Desired Fate

Chapter Eleven

"You can't do that!" I shouted at the woman over the other side of the counter, "I've paid for the next week, you can't just give it away! I want my money back!"

"I'm sorry but you forfeit the right of what's been paid upfront when you left your room unattended for two nights." 

"Where the hell are my belongings? You have no right to touch them without my permission," my arms flew about in rage and the annoyance was evident in my posture. 

"We have them packed up and waiting for you in the storeroom," the receptionist replied, not even waiting for an answer before she scuttled off to retrieve them. 

I let out an annoyed grunt as I disapprovingly folded my arms across my chest. This was so out of character, I wouldn't normally shout at a stranger but I was agitated that my plans had just been pulled right out from underneath me. I didn't know what I was going to do now, this wasn't about the money, this was about me feeling like control of my life had slipped away from me again. 

"Hey, are you okay?" Aidan's soft voice broke me out of my anger-filled bubble. 

His hands gently rubbed up against my arms, something I had noticed him doing more and more of whenever I felt uneasy. The fact he could sense that and knew immediately how to calm me sent pangs of longing throughout my body. 

"No, I'm not," I whimpered. 

"If it's about the money, then I'll threaten to sue them. Nothing parts money faster than a little bit of force and legal implications."

I laughed at Aidan as I wrapped my arms around his waist. I took in the fragrance of his aftershave, one that I so desperately longed to smell because it meant he was around me. It was a scent of comfort, a luxury sensation of feeling like I was home whenever he was around. 

"Aidan, you couldn't hurt a fly. You're just a big softie, I don't think your kind of intimidation will make them part with any money," I scoffed, our gazes met and he looked down at me with his puppy dog expression. "It's not about the money anyway. Let them have it, they're more desperate than I am."

"Then what is it?" Aidan queried. 

"I'm angrier about them ruining my plan. This place is shitty but it was cheap and allowed me to save at least half of my wages every week. It's about me feeling like I'm losing control of my life again."

"You're not losing control, it's a small setback. One that's easily fixable." Maybe it was because I still felt the emotional effects of telling Aidan about my past last night that the memory of living in a hostel was in my mind. 

"I can't go back to that place of being homeless and that's exactly what I am now," I sniffed.

"No, you're not," Aidan huffed, probably thinking how dramatic I was being, "I don't know what happened with your parents or why they didn't care for you enough that you felt living in a hostel was your only choice but now you have me. I care for you and I'm not just saying that. I want to show you, I want to prove it to you." 

Aidan's words touched me like no other. I hadn't even realised I was crying until he wiped his hand gently across my face. 

"Sometimes we are given what we need rather than what we want," Aidan imparted his wisdom.

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean, in order to move forward, we have to let go of the past. When we are unable to take that first step, something unexpected happens in our lives to force us forward." 

"You think me losing this place is the universe forcing me to sink or swim?" I scrunched my face up.

"I'm saying it's a possibility if you believe in that kind of stuff."