Chapter 82

Chapter 82

They pulled over in the parking lot beside Aaron’s car and stepped out. Elise inhaled a huge chunk of breath and exhaled as he came out of his car. He closed the door and locked the car before. “Hey,” he said. His eyes were on her the entire time he did all that. It obvious he was talking to her but Max stepped in.
 
“Good to see you, man. Let’s head in. I’m sure they’re waiting.” Max led the way into the penthouse. His mother recently moved in with Jim and it was his first time being here. He hates that they now leave together because he still wasn’t convinced with the man his mom loves. They’ve been together for year now but he still hasn’t adjusted to the idea of his mother being with anyone but his father. Yes, he’s protesting for his dead father.
 
They enter the spacious living room—it was empty so, they walk in. Max walks toward the kitchen where he heard his mother’s voice whereas Aaron and Elise stayed back.
 
She hates that they’re left all alone in the living room. If it wasn’t for Aaron, she would’ve followed Max in even though this was her first time being here.
 
She turns around, her back facing Aaron but she could feel his intense gaze behind her. She closed her eyes shut, like his gaze was piercing in her soul—it was. Because she knows if Max or anyone don’t walk in here, she’d pass out by his smothering scent. He smells so nice—she hates it. It reminds her of how his lips tasted when he kissed her. It reminds her of how he smells like while he pressed his body against hers. Everything feels so wrong whenever she was around him.
 
“Elise,” he called her out. It’s the exact same way he called her name when she stopped him from kissing her again. It sounded stranded and fragmented.
 
She turned around and he took steps forward. His closeness feels different than when Hunter steps toward her. Aaron closeness feels smothering, like she needs to punch a hole in the living room just to breathe.
 
He looks down at her and studied her with a predator’s unwavering attention. That stare made her to shiver because she doesn’t know what it meant. It could be anything—it could be good or even bad. But Aaron is one of the sweetest men she has ever met—he can’t hurt her. He won’t hurt her. The only thing she doesn’t like is how her body responds to him whenever he’s around. She’s trying not to fall for him but with each day passing by, it’s hard not to. He's just hot and everything.
 
“I’m sorry I kissed you,” he said to her. She could feel his words stabbing her right in the core of her chest because her eyes just screwed shut. She heaves a sigh and shook her head.
 
“I just couldn’t hold myself…” he sighs as he runs his finds through his wavy hair. “Everything about you is just so damn amazing and I just want to kiss you every time I see you.” He wasn’t even going to lie to her and he wasn’t ashamed that he said that to her.
 
She’s looking at him now, with a stoic expression. She wasn’t shocked that he said that because his body had already told her even before he kissed her. It was obvious that he’s attracted to her and she’s happy about it at the same time upset. She’s happy that her crush likes her and upset that she wasn’t going to return that same energy.
 
She is not going to fall for him.
 
“Elise?” Max walked back in, together with his mother and Jim. She briskly turned around, taking a step back from Aaron’s chocking closeness.
 
“Oh my God, Elise,” she cooed, walking toward her with extended arms. Elise smiled and hugged her. “Aunt Shannon.”
 
“I haven’t seen you is such a long, long time. You’ve grown so beautifully. Oh, your hair,” she said proudly, stroking Elise wavy hair. She had straight hair all her life and this was the first time she had done her hair at the saloon and changed how it looked.
 
“I’ve missed you too, Aunt Shannon,” Elise said genuinely. She hasn’t seen her since they left and it’s been years. This was the first time she was seeing her since she came to New York. Max’s mom has aged so well. It’s scary how they looked so much alike. Max has hair colour of hair, her nose and her thin lips. He even got his charming smile and dimple from his mother.
 
“Mom, Jim, this is Aaron, my friend and neighbour.”
 
Aaron stepped forward to shake hands with them. Shannon introduced Jim to her as her fiancé and it didn’t shock Elise alone, Max was shocked. How did he not notice the huge diamond ring on her ring finger?
 
He swallowed down the aggravation as they moved to the dining hall. He’d deal with whatever it was later.
 
Moments later, they were eating dinner silently. Shannon decides to break the silence by talking. She had notice how Max has been giving her a disappointing look but she wasn’t ready to deal with his tantrums now and in front of their guests.
 
“Max told me what happened to and I just want to let you know that you have our support on whatever you choose, Elise. I am so sorry you had to go through all that in just a year,” Shannon spoke sympathetically, reaching out to grab her hands. She squeezed them lightly and sends her a reassuring smile. Elise glances at Max and he sends her an apologetic look. Aaron pauses from eating, wondering what happened to Elise that she had to relocate and leave everything behind her. He curiously looks at Elise’s face as he picked up his champagne flute to his mouth. 
 
