The Author and Her Bodyguard

Chapter 14

Aiden sat, staring at the front of a dry cleaners, more reluctant to move than I had ever seen him. I couldn't decide if he was being dramatic. After all, the dry cleaner was quite vibrantly decorated.

The awning was bright pink. Adorable puppies sporting evening gowns and top hats were splattered across the top of the building. Everything about it was bright and cheery. Its 1940's style made me hungry for ice cream which was a strangely confusing reaction to a place that cleaned clothes. "Dalton Dry Cleaners" was printed in large white letters across the pink awning.

I pulled my eyes away from the cause of the contradiction between stomach and brain and glanced at Aiden. He looked like he was bracing himself.

"Um... are you okay?" I asked when he continued to stare at the door.

He blinked, as if startled out of his thoughts. "What? Yeah. Fine."

I snorted. "No offense, but you are a terrible liar. If you don't want to go in, I can go without—"

"It's fine." He opened his car door. "Let's go."

"Year 3000" by the Jonas Brothers started blaring in my pants pocket. Scrambling, I yanked out my phone, self concious of Aiden's eyes on me as my boy band crush was declared at an unhealthy volume for the entire street to hear.

Spotting Sanders's name, I turned my phone on silent and promised to call her back later.

"Didn't take you for a fan," Aiden said.

"Didn't know you'd recognize the Jonas Brothers from listening to a song for five seconds," I replied. "You must be a bigger fan than me."

At that, Aiden clamped his mouth shut and walked towards the dry cleaners, my laughter following behind him.

YES! Laliana ONE, Aiden, ZERO!

I followed Aiden with a cheeky grin, holding my muddy yellow dress.

We were greeted by a cheery door chime and a bright pair of eyes. "Hello!" Greeted an elderly woman. She had dark black hair pulled back into a wispy ponytail that was peppered with grey strands. She was several inches taller than me and wore a green blouse with jeans that hugged her natural curvy figure.

"Welcome to..." she stopped mid-sentence when she spotted Aiden. "Aiden! What are you doing here in the middle of a workday?"

She scurried around the counter and wrapped her small arms around him fiercely. "What a wonderful surprise!"

Aiden offered her an embarrassed smile and after she let him go, he pointed a thumb in my direction. "Escorting Ms. Summers here to the best dry cleaners in Los Angeles County."

The woman turned and looked me up and down with a warm gaze, then spotting the dress in my arms she let out a cry of dismay. "Goodness me! What happened to this poor thing?" I held it out so she could inspect it. She took it carefully like you would a child, staring down at the blotches of mud.

"I fell in an alley," I admitted. I looked away, feeling flustered by the deep passion she showed for a gown that I had put so little effort into trying to care for. If she had looked me in the eye and told me she wanted the dress I would have gladly given it to her in that moment. There are certain people whose callings are so clear that when you watch them interact in that world, some of that passion rubs off on you.

A teacher who loves poetry can suddenly inspire poems, a tour guide can make you fall in love with a city, and this woman made me suddenly want to treat every article of clothing I had ever known with more respect.

The woman looked up at Aiden and shook her head. "And you let her fall?" The tone was chastizing.

Aiden's face flushed, like a child being rebuked by a parent. "I have words for you, but this must be taken care of first." She narrowed her eyes at Aiden, making it clear that the conversation was far from over before shuffling behind the counter and disappearing into the back.