Roommates with Benefits [18+ only]

45. True colors

"What happened to you?" My ex asked right off the bat, eyes on my shoulder. His voice sounded just as sexy as usual. I only saw him a few weeks ago at Fran's, for a few minutes, but it felt like it'd been ages.

"Nothing, I ... fell in the bathtub."

Aaron frowned, halfway between amused and concerned. In the end, he laughed. "You're always the same klutz, huh?" Was his laugh always so sexy?

"I was born to hug the floor, we're inseparable." I joked. The first few months of our breakup were difficult for me, even though I wasn't the brokenhearted one between us. I often found myself missing him and even considered calling him, but luckily I was able to resist the urge. It would have been crazy embarrassing. And yet the question remains: would our relationship have worked, hadn't I been still stuck on Jason?

"It's nothing serious, I hope?" Aaron commented.

"No, no, I might be able to take the sling off next week." I really hoped my cheeks weren't as red as tomatoes. I looked awful while he was always his usual handsome self, even the green of his eyes seemed to shine brighter as they conveyed nothing but happiness. Maybe he found someone. The kind of happiness in his gaze could only stem from love.

"How will you manage until then?"

"Oh, uh ... I get by." I kind of lied, unsure about even mentioning Lukas. There was no reason to, it's not like Aaron was here purposely for me, and he clearly looked a lot better than ever, so maybe he's really found someone. In that case, I would be happy for him. He's a fantastic guy, I was the only problem in our relationship. He was my first actual boyfriend and he made me feel wanted. It just was the wrong moment.

"You sure you're not overdoing as usual?" Aaron eyed me, uncertain.

"No," I smiled, shaking my head, "I'm fine. How's the movie coming along, by the way?" Because he looked surprised for a moment, I added: "The ... story you said was being considered by a few studios."

"Oh, that one." I would have sworn his cheeks reddened a bit, despite being mostly hidden by his light beard. "Nothing, I ... I decided not to accept their offers."

"Why not? They offered too little?"

"No, it's just ..." he pursed his lips for a moment, then gazed right into my eyes, "it's really important to me and ... I don't know if I can part with it yet."

I felt my heart skip a few beats just as I mentally cursed myself, remembering what he said about that work. It was inspired to us, to our relationship. "If it's because of ..." I cleared my throat, inevitably blushing, "if it's because of me ... I would have signed a release form or whatever document without problems." I assured him. He seemed surprised, which made me smile. "I mean, yes, I wanted to read it, but you assured me there were no specific details."

"And that's enough for you?"

"Of course," I nodded, "I trust your judgement."

Aaron smiled sweetly. "Well, that's good to know. But ... still, I'd rather keep it safe in my laptop for a while longer."

"I'm sure you'll write more amazing stories, certainly better ones." I mused genuinely.

"That's nice of you." He smiled, albeit unconvinced.

"You know I mean it, Aaron." I grinned. "You forget I was always the first one to read your works."

"Well, yeah, why hire a proofreader or editor when your girlfriend is an English major?" He joked. "It was cheap labor." He teased, making me laugh.

"Either way, you know I'm always honest in my opinions. Every piece I read, I loved it." I offered him a genuine smile. "You write incredibly well, Aaron."