In Aid

29. Greatest Misunderstanding

I woke up with a splitting headache and an ache in my chest the same way I fell asleep, wrapped up in Aubyn's arms. I wanted to stay there forever, but my bladder was beginning to protest. I wriggled out of his hold and went to the bathroom. I felt heavy and groggy and half dead. A brief glance in the mirror on my way to the toilet had me grimacing. I looked like shit.

I relieved myself and washed my hands, then took a good look in the mirror. My eyes were swollen, my skin was pale, my lips were dry, and my hair was an absolute mess. I didn't remember much from last night, only bits and pieces of conversation, situations, and that I had broken down sobbing like a tantrum-throwing child. About what? No idea.

"Zedikai?"

Aubyn was awake. "Hmm?"

"Hurry and get dressed please."

I quickly washed my face. I only looked slightly less tired as a result. Back in the bedroom, Aubyn was pulling a shirt over his head. I stared at his tattooed back as the fabric fell to cover it. "What do I need to get dressed for?"

"You are coming to the gym with me." Aubyn turned to face me, holding a hand out to me.

Out of the desires of my heart, I stepped forward but stopped when my brain interrupted. "No."

"I do not remember posing a question." Aubyn met me and kissed my temple. "I hope you slept well. You will be spending the day with me."

"Did you not hear me? I said no. I don't want to be anywhere near you."

"So, would you like me to choose the clothes for you, or would you rather choose them yourself? I am not opposed to getting you dressed like a child either."

It was so hard to tell when he kept such a cool expression whether he was joking or not, but I preferred not to try him. I had no energy to, and it seemed he wasn't listening to me anyway. I got dressed in a pair of shorts and one of his t-shirts. He watched me rummage through his drawer minding the perfectly folded clothes but said nothing when I chose one of his shirts to wear.

We left the suite silently. We did not go very far. The gym was on the tenth floor. I hadn't expected it to be as big as it was, or to have as many people as it did. The bright lights were hurting my eyes as I looked around. I was reminded of the kind of people this building housed. I hadn't seen many of its inhabitants and I'd spent most of my time in the suite.

Aubyn was greeted the second he stepped in. As soon as one person acknowledged him, everyone within a ten-foot radius gave him their attention. It wasn't hard to see that he was very well-liked among his coworkers. They were all smiling, patting his shoulder even in passing, or wanting to converse with him.

I stopped walking and put my hands on my hips as I watched Aubyn get swept away by his comrades. I was kind of jealous but amazed. I knew Aubyn was likeable because I, too, fell for the guy, but I never thought about his relationship with his other friends, coworkers, and family. I was so busy staring at him that I didn't realize I'd garnered my own attention.

A man with brown eyes and blond braids stepped in front of me. I recognized him as one of the men that I saw at the table with Sang and Aubyn when they visited my school. He'd been the one to greet me, but I hadn't understood what he'd said. He was huge, both in muscles and height and I found myself stepping back slightly.

"Uh... hi," I greeted lousily, trying to peer around him. Aubyn better had not abandoned me to be eaten by vacuras. I would never forgive him for it. I was hungover, the lights were bothering me, and I wanted to go back to bed to drown in my own misery.

"You greet your senior like that?" he asked, an eyebrow raised at me.

Sang had an accent. Aubyn had an even thicker one. But this guy had one that blew me away. It took my brain a few seconds to understand what he'd said, but with his deep, sexy voice and thicker version of Sang's accent, it was a bit hard to stay focused.