by Ava Walsh
Chelsey carried Ruby to the kitchen. She couldn’t believe her luck: Ruby had fallen asleep in her arms. This meant that she would have some time to herself, to think things over. She started boiling the vegetables and the chunks of chicken breast, placing Ruby on her high chair, still sleeping. So, Hannah was back in town, and Aaron might follow. Chelsey knew what that meant: there was no avoiding facing them. If she knew Hannah at all, she was not the kind of girl to just take no for an answer.
Chelsey had continued to text back and email Hannah for a few months after they had finished college nearly three years ago and Hannah left for Chicago, just to avoid an onslaught of questions. What she couldn’t bring herself to do, though, was answer any of her calls. As for Aaron, he was the kind of guy who probably wouldn’t even remember her. They had all grown up together. Chelsey had practically lived at their home all through her teenage years. Hannah and she were inseparable. Aaron was in the room next door. Aaron was her best friend’s brother, and also the guy of her dreams.
The water boiled over as Chelsey stood leaning against the cabinets. She realized a minute too late, and the stew had already boiled over the pot and spilled all over the floor. The commotion woke Ruby up and she was squealing in no time. Chelsey stubbed her toe in the rush to turn the gas down and also go to Ruby to placate her. She cursed, then apologized and soon enough felt hot tears pricking the back of her eyelids.
“C’mon, sweetheart. Go back to sleep. Mommy’s going to make us some nice warm dinner,” she cooed to her two-year-old daughter. Ruby’s screams started to die down as she placed her head on her mother’s chest, right next to her beating heart, but she was blubbering still. Chelsey couldn’t help but smile at the small bubbles Ruby was blowing out from her saliva-laden mouth.
“You’re a cutie, aren’t you?” she cooed again, and gently rubbed her nose with her daughter’s. She looked into Ruby’s glassy blue eyes. They reminded her of her own mother’s. Her mother who didn’t speak to her anymore. The mother she hadn’t seen in over a year. Chelsey’s mother was disappointed and angry. She was upset with her daughter for getting pregnant at such a young age. Mostly, she was angry with Chelsey because she refused to reveal to anybody who Ruby’s father was.
With Ruby in her arms, Chelsey rocked over to the living room and placed the baby into the playpen. She reached for the remote control and switched the television on, knowing the sights and the colors always calmed Ruby down. She wasn’t prepared, however, to see Aaron’s smiling, victorious face on the TV screen. Her hand flew to her mouth in surprise rather than disbelief. She almost felt like she was being watched, like somebody was listening in on her subconscious.
It was a news segment on yet another victory for his team. The presenters had nothing but praise for Aaron Keels, the star who had led the team to another win. Aaron Keels is unstoppable, the voiceover said, as Aaron’s dark curls were pasted over his sweaty forehead on-screen. Aaron Keels is a hero to millions, the man continued, and Aaron was laughing while running with his team towards the exit, with thousands of cheering fans in the background. Chelsey had to close her eyes tightly to get the image out of her head, but his piercing green eyes were forever embedded in her brain. She simply couldn’t forget his face.
Her heart was racing again. Ruby was thankfully distracted, playing with her building blocks, and Chelsey rushed to the stack of newspapers on the side of the couch. She sifted through them till she found the one she was looking for. She’d found it on page 3 of the paper a few weeks ago but quickly ignored it then, choosing to strengthen herself by living in denial. Today was not the day she could live in denial anymore.
There it was, Aaron Keels’ smiling face staring back at her. It was a series of shots of him leaving an LA nightclub. Two girls, in seemingly matching sequin dresses, clung from his arms. They were all smiling. She could see the glittering Rolex on his wrist and the long black Limousine behind them, waiting to take them back to his place. The gossip column detailed his relationship with the girls, who were both rising models. Aaron Keels definitely had a reputation in LA. He was the hot stuff that everyone wanted. They wanted to sleep with him, to be seen with him, to endorse him, to shower him with advertisement deals. And Aaron Keels happily obliged.
