CHAPTER 42 I Love You
September 2, 2011
Aaron was driving me home from school, and it was already dark out. The first week of my last semester at Parsons was over, and I couldn’t believe I’d be graduating in less than four months. My classes this semester were held in the afternoon, so the magazine switched me to the morning schedule from 9 to 1. It was tight since I had my first class at 1:45 p.m. every day, and traffic was a constant pain in the ass. But I would grab something to go from Haute’s cafeteria and have lunch in the car as Aaron rushed to Parsons.
William had left for good a few days ago, having been in and out between L.A. and New York all summer. But it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. The leading up to it was worse, for sure. This wasn’t the first time William had left for work, so even if it would be for a more extended period, we were feeling confident in the routine we had established in the past for when he did.
News of William being cast for the role of Haldor Stormbreaker and his involvement in the MC Comic franchise not only as an actor but as a producer as well had been finally fed to the media. His fans were blown away by the news and flooded him with support on social media.
With Labor Day weekend upon us, Naomi promised to take the rest of the day off and attend a boxing lesson with me. I’d resumed my sessions with Grant since he was helping William prepare for the role, and I’d forgotten how much I liked it.
Before William left, he paid Grant to train me twice a week for the entire semester. This time, he told me before he did it. And I was thankful for his support because I wouldn’t have been able to continue my boxing lessons if William hadn’t offered to pay for them. As uncomfortable as it made me feel to accept, I knew I needed to swallow down my pride. It makes me happy to be able to do these things for you, he insisted. And in turn, I wanted to make him happy, so here we were.
Naomi was stressed about her mother’s health and financial struggles. I had told her how I’d found boxing to be an incredible outlet for dealing with emotional and work stress. Sign me up, she had said immediately.
When we got home, I rushed to get changed and texted Naomi to let her know I’d meet her at the gym in a few minutes. But as I tied my shoelaces, a text from Cecile dropped in.
Cecile:Want to hang out tonight? We can order Chinese from that place you like.
Me: Of course! I’m at the gym now, but how about we meet
at my apartment in an hour?
Cecile: Parfait!:)
I was still wrapping my head around Cecile being permanently based in New York. It felt like the universe had sent me one of my best friends to compensate for moving my boyfriend to the opposite coast. And I was glad I could be there for her, too, because her attempt to reactivate things with Tobias hadn’t gone as planned. She had the opportunity to talk to him a few days after Joel and Lily’s wedding, but he was reluctant to jump back into a relationship with her, afraid that something would go wrong between them again.
Tobias insisted he didn’t want to put himself in a vulnerable position when he was finally starting to feel better about everything. Instead, he proposed a friendship, but Cecile felt humiliated and refused. She couldn’t accept that. She loved him, and she was sure that he loved her back but wanted her to suffer like he had. But she had suffered her fair share, too, maybe as much as he had. He just didn’t know. She didn’t think it would matter if he did.
Tobias filming a mini-series in Toronto only made matters more complicated. Even if he came to New York often, their busy schedules prevented them from truly considering the friendship Tobias had proposed—assuming she would’ve accepted it in the first place, of course.
Cecile accepted her fate and instead tried to enjoy New York, make new friends at school, and focus on her studies. There was no going back to Paris. Tobias wasn’t the only reason she wanted to be here, and she was convinced of it before deciding to come.
The elevator stopped at the second floor, the door sliding soundlessly open, and the first thing I saw was Aaron standing next to the gym’s glass door. His eyes had looked weary since this morning, but he rarely looked tired, not even when it was warranted.
“Hey,” I said, closing the distance between us and checking the time on my phone. I was seven minutes late. “You don’t have to keep watch. Go rest.” My last two words sounded more like an order, as intended.
Naomi’s laughter filtered out from the gym. I peered inside, and Grant was bandaging her hands with a big smile on his face. “I’ll be right there!” I shouted, slinging my attention back to Aaron.
His brows pulled down. “I’m good.”
“You don’t seem good,” I pointed out. “You look like you need to go to bed early and take the weekend off. Is everything okay?” I didn’t have much planned for this weekend, but I’d be willing to cancel everything to have Aaron stay home and rest.
He turned away with a snort, not a trace of humor in the gesture.
Naomi opened the glass door and peeked out. “All done,” she said, lifting a gloved hand. “Grant’s ready for you.”
