Aiden and I laid on the couch for a long while, listening to the record on the turntable. The smooth rhythm of rasps evolved into a soothing lullaby and my eyes gradually closed as a wave of calm swept over me.
Just as I fell into a pool of darkness, I was suddenly awoken by a warm and weighty object covering my body. I snuggled into the soft fabric, later realizing I wasn't the one who put it there.
I opened my eyes to the mellow glow peering through the windows. Aiden tucked a blanket under my legs, making sure my feet weren't left in the cold. Once he seemed satisfied that I might be warm enough, he took another look at me, smiling before grabbing a hold of the door of the apartment.
"Where are you going?" I asked him, sitting up against the cushion, the blanket wrinkling at the bottom of my torso.
His head turned and his hand let go of the door handle, moving toward the couch once more.
"I was just... never mind," He whispered awkwardly, crouching in front of me. "I didn't mean to wake you."
"What time is it?"
He pulled out his phone from the back pocket of his jeans, his brows raising slightly. "It's five."
"In the afternoon?" I asked loudly.
"No," He chuckled, "it's morning."
I sighed and dropped my head back onto the cushion I had been laying on.
"You should go to bed and sleep, it's still early to be awake."
"Early?" I probed. "I have to be up in an hour."
"You get up this early every day?" He furrowed his brows in disbelief.
"Don't you?"
He scoffed with a laugh. "Absolutely not. The earliest I'll ever get up is seven, and that's only because I have class."
I rubbed the heel of my palms on my eyes and yawned, stretching my arms above my head before standing up and walking to the pot of coffee sitting on the counter next to the old white kettle. It had been made fresh.
I poured us two cups that were hot enough to leave a trail of vapor above them; we drank our coffee the same way: black and bitter, with no milk or sugar.
Aiden sat at the table and fiddled with the handle until I sat down across from him.
As the coffee from the pot poured between us, so did the conversation. We laughed and spoke about things for the better part of the morning as if we'd known each other for years. Even after the clock struck seven, I continued to fill my cup to the brim, enjoying the sound of Aiden's deep voice as it spoke about the details of the record player.
When I finally realized the time, I sprang to my feet, nearly spilling the cup.
"Oh, holy cows and mountains, I am so late!" I gulped down what remained of the coffee swiftly and rushed to my room.
"Holy cows and mountains?" He repeated, laughing and completely unconcerned with the fact we'd both be late to class.
"Emma?" He called from the kitchen.
Meanwhile, upset that I didn't have time to shower, I changed out of my sweatpants and into blue jeans with a brightly colored sweater.
"Emma?" Aiden appeared at my door, knocking.
"What?"
He chuckled contagiously. "Emma, it's Monday."
I pause, "Why do you think I'm panicking?"
He opened his mouth to say something, but thinking better of it, he closed it and then leaned against the doorframe, shrugging.
"Yeah, I mean, I would be panicking too, if I were you." His lips twisted up at the ends.
"You are not helping." I slipped on the first socks I saw, not even looking to check they were the same pair.
"Are you dressing up as a rainbow or a packet of skittles?" He laughed, giving my impromptu outfit a once over.
I didn't respond to his remark, despite my wanting to toss him out of my room.
I tied my hair back and away from my face as I finished tightening the laces on my shoes, completely disregarding Aiden's presence as I grabbed the remainder of my belongings. I stuffed my textbooks and notes into my bag, unsatisfyingly crushing everything inside.
I let out an exasperated breath, finding Aiden's amused gaze on me, one hand on his mouth as if he couldn't contain himself.
"What?" I asked him again.
"Nothing." He cleared his throat and stood up straight with narrowed, all-too-serious brows. "You do know it's Labour Day, though, right?"
My bag dropped from my shoulders and hit the ground with a thump.
I untied one of my shoes and grasped it in my hands, within seconds hurling it at him and missing completely, despite the fact that he was only a few feet away.