She could feel the rising anger in her gut. That was not the guy she knew growing up, but that was clearly who he had become. She threw the newspaper away from her and walked back over to Ruby to brush her soft, black curls away from her forehead. She didn’t know how she was going to deal with this, with any of this.
The phone rang and Chelsey jerked up and looked around to where it was lying on the coffee table. There was a loud rap on the door simultaneously, and Chelsey could feel herself getting annoyed. Who could be calling her at this hour? Who could be knocking on her door? She wanted to remain where she was, just Ruby and her, locked up and out of sight of the world. But the phone kept ringing and the knock on the door kept getting louder.
“Chelsey! I know you’re in there. Open up, will you?” Hannah’s shrieking voice pierced through her soul. Chelsey was frozen on the spot.
“Chelsey, open up! What’s going on?” Hannah shrieked again. This time, Chelsey stood up, took in a deep breath and walked over to her phone. It was Hannah calling, and she cut the call. Then she walked over to the door, trying to maintain an even breath, and opened it.
Chapter Four - Aaron
Aaron woke up from his sleep and was immediately filled with regret. He had been dreaming of Becca, of fucking her on the plane. Even though he hadn’t seen her naked he could imagine her perfectly bare body pressed against him, as he bent her over and rammed into her.
When he lifted his head, he could see her in front of him, a few aisles away. She was sitting quietly and staring out of the window, and even though he could only see the back of her head, he knew she was enraged and still embarrassed. She wouldn’t turn to look at him.
He wasn’t quite sure why he had turned her away. A few months ago, even a few weeks ago, he wouldn’t have even thought twice before inviting her to sit next to him. He would have touched her lightly on her knee, her shoulders, her waist…till she was seduced. If history told him anything, it would have been Becca who would have made the first move, the first suggestion that they make their way to the toilets. She would have allowed her butt to graze against his crotch as they weaved through the aisles, just to give him a taste of what was waiting in store for him.
So why had he ignored her advances now?
The easiest explanation was that he was going home to see his family, his sister after a long time. But he hadn’t been thinking about them. He had been thinking of his sister’s best friend: Chelsey. The girl he had never gotten over.
As far as he knew, Chelsey was in New York and she wouldn’t even be in town. But there was a part of him hoping that he would see her. He hadn’t seen her in three years and yet he could picture her face as clearly as if he had seen her yesterday.
They had practically grown up together. For the longest time, she had been like a sister to him. But then puberty kicked in, sexual hormones were born, and Chelsey took on the role of his first crush.
She was younger than him, his sister’s age, but he had noticed her bare legs in the short crop shorts she wore around their house. He had noticed the way she had developed breasts, the look of innocence and curiosity in her eyes, her small mouth. He grew nervous around her in the house, even though he knew she thought of him as a brother, as family, as her best friend’s older brother.
So, was it a childhood crush that stopped him from fucking Becca Lowry? It couldn’t be.
They hadn’t kept in touch, he knew nothing about her anymore. Hannah never spoke of her either, so he didn’t know if she had a boyfriend, a husband, a kid.
But lately, ever since he had decided to go home for his parents’ anniversary, the thought of Chelsey filled his mind. She was the first girl he had fantasies about, and now he knew that he would relive those fantasies i
n their hometown. He had spent nights dreaming about Chelsey, about seeing her naked, about having her in his arms, on his bed, hearing her laugh…
He would have to relive those dreams when he went back home, alone in his childhood room.
The plane was preparing to land now, and he fastened his seat belt. Hannah was aware that he might be coming, but his parents didn’t know. He had planned on surprising them.
The plane’s wheels grazed the tarmac and his body shook as the aircraft hit the ground. He was suddenly filled with a feeling of dread. Mixed emotions rather. On one hand, he was excited to see his family, on the other, he didn’t want to have to think of Chelsey again.
But he knew he would, he had already turned away Becca’s advances because he had been day dreaming about Chelsey.