“I’ll be right in.” I smiled.
“Okay.” She smiled back and returned inside.
“Go,” I said to Aaron. “Your apartment is right there.” I pointed at his door. “When’s the last time you slept?”
He regarded me in silence. His hermeticism was higher than usual.
Naomi and Grant laughed again, and Aaron winced almost imperceptibly, but he did.
“You like her.” I was done with the there is nothing to talk about narrative Aaron kept spinning whenever I asked him about Naomi. She was in denial about Aaron, but there was a palpable tension between them, a new and different kind of tension.
Aaron’s jaw flexed.
“You’ve liked her all this time,” I pushed. “Haven’t you?” It was more than evident at this point. He was exhausted and sleep-deprived, and still, he wanted to stay out here and keep watch with the excuse of it being work when I knew he just wanted to check on Naomi.
Aaron’s affection for Naomi had been noticeable for a while, especially after witnessing the tender way in which he had carried her back to the car when she tripped outside of William’s last premiere we attended and then took her to the hospital. And his reaction to seeing her kissing a guy at Lily’s wedding told me everything I needed to know.
Chatting with Naomi after the wedding, she mentioned Aaron was upset that day because of the optics. To the world, they were still dating. And Aaron said she’d make him look like a fool for acting that way. But I knew better than to buy that story because Aaron doesn’t give a fuck about what people think. He was jealous. Period. And something told me Naomi had done that to taunt him, even if she denied it when I asked.
If she had, it worked.
Ultimately, the wedding kiss incident led to Aaron asking Naomi to officially end the fake relationship, which had attracted some media attention since its announcement. He was tired of it, for sure. But Naomi complied and leaked the news of them “going separate ways but remaining on good terms” since it had served its original purpose anyway.
Aaron sighed and met my gaze. “From the first moment I saw her.”
His admission didn’t come as a surprise, but it stunned me, nonetheless. “Does she know?”
A small, tired laugh left his lips. “She’s as clever as they come.”
“Billie!” Grant shouted before I could ask anything else. Having this window of communication with Aaron was rare. “We’re running late, girl! Let’s go!”
Aaron jerked his chin toward the glass door, his dark blue eyes heavy with feeling. “Go.”
There was something Aaron wasn’t telling me.
Grant was kind enough to give us the whole class despite starting fifteen minutes late since we were his last clients of the day.
Naomi loved it. She’d been great, too, and was planning to join me once a week, claiming she didn’t have the time or budget for two weekly sessions.
Grant left, and Naomi and I went to the bathroom to wash up. But when we stepped out of the gym, we saw Aaron crouching against the window across from us. His phone was on the floor a few feet away from him.
“Aaron?” Naomi’s voice was filled with panic as we hurried his way. “What’s wrong?” She knelt on the floor beside him and placed her hand on his arm, but his hands remained on his face.
“Aaron, what is it?” I insisted, picking up his phone from the floor.
His eyes were red-rimmed and brimming with tears. The only time I’d seen him like this was when Caleb died.
Oh, no …
“It’s my father,” he said with a broken voice, confirming my suspicions. “He’s gone.”
“Oh, Aaron.” Naomi hugged him, and her weight forced him to sit back. Aaron’s father had been sick for years, but his health had deteriorated quickly in the past few months. It’d been weeks since I last asked Aaron about him. It’d become easier for me to detect when Aaron was worried about him. But I’d been mistaken to think it was all because of Naomi.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, choking on the words as hot, sudden tears streamed down my cheeks. I looked away because Aaron’s pain was overwhelming, and if anyone knew what losing a parent felt like, it was me. The unexpected news blasted a bomb of emotions inside my chest.
Naomi stood and helped Aaron to his feet.
“I’m sorry,” I said again, embracing him. I cried against his chest, and I could feel his tears pooling at the top of my head as our bodies shuddered almost in unison.
A barely perceptible sob escaped Naomi’s throat, and she covered her mouth as if to stifle it. It appeared as if she was trying to show strength, but if she was, she’d lost the battle. Tears flowed down her cheeks, and she hugged us both, and we hugged her back.
Long seconds later, I broke the embrace and said, “I’ll talk to Miss Patty and have her book you on the next flight to Tel Aviv.” I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. “I’ll take care of everything.”
Aaron blew out a breath. “Thank you.”
