Bad Desire: New Beginnings - Fast Forward

Part 14 - all of her insecurities

"Do you own this place?" Was the first thing Sophie asked as she walked into the house.

Her eyes were skimming over every wall and every piece of furniture while she absorbed this place that Aaron called home.

Aaron rolled his eyes in response, considering Sophie really couldn't help herself from making a comment. She was judgmental without realising she was doing it; it just came so naturally. It was a trait she had most definitely picked up from her mum.

"What?" Sophie asked once she had noticed the look on his face.

"You couldn't have just told me it's a nice place to be polite like any other person, could you?" Aaron remarked with a questionable look on his face.

Biting down on her lip to try and prevent the grin that wanted to appear, Sophie soon failed miserably when it snuck through.

"It was just an innocent question!"

"Yeah until I tell you I don't own it and then you give me a look of complete disgrace." Aaron mocked, knowing there was very little she could argue with that, even more so as he could see how desperately she was trying to hide that expression now.

"So you don't own it? You rent?"

"Why does it matter?"

"You're throwing money away by renting. You should own the home or at least intend to." Sophie replied matter of factly, as though the situation was truly that simplistic.

"Thanks, mum. I'll keep that in mind."

Nodding her head, it was obvious Sophie was doing everything she could to keep tight lipped and not say anything else on the matter. She couldn't help herself sometimes, that judgmental nature wasn't always intently done.

"Does your girlfriend live with you too? It's not that badly decorated actually... I don't believe this is all your doing."

Running his hands over his face, Aaron couldn't help but laugh.

"You're doing it again."

"What?!"

"Judging. You can't help but pick at every single thing, can you?"

"I'm not picking! It was just a question."

"She moved in a month or so ago and no, Phoebe actually took full charge of it."

"That's my girl!" Sophie smiled as she continued to make her way into the living room, yet pausing when she took note of the photos placed around the room.

It was such a strange feeling stepping back into everyone's lives in Brighton but Aaron's had to be the one that hit the hardest. She had left Brighton a matter of weeks after their break up and not returned since, so things had still been fresh. Therefore, coming back to see this new life he had set out for himself was strange.

She knew it had been years and she hadn't expected him to be on his own, but she hadn't expected this extreme either. Sophie was incredibly used to guys yearning over her and not moving on so easily. So seeing Aaron with someone else, living under the same roof, was incredibly unsettling.

"Do her kids live here too?" Sophie couldn't help those words from falling from her lips, as she felt her stomach twist into knots.

She felt physically sick and she was mentally slapping herself for it too.

"When they're not with their dad, yeah."

"Did you speak to our kids about this?" Sophie asked with that accusing tone, as though she immediately expected Aaron to have done wrong.