by Brandy Blake
Half an hour later, she heard her phone go off, and she picked it up and saw a message from Aaron, along with another message from Michael. She opened Aaron’s message. ‘Would love to. Always wanted to go to Seattle. Send me details.’
She grinned and let Willow know that Aaron was going. She knew that they were going to have a great time, and she found herself looking forward to it with excitement.
Thursday came and he met her at her house, and she drove them to the airport. He was giddy with delight for the trip, and she found herself getting caught up in it with him, which made it all the more fun for her.
“I can’t believe you’ve never been to Seattle!” she said with a smile as they walked to their gate.
He shrugged. “I meant to, and I wanted to, but it just hasn’t come up, at least until now, and I’m glad that I’m going for the first time with you. That’s going to make it an even better experience for me. You can show me around and I know that no matter what we do, we’ll have a blast. Even if we just sit in a coffee shop and talk for the whole weekend.”
She laughed at him. “Well, we’re going to do that, but we’re going to do a lot more than that, too! The question in Seattle isn’t ever ‘what are we going to do’, the question is always ‘what aren’t we going to do’, because there is no end of things to do and see there. I love that city. It’s beautiful, and it’s fun.”
“Just like you.” Aaron winked at her, and she laughed at him.
They were in first class, as she usually was, and she was surprised to learn that Aaron had never been in first class, like Michael hadn’t. He enjoyed it, taking it all in, and she felt a good deal of happiness from watching him be so happy. She knew that he was going through a rough time with his divorce, and she wanted to do whatever she could to make it easier on him. She knew that their trip was going to give him a much needed break from his painful day to day reality.
The flight attendant gave them each a glass of champagne and Aaron held it up to her, offering her a toast. “To old friends; finer than old wine, and stronger with time.”
“Cheers!” she toasted him in return. “How’s the book going?” she asked, giving him a smile.
He nodded thoughtfully. “It’s going well. I’m making some real headway on it. I expect to have it finished soon. I’ve really been pouring myself into it every chance that I get, and it’s become the best distraction from my divorce that I could imagine. I really feel like it’s some of my best work, and I’m looking forward to getting it to the publisher soon.”
Raina gave his hand a squeeze. “Good. I’m so glad to hear that.”
His turn of phrase caught in her mind and hovered there; ‘the best distraction’, and Michael’s words echoed in her mind. ‘you’re my favorite pleasant distraction’, and for the first time, she wondered what it was that she was distracting him from so often.
She knew what he distracted her from; her work, her shopping, her life… he was on her mind so often, but she was his work, and she began to wonder what else it was that she was distracting him from.
The plane touched down in a soft misty rain blanketing the city of Seattle. The gray blue bay was off to one side of the city that hugged it all along the coastline, and behind the city were hills covered in houses and tall pine trees.
Aaron was almost gleeful as they drove from the airport over the hill and down into the city. He grinned when he saw the Space Needle, and he started singing the theme song from the popular television show ‘Frasier’.
Raina laughed at him and drove their car to the hotel downtown where they were staying. Aaron remarked what a beautiful city it was, and she had to agree with him.
“You know, I’ve been to a lot of cities all over the world, and they each have their own personality… like people. I love them all for different reasons, but this one stays with me. I think a lot of people would say that this city has the personality of a clinically depressed person, but I think Seattle has gotten a bad rap for that. It’s never felt like that to me.” She looked at the lights that had come on for the evening, shining all around them in the soft rain.
“Well, it doesn’t feel depressing to me. It’s exciting,” he replied, and she knew that he was going to love it. He hadn’t even seen it, and she knew that he was going to love it.
They went to a quiet restaurant in Chinatown and he admired the big Chinatown gate that stretched over the street, welcoming visitors to the little Asian enclave. Aaron asked a passerby to snap their photo, and the woman obliged, using Aaron’s cell phone to get the shot of he and Raina standing beneath the gate.
He thanked her and when she was out of earshot, he leaned in close to Raina. “I like this one, but I think ours is better. I’m just saying.” He gave her a wink and a smile and she nodded.
“You might be right about that,” she admitted.
They enjoyed their dinner, and when it was done, she took him over to the Space Needle so that they could go up in it at night and see the city all lit up around them.
“It’s beautiful!” Aaron exclaimed, standing beneath the needle, looking up at it shining against the dark cloudy sky.
“It is! And it’s warm and dry inside, so let’s go!” She took his hand and led him into the gift shop at the base of the tower, and not long afterward, they were standing at the top of it, looking out over the world at their feet.
“Now this is beautiful,” she said with a blissful smile, as she gazed out of the windows. She turned to look at Aaron, and was surprised to see that he was looking at her, rather than out of the window.
