24. "Do you want me to kiss you like that too?"
The next morning, when I woke up, I was laying on the couch, and Aiden was on the floor with his head using my arm as a pillow while he slept. I rubbed my face and blinked to clear my vision. I didn't remember when I fell asleep.
All the revelations from the previous night hit me like a ton of bricks.
Aiden's vulnerability. His true, broken side.
His confessions. His pain. My heart ached yet again.
It was unbelievable that someone could brutally murder an entire family over a business deal.
So inhumane and barbaric. The fact that Aiden had to witness that at only the age of fourteen was heartbreaking.
My train of thoughts was interrupted as Aiden stirred, before he sat up straight, looking around.
"Hey." I said softly when his eyes rested on me. I didn't have it in me to say good morning after he told me the story of his trauma last night.
"Hi." His voice was sleepy.
I bit my lip nervously as he continued sitting on the floor, looking at me.
"Um... let's freshen up and have breakfast." I suggested.
"I don't want to eat." He replied quietly.
My heart ached. "I'll make really good pancakes for both of us. You'll love them, trust me."
He shook his head.
"Please, Aiden." I requested.
"Fine." He agreed after a couple minutes of pensiveness.
I smiled. "Great. I'll use the bathroom first."
He didn't respond as I rose from the couch.
After using the bathroom, I went to the kitchen and let Nina know that I would be making breakfast. I started working on the batter, and eventually, just as I was serving the last pancake on a plate, Aiden walked into the kitchen.
He wore a white dress shirt and black pants.
The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, adding to his attractiveness.
I served him his breakfast and then sat down with mine, opposite to him.
His eyes were hooded and a bit swollen from all the crying last night.
It pained me seeing him like that. A man whom everyone believed to be dangerous and deadly.
It was astounding how he was actually a pained soul.
I remembered his family picture. He was once a young boy who knew how to smile.
I bet he knew no sorrows back then. And then he was robbed of his innocence, his happiness, his loved ones.
"What are you thinking?" His voice brought me back to the present.
I blinked. "Um... about work."
"Do you want the day off if you're tired?"
I gave him a small smile and shook my head. "I'm not tired. Besides, I like working."
He nodded, taking the first bite of his pancake.
I watched him eagerly. "Is it good?"
He nodded, swallowing. "Very good."
I beamed at him. "Oh I forgot, I should make you coffee as well."
I was about to stand when he grasped my hand and made me sit back down. "Maybe later. Eat your food first."
"Okay." I replied, taking a bite of my own breakfast.
"Don't go calling Ubers today." He warned.
I snickered softly. "Okay, as you say."
I stilled for a moment as his hand crept up to my left one on the table and wrapped around it, before relaxing. My cheeks tainted red as I focused on finishing my breakfast, letting him hold onto my hand as he finished his.
After breakfast, I went to get ready, and then Aiden drove me to the hospital. Dropping me off, he headed to his own company.
The day went by fast, and as my shift ended, I received a call from Aiden.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Hey. I'm stuck in a meeting. I'll send Samuel to pick you. You can trust him." He spoke.
"Oh okay... when will you come home?" I asked.
"I'll be late. Don't wait up." He replied.
"Okay." I said, and then he hung up.
Samuel showed up fifteen minutes later. I recognised him immediately as he opened the door to the backseat for me. He was the guy who drove us home the day me and Aiden were followed.
"Thank you." I told him, once he pulled up in front of Aiden's penthouse.
He nodded. "Not a problem, miss."
I bit my lip, asking him a question before I got off. "Did you, um, bring Aiden to the hospital when he shot himself?"
He took a minute to respond. "He told you?" He sounded taken aback.
"Yeah..."
"And he lets you call him by his name?" More surprise coated his tone.
"Um yes... is that... unusual?" I asked, confused.
"It is. He prefers Mr. Knight or sir." He explained.
"Oh."
"He must hold you special if he lets you call him by his name and even told you about... that night." He said.
"You think so?" I asked, biting my lip.
He nodded. "I've known him since he was ten and I was fifteen."
"Oh wow..."
"Yeah, my mother was one of the house staff at the Knight's. We lived there." He clarified.
"Oh I see... does he get mad at you too?"
"Sometimes, but I don't mind. He's been through a lot, so..." he suddenly went quiet.
"Was he grumpy as a child too?" I inquired curiously.
He chuckled quietly to himself, as if reminiscing. "No, he was the most cheerful boy I knew."
