Where We Meet

7: Announcements

'Don't you know I'm no good for you?
I've learned to lose you, can't afford to.'

*

My heart sinks when I see Aaron standing there. I feel as though he has been standing there forever, listening to our conversation. Listening to me laugh and cry for him. I know my face was filled with fear when he saw it because he wasn't holding a look of betrayal or pain on his face. He was smiling. As happy and content as ever. As happy and content as he wouldn't be, if he knew what I had had with someone else. If he knew what I had with Jay would never compare with what I have with him.

When he saw my expression, his expression changed to one of shock, then confusion, then worry.

But not pain. Thankfully, not pain.

Or at least, not yet.

'Baby, are you alright?' he asks.

He looks at Jay, leaning down to look into the car. For an instant, I see rage in his expression. The kind a man has when someone hurts his woman. He gains control of it, though. He's not unreasonable.

'Come here.' Aaron says, gently coaxing me out of my seat, hugging me to his side.

'What happened?' he asks, first from me, then turning his gaze to Jay, with an ounce of hardness in his expression.

'She got sick, she threw up during the drive. I had to stop the car.' Jay explains, getting out of the car and walking around it to stand in front of us on the sidewalk.

Aaron seems relieved at this.

'A little early for the throwing up isn't it?' he asked, jokingly, rubbing my arm in a comforting manner.

'Jay's a rash driver.' I say, looking Jay dead in the eyes.

He looks away, plastering a smile on his face that I knew for a fact, wasn't real.

'Just wanted to get you home quickly, since you were sick.' he says.

'Thanks for that, man. I appreciate it.' Aaron says, and shakes Jay's hand.

It feels like an averse act. I might not have thrown up in the car, but I feel like I might throw up here.

'Let's go inside, it's hot.' I say to Aaron.

Aaron and Jay say their goodbyes, and Aaron takes me inside.

He kisses me on the side of my head as we walk, and asks:

'How was the ride? You were comfortable weren't you?' he asks.

I don't want to lie to him, so I look at him with a playfully suspicious expression.

'I thought you had a meeting?' I ask.

'I did.' he shrugs coyly.

'So, what happened?'

He walks ahead of me and then turns around to stand in front of me, just as we reach our apartment door. He looks down at me, and smiles.

'I already attended it.'

He opens the door dramatically, and I gasp as I hear a huge 'Surprise!' from a crowd of people in our apartment.

My heart beats erratically, as I take in all the decoration, the faces of our friends and the colors in the apartment. Callie comes into the room with a ridiculously colorful cake with candles on it, as Aaron coaxes me into the center of the room. I am handed a knife in a flurry and everyone starts to sing the happy birthday song to me.