Aiden knew the conversation was an important one, but he couldn't help getting slightly lost in the dark green eyes that seemed to hold all of the worlds secrets in them.
He was sure that she didn't now the hypnotizing power she held inside her irises. Her bare face, her hair, which was already starting to curl at it's ends, and her little smile as she looked up at him made him feel breathless. She was truly enchanting.
And adding the fact that she was one of the city's most hidden gems, made her feel even more surreal to him.
What if she were just a pigment of his imagination? What if he had died and created his own version of heaven? Her existence was so mysterious and beautiful that he wouldn't find it odd if she didn't actually exist. That he had genuinely lost his mind after all those years of yearning for something. For someone. For her. Yes her.
Aiden was convinced that if destiny's twists and turns hadn't led him to her, than he would have spent the rest of his life searching in vane. He didn't know why, but he was sure of it. It was a sensation he couldn't accurately describe with words.
"Aiden?" Claire called out his name after a while of him staring at her silently.
Aiden snapped out of his thoughts and remembered that they were actually having an important conversation regarding Lily. "Sorry. I kind of got lost in thought. What did you say?"
"I was saying that I think you might be exactly right." Claire giggled at his somewhat lost expression. "Knowing her like I do, what you said explains her behavior in a more than plausible way to me. I just can't believe that it took me so long to realize something so evidently clear."
After Aiden told her his thoughts, Claire fell into the realization that the signs of what he said were very present. Her memories of how Colton's and her own attempts of getting her to open up went down hill quickly now seemed clearer than ever. The conditions were never ideal for a child her age, and taking into consideration her own timid and reserved nature, the people itself weren't the kind that Claire would consider close. Just trustworthy. And in Lily's mind, that must have not been enough to win her over.
"Well don't beat yourself too much over it." Aiden said as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Sometimes it takes an outsiders perspective to see what you're too close to see."
Claire's eyes widened for a second before her expression went back to normal. Thanks to Aiden being focused on playing with a lock of her hair, he didn't notice. But the phrase he had just used was one she hadn't heard or thought about since a certain event that marked her for the rest of her life. She focused on his face and couldn't help but wonder. How come he can be such an ideal match for her. Only a bit more than a few months had past since she walked in to his office, yet nothing had been same since.
Her day to day life had now been filled with his presence. Her more than tired body had slowly started to feel lighter and her little flower had never seemed so happy. It was like something out of movie. Aiden acted as if he knew her like the back of his hand. His words were always the ones she needed to her and his touch would make her feel at ease without fail. She couldn't understand how a man with so much to offer was willingly offering it to her from the very moment they met. He hadn't even tried to unravel her secrets to make sure she wasn't a threat to him!
How he trusted her, how he constantly sought her and how detailed he was in everything that had to do with her, was more than she could ever ask of him. Yet he never once failed to do so.
And all that was aside from the way she lost herself in his arms. How his voice made her hairs stand and how the birthmark on the left side of his neck made her want to find any other mark his body could posses. He was so perfect that she had even started to lust for him. Lust! A feeling she hadn't felt for any other man. Only Aiden had managed to have such a grip on her in such an unbearably short amount of time. Something she didn't come into terms with easily.
But for some other worldly reason, it felt right. It felt natural. It felt good.
She lifted her legs on to the sofa and shifted so that she was now laying on his chest. Now facing him completely, she placed both of her arms behind his neck and started to run her hands through his hair. Aiden closed his yes to enjoy how her fingers felt on his scalp. Leaving his face in full view for her to also enjoy.
"Do you think we knew each other in some other life?" Claire said in a soft voice.
"It would certainly explain a lot." Aiden answered knowing fully well what she meant. The fact that they were both continuously surprised by how in sync they were with one another was a mutual understanding they had without the need to talk about it.
"If that were the case, maybe we had promised to find each other again in this life." She giggled at the idea of how that seemed even more movie like.
"A thought that also makes a lot of sense. It sounds like a promise I would make." Aiden said before opening his eyes. Once he did, he lowered his gaze to be but an inch away from her face. "And as you know, I'm a man of my word."
Claire looked into his light hazel eyes and her breath hitched. The pools of swirling gold looking at her made her feel like the silly idea of them being connected in such a deep manner might actually be true. That it might be the exact explanation behind their indescribable connection with each other. A connection they didn't need to explore much just to understand that it was indeed profound. Regardless of the amount of time they had know each other for.
"What?" Aiden said as he raised an eyebrow. "Am I looking yummy again?"At that Claire snapped out of her daze. After a few seconds of staring at each other they both burst out in laughter.
"Did I say that?" Claire said sarcastically while she placed her hand on her chin as if she were thinking.
"I guess you need a reminder of what you meant then huh?" Aiden said in an equally mischievous way.
"Maybe I do." Claire replied in a low voice as she leaned into him. Aiden placed one of his arms around her waist and another at the back of her head. He pressed his lips against her tenderly. The kiss was soft and gentle. Nothing like their previous passionate exchange.
Leaning back he looked into her eyes and smiled. She truly was more than he could ever imagine by himself or for himself. "You know, having a little movie date for ourselves hasn't been Lucas's worst idea."
"I couldn't agree more." She said as she smiled back at him.