"Hey sleepy head," I said to a dazed and distraught Aaron. "I figured you could use some real food." I finished with a half smile and nervous laugh as I held up a brown paper bag with a bear claw in it and a cup holder with 2 cups of steaming hot coffee in them.
Aaron starts to calm down as I walk towards him with a polite smile I inherited from my mother. He watched me walk towards him like he was hurt by my leaving. "Looks good," he finally mutters as if he's trying to brush off the whole scenario.
The day looked inviting from the hospital room we were cooped up in. The sun was shining and the sky was such a beautiful blue, not a cloud in sight. Although I would've done anything than be in that room, one question stayed in my mind compelling me to stay: why did he want me here?
We kept up the small talk for little over an hour before my mind started to wonder to questions I knew I shouldn't ask. Why isn't anyone looking for him? Why did he collapse, he's so young. Why does he want me of all people to stay?
My frustration must've been apparent to Aaron; he kept glancing over at me with a concerned look you'd get from your parents and maybe close friends, but not a stranger. "Charlotte, are you alright?" Aaron's question startled me, making me come back from where I had been just seconds before. "Um... y-yeah," I stuttered, tucking my auburn locks behind my ear, nervous habit I'd gotten from my mother, "I'm fine, just thinking," I state with a smile. He smiles back, knowing I'm hiding something and that I'm unwilling to share.
"So, what happened last night?" he asks me as if to change the topic and I'm thankful he didn't push to find out what I was thinking because, frankly, not even I knew.
"Well," I started, but suddenly I had no idea where to begin. It all seemed so simple, but even one little detail left out and the whole story changes. He looked at me, urging me to continue, but all I did was laugh. All you have to say is you don't know, how hard is it? I question myself. "Umm... well.... let's start with how we first... interacted," I went on. I had wanted to say met, but technically we hadn't. It was just right time, right place.
"You had collapsed in the park," I didn't want to sugar coat anything that had happened, he had a right to know. "I was taking a walk when I saw you go down. When I got to you, your heart was still beating, but it was faint." He took in every word with surprising collectiveness. "I called 911 to get you an ambulance, but by the time they would've gotten there, it would've been to late." I took a deep breath, remembering how scared I was to lose someone else. It's part of the job, Charlotte. I felt a squeeze on my arm that was resting on the bed. Aaron was looking at me, his emerald green eyes shown sympathy on the matter even though I should be looking at him that way, not the other way around.
"Then," I continued with a shaky breathe, "I dragged you to my car, put you in the back seat, got you to the hospital, and here we are," I finished with a weak laugh. Serious conversations were never my strong suit and I always find the humor in them, even if there is none. However, Aaron was less than amused. He was thinking of something very serious, but I didn't dare break his concentration to ask what it was.
After a few moments he looked towards me, emerald eyes blazing with what I thought was endearment. "Thank you, Charlotte," he mumbled so quietly, I almost missed it. He looked so shocked at my story, like this was the first human thing anyone had done for him, ever. If he knew what I did, he wouldn't be so shocked. I thought a little irritated.
Who was he to judge me on how decent a human being I was? I understand that it's New York and that someone could murdered in a crowd of people and no one would see anything, but do I seem like I'm from New York? I've been here almost 6 months, and complete strangers could tell I'm not from here in a heart beat, so why couldn't he?
He must've picked up on my annoyance because he leaned towards me with a confused expression covering his face, from the crease in between his eyebrows to the way his eyes got lighter when concerned for my well being. "Charlotte, did I say something to offend you?" He made a move to place his hand on my arm, but I pulled it away at the last second. Yes I knew it was stupid to be so worked up over nothing, but I had been nothing but a decent human being since he woke up. He asked me to stay and I did, he asked me to tell him what happened and I did. Was there any part of what I said that remotely suggested I was a bad person?
Hurt flashed over his face at my action and I instantly felt guilty. Here I am, being so mean to a guy who has no idea who I am or what I've done to help him. I shouldn't be so harsh towards him. I tell myself. I take a breath and give him an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, but what you said was rude. I helped you and even stayed all night to make sure you were okay. And here you are, looking at me like I made it all up." He watched my mouth like he couldn't hear the words. He looked confused and hurt and I felt bad, but I refused to let him treat me wrong, especially after I had gotten him to the hospital in the first place.
What he did next made me question exactly what he thought of me.
He turned fully towards me and held my hand in his, gently stroking it with his right thumb. Getting out of the lumpy hospital bed, he stood next to the chair I was sitting in, my attention on his every move. What was he planning on doing? Was he going to make me leave, or make me stay?
Questions rushed through my head as he tugged on my arm, indicating for me to get on my feet directly in front of him. Even though he wasn't wearing any cologne, his natural musk was something that made me weak at the knees. And the way he continued to look at me like I was the most precious diamond in the world, was exactly helping me either. You barely know him, he could be a killer or he could have weird kinks. You don't know how freaky this guy is. But no matter how much I told myself this, I could never believe it. His eyes were to kind, his composure suggested confidence that he'd built himself, and a smile so sweet it made my stomach jump.
His left hand had moved to the small of my back, causing my heart to flutter at unimaginable rates. It sat there as he released my hand and raised his own to the side of my face and cupped it. We were so close that I'm sure he could hear my hear beating a million miles a minute, but I didn't care. For whatever reason, I liked this guy. Stranger or not, there was something about him that made me want to stay with him. Little did I know that exact feeling is how I'll be screwed over in the end.
He leans in closer, resting his forehead on mine. Using his left hand, Aaron pull me towards him until we could barely fit a Cosmopolitan magazine between us. The thumb of the right hand began to stroke my face the way it had on my hand earlier. Neither of us spoke, but our eyes said a thousand things in those 5 minutes of silence.
"Charlotte..." Aaron said in a deep, husky yet soft voice. What he said I never forgot nor would I. It wasn't what I expected, but it fit the moment somehow. Some would've saw it as random, but I saw it as so important to that day.
Aaron looked at me with his gorgeous emerald eyes that read a thousand different emotions, showing one in particular: determination. He pulled his forehead from mine and whispered into my ear, "Charlotte, you will be mine."
Author's note:
Let me just say, I'm sorry for being so MIA. School's always love to cram students with exams and homework with no time for yourself.
Now to the chapter, OH MY GOSH. This was the most intense chapter, to me. It made me feel amazing and excited. Tell me what you guys think. I really want to know.
-Charlie
With that, he
