My visit with Aaron became an eventful one. Since he was of the legal drinking age, we decided to splurge on a couple of cases of Corona. It was nice to have an evening alone with a friend and share a few laughs. It was something I didn’t get very often. I was having so much fun that I didn’t want it to end.
Aaron sat on my recliner with a grin on his face as I laid on the floor with Leo. We laughed as I began pulling on Leo’s tail and watched him chase my hand while barking. When I sat back up, I was feeling the affect of the alcohol. I’d grown quite warm in my adventure of pestering my dog.
“It’s fucking hot in here,” I said while fanning myself. “I need some air,” I said as I stood up and made my way to the balcony. “You coming?”
“In a minute. I gotta piss,” he replied.
“Okay,” I said as I opened the balcony door. “Just come outside when you’re done.”
“Okay,” Aaron said as he slowly stood up and laughed. “I’m really close to being drunk.”
“Ha! Light weight,” I teased.
“Look who’s talking. You’re just as tipsy as I am.”
“Am not!” I defended.
“Right,” Aaron said while tossing a throw blanket at me. “Take that out there. You’ll freeze when that wind hits you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said as I stepped outside.
Aaron was right about the wind. Once a breeze came through, I felt the temperature drop. It felt good for a minute, but then I began to shiver. I draped the blanket around myself and sat in a chair with my legs curled under me. The familiar scent of Florida air reached my nose as I breathed in deep. It was chilly for a night in June. A light breeze rushed past me, lightly pushing my hair back as I sipped on my almost empty Corona. The apartment complex was quiet except for the occasional whir of a car passing by. I sighed to myself as I guzzled the last of the Corona and placed it on the table. I heard the patio door slide open and glanced over my shoulder to see Aaron come out with two Coronas in his hands. He smirked at me as he handed me one of the bottles.
“I thought you’d want another one,” he said as he plopped down on the chair next to me. “This is a nice area,” he said as he twisted the cap off his bottle. “I could see myself living around here.”
I slowly nodded as I struggled with the cap on my bottle. “It’s not too bad. I like it,” I said with a sigh and looked at my bottle.
“To be honest, I’m surprised you didn’t move away from here,” he said as he took my bottle and twisted off the cap.
“Yeah, well, things have a way of not working out,” I commented as I took the bottle from him.
Aaron took a swig of his beer and studied me for a moment. I slowly put down my bottle and looked away from him, tugging on the blanket around me. I could see him staring from the corner of my eye. He moved his chair closer to me and rested his chin on my shoulder in the same way he did as a kid. I chuckled and leaned my head against his. Aaron draped his arm around my shoulder and without hesitation; I linked my fingers with his. I could feel his breath lingering against my neck as I stared out onto the dim lit parking lot.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly.
I shut my eyes to avoid tears spilling. I hated how even after eight years, he could still read me. I took a drink of my beer and slowly nodded.
“I’m fine,” I said as I squeezed his hand.
“Why is it that I don’t believe you?” he said as he dug his chin deeper into my shoulder.
I smirked as he continued to push on my shoulder. A giggle escaped my lips as I gently caressed his cheek.
“Your face is cold,” I said as I sat up straight and looked at him. “We should go back inside,” I continued as I grabbed my beer and stood up.
Aaron smiled and chuckled as he put the hood of his jacket over his head. “There. Sit your butt down.”
I laughed and shook my head. “I don’t believe you’re telling me what to do.”
“I am,” he said as he tugged on my hand. “Sit.”
“Aaron –“
He didn’t give me a chance to dispute his request. Aaron tugged on my arm and pulled me down onto his lap. I stiffened when I realized I was straddling his knee.
“I can sit in the other chair,” I said softly, avoiding his eyes.
Aaron was silent as he observed me for a moment. I pulled the blanket tighter around myself and sighed, hoping he’d stop staring. I glanced at him and he smirked as he sipped his beer.
“What’s that look for?” I asked softly.
“Nothing,” he said with a smile. “It’s just…you’re so transparent, it’s almost sad.”
“I beg your pardon?” I said, half offended.
“I can’t explain it. I just can sense that you’re not happy here.”
“You get all that from me sitting on your lap?”
Aaron nodded and snickered as he lifted his bottle to his lips. “Pretty much.”
“You’ve grown up to be a cocky little shit,” I said as I stood up.
“Sit your butt down,” Aaron said as he pulled me back down. “Stop that.”
“Did it ever occur to you that I don’t want to sit on your lap?”
“No because you do,” he said with a smile.
“You’re so full of it,” I muttered.
He playfully smiled at me as he reached in his pocket for a pack of cigarettes. I wrinkled my nose and sipped my beer as he pulled one out of the box.
“Smoking is such a disgusting habit.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said as he lit up the cigarette and took a drag. “You can get up if it bothers you that bad,” he teased.
“I’m fine,” I said as I continued to drink my beer.