“It’s okay, aunt Shannon. I appreciate your concern. I’m fine now though.”
 
“Oh, I can tell,” she said, looking over to Aaron. “You guys make a good couple.”
 
“I agree with you. I really can’t wait to meet Max’s girlfriend also.” It irritated Max when Jim joined the conversation.
 
Aaron almost choked on his champagne. He briskly dropped the glass and cleared his throat. His head darts down, avoiding Elise’s shocking gaze at him.
 
“They are not together, Mom,” Max said through gritting teeth. It sounded as if he’d never let that happen. As if he’s against it. Yes, he’s against it. He’s against anyone that’d come near her now because men don’t know how to do anything but break a girl’s heart.
 
Aaron looks up to Max with narrowed eyes. He’s shocked and annoyed that Max was getting himself worked up over a silly mistake.
 
“We… we aren’t together, Aunt Shannon. Aaron’s actually my boss. I work at his coffee shop.”
 
Shannon shoots her eyebrows up like she’s disappointed they aren’t together. She hoped they were just so Max would move on and actually give someone a chance. She knows he likes Elise—a lot. He didn’t tell her but she knew it. His voice and his smile were different whenever he speaks about her. His face lit up whenever he hears her name.
 
She tried talking to him about it but he shunned the conversation and denied that he liked Elise. Or he was just afraid to ruin their friendship.
 
“Oh, really? You own a coffee shop?”
 
Aaron nods his head as he dropped his fork back on to the plate. “Yes, ma’am. I inherited it from my parents after they passed away couple of year ago.”
 
Her eyebrows grew together as she sends him her condolence.
 
The rest of the dinner was a silent one but with Jim and Shannon getting into each other’s space. Max was revolted by everything. From his mother indirectly announcing Jim’s had proposed to her to the reference of Elise being Aaron’s girlfriend. Could the night be any worse?
 
He excuses himself and left the table to get fresh air. The room was too small to endure his fury.
 
Elise cleared the plate while Aaron helped her.
 
They were in the kitchen, by the dishwasher. Aaron was watching her every move. He didn’t care that she knows he was watching her. He wants her to know what he was doing. So, he walked toward her to the sink. She was washing her heads—his eyes were on the side of her face. She dried her hands with a towel—his eyes were still glued to her face.
 
She grips on the kitchen counter and let her head fall between her shoulders. Her heart was beating erratically because Aaron had just placed his hand on her back. He’s stroking her back, watching her reaction. She knew what he wanted to see so; she tried not to give him that reaction he’s looking for. She tried to hide the fact that he’s making her legs turn to liquid and her body warm.
 
“There’s something about you I can’t explain. But whatever it is, it makes me want you in ways I can’t even describe.”
 
His words made her stomach to churn because that’s not what she wants. She doesn’t want his attention. She doesn’t want him to acknowledge her. She wants him to pretend as though she doesn’t exist while she drools over the fact that her boss and neighbour is hot. She prefers calling her friends and telling them how they locked eyes at work for two seconds. She’d prefer having sleepless nights daydreaming about him and thinking of the things she’d want him to do to her.
 
Not this.
 
She doesn’t want this.
 
Oh yes, she’s crazy—she loves to suffer when she’s in love. But who isn’t up for a little tension now and then?
 
They’re staring at each other now, and he looks a little bit nervous. She’s sure he’s wondering if he just pissed her off.
 
“I want to kiss you,” he told her flexibly.
 
She blows out a controlled breath, not caring if he knows those words affected her like they did.
 
He doesn’t say anything again. He just stares down at her until their lips were brushing. And before she could withdraw her mind from its far places, Aaron was kissing her. She wants to pull back. But his mouth was so soft.
 
He’s a good kisser but he’d never top up Hunter.  She hates that Hunter thoughts creeped up into her head while she’s kissing another guy. It feels like he’s watching them—judging them.
 
Her heart races in her chest so fast that she felt like it’s going to burst through her ribcage. He groans into the kiss and closed the gap between them by grabbing her ass. She should stop but instead, she loops her arms around his neck and kissed him back. He kisses her, long, deep, wanting… and she responded, arching into him.
 
“I thought they said they weren’t together?” They Jim’s voice.
 
Elise briskly pushed him away and turned around. Shannon and Jim stared at them in awe. Half an hour ago, they claimed they weren’t together. Now they were in the kitchen eating their faces up.
 
“Jim, I think we should give them some space.” Shannon gives Aaron and apologetic smile before drawing Jim out of the kitchen.
 
Elise couldn’t find the heroism to turn back and look at him. She was afraid if she does, he’d kiss her again and Shannon won’t be the one to catch them—Max would be by the door, looking at them.