Are We Out of The Woods Yet?

Part 1 - Intro

Robert pulled Aaron towards him by tugging onto his unzipped jacket. Aaron stumbled clumsily forwards until his face naturally rested against Robert's covered chest, he wasn't sure it was where he wanted to be but he stayed there anyway. "You ok?" Robert asked softly into Aaron's hair. Aaron just nodded, of course he wasn't but right now he didn't fancy sharing his feelings. "Did I ever tell you you're a terrible liar?" Robert remained straight faced.

"Not directleh...But you've hinted at it." Aaron managed a weak smile, Robert's warm breath heated Aaron up like a shield against the cold weather Yorkshire had generously granted them today. He felt almost safe, even though this guy had danger written all over him, well written over the part of him that he wore on his sleeve. Aaron had been fortunate enough to be allowed to see the positive side of Robert's personality, when his barriers were lowered and he where wasn't always steely eyed and sending threats out to everyone as keenly as an over-excited bride might send out wedding invites. Aaron found it incredibly hard to trust Robert, he'd said and done some twisted things in the time they'd know each other and there was a big possibility that there were things Robert had done before they'd connected, Aaron wasn't sure he wanted to know about. However he couldn't stop going back to him.

"Aaron talk to me" Robert's voice was full of fond that Aaron, unfortunately, couldn't read. (Hence the mistrust he held against him) Aaron's mind received it and assumed it was purely patronising and he was prying on information he, himself, wasn't interested in sharing, at least not right now and he'd made that clear once already.

"I told ya, I'm fine." Aaron lifted his head off of Robert's chest and attempted to leave his hold.

"Well you didn't actually say anything..."

"Don't try and be cleveh with meh Robert. Just don't." Aaron warned him, shrugging off Robert's reaching hands and heading for the door, dragging them both back to the reality of the busy pub downstairs. "Come on, out." He opened it, waiting, staring straight at Robert. He watched Robert's eyebrows furrow in confusion, his eyes returning to the look of hurt he'd often seen when rejecting him before.

"What have I done? Tell me. I'm not leaving until you do. I'm tired of you shoving me away without explaining..." Chas appeared in the open doorway, she realised what was going on and smirked, with hard eyes, at Robert.

"Just leaving were ya?" No reply. "Good." She didn't let the mask drop until her back was turned to her son and Robert. She would have words with Aaron later when the conniving creep eventually got the hell out of her pub. Well...Diane was selling her half and so far there had been no other potential buyers so for now Chas decided to call the business hers. It sounded stressful but it lifted her spirits a small fraction as being in charge of something for once gave her a feeling of satisfaction.

"Chas!" Doug yelled.

"Alright I'm comin' keep your 'air on." Chas took one last glance back at the sitting room doorway, Aaron was still looking at him he hadn't moved one muscle for the past five minutes. Had he even blinked? "Aaron love." As though he had been released from a trance, Aaron eyelashes fluttered in confusion, it then hit him with a surge of realisation that he'd been practically at stand still just immersed in Robert's pleading eyes. His expression changed from that of confusion to pure annoyance, at himself mostly. But also at Robert for being there. Just being in the same room made him fall for him again and again, over and over and his morals went out of sorts when he was with him. His Mum's words of warning turned to incoherent mutters and Robert's wrongs somehow seemed to erase from his memory as though he was the antidote to his problems, not the cause. "Aaron!" His gaze snapped away from viewing Robert, he turned his whole body so that he couldn't even see him out of the corners of his eyes, he thought it might stop the thoughts he was having of him. Of course by now his mind knew Robert was there and it wouldn't let go. His heart didn't have to rely on his eyes to begin racing faster than a car on a formula one track. Robert was all he saw and all he felt even when he closed his eyes.