I looked back out at the parking lot. It annoyed me that he’d figured me out in a matter of a few hours. He was right…I wasn’t happy. There was so much I wanted to share with him, but I felt blocked from expressing my feelings. I sighed and put my bottle down on the table. I couldn’t believe how comfortable I was on his lap. It was a different kind of feeling, but I didn’t want it to stop. I jumped a little when I felt him slip his hand under my blanket and slither his arm around my waist.
“Sorry,” he whispered as he put out his cigarette.
“It’s okay,” I said as I watched him put his other arm around my waist.
“Come here,” he said as he pulled me closer to him.
I didn’t fight him. I followed his pull and laid my head against his shoulder. I nuzzled my nose against his neck, taking in the scent of his nearly faded cologne. He held me tighter as I let out a shaky sigh. He was making it hard to hold back what I was feeling inside.
“Are you going to tell me what you’re thinking?” he asked in a raspy voice.
“I want to,” I said softly, blinking back the tears.
“So do it.”
“You don’t wanna hear about my problems,” I said with a sigh.
“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t,” he stated as he rubbed his fingers against my waist.
“It’s complicated,” I said as I sat up.
“Rach…how many years have we known each other?”
“Practically forever,” I said as I cupped my hands over my face.
“So, just tell me. Whatever it is, I won’t tell anyone.”
I tried to hide the tears, but I couldn’t. They spilled down my cheek as I stood up and leaned against the rail of the balcony. I sobbed softly to myself as he quickly got up and stood behind me. He hugged me from behind until I turned around and cried into his chest. Aaron held me tight while resting his chin against the top of my head.
“Don’t cry,” he whispered. “You can tell me.”
I struggled with the words. My thoughts jumbled in my brain as I continued to cry.
“He beats me,” I choked out, looking away from him.
“Wait…what?! Who beats you?” he asked, stepping away from me.
“Jeff,” I said tearfully.
“The same Jeff you dated in high school?!”
I nodded as I sat back down in the chair. “That’s him.”
“I thought you guys broke up a long time,” he replied as he pulled the other chair closer to me. “I’m confused.”
“Jeff and I started dating again three years ago. Things were fine at first, but now…”
“He better not show his face around me,” Aaron muttered.
“Aaron, don’t. Just let it go,” I begged.
Aaron shook his head and hugged me. “There’s no way in hell I’m gonna let him do this to you.”
“Just let me handle it,” I said sternly. “Promise me you won’t say anything to him.”
Aaron sighed and cupped his hands around my face. “If I see so much of a bruise on you, I won’t keep quiet. I can’t keep quiet. I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
“Aaron, I can fight my own battles.”
“Obviously you can’t if you’re still with him,” he said as he caressed my cheek.
I glanced over his shoulder and through the glass door. I could see the clock hanging on the wall and wiped the tears off my cheeks. It was after two AM and Nick hadn’t come back for Aaron.
“It’s late,” I said while sniffling.
Aaron pursed his lips as he pulled out his cell phone to see the time. “Dumbass isn’t coming back,” he muttered.
“I’m too drunk to drive,” I said in a shaky voice.
Aaron shook his head and caressed my cheek. “No, I wouldn’t have asked you to drive. I can just crash on the couch or something.”
“Okay,” I said as I stood up. “I can do that.”
Aaron followed me back inside and I tossed my blanket onto the couch. He sat down beside the blanket and took off his shoes and hoodie. Once I got inside, I realized how drunk I was. I found myself struggling to walk in the direction of my bedroom. I stumbled to the chair and held myself steady. Aaron jumped up and grabbed me before I could tumble to the floor.
“Easy there,” he said as he linked his arm around my waist.
“I think I overdid it,” I said with a nod.
“I think so too,” he said softly. “Let me help you into bed.”
“Okay,” I replied as we walked in the direction of my room.
“So, do you need to change or anything? I can leave the room.”
I shook my head and laid on top of my comforter. The room began to spin and I shut my eyes tight.
“Fuck! The room is spinning,” I stated.
“The sooner we get you to sleep, the less likely it’ll be that you get sick,” he said as he removed my shoes.
“That would be bad,” I slurred.
“Very bad,” Aaron said as he pulled down the blankets. “Come on, into the bed,” he said as he gently pulled on my arm.
I followed his instructions and made my way into the bed. Aaron pulled the blankets over me and kneeled down at the edge of the bed. He stared at me as I smiled and cupped my hand over his cheek.
“Good night,” Aaron said softly.
“You’re leaving me?”
“Just to the couch,” he replied. “No biggie.”
“Please don’t go,” I said meekly. “We can share the bed. I don’t mind.”
Aaron hesitated for a moment then finally nodded in surrender. Without a word, he removed his shirt and turned off the light. I watched him slowly bob through the moonlit shadows and crawl into the bed. I moved closer to him and laid my head on his shoulder.
“Thanks for being such a good friend,” I said with a yawn.
“Anytime,” he said softly. “Get some sleep.”
“Definitely,” I replied then drifted off in his embrace.
Author's Chapter Notes:
This took a very interesting turn that could lead to a change in the title and summary of this story. We'll see how it goes.
