Forbidden Love

Chiama lightly caressed Aaron's hand with her finger tips. He looked over her file as if he didn't notice. He wasn't sure what he could or should not do around her, because he wasn't certain that his client was innocent.

"Her skin wasn't as soft as yours." Chiama could sense Aaron tense up. "I noticed how it was a bit rough probably about the third time I stabbed her." She looks off into the distance and squints as if trying to recall the event. "Or was it the fourth time?"

"So we need to prepare for this case and in your case file, I see that - "

"Can you get me off or not?"

"Yes, I believe we have a strong chance of that."

"But you're my lawyer wouldn't that be inappropriate?" She smiled at how he squirmed. Chiama began to lift up the bottom of his pant leg with her toes.

"Oh gosh. I meant the case. Only the case. With the charges against you, I can't make any guarantees. I will do my best to defend you. But I need to know everything as your lawyer."

Without him noticing, Chiama somehow moved her hands down to his inner thigh. Aaron looked down and jumped when he realized it. He was still afraid, but also intrigued.

"I'll get us a couple bottles of water and then you can tell me all about what led up to the events." Aaron tried to stand up and Chiama's firm grip around his arm so that she'd have his full attention.

"I like you Aaron." Her voice sounded sweet. Her facial expression, however, looked as if she was bored. "You like me too." She cut her eyes to him to see his immediate reaction and placed her hand back on the table.

Aaron pushed himself back from the table like it was an Olympic sport and walked to the break room. A part of him wished they would have been in the conference room that had all glass walls. He thought that maybe then she wouldn't be so forward. Then again, he was too flustered for anyone to see how easily she got to him. 

As Aaron walked back into the room with the bottles of waters he saw that Chiama removed her blazer and sat in a spaghetti strapped tank top with lace. She had also un-did her bun so that her long thick brown hair flowed around her shoulders.

"Here you are," Aaron said as he handed her a bottle of water and sat on the opposite side of the large coffee table.

Chiama smirked at the distance he put between them. She liked the challenge.

"Now please begin. How did you know the victim?"

She scoffed. "Victim? Right." The memories that question brought back for her made her get serious. "I met Ashley at a party in college. I was a freshman and she was a high school senior at the time."

Aaron thought about the idea of her being with someone. He briefly wondered what she was like in a relationship. He wanted to approach this with caution. "Alright. Was there ever any tension in your friendship with –"  

"Relationship. We weren't friends." She bit her lip and sat silently for a moment.  "Ashama. That's what everyone called us. It was a combination of both of our names. So we definitely weren't just friends."

"Sounds a little close to asthma." Aaron chuckled at his own joke and instantly regretted it. "I'm sorry. That was unprofessional. Do continue."

Chiama moved around the table leaving only one seat between the two of them. She made sure to be as seductive as possible because she enjoyed getting her lawyer riled up. "No there was never any real tension. Nothing outside of not texting back soon enough or something like that."

Aaron's brow was furrowed. "Okay? Then tell me about the night she died." 

Aaron tried to stay calm when she came near him. He didn't want to let her know she was getting to him, but something about her seemed vulnerable. He wanted to just be there for her. 

She took a deep breath. "I was never under the impression that she was a full-on lesbian. I saw the way she'd look at guys, but when I brought it up she said it would be disgusting to ever have sex with one. So, I pretty much tried not to worry about it. But then there was Chadwick. I mean come on, even his name sounds like a pompous dip-shit."

"Wait a sec," Aaron said. "Start from where that began. He was in the picture for a while, correct?"

"Yes. He was." She wanted to begin teasing her lawyer again to lighten the mood and not think about the night she lost the love of her life twice. But this was her future. "He went to school with us. She came to my college when she graduated and he was a loser that'd been there for seven years already. I never saw or heard of much interaction between them, but I just had a feeling I couldn't fully get rid of."

Chiama tried to fight back tears of frustration. Aaron felt for her because of how drawn into her story he was and he closed the space between them and sat in the chair that separated them. When she didn't seem to mind that he put her hand in his.

"What happened that night?"

"She was in bed with him!" Chiama shouted and the tears ran down her face profusely. "She was moaning like she never had with me. It was disgusting and gut-wrenching."

"Because she was your girlfriend?" Aaron prompted.

"Because she was my girlfriend. Because I was his girlfriend before she came into the picture. It was just all so wrong." She admitted.

Aaron let her hand gently go and sat back in his chair. He was trying to process how he could spin this. She had more motive than a someone on Snapped. He was determined to make sure she wouldn't end up on that show.

"Chiama." Aaron didn't know how to get his words out. "Is that when you did it?"

"Yes. I was the victim of her unfaithfulness. What she got was nothing. I went after Dickwick too, but he overpowered me and got out of there."

"Do you not remember stabbing him?"

She shrugged. "Maybe he got a little scratch?"

Was she serious Aaron thought. "He needs physical therapy."

"Hm. Serves him right."

"Chiama. I want to help you so here's what we'll do. In court next week when – "

"No." She interrupted. "I'm going to confess. I know I'll spend at least 25 years in there, but I'm at peace with that."

"We can try to fight. Get a deal for you."

"No, but you're a great lawyer and I thank you for trying." She stood up to leave and Aaron grabbed her hand.

"You're the type of girl that gets a man in trouble." He grabbed her face between both palms and kissed her deeply.

"Aaron wh-what?"

"In two days we go off the grid. You've been teasing me all night and I need more of you."

"Are you serious?" She looked into his eyes and knew she had him under her spell. She was going to prison anyway so she might as well be taken in from the beaches of Hawaii rather than giving in so easily.

"I'm sick of stuffy suits and courtrooms. I want to be reckless for once."

"You think I'm the type of girl you can be reckless with Mr. Stuffy Suit?" Chiama smirked.

6 months later Chiama and Aaron watched the news as reporters speculated about where they went and for how long they planned their escape. The police locked down the city and spent countless hours searching for the couple.

"Cheers. Mrs. Aaron White."

They clinked their glasses together.

"I love the sound of that." Chiama sipped her champagne.