Chapter Forty-Seven

“Great work everybody! I’ll see you again next week!” The class instructor announced as the 90 minute session came to an end and everyone began packing up.

I sighed tiredly as I grabbed my bag and stuffed my water bottle into it, checking to make sure I had everything before leaving the studio where the self-defence glasses were being held. I was eager to get home and collapse on the couch.

It had been three weeks since I left school and in that time I hadn’t heard or seen Noah. The next day Aiden had practically dragged me to see a therapist who had prescribed hourly sessions twice a week and some anti-anxiety medication to help. The self-defence classes had been my idea along with the yoga to help with mindfulness but also because it gave me an excuse to get out of the house. Aiden had been truly amazing as well albeit a bit over protective. For the first week he wouldn’t let me out of his sight which led to a lot of boring hours for me at the bar while he worked. Eventually I had begged him to let me stay home, promising I would call him or Kyle if I started feeling anxious and he had agreed, letting me focus on other things to try and keep my mind off of things.

The anxiety attacks started not even a week later. The therapist said it could be the medication as it can make people feel worse before it gets better but it could also be trauma. I was still struggling to see what had happened to me as anything more than a really nasty bully but again, the therapist explained it was normal for someone to play down what happened to them as a coping mechanism.

In short she was telling me I was a mess.

Unsurprisingly Aiden was waiting for me outside. While he insisted on dropping me off and picking me up, the sight of him leaning against his truck, wheat blonde hair being tousled by the wind and a cigarette between his fingers instantly soothed any worries that had been threatening to creep in. I smiled as if it was a reflex from seeing Aiden. He still managed to make me blush like an idiot but I was finding myself more comfortable around him, letting him have all the PDA he wanted like a lion marking his territory.

“How’d it go?” His rich deep voice wrapped around me as I drew nearer.

“Exhausting.” I replied, my muscles still burning from all the different activities the instructor had me doing. “But good.”

“Good.” Aiden smirked, one arm snaking around me to be close, his lips finding mine in a slow kiss. “I’m taking you away for the weekend.”

I blinked in surprise, looking up at him with wide eyes. “Away? Where?”

“It’s a surprise.” He replied, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I just need you to pack when we get in and I’ll sort out the rest.”

I felt my cheeks warm in a blush and my heart flutter when Aiden kissed me again, his arm tightening around me to pull me closer. He knew exactly what to do to leave me a stuttering flustered mess and he seemed to enjoy seeing me so out of sorts because of him. I was envious of how composed he was even when dealing with nightmare customers in the bar or the washing machine which had decided to work intermittently. Sure, I had seen him angry or serious but I hadn't ever seen him lose his cool. I wondered if he had always been this way or if it was something to do with his time in the military.

Aiden cruelly gave me half an hour to run upstairs, change and pack before he was trying to usher me out the door again.

"Meds?" He asked.

"Yes." I replied, shoving my bag in the back before getting comfortable.

"Good. When do you need to take them next?" Aiden asked as he started up the engine.

"Not until the morning."

"Great." Aiden's lips twitched upwards.

It was already dark when we set out. The roads were busy as people headed home from work or out for the night. Aiden had put the radio on low to give us some background noise. We rarely talked when Aiden drove. It wasn't that we didn't have anything to talk about, it was just that we had this agreement that we prefered the silence. Even when he laced our fingers together with his free hand and flashed me a smile, we didn't say anything.

An hour later and far away from the world we lived in, we rolled to a stop outside of a cabin, my mouth dropping open as I admired the beautiful timber and glass design.

"It belongs to a friend's parents." Aiden explained when he saw my face. "He lets me use it on occasion."

"It's stunning." I murmured.

"Yeah it is. Lucky bastard." Aiden chuckled.

Pregnant clouds hung above us threatening snow. You could smell it in the air as we grabbed our things and headed inside. I didn't know what time it was and honestly I didn't care. I felt like we were in our own bubble where time, people and responsibilities didn't matter anymore. It was just us two in this cabin in the forest.

"I'll get the heating going and start on dinner and you can go check out the place if you'd like." Aiden offered as he shut the door, moving immediately to the fireplace in the living room area.

I gave a quick nod, following the carpeted flooring off towards the back of the cabin. It wasn't huge like those luxury ones you see in movies but it was definitely nice. Floor to ceiling windows in part of the living room and bedroom gave an amazing view of the forest around us. In the dark there wasn't much to see but I could imagine that during the day it was stunning. There was a deck just outside the living room as well with a brick barbecue and hot tub which I couldn't help but chuckle at. Of course there was a hot tub.

By the time I had investigated every nook and cranny, Aiden was nearly done with dinner. I sat as patiently as I could at the breakfast bar, watching as he carefully and lovingly prepared chicken and thyme risotto.

"How did you learn to cook?" I asked curiously.

"My grandparents." Aiden replied simply. "My grandfather was a chef, quite a famous one as well but my nan always did the cooking at home. They would argue over the best way to do everything from chopping onions to roasting lamb. Needless to say we were very well fed and often put to work in the kitchen."

"That sounds really nice." I replied, smiling faintly. "It smells amazing as well."

"Thanks." Aiden chuckled. "I thought you might like it."

Within a few minutes he was done cooking and set two pasta bowls heaped with steaming hot risotto onto the counter. My stomach growled in approval before I had even had the chance to taste it.

"This is really good." I spoke up after a few minutes of unashamedly enjoying the taste of chicken and thyme mixed with wine, leeks and stock. "Can you teach me to make it?"

"Sure." Aiden smiled in amusement, watching me as I shoveled more into my mouth. "So long as you're not as bad as Liam in the kitchen I might be able to teach you something."

"Hm yeah." I wrinkled my nose when I remembered Liam's numerous attempts at cooking when we were growing up. Each one ended in us having to order take out or eating toast. "He was never any good at cooking. He never wanted to follow a recipe."

"Oh yeah." Aiden laughed, the sound sending chills through me. "He never wants to follow any instructions. How he managed to stay in the military as long as he has still baffles me."

"What, my brother broke the rules?" I raised an eyebrow in mock disbelief. "Never."

The remainder of the meal went with Aiden telling me tales of the things Liam got in trouble for when they were training. That apparent talent of finding trouble followed him on tour as well to the point that even Aiden found himself in hot water once or twice because of it. It was kind of nice to learn about these things. Liam didn't like to talk about work when we spoke or when he was home so I never got to hear about the things he saw or got up to. By the end of Aiden's stories my sides felt like they were going to split.

"I'll clean up!" I hopped from my seat when Aiden went to grab the plates. "It's the least I could do."

I could tell Aiden was reluctant but he was spoiling me and it really was the least I could do as a thank you for an amazing meal.

"Okay, well I'm going to go take a shower in that case." Aiden replied, pressing a kiss to my temple. "Stay out of trouble."

"I'll try." I teased before turning to washing the dishes when I heard the shower running.