“Yes it is,” he answered quietly. He rubbed his hand over her shoulder and then turned and looked out of the huge glass window before them.
Butterflies danced soft and warm inside of her, and she felt a bubble of happiness rising up in her, though she wasn’t entirely sure where it had come from, or why. She took Aaron’s hand in hers and together they walked around the expanse of the glass room at the top of the needle. They stayed a while, they had their photo taken, and then they went back down to the gift shop again. She bought him a little keychain depicting the tower and the city skyline, and gave it to him as a memento.
He kissed her cheek in thanks and they went outside. Directly beside the tower was a massive building in the strangest shapes and colors that Aaron had ever seen. He stopped and stared at it, shaking his head.
“What is that thing?” he asked in wonder as he stood looking up at it.
“It’s the EMP Museum. Architectural genius, and lots of fun. Wait until you see it in the daytime, and hopefully in the sunlight. It’s definitely something to appreciate. It’s half rock and roll museum, and they have a seriously impressive collection of instruments and personal effects of some of the greatest musicians who ever lived, and the other half is all sci-fi, though they change out those exhibits every once in a while. I’ve seen everything from Star Wars costumes to old television sci-fi show characters.
“I saw one of the Teenage Ninja Turtles in there once, and a script from a long ago Star Trek episode. It’s a fun place to visit, but we’ll do that either tomorrow or Saturday. I’m not sure how long I’ll be in my meeting, but when I’m done with it, I’ll have the rest of the weekend to show you around.” She gave him a grin and the two of them walked away from the museum and hailed a cab to go back to their hotel.
“I don’t care what we do or see, I’m just glad to be here with you,” Aaron told her as they settled into the back seat of the cab.
She nodded in agreement. “I know just what you mean.”
They shared a room, but there were two queen sized beds in the room, and they slept in separate beds. As they laid there in the dark, just before they fell asleep, Aaron spoke in a soft voice.
“You know, we haven’t slept in the same room like this since we were twenty.” He laughed a little and she thought back to the old days.
“You’re right. Thanks for making me feel old. Now go to sleep.”
He laughed agai
n. “No, I don’t mean to make you feel old, and you’re not old. I just mean that it’s nice. I like it. It feels comfortable.”
She knew what he meant. “Yeah, it does feel comfortable.”
“Sweet dreams.” He looked over at her in the dim light from the window.
“Sweet dreams to you, too,” she answered, thinking how sweet it really was to have him there with her.
Her meeting only took up part of the day, and she ended up having most of the afternoon off. Aaron had explored a little of the area around the hotel while he was waiting for her, spending a couple of hours in an art museum nearby. When she went back to the hotel, she and Aaron got into the car and she drove them further north from the center of the city.
“Where are we going?” he asked, looking at everything outside of the window.
“We’re starting with the troll.” She gave him a playful look.
“Troll? There’s a troll?” he asked in amazement.
She nodded and took on a serious expression and note to her voice. “Oh yes. There’s a troll. He lives underneath the troll bridge. He was an art installation that has stayed. He has his hand on a real Volkswagen Beetle Bug; almost as if he had just plucked it from the bridge above him. He’s a must see.”
Aaron laughed and shook his head. “Well then, let’s go see him.”
They did see the troll, and had their picture taken there with it. They wandered through the neighborhood around the troll and stopped in one of the cafés for coffee, and a couple of book shops and second hand stores. It was a sweet little neighborhood, filled with hidden treasure types of places.
They stopped in a café for a bite, and she saw that Michael had texted her. ‘Missing you. What are you doing this weekend?’
She texted him back quickly, wanting to tuck her phone away and get back to her visit with Aaron. ‘In Seattle on business. Will be back in SF Sun night.’
Michael replied right away. ‘Wish I was with you. Maybe next time.’ She sighed and tucked her phone into her bag, turning her attention back to Aaron and the café they had stopped in. It surprised her that she didn’t want to hear from Michael just then. She always thrilled to get a text from him, but just then while she was with Aaron, it felt like a small nuisance, and she didn’t want to be interrupted.
When they left that area, she took him to the conservatory in Volunteer Park, and the Asian Art Museum right next to it. They explored the ancient works of art and tried their skills at hands on crafts like creating origami and wrapping themselves in a sari, which ended poorly amidst a fit of laughter. They took photos of each other in their made up costumes, and left the park to go walk down Broadway street in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. There were little brass shoe-prints embedded into the sidewalk to teach dance steps for popular old dances, and Raina wasn’t very surprised at all when Aaron took her into his arms and danced each one of the dances with her, all the way down the sidewalk.
“We should have something like this in San Francisco. I can’t believe that we don’t. Look what we’re missing out on!” he exclaimed as he turned her for the waltz.
