“You’ll survive,” he mutters. “Now since you’re here, do you think you could do some work?”
“Are you asking or telling?” He deadpans, so I pick up my bag. “Fine, Mr Moody. I’ll be in my tiny office.”
He laughs. “Sorry. Would you like an extension?”
I open the door and spin on my heels so I’m facing him again. “That’s just stupid, Aden. We’ll swap.” I close the door just in time to see his eyebrows shoot up.
Sitting down at my desk, I switch the computer on. Having dinner tonight has put me off doing anything work-wise. I hate days like these. I like my job, usually. My phone rings as soon as I the screen flicks to life. It’s an internal call from Aden. “Miss me already?” I say into the phone.
“Come back in here.”
“Can’t, my boss wants me to work.”
He chuckles. “Well we both know that’s not happening so come in here. Please?”
“I do work, you know.”
“Yes, you did very well on your first day.”
“You bastard. I’m not coming in there so shove it.” I put the phone down and scowl in the direction of his office. I do work, but I know he likes to joke that I don’t. At least I hope he’s joking. Seconds later, my door swings open. “I’m busy,” I say.
Aden leans against the doorframe with his arms folded over his chest and the biggest grin I have ever seen. “I can see,” he replies, nodding at me doing nothing. Hey the computer has just turned on. “Are you mad at me?”
“Yes.” Am I?
He walks in and sits on the chair opposite me. “You love me, though?”
“Yes.” I really do.
“Why do you hate your family so much?”
“Wow, moving on.”
“Come one, Amelie.” Full name again. He means business. I think my issues with my family are fairly obvious. I mean he knows me, and he knows them.
“I don’t hate them, Aden. I love my family; I just don’t like who they are.”
“That’s it?”
I nod. “That’s it. Nothing happened. I wasn’t neglected or beaten. They think they’re above everyone else, and they’re not. They want me to find some rich guy and let him ‘take care’ of me. I want to take care of myself. I’m not an idiot.” I can see in his eyes he thinks there’s more to it. He would love to send me to a shrink to get to the real root cause of my family issues.
“What do you think will happen when we get married?” My heart stops. What the fuck? “Don’t look too happy about it,” he snorts.
Um. I don’t know what to say. He’s thought about that? “No, it’s just... Married? Aden, that’s way, way, way off. I’m twenty-one!” I’ve thought about it, but I don’t want to be married that young.
“So if I was going to propose right now, you’d say no?”
What? Oh God don’t propose! “Are you going to?” I ask, and I’m pretty sure my voice is only audible to dogs. It’s too soon. Years too soon.
Laughter burst from his chest. “No, it’s too soon for me too. I just wanted to see your face.”
My mouth falls open. Bastard! That was not funny. “Oh laugh it up, but I hope you know if you ever do propose I’m going to say no. In fact, I’ll sing it and do a little dance too.”
He stops laughing, and his face turns serious. “Marry me.”
“Fuck off, Aden.”
“That just made my day.” He laughs again, eyes gleaming. “Anyway there are a couple of things I need you to print and get ready to be posted. I’ll email them to you.”
“No,” I say. He can bloody do it himself after that.
“Millie, you do know you still work for me, right?”
“I’m fully aware of that, Aden.”
He sighs and cocks his head to the side. “You’re such hard work.”
“So fire me. Actually, screw it. I quit.” He blinks in shock, and I stand up. Okay I really hope he stops me right now because I’m totally bluffing and this could seriously backfire. “You’re so annoying and if you want us to be professional at work you shouldn’t piss me off so much.” I walk towards the door. Oh shit, stop me! His arm shoots out, and I sigh in relief. “What?”
“You’re being ridiculous and as I remember it was you that stormed into my office, sat on my desk and complained about dinner.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Of course it’s not,” he replies dryly.
“See! This is why I can’t work with you. We annoy each other too much. You’re an arse boss.”
He grins wide, his eyes lighting up in amusement. “Well you’re an arse employee.”
“Then you will be glad I’m gone.”
“Amelie.” He groans. “You’re the most frustrating woman I have ever met and when you’re like this I want nothing more than to rip those clothes off and have you over the desk.”
I’m taken aback. Well I didn’t expect that to come out of his mouth. He steps forward, and his chest is pressed against mine. “I’m mad at you,” I whisper.
“You overreact too much.”
“No, I don’t, I just react.” He tilts his head down, so his face is barely an inch from mine. His breath blows over my face lightly, and I shudder. “We can’t work together.”
His fingertips brush my hair from my face. “Yes we can.”
I shake my head, staring into his smouldering eyes, and I’m impressed that I still have coherent thoughts. “We annoy each other too much, and I never want to do what you tell me.”
“So? I don’t want anyone else waking into my office and talking at me.” At him, charming. “I don’t want a PA that will come in first thing and make a coffee or perform any task without whining about it.” Surely that’s all someone wants in a PA?
“That makes no sense, Aden. That’s what I was hired to do.”
“By my dad,” he says.
“What do you want then?”
“You. Just you.”
“I wasn’t suggesting that we break up when I quit.”