“I’m coming with you,” Naomi said.
“You can’t.” Aaron’s voice was low and shaky. “You are flooded with work. Your clients need you.”
“I’m not asking.” Her tone was resolute. “I’m coming. I can manage to work remotely for a few days.”
“And what about your mother,” Aaron insisted. “You can’t leave the country. What if she—”
“She’s been doing fine these past few weeks,” Naomi cut him off gently. “She’s been stable.”
Aaron stared down at Naomi; the height difference was endearing, almost comical, since she was not wearing her usual high heels. And still, that cute, curly-haired, tiny thing had Aaron wrapped around her finger. But the reciprocity was as clear as day because a workaholic like Naomi willing to drop everything and leave the country for a funeral spoke volumes.
“My family will harass you with questions,” he warned her, rubbing his tired face with his hands. “Especially my aunts who know no boundaries. Don’t think you will be exempt from being questioned because it’s my father’s funeral. It will be awkward and—”
“I don’t care!” Naomi shouted, stopping him mid-sentence. “I don’t care.” Her tone softened. “Do you want me to come or not?”
Aaron considered Naomi’s question in silence. Then, he took a step forward, which made her arch her head back to level with Aaron’s intense, ink-blue gaze. “I don’t even want to imagine doing this without you.”
I pressed my lips together and looked away as I lifted a tight fist over my mouth. It was the only thing I could think of doing to prevent myself from falling to my knees and squealing with excitement.
“Okay, then,” Naomi replied in a breath.
I felt like an intruder, like my presence was hindering the flow of their interaction. As much as I wanted to witness how the scene would unfold, I knew it was best to make myself scarce.
“I’ll make sure Miss Patty includes you in the reservation,” I told Naomi, my tone an octave higher. I cleared my throat and tried to keep my cool as I walked backward toward the elevator. “You guys should go pack and get ready.”
Aaron’s lips twitched into a tender, relieved smile. I was glad Naomi would keep him company during the tricky days ahead. Besides, he needed time off work. It was way overdue. He was allowed to take vacations. But Aaron never allowed himself to do so. My father could easily find a temporary replacement for him during that time. Not that it was necessary.
“Thank you, Billie.” Naomi smiled, grabbed Aaron’s hand, and intertwined her fingers with his. The ease and familiarity of the gesture let me know this wasn’t a first-time thing. “You need to rest before the trip.” Naomi pulled Aaron toward their apartment. Thankfully, I wasn’t the only one who thought so. “And you need to eat something. Come on, I’ll make you one of my horrible sandwiches.”
Aaron snorted a soft laugh.
Naomi’s genuine concern for Aaron was adorable and made my heart swell. He ran an arm around Naomi’s shoulders and kissed the top of her head. He said something to her in Hebrew, to which she replied with a simple, “Of course,” and then, “Always.”
I knew their story was complicated, and I also knew that all I saw was nothing but the tip of the iceberg. But tragedy has a mysterious way of bringing people together. I remember how Caleb and I had first connected through our shared emotional struggles. We’d both lost someone dear to us, but we had each other to talk to about things. And I hoped it did that for Naomi and Aaron, as well.
Aaron peeked over his shoulder at me and dipped his chin in appreciation.
I turned on my heel and sent Miss Patty a text explaining the situation so she could alert my father and help Aaron organize his trip back home for the funeral. And when I arrived at my doorstep, I saw Cecile standing there waiting for me.
“Hey!” I hugged her and shared the news about Aaron’s dad passing away once we were inside. And before I could even kick off my shoes, a few texts from Aaron popped up in my screen.
Aaron:Thank you, Miss Murphy. Miss Patty has contacted me, and we’ll be leaving tomorrow first thing in the morning.
Aaron:My family called me last week to let me know my father’s condition was dire. So I’d been waiting for them
to call me all week, dreading the moment they’d tell me he had passed away. That’s why I haven’t been sleeping well and why I’ve been a bit off.
Me:You don’t have to explain yourself or anything. I
completely understand. I’m glad Miss Patty was able
to help you so quickly. Love you.
I’d never told Aaron that I loved him before. It just slipped out. But I did. He was like family to me, the older brother I never had. And knowing how much pain he was in made me want to let him know how much I cared about him.
Aaron didn’t reply, but I didn’t need him to. I knew he loved me, too.