She laughed out loud at him, and they hugged each other and kept going on in their exploration. When they had canvassed Capitol Hill, she took him down to the aquarium and the shops along the water’s edge. They rode the Ferris wheel and saw the old curiosity shop. She took him to the EMP Museum, and he saw for himself all the interesting things on display there. They found an old Irish pub hidden in an unassuming alley just off of the water, where they had dinner and drinks, and by the end of dinner, they were both ready for a good night’s rest.
On Saturday, she took him to the Pike’s Public Market to pick up some fresh produce and breakfast, and he surprised her with a bouquet of beautiful flowers. They wandered down the road to the first Starbucks coffee shop, and then went to the Athenian in the market for a proper seafood lunch. When that was done, she took him to the marina and chartered a boat to take them out whale watching.
The boat sailed out of Puget sound up to the San Juan Islands, and though she had last been there with Michael, she found that it was a very different experience being there with Aaron. She was at ease with him, relaxed and happy, and enjoying every single moment with him.
He was completely elated at being out on the boat, but even more so when they spotted two resident pods of orca swimming near Friday Harbor. They were able to watch them for a few hours before the pod swam off for other areas, and the boat they were on sailed back to the city.
When they were back on land, Aaron bought her a cup of coffee and they strolled along the streets and looked at all of the sites to see. She was just wondering about dinner when he smiled at her and took her hand in his.
“I saw a little Thai place when I was out walking around during your meeting yesterday. I thought I would take you out to dinner there. Shall we give that a try?” he asked, looking optimistic.
Raina smiled at him. “You don’t have to do that! I said the trip was my treat!”
He held up his hand and shook his head. “Oh no, this is my treat. I want to thank you for giving me such an amazing visit here.”
Relenting, she laughed softly and let him lead her to the place he had found. They enjoyed a delicious dinner and tea there, and then went out to a bar where a local band was playing. Aaron made the point of mentioning that most of the music of the nineties was based off of bands that originated in Seattle.
When they went back to the hotel, both of them took their time getting ready for bed, and just as Raina was about to get into hers, Aaron walked over to the edge of her bed and looked at her, his green eyes questioning, his voice soft when he spoke.
“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, but what would you think about me sleeping here with you. Would you mind?” he asked, looking a little nervous.
She shook her head and pulled the covers back for him. “No, of course I don’t mind. You’re on lamp duty, then, but otherwise it’s fine.” She moved over and he slid into bed beside her.
They started talking about the day they had shared, and their conversation began to stretch over many years and memories they had experienced together. It felt like their old school days as they reminisced, and she and Aaron both loved talking long into the night.
The wee hours had come when he finally turned the light off and they said that they were going to sleep. She tried to sleep, but she woke up a little while later, shivering, and Aaron picked his head up off of his pillow.
“What is it?” he asked in concern.
“I’m freezing,” she admitted. “Would you mind if I turn the heater up a little?”
He held the blanket up a few inches. “I’m a perpetual furnace. Slide over here and I’ll warm you up.”
She scooted closer to him and he wrapped his arm around her and spooned her, though she could only feel his legs against hers, and his chest on her back.
“Wow, you’re right. You are a furnace!” she laughed softly and nestled into the warmth of his arms. Not long afterward, she was fast asleep.
When she woke in the morning, she realized that she was still in Aaron’s arms, and he was sleeping. She opened her eyes and looked around, and something in her didn’t want to move. She felt that if she moved, she might spoil the sweet moment, like a broken silence, and she wanted to hold on to it for as long as she could.
It was a little while later when she heard Aaron whisper. “Are you awake?”
“Yes,” she replied with a smile, loving the sound and feel of them waking up side by side. “I’ve been awake for a while; I just didn’t want to get up yet, and I didn’t want to wake you.”
He chuckled softly. “I didn’t want to get up either. It was nice holding you like this.” His voice was low and his words were honest.
“Well, since neither of us want to get up, what if we have breakfast in bed?” she asked, turning in his arms and facing him.
She hadn’t really thought about how close they were, and what had felt co
mforting to her a moment before, changed as she found her head beside his on the pillow, and her body pressed against his bare chest. Her face was inches from his, and she was surprised by the urge she felt to lean forward and kiss him. She wanted to reach her hand up and touch the disheveled locks of his strawberry blonde hair that hung down low over his forehead into his eyes.
He watched her, his arms still around her, and for a moment she thought that he was going to kiss her, and she wanted him to, but he took a breath and turned his head away from her, pulling his arm back from her as he did.
“You’re onto something there. I think breakfast in bed is a great idea. I can’t even remember the last time I had breakfast in bed. Let’s do it. I’m going to go brush my teeth first, though.” He pushed himself up from the bed and she rolled onto her back and closed her eyes, sighing.