“Good, and you’re not going anywhere.” He grabs my hips roughly, and I gasp in surprise. His lips cover mine, and he kisses me with so much passion I feel like I’m going to combust. I should quit more often.
I stuff a new potato into my month, avoiding the teeny bird on the plate. What the hell is it anyway? It’s only the size of my fist. Poor thing. It looks sad too; its head is gone but the way it is laying in all that red wine sauce just looks desperately sad.
My parents and Aden’s are deep in conversation. Isabel is picking at her food, looking like a teenager who’s just had their iPhone confiscated.
I wonder if I’m going to be expected to attend more of these mind numbingly boring dinners? I’m glad our family’s get along, but it would also be nice if we could get a takeaway and eat on our laps in the living room. I’d much prefer something casual.
Aden doesn’t seem bothered at all; he’s chatting to everyone confidently. It’s almost as if he isn’t bored too. The realisation hits me like a ton of bricks: he isn’t bored! Oh God. Does he actually enjoy this type of thing? What does that mean for us if he does?
“You said you didn’t want this life?” I whisper to him when our parents are distracted talking to each other. I need to know right now. He has told me it bores him but here he is happily chatting away.
He frowns deeply and whispers in reply, “What?”
“All this. You said you don’t want it.”
“Millie, this is dinner with our parents. This is what normal people do.”
I sit up straight. “Why did you say normal like that?” What’s he suggesting? My voice is no longer a whisper, and everyone looks up.
Aden’s eyes tighten. “Amelie.”
“Don’t Amelie me.”
“Is everything alright?” Mum asks. “Amelie?”
I smile sweetly though the thoughts of murder. “Everything’s fine. Right, honey?” I ask Aden.
He grins, amused. “Absolutely, dear.” I hate him. �
��Amelie was just telling me about her wishes for a big wedding right here.” My eyes bulge. He didn’t just go there. Mum’s eyes light up. Oh fuck he is going down.
“I do, but you said you would only marry me if you could still sleep with other men,” I say to Aden, pouting my lip. Take that. “Apparently it’s not cheating if it’s with the same gender, can you believe that,” I add, talking to his parents. Beside me, I feel Aden’s horror. Payback is a bitch. Aden’s parents look like they’re having synchronised heart attacks.
“A-Aden,” Collette stutters.
“No, Mum.” He holds his hands up. “She’s joking. Getting revenge.”
“Yes I am joking,” I say, backing him up. “Don’t worry your son is all about the breasts.” Mum’s eyes widen this time and to a point where I worry that they’re going to pop all the way out. The room falls silent.
“Oh, things young people find funny these days,” Dad says, laughing stiffly. “Was never like that in our day, hey, Richard.” Richards nods, still a little in shock. “How’s the golf going? I really should get back out there.” And just like that we’re back on safe territory. My comments are forgotten, and I imagine that’ll last until the Fords leave. Then Mum will turn psycho.
Aden leans over, and whispers in my ear, “It hurts how little you know me. I’m an arse man.” I giggle into my glass of wine. At least he found it funny. I bet the next time he speaks to his mum she’ll be pleading with him to find someone else.
I can’t work out if Aden doesn’t want this life or not. He says he doesn’t and he even left at one point, but he came back and now he’s very involved. Can I be surrounded by these people and not turn into one of them? For the last twenty-one years, I’ve done well, but I’m the black sheep of the family. I hope I can keep my distance while still being close.
After dinner, we sit down for more drinks. I really do not need any more drink. The four glasses of wine I’ve had has gone straight to my head, and I’m feeling warm and happy. I sit next to Aden on the sofa, and he flops his arm is over the back. I like it when he does that.
“So, Amelie, you and Aden haven’t been together long, have you?” Isabel asks, cocking her head to the side.
“Not really,” I reply. Where is the jealous troll going with this?
“Hmm. But you’re already quite serious. You have come a long way.” A long way from where? “I thought you were Miss Independent and determined to go it alone.”
I sit up straight. All right, witch junior, let’s do this. “You misunderstand me.” Aden stiffens. “What I’m avoiding is being a high-class prostitute. I don’t want to be stuck at home popping out children and panicking over whether I can get matching fabric for the curtains while my husband earns the money to keep me.” And yes, I have just referred to my mother, sisters and boyfriend’s mum as prostitutes. But high-class ones. Isabel’s shock is animated. “Do you understand better now? I don’t need someone to wipe my arse for me.”
Mum spits her drink out. “Amelie Cohen!”
I hold my hand up. “Don’t worry, I’m going.” Aden’s on his feet right after me. “I’m sorry,” I say to his parents. “I hope we can get together another time, maybe without everyone else.”
His mum nods in shock. “Of course.”
I storm out of the room, bloody pulsing in my ears because I’m so bloody pissed off. I hate them all. Shoving the front door open, I make a beeline for my car, needing to be as far away from them and the sticks up their arses as possible.
“Amelie,” Aden shouts behind me. I stop and turn. He jogs towards me, the ground crunching beneath him.
Huh, he’s followed me? “I thought you’d want to stay away from me after that. Why’re you here?”
“Because I love you, and I can’t stay away, not even if I wanted to.”
How? “Oh,” I reply, my heart now racing for all the right reasons.