My heart broke. The most cheerful boy. And look at him now. Look at what they did to him.
He cleared his throat. "You should go inside now, miss."
"Yeah..." I opened the door. "You can call me Aysel, by the way."
"Mr. Knight wouldn't like that." He said.
I sighed, nodding. "Okay then. Good night."
I stepped out of the car, and walked up the front steps, entering the house. Just as I was about to walk up the stairs, the lights went out. I froze on the spot as complete darkness surrounded me.
I gulped in fear, thinking of fishing my phone out of my purse. But before I could, someone stepped up behind me.
I stiffened even more. "A-Aiden?" I called fearfully, hoping it was him.
He hummed.
I sighed, relaxing. "You said you'd be late." I spoke.
I felt him step closer to me until his front touched my back, and his breath fell on the nape of my neck. "Aiden?"
He didn't respond. I sighed as he moved a lock of my hair behind my ear. "Can we establish something? That you won't get mad at me anymore nor give me the silent treatment?"
He pressed his body flush against mine, making me gasp and blush. His lips ghosted over my ear. "Um... c-can you do something about the electricity?" I asked nervously.
No response.
I sighed, beginning to get a little anxious. "Why aren't you saying anything? Fine. Stay quiet, but at least take your phone out and turn the flashlight on."
Still no response.
"Aiden?"
I stilled as he pressed a kiss to the back of my head, before moving away. "Wait! Are you going somewhere?"
The sound of my phone ringing echoed through the silence.
I dug it out of my purse, a chill running down my spine as I saw the caller ID.
W-what?
I answered with shaking hands, putting the phone to my ear. "H-h-hello?"
"Hi? You're home, right? Eat dinner and then go to sleep. I'm still at the office."
I could barely move my body that was frozen in terror. I wanted to cry as my eyes desperately darted around.
"Aysel?"
"A-Aiden?" My voice broke.
"What's wrong?"
"I-if you're s-still at work, th-then wh-who just grabbed me?" My voice quivered with every word.
"Grabbed you?!" He exclaimed in alarm. "What?!"
A tear rolled out of my eye. "Th-the power went out," my voice was barely a whisper. "S-someone t-touched me. I thought it was you."
I could hear him moving. "Aysel, hide in my room. I'm coming."
Another tear rolled out of my eye. The call disconnected, and when I looked at the screen, it showed no service. With shaking hands and legs, I turned my flashlight on and swung it around. No one was visible.
Then I forced myself to jog upstairs, where I stumbled into Aiden's bedroom and locked the door. Then I looked around with the flashlight to make sure I was the only one there. Once I was sure that there was no one else, I went to hide in the bathroom.
Several minutes passed as I stood there possessed with fear. And then I heard someone break the door down and enter the room. My breath got caught in my lungs as loud footsteps sounded outside. More tears fell out of my squeezed-shut eyes.
Just then, the power came back.
And a familiar voice called my name. "Aysel?!"
My eyes snapped open as I realised it was Aiden. I unlocked the bathroom door and bolted outside. Seeing his familiar face quieted half of my fears. And running up into his awaiting arms alleviated the other half.
He held on to me tightly as I squeezed his upper body between my arms, burying my face in his chest. "Someone touched me in the dark!" I told him, looking up at his concerned face.
His jaw clenched, his arms unwrapping from around me. "Gather your stuff. We're leaving."
I watched him wide-eyed. "Where will we go?"
"No time for questions, Aysel. Hurry." He said sternly.
I listened, and began packing my stuff that he had moved to his room recently. He did the same. "I don't understand," I said as I tossed stuff into my bag. "You said there was security. How did that person get in?"
He sighed in frustration. "The guards are dead."
I stiffened, turning to look at him with wide eyes. He sighed yet again. "Aysel, we need to get somewhere safe. Pack."
"Clearly no place is safe!" I exclaimed, anger and disgust filling me up as I recalled that stranger's body pressed up against mine. "That guy pressed his body flush against mine! He kissed my head! He touched me, Aiden!"
I watched his eyes burn up with rage, his jaw clenching and the veins in his neck bulging. "He did what?!"
A tear dropped out of my eye. I plopped onto his bed, holding my head in my hands. I heard him walk up to me, before he knelt down and put his hands on my knees.
I lifted my head and met his eyes. "I will never, ever let anyone touch you again. I promise." He said firmly, his eyes reflecting that he meant each word.
"I thought you didn't do promises." I sniffled.
