These Lights

Eight: House Habits

I'll admit, at first I was apprehensive about living with Aaron.

I trusted him, but I still didn't know much about who he was. That is, he still hadn't removed his bandana, I think he even wore it to bed.

But, after almost an entire week of doing it, I couldn't believe how much easier life was with him around. I'm not sure how a lived without someone taking care of me.

He was a surprisingly good cook, he didn't normally use that talent however, because he was shut up in his room for most, of not all of the day, and he only emerged an hour before work.

One day I caught him out and asked him about it.

"Why do you stay shut up in there all day?" I asked, and I didn't get a very good answer.

"Because I feel like it." Is what he said before shutting himself back into his room, sealing me off from anymore questions.

It was late, and I was laying in the couch, waiting for Aaron to emerge from his room when a peculiar sound came echoing from his room.

I look outside to see a big full moon beaming in through the window, and the sounds continued only this time slightly louder.

A little concerned, I knock on the door lightly.

"You okay in there? I thought I heard something." I heard panicked panting and a very sick sounding voice come from the other side.

"I'm fine, just a little sick, I'll be out in a minute!" I stood back from the door a little, and from the door I hear him curse a final time before busting out of the door.

"I'm ready to go!" He had on his normal attire, but now his pants were baggier and he had a beanie secured in his head.

"Aaron we don't have work today, it's a Saturday, that's what I've been trying to tell you." He stares at me a sighs in relief, but he was definitely trying to hide something.

"Hey, you never did tell me about your bandana." His face fell and he gulped sitting beside me on the couch.

"Not tonight Aph." He mumbled and I, for what felt like the thousandth time today rolled my eyes.

"You say that every time." I pout, and he snaps back in a very serious tone.

"And I mean it. Not tonight." We both fell
silent, tension had been building up between us since I moved in, I knew I wasn't the only one that felt it.

"I'm sorry I snapped. This weeks been, bad on my mental state." He muttered under his breath at what I assumed was directed at me.

"Same, But you can't blame me for being curios." I stretched out on the couch, using his lap as a place to prop my feet.

"Curiosity killed the cat." He smirked and chuckled, but the tension was still there and I couldn't stand it, I needed to do something about it.

"But satisfaction brought it back." I rebuked and he looked at me
with a shrewd half smile.

"Fair enough." He started, But I knew he wasn't done.

"Can I... ask you something?" He asked, and a snickered, feeding off the mood.

"You just did, but yeah, shoot." I replied, and he twiddled his thumbs, his face went a little pink, and sweat started to go down his brow.

"Do you.... Uh... have dreams about me?" My mouth gapped open as my soul left my body in embarrassment, how could he have known, I just kept them to myself, they didn't mean anything.

"W-why do you ask?" I replied, trying to look like the question didn't want to make me jump from the window.

"The other night, you were.... saying my name in your sleep. I thought you needed something.... so I Uh.... stuck around until I realized you were asleep." He ran his fingers through his hair and coughed, my face had to have been blood red.

"Yeah, At Times I dream about you..." I felt so uncomfortable and the tension between us grew to such a degree I thought about just leaving.

I heard him give a nervous chuckle and turn to me to ask another question.

"And what are they usually about?" He wasn't flirting, We was being genuine and innocent and I couldn't lie to his face.

"Umm... Well... I... Theyusuallyinvolvemakingoutwithyou..." I though I said it fast enough for it not to register as actual speech to him, but I had no luck, not that day.

"O-Oh... Do you enjoy it?" This time he did smirk, and I pushed him, or at least attempted to, I merely made him wobble slightly.

"I mean. I don't know I'm usually not in my right mind!" He laughed out loud and pushed his beanie almost off his head, he was red, and sweaty, and still sounded a little sick.

"Well... I only asked because... I had a dream the other night about you..." He was looking towards the door when he said this, and I couldn't see his face to know if he was joking or not.

I assumed he wasn't.

"What was it about?" I asked, and I felt his hand curl around mine, he slightly turned in my direction, though he was still turned away.

"I feel like I'm gonna regret telling you, but..." He sighed and now stared directly at me, tilting my chin up to him.

"You were..." He was so close now, I could feel his hot breath, I needed to pull away, but I didn't, and I part of me didn't want to.

"Why aren't you pulling away Aph?" He asked with a smirk, his lips centimeters from my own.

"I don't know... I-I don't, Aaron- No." He started snickering and he pulled back away from me with a satisfied look on his face.

"You are so fun to tease." He said with a smug smile, and I was still staring at him, my heart beating way too fast and way to hard.

"Or... Did you actually want me to kiss you?" At this, I kicked him, hard. Right in the shin. And he groaned.

"Ow! Okay! Okay! Sorry, Sorry." He chortled But took a long look at me, like he was absorbing it's essence.

"You are really red though, did you really think I was gonna kiss you?" I refused to look at him any longer and turned away from him, but I nodded slowly.

He chuckled but shook his head.

"I thought you knew already, I would ask you first, even if I'm a tease." He smiled genuinely and stretched, looking up at the clock.

"Welp, let's go fool some agents into thinking we're married."