The Lover's Vow

Chapter 9: Callie

The drive to my apartment was quiet except for the directions I gave Aidan. When I asked him why he didn't know where I lived after dating for three months he just shrugged and said, "You always wanted to go over to my place or we went out".

He acted like it wasn't a big deal so I let it go. He parked, and I debated for a few seconds about whether I should invite him in or not before he made the decision for me. He got out of the car and came around to my side, opening my door before I finished gathering the bag the hospital had given me for my things. I looked up at him, his hand out and waiting to help me out of the car. I ignored it and heat creeped up my neck when he moved back and chuckled at my stubbornness.

Although I felt relief at his willingness to give me that space, I was also filled with inexplicable disappointment. If he hadn't moved I would've ended up rubbing my body along his all the way up. I shook my head at myself for being disappointed that I didn't get the chance to rub against him like a cat in heat. I trudged down the sidewalk to my door, very aware of his presence close behind me. I became flustered when he stopped right against my back as I was trying to unlock the door.

I didn't realize my hands were shaking until I dropped my keys before getting them into the deadbolt once. Twice. On my third try, Aidan reached around me and grabbed the keys out of my hand. I held on to them tighter, not quite willing to admit defeat. He tugged harder, trying not to hurt my hand but also letting me know he wasn't going to let go. I rolled my eyes but let him take them, stepping aside so he could get to the lock

"Why are you so fucking stubborn?" I heard him mutter under his breath as he smoothly slid the key into the two locks. I held back a small smile, my lips twitching in amusement at how annoyed he sounded. He'd seemed willing to let me try and do everything myself but now I was seeing some of the frustration leak out. I couldn't deny it gave me just the tiniest bit of satisfaction to be affecting him in any way.

He let me go in first, following close behind. I watched him as he looked around my place, face expressionless. Suddenly I was dying to know what he was thinking, what my apartment told him about me that he didn't already know. I also glanced around, imagining I was seeing it through his eyes.

I lived simply, but comfortably. I didn't have much in the way of things, but everything I did have was centered on comfort. The plushiest couch I'd ever sat on was against the wall facing the door. I'd painted the walls a barely-there blue, and had a large painting of an ocean and sky that blended almost seamlessly with the wall color. A medium-sized TV sat on a simple entertainment center with only a handful of dvds. I had a Wii so that I could watch Hulu and Netflix, but I'd always been more of a book person. You only had to look at the bookcases against the wall in my dining room, filled to the brim.

Along with the bookcases was a small dining table and four chairs around it, with a seating bar connecting it to the open kitchen. I kept everything clean most of the time, but there were some pillows haphazardly thrown around in the front room, and my laptop sat open with papers scattered everywhere on the dining table.

My home was my sanctuary. It was where I could escape from people, a safe place for my mind so I tended not to invite people over. My family and Char were the only people I'd ever had over- and now it made complete sense that Aidan had never been here before. Knowing myself, I probably hadn't been sure enough about him to invite him in.

Satisfaction filled me when the first thing Aidan reacted to were my bookshelves. His face lit up with a small smile and he went to investigate them. I left him to it, walking down the hallway to my bedroom. I passed the second room which I'd turned into a sort of library-office combo where I had three more full bookcases lined against the wall, and in my room, I had another one about halfway filled.