"For you, I can." He said softly, wiping away my tears with his thumbs.
"Do you think it was Liam?"
He sighed in frustration. "I don't know. Listen, Aysel. We need to leave. Come on." He stood up from the ground, and took my hand, pulling me up.
I obliged, rising to my feet, beginning to pack my stuff again. He started packing his stuff as well. Once we were done, he carried both our bags to his car with me following close behind.
Not long after, we were on the road going God knew where.
"Where are we going?" I broke the silence after half an hour.
"To another house I own. No one knows about it." He replied.
I sighed, rubbing my forehead. I didn't trust any place to be safe anymore.
"I'm going to approve for you to have a few weeks off from the hospital." He apprised.
My head snapped toward him. "Aiden, I need to work or I'll lose my mind."
"You need to stay out of sight for a while or you'll lose your life," He emphasised. I bit my lip, contemplating. "It's only a few weeks. In the meantime, I'll dig Liam out of whatever hole he's in and give him what he's deserve. Then you can safely carry on with your life."
Something struck me. What would happen after this whole situation would come under control? When Liam would no longer be a threat for me? Would I return to my apartment and my old life? Would I never be in contact with Aiden again? Would we just forget each other and move on?
It should not have been as saddening for me as it was.
A while later, he pulled up in front of a mansion that he had so modestly called a house earlier. As I stared at it open mouthed, he opened the door to my side for me and helped me step out. Then he held my hand and led me inside the house where we were greeted by a middle aged lady.
"Welcome, Mr. Knight. I have your room ready as well as dinner." She said.
He nodded. "This is Dr. Aysel. She's my guest. Aysel, this is Catherine. She's the caretaker for the house as well as the cook."
I gave her a smile. "It's nice to meet you."
She smiled back. "Nice to meet you too, miss. I hope you have a comfortable stay here."
Aiden squeezed my hand. "Let me show you our room."
Our room?
He kept holding my hand as he led me up a staircase and then to a bedroom. It was as spacious and put together as his bedroom in his penthouse.
"We're going to stay in the same room?" I asked as he put his phone on the desk.
"Yes."
"But why?"
"We were sharing a room previously as well." He pointed out.
"Yes, but that was because I was traumatised about being in my own after someone broke into it."
"I can't let you out of my sight, Aysel. You're staying here." He asserted.
"Fine," I gave in. "What about when you'll go to work?"
"For these few weeks, I'll try to work from home as much as I can." He replied.
"So I'm stuck with you 24/7?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Lucky you."
I snorted, plopping on to the bed.
"Freshen up, then let's go for dinner." He said.
I nodded, watching him start to unbutton his shirt. "Can you not strip here?"
He snickered. "Nothing you haven't already seen."
My cheeks heated up. "Please go to the bathroom. Nobody requires this indecent exposure of yours here."
He settled his gaze on me, amusement dancing in his eyes, before he started walking up to me. My breath hitched as he placed his hands on either side of me on the bed and bent to my level. "Are you afraid you're going to end up feeling things?"
His warm breath on my face made me feel hot all over. "W-what kind of things?"
He twisted a lock of my hair around his finger. "Desire."
I licked my lips, internally screaming at myself to look away, but in vain. "I... I don't desire you."
"No? You didn't like it when I kissed you?" He teased, his voice low and sensual.
My eyes widened when he mentioned the kiss, my brain instantly reminding me of how his lips felt on mine, reddening my cheeks even more.
I put my hands on my chest, pushing him away. "No, I didn't."
He chuckled softly. "Don't lie, little doctor. Your mouth's saying something, and your eyes are saying something else."
I looked away, somehow recalling the time when I first walked in on him making out with Luna in his living room. Jealousy bubbled within me.
"You didn't kiss me like you kissed Luna..." the words left my mouth before I could stop them, making me mentally facepalm myself.
An interested expression formed on his face, his eyes gleaming with curiosity and amusement. "And how did I kiss Luna?"
"It didn't look like you were kissing her, it looked like you were eating her." My cheeks burned as I realised what I had said.
A chuckle erupted from his chest, and he neared me again, tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear. "Do you want me to kiss you like that too?" He teased, his voice husky.
My eyes widened, and I bet I looked like a tomato.
Before I could falsely deny, a loud knock sounded on the door, and Catherine's voice came through. "Sir, sorry to disturb, but dinner is getting cold."
"We're coming." Aiden called to her.
He offered me his hand, and I took it, shyly following him downstairs for dinner.