, and my face must’ve worried him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I—” I chewed on my lower lip. “What if my dad says I can’t go?”
“Do we even have to ask for his permission?” William mused. “After your last conversation with him, I thought there was no reason to worry about him anymore. There’s nothing left for him to barter with to make you do as he pleases. And I believe you and I agreed that you’d let me take care of you.” He tucked a hair behind my ear and kissed the sensitive spot below it.
My father had made it perfectly clear: It was either him or William. And I’d made my choice before he even finished that sentence. As easy a choice as it was, it came with a price. A lofty price. And it weighed heavily on my soul. A part of me wanted to cling to the father I thought I had for years. The one that called me kiddo and smiled warmly at me whenever he saw me. The one who protected me without hurting me.
The problem was, as the years went by, his grip tightened around me in a slow, progressive way. And by the time I realized it, I was already suffocating and gasping for air. But he hadn’t always been like that. I remember a different James Murphy, the one before my mom died. But I didn’t think I’d ever see him again.
The father-daughter relationship I had, or thought I had, was severed. And I had nothing left to do but accept that and grow the fuck up. It was time to start owning my choices, as ugly and emotionally straining as it was.
“You know what? You’re right. Let’s do this.”
William flashed me a grin and pulled me closer to his chest. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Oh, I have no doubts about that.” I stood and rubbed my hands excitedly. I was going to Australia! And with William, nonetheless.
Aaron set his book on the coffee table and walked to the kitchen.
“What are we going to do with—?” I jerked my chin at Aaron, who was pouring himself another cup of coffee. I leaned in and said, “He’ll obviously find out and inform my dad. We can’t leave without him.”
“There’s more than enough space for Aaron on the plane,” William whispered back. “Since we’re attending a big party for Coop Craft Brewery on the 22nd, having Aaron present wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
“Okay.” I walked to the kitchen and braced my arms on the counter. “Aaron?”
He peeked my way over his cup as he sipped on his coffee. “Yes, Miss Murphy?”
“William and I are going to Australia on January 16,” I said casually, as if that was all William and I did. Travel all the time. Aaron cleared his throat and settled his cup of coffee on the counter. “And I thought it might be a good idea for you to come with us.”
“Have you discussed this with your father, Miss?” He cocked an eyebrow and crossed his arms at his chest.
“I … no.” I sat on one of the stools, but Aaron shook his head, hesitation etched on the forming crease between his brows. “I wasn’t planning on asking for his permission.”
“I’ll have to report this to your father,” he said. “We can’t leave the country without notifying him.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t ask you to do that,” I replied, “You can tell him. I don’t mind.”
“He’ll say no.”
“I know.” I sighed. “But there’s nothing he can do to stop me from going. He’s already taken everything from me. Money, credit cards, his trust and support.” Even his love. But I didn’t say it. Fuck, I hated it so much that it hurt me deeply to lose him. “There’s nothing left for him to manipulate me with. He’s even going to stop paying for school in September. I have nothing left to lose.”
“Are you attending any public events?”
“We are,” William intervened. “But Agent Hawthorne would be flying with us, too. Although I think we’ll see little of him once we get there. You know he usually flies under the radar and ensures everything’s fine from a distance.”
“I’ll have to coordinate the outings with Agent Hawthorne, though,” Aaron said. “I can’t risk having anything happen to Miss Murphy while we’re abroad. Especially if we’re flying to the other side of the world against her father’s will.”
“You can count on it,” William said in a confident tone. “And rest assured your travel expenses will be covered for the entirety of the trip.”
Aaron nodded once.
“Is that … a yes?” I asked cautiously.
“Yes, Miss Murphy.” Aaron pressed his lips into a tight smile.
“Yay!” I got off the stool and rounded the counter to tackle Aaron with a hug. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
Aaron tapped my shoulder a few times in an almost robotic way. But I knew that was his way of showing affection. William couldn’t withhold a chuckle. Aaron and I had hugged before, but only in deeply vulnerable situations. He wasn’t great at happy hugs, or so it seemed.
“Oh, hi, Billie!”
Aaron winced at the sound of Naomi’s voice as she came down the stairs. He broke off the embrace, mumbling something in Hebrew.
“Be nice,” I whispered. Aaron grabbed his cup of coffee and fled to the living room before Naomi could reach us.
Naomi placed two manila folders and a notebook on the table and met me halfway for a hug.
“How are you doing?” I asked.
“Drowning in work.” She grimaced. “Thank you for letting me borrow Tobias’s room to make a few calls,” she said to William. “I was hoping I could use the bedroom again to get dressed before I leave for this New Year’s event.”
“Of course.” He smiled. “Whatever you need.”
“But you are staying over for dinner, right?” I asked. I liked Naomi and wanted to get to know her better. She was such a badass and I admired her.
Naomi’s gaze flicked toward Aaron for a beat before saying, “Yes! Yes, of course!”
“And speaking of dinner,” William said, walking behind the kitchen counter and pulling out a huge cutting board from the top drawer, “I should get started.”
“This early?” I glanced at my wristwatch. It wasn’t even noon yet.
William chuckled. “I’m afraid so.”
“Need any help?” I offered out of pure habit.
“Actually, yeah.”
“What do you need?” My eyes widened with equal parts panic and surprise. William never let me help in the kitchen. He was too much of a perfectionist to allow a vegetable to be diced in anything other than a flawless brunoise, julienne, or whatever cut the dish required. That’s why I always opted to do the dishes instead. Scrub. Rinse. Repeat.
“Could you put on my cooking playlist and stop looking like you’ve been called to the principal’s office?” He laughed.
“That I can do.”
