HELENA.
Of all the things I had expected when I opened my kitchen doors that night, I certainly didn't expect to find Aaron in my kitchen. Cooking.
He looked so….oddly attractive, only in an apron and some sweatpants. I swallowed hard when he took the apron off, my feral senses betraying me. His shoulder and chest wounds were almost completely gone, which was surprising given the time frame. I could see another scar slashed across his stomach. Hm.
He showed me my mom's old cookbook, which was passed down through generations. I missed the days when she would read through it, carefully following each measurement, afraid it would turn out wrong. Sigh.
I cursed inwardly when I tasted his food. Wow. It was good. And not just good. The kind that had me rolling my eyes back and curling my toes. That good.
Probably one of the best Mac and cheese I've ever had. I almost betrayed my emotion by moaning into the goodness. I attempted to stifle it, but the sound was already out of my mouth before I could stop it.
I hurriedly grabbed the plate and fled his gaze.
"You like it, don't you?" His deep voice sounded from behind me. I turned around, swiftly.
"I suppose you did well. It's good." There was a glint in his eyes….pride?
"You suppose? Hm. Too bad. I guess I'll throw the rest out. I wanted you to be impressed, and being just good isn't enough." He made a show of raising his hands and walked back into the kitchen. I dashed after him.
"What? No! Are you insane? That Mac and cheese is expensive outside you know. Not to mention you used my ingredients." I blocked him from the pot, eyes wide and fierce.
He leaned over and whispered into my ears, "I thought you didn't like my food." I could practically feel him smirking. My ears went red almost immediately. Something about that voice….it was comforting, yet a certain danger was around it. I made me want to know more.
"I never said that." I'd never let him know it was amazing either. He'd gloat for the rest of his life.
"But you said it was good, and just good is never good for you." He leaned back, and I missed the warmth almost immediately.
"How do you know that?" I narrowed my eyes at him. He exhaled, and gestured around the kitchen.
"While you thought I was asleep, I heard you muttering about how the construction workers left everything basic. And you don't like basic. Why else did you change everything?" He smirked. Damnnit. He was technically right, but everything was so bland and well…good. I didn't like good. I wanted more than good. Extraordinary.
I huffed and turned to the pot, carrying another portion of Mac and cheese. "You're not throwing this out. It's better than good. Okay?" I swinged the fork at his face. His pale green eyes stared back at me, not wavering for a second.
"Whatever you say, mi lady." He reached over, grabbed another plate and dished himself a good portion. We ate in silence, and I went on the wash the dishes after we were done.
I could feel his presence behind me, and I turned sharply. "Made a habit of sneaking up on people, I see."
"It's not sneaking up if I'm walking perfectly fine." He looked amused.
"Thanks for the dinner by the way, I really enjoyed it." I found myself saying. His eyebrows shot up, and he smirked.
"You're welcome. Now can I not get penalized for using your mom's book?" I glared at him.
"Sorry, sorry." He raised his hands in surrender. I laughed at his demeanour.
"You'll be let off with a warning. I'm only being so lenient because you actually pulled it off. My mom would be proud." I put the last dish in the cupboard.
"Your mom must've been really special." His words startled me, and I looked at him. There was this weird emotion in his eyes, and it looked like sympathy. I didn't reply.
It hadn't been long since I met him, but I could already tell Aaron had been through a lot. A whole lot. Probably even worse than me. Those pale green eyes seemed hollow at times, then full of life. Sometimes they looked like they had given up, or they had seen too much. But there was this weird comfort I found in them, as if I could release all my worries and they'd absorb it in their own mystical way.
Aaron let out a sigh and walked out of the kitchen, leaving me to tend to my own thoughts. Mother.
My parents died in a car accident when I was 12, and I hadn't spoken of them to anyone since then. There were rumors that the accident wasn't real, but a darker force was reason for their demise. I never looked into it though, and I didn't want to.
My parents left me their farmhouse, the only thing they had at the time.
I left Henley and started pursuing odd jobs on the streets of Hulvey, which was two towns away, just to survive.
When I was 16, I finally had enough money to train myself in school, and keep a sustainable job. I worked as a waitress then, which was how I met Caleb.
He convinced me he was to help me, not otherwise. I believed him and fell for him, against my own wishes. I was obsessed, and strangely wanted that validation from him. The one that made me feel proud of myself. But of course, all that was too good to be true.
I shook my head, clearing off my thoughts. It'd been a month since I left Hulvey, and I didn't want to remember anything about that place. At all.
~~~~~~~~~
The rest of the night went by without any more interactions. We had both retired to our rooms, but for some reason I couldn't sleep. I blamed it on the aldrenaline, of the large cup of coffee I took earlier that afternoon. But I was alarmingly curious about Aaron. I refrained from asking him anything about himself earlier because of his wounds, but he seemed okay now. Sooner or later I'd have to ask him, and I might as well do it now that I had the courage. I sauntered into his room, which was originally my guest room. I softly opened the door, in case he was already asleep. He fell asleep easily, and woke up the same way. As if he was always alert. But he wasn't asleep today. He laid on his back, eyes gazing towards the ceiling. His arms were carefully placed in front of his chest. He looked lost, as if his mind was somewhere else.
"If you're gonna stare at me at least tell me why." He said, not taking his eyes off their position. I started. How did he….
"My senses are more advanced than yours. You should know that by now." He added, slowly getting up. He still didn't have a shirt on, and it was getting difficult not to look at him. His muscles tensed and relaxed as her took in my appearance, and only then did I realize what I was wearing.
I sucked in a breath and instinctively tugged on my shorts. I had a crop top and biker shorts on, which barely covered any skin. The nights were hot here in Henley, and I liked to sleep with as little clothing as possible.
His gaze lingered on my stomach before he dragged his eyes back up to mine. Those eyes…there were a lot of things behind them, and I was too curious not to find out.
"I wasn't staring." I pointed out, my hands on my hips.
"Oh yeah? Then what were you doing?" His eyes were full of mirth.
"I was….observing." Lame.
"Of course you were." He rolled his eyes, sarcastically. I bit my lower lip.
"Um…I…is this a good time? Or…" I stuttered. He was still staring at me, and I was so self-conscious at this point. Everything in me told me to leave, but I just couldn't. I tugged at my shorts again.
"Sure, what do you want?" He sat up straight, crossing his arms. He gestured for me to come in, and I felt myself relax. There was a scent in his room, smelled like cinnamon and mint, with an odd sweetness. The scent had a tinge of huskiness, which made it more masculine. More tempting.
"Look, you've been at my house for almost two weeks now, and you haven't told me anything about yourself. Just your first name. I think I need a little more information if I'm gonna keep you here." I said in one breath. Some flickered in his eyes, but I couldn't make out what it was.
"Okay then, what do you want to know?" He said after a sigh.
"Um, where are you from? What happened to you that day? Why haven't you tried….going back?" The last question wasn't meant to come, but I'd said it anyway. He stared at me, conflicting eyes darting between mine.
Then he started.