“What the hell was that in there?”
“You know what that was. You heard what she was saying.”
“And you couldn’t have ignored her?”
Possibly but it’s the principle. “No.” Sighing, I run my hands through my hair. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You’re not coming home with me?” he asks.
Really? After that? “You want me to still? You don’t want tonight apart?”
“Of course I don’t want tonight apart. Millie, if I wanted someone sane I would be with, well, anyone else.” Hilarious. “I love you, your overreactions and lack of thinking before you speak. And having no brain to mouth filter only adds to the fun.” Wow. Okay maybe I should just marry him now. “And one day we’ll have a talk about what’s really going on with your family and why you’re so desperate to get away and distance yourself from them.”
I frown. “That’s not what I’m doing.”
“You are. You constantly worry about becoming them and are always telling me how much you dislike this life. If there’s a disagreement, you accelerate it and storm out before they can do what? Side with Isabel? Tell you they’re disappointed in you? What do you think they’re going to say?” He tilts his head, staring into my eyes and says, “They do love you.”
I swallow hard, clenching my jaw. Shut up, shut up, shut up! “Are we going or not?”
He smiles sadly. “Yeah, come on. I’ll buy you Chinese on the way.” I wrap my arms around him, pressing my face into his chest and he kisses the top of my head.
Chapter Twenty-Two
We arrive back at Aden's after stuffing our faces with noodles. He heads straight to make us coffee, and I flop down on the sofa. I know I shouldn’t have walked out like that. As much as I hate Aden being right, he is. I know they’re disappointed in me, and I try to not care, but I can’t switch it off. I can’t watch them look me in the eye and tell me that. It’s easier, safer, to say fuck it and leave.
“Aden, do you like it? And be honest.”
He pokes his head around the door. “I’ll need more than that. Do I like what?”
“That life? How they are?”
“We've been through this, Millie. No, I don't, but sometimes, especially in business and given who our families are, you have to do it. That's life. You sometimes have to put up with and deal with people and situations you don't like. You can't run from everything, baby.”
“I'm not trying to run from everything.”
“Really? How often would you visit or meet you mum for lunch when you move out?” Well that would be never. My silence is his answer. “Exactly. They're still your family, and nothing is going to change that.”
“Unfortunately.”
“They're not evil, Amelie. You may not feel that they care, but they do, in the only way they know how. Wanting your child to be looked after isn't a bad thing.” Bastard is on their side.
They have no consideration for what I want to achieve. They’ve handed out hundreds of thousands of pounds for my education, and they don't even want me to use it.
“I'm moving out now.”
He sighs. “What?”
I raise my eyebrow. “It’s time to do things myself. I can’t complain if I don’t make changes.”
“So you're just moving out?”
“Yes. Can I use your laptop?” I ask, already reaching for it. “You can help me look for places.”
He disappears back in the kitchen, and I hear cluttering around as he makes the coffee. I thought he’d say I’m crazy. The fact that he’s said nothing at all doesn’t look good. I’m not changing my mind, though.
How will Mum and Dad react? Isabel will probably throw a party. Mum will no doubt freak at first and worry about how it looks to everyone else. I bet she’ll tell people I’ve moved in with Aden. Whatever their reaction I think they’ll be glad I’m gone.
Aden comes back into the room and places our drinks on the table. He turns to me with his deep in thought frown. “Amelie, are you sure you're doing the right thing?”
“Yeah, of course. House or flat? I do like the
idea of having a garden, but then I'll have to cut the grass.”
“So you're sure you want to move out?”
“Yes” I reply. “One million, two hundred and thirty-eight thousand per cent sure.”
He smirks. “Odd number. Alright, move in with me then.”
All the air is sucked out of my lungs. What the hell? Where did that come from? We’ve only just gone half public, and he wants to move in together. “What?”
“Move in with me.”
Okay, definitely heard right. I’m torn between telling him to stop being stupid and jumping on him in celebration. I’m crazy about him, but we aren't living in some fantasy world where people meet, marry within an hour and live happily ever after. This is real life, and you have to get to know someone first. What if I move in and in six months find out he has a C3PO sexual fetish and wants me to dress up like a robot? Or worse, that he likes Justin Bieber.
“Aden, we haven't been together that long and…” And what? Where am I going with this? Too soon? It is too soon. If I move in before I’m ready then I might mess things up, and I can't take that risk. I desperately want it to work out because I can see myself growing old disgracefully with him.
He nods slowly once. “You don't want to?”
No, that isn't it. “It's not that I don't want to.”
“Well what is it?”
“Aden, I love you.”
He smiles and sits down, scooting closer and brushing my hair behind my ear. My heart races at the simple touch. “I love you too, Millie. That's why I want you to live with me.”
“But is that enough? Especially so soon. What if it's too, too soon and everything goes wrong.”
“You're worried about us breaking up if this is the wrong decision?” I nod. That’s all I’m worried about. “Baby, if you feel like living here's not working then I'll help you find a place nearby to move into. No hard feelings. It doesn't always have to be all or nothing. If a situation isn't working then we can change it, but if we never try then we'll never know.”
Crossing the Line Page 21