Think Of Me

Chapter Eight

Jeanna couldn't remember the taxi ride from the dance club to Aaron's apartment in Astoria. She stood outside the tall apartment building, pressing the buzzer number for Aaron's apartment impatiently. A few seconds later, the front door unlocked and she was let inside. Not waiting for the elevator, Jeanna made the decision to climb three flights of stairs, something she hadn't done since she lived in college dorms. Once she reached the fourth floor, Jeanna jogged down the earth-toned hallway to the door marked “483” and knocked mercilessly.

“Aaron!” she yelled against the dark stained wood. Her breathing was labored from the run up the stairs.

The door flung open and Jeanna was greeted with a pajama clad Aaron holding a bowl of popcorn. “Hey!” he said casually. “Come in!”

Jeanna raised her eyebrows. “I thought this was an emergency.” She followed Aaron inside his apartment and closed the door behind her.

“Mommy!” Risa squealed. “You came!” She was dressed in a pink Barbie gown and held Geoff the giraffe close to her chest. Aaron must have tied her hair up in pigtails because they stuck out sloppily and uneven on the sides of her head. It was nine o'clock, but they were both dressed for bed.

“What's this?” Jeanna asked, confused as ever.

“Risa wanted us three to watch movies together tonight,” Aaron said simply. He lowered his voice to a whisper and turned so Risa couldn't see his face. “She started crying for you... I didn't know what to do. I thought maybe if you were here she'd be okay and get used to the idea of coming to my house more often.”

Jeanna frowned and put her hands on her hips. Her volume matched Aaron's, “You had me worried sick! I left Cristian standing alone in the middle of our date because I thought something was wrong!”

Aaron felt a pang of jealousy as she mentioned her date with Cristian. “I'm sorry... I feel bad now.” He scratched the back of his neck nervously.

She sighed and lifted her feet one at a time to take her heels off. “Well, I guess if I'm staying for some movies, I better get comfortable.” She looked at her daughter. “What're we gonna watch, Reese?”

“The Lion King! Daddy said that was his favorite movie when he was little!” she said, beaming and making a bee-line for her mother's comforting arms.

Jeanna picked her up and balanced her on her hip. She smiled as Risa wrapped her little arms around her neck. “Okay, then. Have you already brushed your teeth?” Risa nodded her head vigorously against Jeanna's shoulder. Jeanna raise her eyebrows and looked at Aaron. “Did she really?”

“Yep,” he said, popping the p. “And I made lasagna for dinner.” He puffed out his chest.

“Oh, you cook now?” Jeanna teased, making her way into the living room where the blue DVD menu sat, showing the tray was void of a disc. She playfully threw Risa down on the couch, making her giggle like a madwoman.

“Sure do. I could show you sometime if you'd like.”