Plié (Lost Birds Book 2)

Part 16 Aydan's

The temperature warmed slightly as Aydan carried me up what felt like a flight of stairs. I was shifted around and then lowered onto something soft and warm. Aydan's arms retreated, leaving me, and I forced my eyes open.

            I was now laying on a charcoal colored couch. I glanced around at a very simplistic living room. There was no entertainment center or television that I could see. Instead there were several black book shelves. All of them laden with books. One smaller shelf appeared to have a new model stereo system with several rows of large thin albums underneath. Instead of carpet there was dark hardwood flooring and a small grey area rug that sat beneath a black coffee table.

            Before I could take in more of the room my view was blocked by a pair of dark red pajama pants. I blinked but didn't raise my eyes to peer up at the culprit. My brain fog had cleared enough that I knew the pant legs had to belong to someone. The owner knelt down to my level. There was a flash of skin and then a pair of jaded green eyes captured my focus.

            Aydan raised his hand toward me. He held up a glass of water but my focus was pulled to his sculpted chest. There was a light trail of hair that started low on his abdomen and disappeared into the dark pants. I snapped my eyes back up to focus on the cup he was holding out to me. His arm was slightly tilted from the way he was holding the cup and it was impossible to miss the faded scar the stretched from his wrist all the way to the middle of his fore arm.

            My lips parted in surprise. Everything that had just happened seemed to fade away as I realized exactly how a scar like that would have come to be. My eyes darted back to meet Aydan's. My mind raced with questions of when, how, and why. The intense green offered no answers, only a slight impatience at my perusal. He glanced down. It was a gesture meant for me. I glanced down as well and realized he was still holding a glass out to me.

            I shifted sitting up on the couch and accepting the glass as quickly as my one good arm allowed. I wanted to ask questions. I wanted answers to more than just Aydan's story. My mouth was too dry to let any of them pass through my lips. I took a sip of the water and then another. It was surprisingly difficult with my hand still shaking from my melt down moments ago.

"Alright Mateo. Tell me." Aydan said standing back up.

            I followed him with my eyes as he moved around to the back of the couch. He grabbed a cup off of a row of granite counter tops and returned to lean against the back of the couch facing Mateo and I. Mateo dropped down onto the couch next to me and gave Aydan a quick recap of what had happened down stairs.

"Tori, how do you know Todd?" Aydan asked turning his focus to me.

"We have health together and the teacher paired us up for a project." I said. I had to clear my throat several times to get the words out. Aydan nodded to my cup. I took another sip of the water.

"Has he done something before now that made you uncomfortable being around him?" Aydan asked.

I gulped and nodded. I took another sip of my water.

"Tell me." Aydan said when I'd made no move to explain.

"He uhm... He's just a typical jerk. Pushy, flirty, handsy..." I shook my head as I stared down at my water.

"Handsy how?" Aydan asked.

"He's just... always touching me." My voice seemed to be coming out quieter the more I tried to talk about it. I took another sip of my water but it didn't help much.

"Touching you how?" Aydan prodded.

"I don't know..." I muttered. "Like... flicking me, hugging me out of nowhere, and... grabbing me..."

Aydan shifted leaning over the couch. He grabbed my chin and turned me so that I was looking at him.

"Has he touched you inappropriately?" He asked.

"Only once." I managed.

"Tell me what happened." Aydan said.

My eyes flickered to Mateo and my stomach quivered. I'd let another guy touch me and even though I'd hated it I didn't know how he would react. After his reaction to my accident in the hospital I didn't want to risk making him angry. I knew what happened was my fault for not being careful enough.

"Mateo, the garage still needs to be closed." Aydan said seeing my glance. Mateo tensed and looked at Aydan in question. Aydan tilted his head silently reiterating his command. Mateo sighed but stood up walked out of the room leaving me alone with Aydan.

"Tell me." Aydan said.

I gulped but with Tao being out of the room I was able to make the words flow.

"I had to stay after on Wednesday so we could work on our project. He was joking around the whole time and I was taking notes on our chapter but I can't write very well with my left hand so it was taking forever." I tried to explain. Aydan nodded for me to continue. He released my chin and leaned his elbows on the couch.

"I don't know what I was thinking. I just wasn't paying attention and everyone had left the room." I said.

Aydan nodded again. The patience in his eyes gave me courage to continue.

"I thought he was trying to show me something in my book or I wouldn't have let him get so close." I said.

Another patient nod.

"He reached over me and instead of pointing he grabbed my good arm." I said. "I told him to let go but he said-" I shook my head.

"What did he say?" Aydan asked.

"He said that he would when he was done and he..." I dropped my eyes to look at the charcoal grey of the couch. "shoved his hand between my legs." I said so quietly I barely heard myself speaking.

"I stood up really fast and caught him off guard so he fell over and then I just ran to my next class." I said "I didn't even get my books."

I was able to meet Aydan's eyes again once I'd finished my story. He looked back at me. I couldn't quite decipher the emotions flickering through his eyes. Anger was the only one I was used to and that was certainly present.

"Why did you think that this would make us upset with you?" Aydan asked.

"I screwed up." I said. "I shouldn't have ever been in that class room alone with him. I know better. I've been trained better than that and on top of it I let him get way too close in the first place."

Aydan raised his hand brushing one finger across his lips and his eye brow rose as he took in my words.

"First I want to address again that we do not and will not blame you for others actions. You did not do anything wrong. You were studying with your project partner and he crossed several boundaries that were not meant to be crossed." Aydan said.

"Second," Aydan held up a second finger on the hand near his mouth. "Starting Monday I am going to initiate a nightly check in where in you call and tell us how your day went. I will be expecting you to tell me these things as they happen going forward but this will ensure that we establish a line of communication in which there is a set time to discuss things that might have been missed."

"And Third," Aydan added another finger. "I want to know more about this training that you have once we've finished discussing what has been going on."

"I don't think there's anything else." I said shaking my head.

"Actually... he's been text you." The sound of Cameron's voice made me whip around in my seat.