Loving Aaron.

Chapter 2- Gaze

-"Have you found anything so far?" I ask Det. Beck. 

"We haven't found the murder weapon but were trying to look for cameras that could show what happened. Since you're familiar with the area, do you know where we could find some?"

"There are some traffic lights up ahead. Those and the apartments behind us have some. I was here a few hours ago. Maybe I'll remember if I saw something unusual."

"You were here a few hours ago?"

"Yeah. We had a little fight. I left her apartment and headed to the bar near my place."

"Ok. Well, you'll have to come to the station and write everything that happened. You know how it works."

"Where's your partner?"

"He should be here soon. I called him right after I called you."

"I'll head to the station and try to get warrants for the cameras around the area."

"You should head home first. At least let Khloe know that you won't be home. I'll meet you there later with the files ready."

"Sure. I'll see you then, Detective."

"You can just call me Sylvie, Aaron. You don't have to be so formal just because we broke up." I took a pause and looked at her.

"Sure." I head over to my car and start driving home. Being a Lawyer has been a dream since I was a kid. Watching true crime documentaries with my mom and fictional shows inspired me to follow this path. By the time I got home, it was already 6 am. I made a stop to get gas and a drink at the local gas station. I was in denial. I didn't want to believe that the last thing I did with Lily was argue. As bad as it looks, I need to find out who did this. That's the least I can do. After 30 minutes, I unlocked the door and saw Khloe in the kitchen wearing one of my shirts.

"Oh, Aaron! Your back. What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost..." The irony made me chuckle a little. Although it was inappropriate of me to laugh after what I'd just been told, Khloe being clueless and making jokes like this was a little funny.

"Do you remember Lily?"

"The bitch who used you for her happiness and plans to get married to someone else? Nope, not really."

"Her body was just found in an alley not too far from her apartment." Khloe stopped and came to the living room looking at me in disbelief.

"What? She's dead!? How come?"

"I don't know. I need to find out. Sylvie recommended that I come here and let you know before I head to work."

"Sylvie? As in Sylvie, who cheated on you with your roommate?"

"Yeah. I forgot to tell you we work together."

"Can't say I'm surprised. You both went to the same law school. I don't know why she didn't become a lawyer. Don't let her get into your head. Some people don't deserve second chances."

"Don't worry. I'm gonna go shower real quick. Feel free to grab some clothes and anything from the fridge."

"Already did. I'll see you in a minute."

I went to my bedroom and grabbed a towel. The apartment only had one bathroom since it was intentionally just for me and potential guests. I showered quickly and changed into a nice suit. I didn't want to wear something too formal as I knew that today would just be another day of getting warrants and reading through files. I did have to prosecute a client later in the afternoon. I decided to go and review the files before then. 

I left the apartment with Khloe and headed off. I drove to the station and greeted the officers who stood there, looking at me in pity, some seemed to look at me with doubt. I couldn't care less about what they thought or saw in me. The job was just that. A job. I found Sylvie in my office, bent over and picking up some papers from my floor. I cleared my throat to let her know that I was behind her. She turned and smiled at me while standing.

"Sorry, I was just going to leave these files here and wait till you came but since you're here, I suppose I could just go over it."

I placed my bag down and sat in my chair. She placed the files next to me and got quite close while opening the document. As she started explaining what they found, I couldn't help but be distracted by the perfume she was wearing. It was strong and sweet. She was wearing tighter clothes than usual and the necklace that I gave her. I tried my best not to focus on her traits, but it was as if they were trying to get me to observe them. Her body was the perfect build. She was truly beautiful. Her vest wasn't buttoned all the way and her shirt looked too tight. This wasn't appropriate for work. It was as if her breasts were about to pop out. Looking at her in such a way is not only inappropriate, but also unprofessional. I looked down to try and remove my gaze from her, but the perfume and thoughts in my mind were persistent.

"Aaron?"

"Yeah? Sorry, I kinda zoned out."

"Don't worry. I asked if you recognize any of these items we found at the scene. A baseball cap, torn gray sweater, old boots, and this phone." I leaned forward to the photos and stopped. The more I looked, the more evident things became.

"...Everything."

"What do you mean everything?"

"I know where all these are from. Except for the torn boot. That might just be trash."

"Ok then. What are they?"

"The phone is Lily's. It came out 2 years ago. I gave it to her as a birthday gift."

"Ok. What about the rest?"

"Well...I know I've seen them before. I just don't know where."

"Think Aaron. Maybe these are the clothes of our killer."

"I know. I just haven't had time to fully process what's happening."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I forgot that you two had a connection. I should have given you some time to rest. How about I come by later and you tell me if you remember anything." She says, facing me. At this point, her face was inches away from mine. Her eyes stared into mine, looking just as beautiful as I remember.

"Yeah, sure." It was like I couldn't look away. I saw her glance at my lips, as I did hers, but had to resist the urge. Sylvie was the only person I knew at Law school. She was the only person who ever made me feel loved. I thought we'd be together forever, but things turned out to be unfortunate. We both turned away as we heard a knock on the door.

"Come in."

"Sir, I just wanted to remind you that the trial is today at 5 pm. The defense should be there no later than 4 pm."

"Thanks, Delilah."

"No problem." She says as she closes the door behind her.

"I'll go over the files and try to remember where I saw them. In the meantime, go to your lieutenant and get as much evidence. Hopefully, you'll get a warrant soon but try to see if the people around the area have any info about Lily and cameras."

"Ok. I'll see you then."

"Sure." She leaves and closes the door. I don't know what happened to me. Do I still have feelings for her? What's happening? There's no way I could possibly forgive her for what she did. People gave me looks after the rumors somehow spread. They looked at me as if I was the one who did something wrong. Sylvie and I never spoke to each other after law school. We somehow ended up in the same department. For the first couple of weeks, we didn't speak to each other. But she was persistent in reconnecting with me. I realized that there was no use in not working with her. I still keep my distance from her. I've learned from my mistakes. But why was I feeling that way near her? I'm just a lawyer. I don't help with cases. I only prosecute the offenders. I just need to stop thinking about her and think about how to find the monster who did this. As bad as things may have been with Lily, she didn't deserve this.

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