"You have a terrible aim." He picked up the shoe that flew past him, examining it with a snobbish grin.
"You didn't think of telling me before I did all of this?" I waved at my poorly chosen outfit.
He tugged the corners of his mouth down, shaking his head. "I thought I'd let you run around like a chicken a little before telling you."
"Why?" I flapped my arms around and smacked them at my side.
"For my amusement, of course. Why else?" He stepped into my room, still holding my other shoe. "Would you like this back?"
I snatched the shoe from his grip, freeing his hand.
"Relax," He placed a chaste kiss on my lips and assured me, "you have all the time in the world to get dressed."
"Well, I hope you were entertained," I said, words soaked in my annoyance.
"Oh, don't be mad..." He dragged his words, smiling incandescently. "I'm sorry."
"I'm going to put sugar in your coffee as payback next time," I informed him and closed the door as I walked into the bathroom with a towel to shower.
"You wouldn't dare." He replied, lightly and confidently.
"Oh, but I would."
I pulled out the hair tie, freeing my dark waves to crash onto my shoulders.
I turned the nozzle and let the water run for a few minutes to prepare a warm shower, thankful that I didn't have to go to school with greasy hair.
I stepped under the streams after the water had reached the perfect temperature. Given that the apartment was largely made up of older appliances, I was grateful to the higher power, which provided a freshly refurbished shower with decent pressure.
After the steam from the shower had fully fogged the mirror, I swiped my palm across it to see my reflection. I pushed the damp locks away from my pale face with my small fingers and noticed that in this light, the blue in my eyes was unusually bright, with specks of rare green. I stepped out of the bathroom and into the kitchen, realizing I had left my phone charging on the counter.
Aiden stood in the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge like a raccoon. He froze the minute his sight fell on my fragile frame.
"Hi," He said, simply.
"Hi," I picked up my phone, suddenly realizing I was stark naked, standing in my kitchen, with a very handsome man trying to keep his eyes above my neckline. "I am-"
"Naked?"
"I- I, uh, I should go change," I told him.
He hummed a response, his line of sight back to the contents of the fridge. His shoulders were particularly tight, and his face was a somewhat pinker color than usual.
"Are you alright?" I asked and held onto my towel with one hand.
Again, he hummed his response, his hand shifting from his side to his mouth.
I lingered on his strange posture, not yet going to my room. I would be lying if I didn't say I was curious to know why he was acting like this all of a sudden.
Had I done something wrong?
Did he want to leave?
"Are you sure everything is okay?"
This time he didn't even reply. That's when I began to connect two and two together.
"Me being in a towel doesn't bother you, does it?" I flaunted.
He turned his head and straightened his back, rubbing his cheek and closing the fridge.
I in return, snorted, completely astonished by what just a silly towel could do.
"You know, I'm thinking – I don't have to put sugar in your coffee anymore..."
The moment he cursed under his breath and he hid his face, I let out a loud laugh that echoed throughout the apartment.
"Are you flustered?" I positioned myself next to him, provoking him further with an innocent smile.
"No." He answered stiffly, searching the bottom cabinets for something.
"Really?"
He caught my gaze.
"I am not flustered." He stated clearly, almost angrily.
I shrugged, finding my way to the small fridge propped up on a stiff wooden crate. I took out a few ingredients for breakfast and took out the bread from one of the cabinets assorted to food. I placed two loaves in the toaster that came in the same two-piece set the kettle and pushed down on the white knob to drop the bread down to cook.
I readied two plates, jam open and in reach for when the slices jumped out again.
Aiden was on the opposite side of the counter where the cutlery was stored. He was still searching for something or distracting himself.
I reached past him, grazing his forearm to grab a spreading knife. He huffed, looking up at the ceiling, then observing me cautiously.
"You're doing that on purpose." He accused.
"I'm grabbing a spreading knife." I held the item in the air, "I don't know what you're talking about."