He tried to remind himself that he was famous now, he was a celebrity, a national heart throb. He could have any woman he wanted. He shouldn’t be thinking about a childhood crush, a teenage fantasy, about a girl he knew nothing about anymore. She probably didn’t even remember him.
Slowly, Aaron unbuckled himself from his seat and stood up. He stretched his arms and yawned, trying to shake the unsettling feeling off. He noticed Becca turning to look at him.
There was fire in her eyes. She couldn’t forgive him for his public snub.
She was reaching overhead for her bags, and he noticed her belly again. The smoothness of her skin, the way her big round butt stuck out in her jeans, her long silky smooth arms. Aaron gulped. She rolled her eyes at him and straightened herself, just as he stepped out of his seat and into the aisle.
When he passed her, she suddenly stepped out in front of him, blocking his way.
“You are an asshole.” She nearly whispered it, and Aaron raised his left eyebrow as he looked back at her. For some reason, it had made him smile. She wasn’t smiling though, she was glaring at him.
“Excuse me?” he said and she rolled her eyes again.
“You really don’t recognize me, do you?” she asked, and this time he didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to make matters worse for either of them or cause a scene.
“We met a year ago, at the Ordinance Gala in Paris. You fucked me in my hotel room and left in the middle of the night. You are an asshole,” she leaned in again to say, this time loud enough for some of their co-passengers to hear.
Chapter Five - Chelsey
When Chelsey opened the door, Hannah was standing outside in the hall with her hands on her hips. She looked furious.
“You have a lot of explaining to do,” she said in a breathy voice, and tried to push past Chelsey into the house. Instead, Chelsey shut the door behind her and stood with her back to the adjoining wall, crossing her arms in front of her.
“I’m busy, Hannah. We’ll have to talk later,” she said, as calmly as she possibly could.
“Busy with what? Do you know how many people I had to call just to figure out where you live now? I thought you still lived with your mom.” Hannah’s voice was still high-pitched, as she had not yet managed to calm herself down. Chelsey nodded in response.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Hannah. I’ve just been very caught up with things,” she said quietly, trying to avoid looking directly into Hannah’s eyes.
“I have no idea what’s going on with you, Chelsey. Firstly, I didn’t even know you were back in town. And now I find out you’ve been living here, in this apartment, for close to two years. Why have you been hiding all this from me?” Hannah took a few steps towards Chelsey, who turned her face away.
“Hannah, I’m sorry. I just don’t have the time right now,” she said, placing her hand on the doorknob, hoping Hannah would get the hint and leave.
“What’s going on? Is there someone in there with you? Are you married or something?” Hannah’s eyes went to the door knob and then back to Chelsey’s face.
“No. I’m not married. I’m just busy. I really can’t talk right now,” Chelsey said, and let out a deep breath. Hannah’s face changed. She was going to try a different approach. Clearly, rage wasn’t working.
“Why won’t you tell me what’s going on? We’re best friends. We tell each other everything.” Hannah reached out and placed a hand on Chelsey’s shoulder.
“We used to be best friends, Hannah. Let’s just face reality. We’re not even friends anymore,” Chelsey snapped, and moved a few inches to let Hannah’s hand drop back beside her.
“And whose fault is that? You completely cut me off. I’m back here trying to figure all this out and you’re still pushing me away. What did I ever do to you?” Hannah’s eyes were tearing up and Chelsey couldn’t handle it anymore. She knew she would start crying as well if Hannah kept probing and pushing.
“Nothing. You didn’t do anything. Sorry, it’s not your fault,” Chelsey said, looking away again.
“Then tell me what’s happening. Whatever it is, you don’t have to go through it alone.” Hannah placed both her hands on Chelsey’s shoulders now, and they looked into each other’s eyes.
“I have to go back in now, Hannah. Let’s talk later,” Chelsey said quickly, before either of them had the chance to get any more emotional than they already were. Hannah stepped away, rubbed her hand under her nose and sniffled.
“Alright. Whatever. Just promise me that you’ll show up at the anniversary party tomorrow. We’re having it at our house. My parents expect to see you there and so do I,” Hannah said, in a quieter voice. Chelsey stared back at her and tried to smile.
