Illicit Affairs || A.H.

Lover

it has certainly been a hot minute since i updated i'm so sorry ! i have had such a busy week omg.. but hopefully i'll have this chapter up the same night as i start writing it and back to regular updates next week with hopefully 2 or 3 new chapters!

tw for mention of domestic violence and stalking as usual <3 stay safe my lovelies

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When Aaron eventually picked you up, you had managed to stop crying. You couldn't even find it in you to pack a bag or bring anything but yourself down to his car. You had waited for him down in the foyer, not being able to stay in your apartment any longer than you already had. You got into the car silently without looking at him and you could feel his eyes on you immediately. You could picture his worried gaze which he used frequently with you.

Aaron was torn. He didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth, about to speak, but he couldn't find the right words to say. He was extremely worried, but he didn't want to push you too much too soon. He knew he shouldn't profile you, but he couldn't help it. He noticed quite how hard whatever happened hit you and he wasn't sure how to get you talking about it without traumatizing you. So, he drove silently towards his house and hoped you would open up eventually.

The drive to his house was short but this time, it felt as though it was hours long. You knew you had to start talking soon as to not worry Aaron further, it had gone too far. He needed to know. You wanted to wait until you were at his house, you felt safe there. It might be the only place you still felt safe. He wrapped his arm around you as you walked inside and you let out a breath you didn't realize you had been holding. The simplest touch from him had a way of relaxing you. You sat on the sofa and thought about all the things you had to tell him, not sure on where to start as he made you some chamomile tea. He knew exactly what to do when you were feeling rough and you were grateful he knew you this well. You needed that. Once he returned with teas for both of you, you took a deep breath.

"There's something I have to tell you." You began, your voice already shaky. You needed to get a grip, you had to be clear in what you were saying. You took another deep breath before continuing, Aaron's soft stare as he listened to you encouraging you to go on. "In my first year of college, I met a guy. He was a year ahead of me and in my college you were assigned a mentor from the year above in your first year. Just for general help and getting used to college life. He was mine, and we got along really well from the get go."

Aaron's thoughts ran rampant as he tried to figure out where you were going with your story and what this had to do with picking you up late at night after you had clearly been crying. He feared the worst. And he was probably right to.

You continued. "It only took a couple of weeks for us to start dating and for the first year or so, everything was perfect. I was really happy and I thought he was going to be the guy I would spend my whole life with. Unfortunately that didn't last." You frowned as your mind brought you back to that first day, the first time it happened. "We were probably a year and a half into our relationship when he first laid a hand on me. At first, he felt awful any time he did it. He'd get angry in the moment and it would happen and he would end up spending the rest of the night apologizing to me."

Hotch tried his hardest to hide the anger he was feeling. He couldn't help but imagine what that was like for you and all he wanted to do was beat up the guy responsible for hurting you. He took your hand in his for support as you continued speaking.

"Over time, he got more violent and less apologetic. He broke my wrist once and that's when I knew it was bad. I knew I had to get out of that situation but it wasn't that easy. To the outside world we seemed like the perfect couple and he threatened to hurt me if I ruined his reputation by telling anyone." You didn't know when but at some point, you had started crying. "I stayed with him until the end of my college course, then I moved away to the FBI Academy and I managed to break it off and run away. I didn't tell him where I was going, I just left."