He ground his teeth, noticeable only when his jaw muscles moved back and forth.
"Alright, then you won't mind if I reach above you to grab something from the top cabinet?"
"Go ahead."
He reached up to grab the cabinet door handle, which he opened, pinning and trapping my back against the counter. As I focused on his arm, my eyes traveled down his broad chest, grazing every little detail until I settled on the lower half of his torso. His shirt had risen over the waistline of his jeans, revealing smooth and even skin that established a strong V-line. A few inches to the left, there was a partial view of the well-defined abdominal muscles that hid under the damming black fabric.
My heart thumped harder in my rib cage as I lingered on the sight in front of me. I inhaled deeply, his close proximity intoxicated my senses, filled by the scent of his sweet-smelling cologne.
When he brought down his arm and stepped to the side, I released the breath, my chest caving to have him close again.
"Feeling flustered?" He put one arm on either side of me, resting on the counter and trapping me once more.
I fought the strong urge to pull him closer and burrow my face into his neck.
"Not at all." I lied through my teeth and clutched the towel tighter in my hand.
"Hmm, really?" He leaned closer, painstakingly far away.
And just as he was about to place his eager lips on mine – just as he was about to hold me in his hands – just as he was about to take all of the built-up tension away and let me dissolve, the apartment door unlocked and Myra stepped through.
Aiden immediately created distance between us.
"Hi, Emma!" She greeted me with a wave. "Aiden?"
"Hi, Myra." He turned his head from my direction to hers as if nothing happened.
"What are you doing here?" She questioned him, setting down a white plastic bag on the table.
I held my breath waiting for him to answer her question.
His eyes flicked from mine to Myra's, a blank expression on his features – emotionless.
"He was looking for you," I spoke aloud, surprising everyone in the room, including myself.
Myra tilted her head past Aiden's tall figure to see the toast pop up behind him. Two loaves.
"You're having breakfast here?" She returned to her usual posture. "Please, tell me you're not harassing Emma again." She turned her head to me. "Has he been annoying you?" She turned back to Aiden. "Have you?"
"Yes, surprise, you ruined my plan to murder her." Aiden pushed himself off from the counter he was leaning on and rolled his eyes, fishing his keys from his pocket.
"Well, then, I'm glad I got here in time." She took notice of the only thing covering my body. "Why are you in a towel?" She waved her hand dismissively. "Are you hungry? I have muffins."
Aiden searched inside Myra's bag and took a bite out of a muffin, licking his bottom lip as a crumb stuck to it.
"These are not for you!" Myra shoved him and snatched the bag, placing it in my hands instead.
"Thanks, Myra," I muttered with a polite smile.
"What did you need me for, by the way?" She asked Aiden.
"What?"
"The reason you stopped by? What did your needy ass need?"
"Nothing. I changed my mind. Everything's fine. We're..." Aiden looked at me from across the room and then settled a cold glare on Myra. "I'm okay."
Myra's face scrunched up. "Okay? Uh, goodbye, now."
Aiden left the apartment seconds later without another word.
I moved to the window that looked down on the old slim street where Aiden parked his car. In mere moments, Aiden walked out of the building and got into his car. He didn't leave immediately, staying in his car for a few extra minutes. When he did leave, however, I received a text message.
'I'm sorry I couldn't give you a proper goodbye. Call me when she's gone and we can continue where we left off.'
I quickly typed a reply, smiling at my phone when Myra spoke again.
"Aiden was acting strange, don't you think?"
'Happy birthday again. I hope I didn't ruin the day too much.' He texted in response to my last message.
"He's always acting strange," I answered Myra, grabbing a muffin from the bag.
Myra half laughed. "Truer words have never been spoken."
Hi! I just wanted to give a quick thank you for all the support, votes, and comments you have all gifted me with throughout the life span of this story. I see and appreciate every interaction. I hope you are all enjoying it so far! See you all soon. This is not yet the end ;)
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