Feelings Sold Separately - Aemond Targaryen

Chapter Nine - The Fridge

Maysie Farrin

Maysie anxiously watched as Aemond pulled up in front of her building, fiddling with her fingers as he parked and walked towards her. In his hands was a small green card, most likely one that would be connected to the bank account Aemond had promised to create the day before. The bank account he made possible.

"Hi." Maysie tried her best at a smile.

"What are you doing out here?" Aemond asked, his hands slipping into his coat pockets.

Maysie knew her nose was probably red from the cold, her hands stuffed in her new coat pockets to protect them from the sharp breeze, another thing Aemond made possible. "I just wanted to meet you out here." She partly lied, emitting the fact that her phone had died an hour ago when he last texted her, meaning she wouldn't have any way to know when he arrived, other than standing in the freezing cold parking lot and watching him pull up.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked, an expression of worry taking over his features.

"Yeah." Maysie nodded her head, following Aemond to his car and thanking him when he opened her door.

"This is for you." He handed her the small green card as he slid into his seat. "I had to add some gold to the account to get it opened, but other than that I won't mess with the account again."

"I'll pay you back." Maysie promised, flipping the small green card with gold writing in her hand. The little thing meant so much to her, yet in her hand it looked so insignificant.

"Little Dragon," Aemond drawled. "Paying me back defeats this entire arrangement. I want to buy you things and use my money to better your life." Maysie knew that, but hearing it helped ease the guilt that had settled in her chest. She wasn't used to someone going out of their way to help her, so all of this was uncharted territory. "Now, do you have any other errands that we need to do other than getting groceries?" Aemond asked as he started up his SUV, clicking a few buttons before warm air flowed through the vents, and soft instrumental music played quietly in the background.

"No, just the groceries." Maysie hoped her voice hadn't cracked as she spoke. She did indeed have things Aemond could help her with, though she wasn't ready to admit it, nor was she ready to put his willingness to the test.

✩ . ☽ . ☼ . ☾ . ✩

After a trip to the fanciest grocery store Maysie had ever seen, and looks of confusion from Aemond as she picked up so few things, he drove her home. "Thanks for taking me." Maysie politely said, grabbing her two bags of groceries, that Aemond had insisted on paying for. "I told you it would be boring." She tried to joke, hating the haze of awkward energy that had settled over the two.

"It wasn't boring, Maysie." She rolled her eyes at his lie, there was no way he genuinely found the last hour and a half entertaining. He walked her to the door but instead of saying goodbye at the door he continued to follow her.

"Um, what are you doing?" She looked up at him, her moment of standing still allowing Aemond to steal the bags from her and begin walking upstairs.

"Helping you put these away." He gave a little smirk as he lifted the bags, taking a second to look around. "What floor are you on?" He asked, panic growing in Maysie's chest as he looked at her with determination.

"Oh, ah, the third floor." She slowly followed behind him, fiddling with her coat as she walked him to her door. "I can put them away, it's nice of you to offer, but I didn't clean up because I wasn't expecting company," A lie, she kept her apartment tidy at all times. "So I think you should go, because I don't want you to see all that, it would be embarrassing, and -"

Aemond cut her rambling off. "What are you hiding, Little Dragon?" His smirk and kind eyes were long gone, a look of worry and anger taking over his features.

"I'm not hiding anything." Maysie reassured him, her voice getting higher, panic taking over her whole body.

"Open the door." He said coldly.

Maysie knew she could press him harder and maybe he would back off, yet she found herself opening the door without thinking about the consequences. Being around Aemond's domineering personality had become comforting, yet as he took a step inside her apartment she hated that he had the ability to override her senses.

The sound of Aemond flicking the light switch had her heart sinking. She watched as he placed the bags on her dated kitchen counter before going back to the light switch. Tears began to build as he flicked it on and off one more time before going to her fridge and opening it.

"Why don't you have any electricity, Maysie?" Aemond said, his gaze not meeting hers as he looked around her apartment.

He probably hated it. The studio apartment was bare of most furniture, her bed sat on the floor and an old dresser sat against the other wall. She had a small dining table but she doubted that made her apartment seem as well furnished as she originally thought.

"Maysie?" He brought her attention to him, her eyes no longer lingering on every flaw she found within her apartment. "Why don't you have any power?" He asked with a bit more urgency.

"The fridge was making a noise." She tried her best to keep her voice level. "And I had to choose between getting it fixed and having electricity." Maysie hated how vulnerable she sounded. "My neighbour Miss Falker was mad about the noise, so I chose to get it fixed." She shrugged, trying her best to keep her tears at bay, hating how it felt to have someone see her at a low point.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Aemond asked, his voice bordering on rage.

"Because I just met you, Aemond." She confessed. "I hate asking for help, and I know you want me to, but I wasn't ready." Maysie admitted honestly, worry evident in her voice. Would this be it? Would he walk away now? "It's not a big deal, Aemond. I'm fine!" She tried to reassure him, hating how defeated she sounded, hating how disappointed Aemond looked.

"It is a big deal, Little Dragon." Aemond said in a cool tone. "It's ice cold in here, you have no food in your fridge, and no way to charge your phone." He crossed his arms, shaking his head. "What if you had an emergency and needed to call someone?" He stressed.

Maysie let out a defeated laugh. "I just got a phone, Aemond." She said in a snarky tone. "I've survived this long without one, I would figure it out!" She crossed her own arms. "I had to make a decision, I couldn't have both luxuries! I live in the real world, Aemond. Sacrifices have to be made, and people struggle. That's how things work around here." A tear slipped down her cheek, her hand brushing it away roughly.

Tears kept falling as Aemond stormed out of her apartment, the sound of his stopping down the stairs echoing through the hallway. She knew he'd leave, she just wasn't sure she was ready to face the music. "How much does Maysie Farrin owe you." She heard Aemond growl from two floors down, suddenly thankful for the paper thin walls and echoing halls.

She rushed down the stairs, trying to figure out why he would be at her landlord's door, trying to figure out how on earth he knew which apartment was his. "She owes me five thousand silver." Gunner spat, his usual dishevelled appearance half hidden behind Aemond.

"I owe you three hundred!" She yelled, walking quickly to the scene. Of course Gunnar would try to scam Aemond out of money, he was clearly a Targaryen.

Aemond shoved a few bills into Gunner's hands before spinning around. His hair was slightly fizzy, like he had run a hand through it, and his jaw was clenched. "Upstairs." He said, placing his hand on Maysie's back and leading her away.

"Aemond." She cried, worry weighing down her chest.

"Upstairs."