Naomi and I had been chatting for a while, waiting for Joel and Lily to come down and sign the contracts, but they hadn’t left their room. As much as Naomi tried to disguise it, I could see her growing impatient-slash-nervous since Lily and Joel were two big names she would be adding to her client list. But I assured her they were more than excited about working with her.
Naomi had done a terrific job handling the press since my relationship with William was formally announced, and the Sj?bergs were well aware of that heroic task. In the past, any woman William was seen dating in anything more than a casual setting would automatically receive a lot of hate from the fans and become heavily scrutinized by the press. She even brought a few magazine clips to show me we had nothing to worry about.
“We have a situation, though,” Naomi said, looking at Aaron as he stared out the window. It had just started to snow.
“What is it?” My brow furrowed with both concern and curiosity.
Naomi unlocked her phone, and after a few clicks, she showed me what “the situation” was all about.
“Oh. My. God.” I covered my mouth and glanced at Aaron, who was still looking out the window in an almost meditative, Zen-like state. And then I burst into laughter. “This is absolutely insane.”
Aaron had his own fan club.
An entire website dedicated to posting random photos of Aaron as he kept watch outside of Parsons, but mostly on our last Christmas outing, flooded the page. They had a Facebook group and Twitter account linked to the fan club.
“I created a fake account to request to join the Facebook group and follow the Twitter account to keep tabs on what they’re saying,” she said with a laugh. “And they really love him.” Her laugh turned into a faint scowl as her attention drifted toward Aaron.
“If only they’d met Caleb,” I said wistfully. Monuments would’ve been raised in his name.
“Who’s Caleb?” Naomi angled her head to the side. I shouldn’t have mentioned him. But at the same time, talking about him helped.
“He was my bodyguard and one of my best friends,” I explained. “Caleb was like a little brother to Aaron. He died nine months ago.”
“Oh, no.” Naomi’s eyes went round with sympathy. “I’m so sorry for your loss.” Her two upper teeth pressed into her bottom lip as she, once again, looked in Aaron’s direction.
“The girls at school back in Paris would faint at the sight of him,” I said with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. “He had an unofficial fan club, and I was undoubtedly its first member.”
Naomi laughed. “So who’s telling him?” She jerked her chin toward a pacing Aaron, who didn’t seem to know what to do with his free time.
“Who’s telling who what?” William leaned down to kiss my temple. He took a seat beside me, twisted open the cap of his beer, and took a long sip. “Can I get you guys anything to drink?”
Naomi and I were drinking water, so we were good. It was still early for me to start drinking alcohol. My headache had settled down, and I needed to hydrate before tonight.
“Aaron has a fan club,” I whispered.
“Not at all surprised by it,” William replied with a grin. “I mean, look at him. He’s a tall, dark, brooding, mysterious stud.”
Naomi snorted and picked up her glass of water to give it a drink.
“I mean, do we have to tell him?” I pondered. “I say we wait until tomorrow at least. Let him ring in the New Year in peace.”
“You never know.” William took another sip of his beer. “He might be thrilled.”
“You act like you don’t know him.” I laughed. “Let’s just … let him be. For now.”
“Yes, ma’am.” William smirked and saluted me with two fingers. “You sure you don’t want anything to drink?”
“You know what?” Naomi replied. “I’ll have some red wine if you have any.”
“Of course.” William stood. “I think I still have a case of Nemorino’s.” He winked at me and walked away to get the wine.
“Oh, I’d go easy on that one,” I warned Naomi playfully.
“Why?” She asked with a chuckle, looking at William walking over to us with a bottle, a wineglass, and his new automatic corkscrew.
“Because it makes you fall in love,” he said, singing the last word. “How else did you think I got this one to finally give me the time of day?” William jerked his chin in my direction, and I rolled my eyes.
“Um, okay. Now I need you to tell me everything about how you two met and fell in love.”
“I’ll tell you all about it,” William drawled.
“Go cook and let me do the talking.” I Jedi-hand-waved him.
William laughed as he poured a glass of Nemorino’s for Naomi. “Bossiest woman I’ve ever met.” He shot me a playful stare as he slid Naomi’s wineglass in her direction.
“And I’m sure you love it,” she said, lifting the wineglass and taking a sip. “Don’t tell me you’d rather be with a fan girl who’d worship you on her knees all day.”
“Well, she does quite a lot of that, too.” William sipped on his beer.
“William!” I slapped his shoulder, feeling mortified. Naomi and I were friendly, but we weren’t blowjob-joke kind of close yet. She was William’s publicist, so I always did my best to behave myself in a somewhat professional manner around her.
Naomi burst into laughter, and William almost spit out his beer.
Something chimed in the kitchen.
“Saved by the bell.” William was quick to flee and resumed his self-imposed chef duties, leaving me and my burning pink cheeks to deal with the embarrassment on my own.
“That was my fault entirely,” Naomi said, easing out of the laughter. “I only thought about how bad it sounded a second after I said it.”
“Oh, you’re fine.” I couldn’t help but laugh too.
William returned with two large plates—one with a mountain of grilled cheese sandwiches and another with wavy potato chips. “Grilled cheese for lunch because my oven and stove are busy right now with more pressing matters.”
“This is perfect, William,” Naomi said. “Thank you so much.”
“Of course.” He took a half sandwich and returned to the kitchen.
“Aaron?” I called. He quickly approached the table. “Lunch is ready. Are you hungry?” I feared he’d starve to death if I didn’t tell him to come and eat. Although he was doing great so far, as I knew it was hard for him to act so casually around us.
“Yes, thank you, Miss.”
William returned with a few plates and a couple of wine glasses and left them on the table.
Naomi lifted the bottle of Nemorino’s and said, “What do you say, Hirsch? Ready to fall in love?”
Plot twist.
With a quirk of his eyebrow, Aaron accepted Naomi’s offer and allowed her to pour him a glass.