“I’ll try my best to make it,” she said, after a few seconds had passed in silence. But Hannah shook her head.
“After all the years you spent with us…we practically grew up together, Chelsey. You’re a part of the family. Everyone will be disappointed if you don’t turn up. That’s all I have to say,” Hannah said, and turned on her heels to start walking down the hall towards the stairs. Chelsey remained standing where she was until she heard Hannah’s footsteps on the stairs, going down.
She stood for a few more minutes with her back pressed against the door, until she heard Ruby wailing.
“Hi, baby. Mommy’s back. Sorry, were you scared?” she asked, trying to sound cheerful as she opened the door and found Ruby standing in the pen, pouting.
The television was playing a repeat of the news segment and Aaron’s face was on the screen again. Chelsey found the remote, switched the TV off and picked Ruby up.
Back in the kitchen, she was more careful with the stew this time. She simply didn’t have the time or money to waste more food. Money was always tight. How did I end up here? she thought to herself as she ladled stew into two plastic bowls for Ruby and herself. She had been on her way towards success. She had bagged a fancy New York internship. She was creative and competitive. She used to be an artist. Now, she didn’t care for those things anymore. She gave people regular, unimaginative haircuts and made barely enough to pay the bills.
And now, Hannah and Aaron were back in town to complicate her life even more. She shook her head in distress as she pushed a spoonful of stewed vegetables towards Ruby, who turned her head away with a stubborn pout.
“Eat your dinner, baby,” Chelsey begged her, as her mind reeled with indecision. She didn’t know what she was going to do. She wanted to see Aaron, she wanted to see Hannah and her parents. She didn’t want to be so rude as to simply not turn up. But she also knew that seeing all of them, including the new Aaron, would destroy her emotionally. It had taken her nearly three years to get over him after the first time he left. How would she take seeing him again? Was she even over him now?
Chapter Six - Aaron
Aaron usually didn’t feel humiliated in these situations. The way he looked at it, if a woman ever chose to publicly shame him over their one-night stand or short-lived relationship, she was only embarrassing herself.
So he blinked back at Becca, trying to remember that night at the Ordinance Gala in Paris, but he barely remembered it.
“You don’t even reme
mber it, do you?” she snapped at him, placing her hands on her hips. Some people were trying to get past them, while a few curious ones pretended to struggle to get their bags out of the holding compartment, just to hear the rest of the celebrity conversation they were privy to.
“I’m sorry, Becca. That evening is a blur to me.” Aaron spoke truthfully, but she only rolled her eyes.
“Initially I thought you were purposely ignoring me. Then I realized that you don’t even remember me, or that night,” she said, her eyes piercing into his skull. It made her look even more beautiful, he thought. Aaron couldn’t help but smile, and that obviously made her more furious.
“I apologize, Becca. I had a lot to drink that night. I’m sorry if I offended you. I should have called,” he said, and tried to wipe the smile from his face.
“I didn’t need you to call me. I didn’t expect you to. I was hoping that you at least recognized me.” She crossed her arms over her chest. He had managed to pacify her a little, but not entirely, yet.
“Like I said, I’m sorry.” He adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder and tried to step out of her way. He didn’t know what else to do but to walk away.
“Sorry doesn’t cut it,” she snapped.
“What else do you want me to do?” he asked, now beginning to feel annoyed himself. He didn’t know this girl, he didn’t even remember her, and he was sure to forget her name in a few hours. And yet, she was behaving like he owed her something.
“I know you’re hot stuff, you’re Aaron Keels and everyone loves you and you have millions of fans. I just want you to acknowledge that you’ve treated me like shit, and probably hundreds of other women,” Becca carried on, with her arms still crossed.
Aaron stared back at her, in shock. Nobody had ever said something like this to him before, and now all he could think about was Chelsey. Had he treated her like shit too?
“I told you I was sorry,” he said, and he could feel his neck growing red now. Some people were passing through between them and the aircraft was growing emptier with every passing minute.