But I care about it.
It had started out being so much less. It had been attraction, physical and mental yes. But it was just attraction. She was beautiful, but it was more than that. She was smart and strong-willed.
I wanted someone like that in my life.
But did it have to be someone who was young enough to be my daughter?
I took a deep breath, trying not to let it bother me, but I still wasn’t able to stop thinking about what that woman had said to me.
I pulled her closer to me. We’re together, and that’s that. Age isn’t going to get in the way. I’d known friends who dated younger women before, and it had gone well ... for some time. But could I really expect this to be a lifetime thing? From either of us.
Part of me wanted to say yes. Part of me wanted nothing more than to marry her, but I was a realist; I knew that at this stage it was puppy love. We wouldn’t know if we were meant to be together for a while. But if I leave her now, we’ll never know.
I wasn’t going to give up on her.
“Oh,” I stopped, being lost in my thoughts had almost caused me to miss the place we’d be heading to. I reached out, letting go of her, and pulled the door open. “After you.”
“This is where we’re going? A thrift store?”
“Yup.”
I had a couple friends who swore by shopping at thrift stores in rich areas, like right downtown NYC. It might not be the richest part of the state, but I was hoping there would be some good stuff here for the price that I’d be paying.
“‘I’ve been meaning to come here for a long time,” I said. But I kept putting it off whenever I had a week off. I liked staying home. Maybe Melina would help get me out and about more. That couldn’t be such a bad thing, right?
I stared at him with wide eyes. He wanted to take me thrift shopping? I couldn’t believe it, not that it was a bad thing.
Just ... him of all people. He wanted to go thrift shopping.
I looked around me.
“Alright, well, let’s get started, I guess.”
I mean, I had to have a little fun, right? I was in New York with Aron. I could let him pick up the tab a couple of times, and I’d treat us to a nice dinner out one night, or something. Maybe I’d pay for us to go on some silly tourist thing, like a haunted walk.
No matter what, I was just excited that we were here together and glad that Aron wasn’t focused on that elderly woman calling him my dad. I knew how much it had bothered him.
I took his hand, and we headed for the back of the room where it was marked shoes. I mean really, who didn’t want a few nice pairs of shoes. And you never knew what you could find at a thrift store. That was the joy of it. I bit my lip as we started to look through them.
“What size are you?”
“Seven.”
“What about these?” Aron said, pulling a pair of bright blue shoes from the racks. “Does Monola Blahnik mean anything to you?”
My jaw dropped. “Really? “
“Yea.”
I reached for them, kicking off my shoes. I stared down at the price tag $60. It was well worth it, assuming they were real. I bit my lip, taking a deep breath as I gazed down at them. They were gorgeous. Perfect. Okay, not really. They were kinda ugly. But was I really going to pass up on a pair of designer shoes for $60?
Clearly whoever had priced them didn’t realize how much they could be making off them. I chewed my lip, mulling it over. I could probably sell them for more than that, so even if I just bought them to say I owned them … and then sold them.
“You don’t like them?” he asked as I kicked them off.
“No, I’m going to get them,” I said, starting to look at the rest of the shoes. A thrift store was my comfort zone, and I understood that you had to take your time there. It wasn’t just about getting in and looking around and then getting out as fast as you could. You had to take your time.
Sometimes the gem was hidden behind hours of looking.
A lot of my work clothes were actually pretty high end, but I bought them all second-hand. I wasn’t in a situation I could afford to pay $200 for a dress that I’d wear to work and make minimum wage.
Aron was good the entire time, though I don’t think he’d realized how long I was going to take when he brought me in here.
“What about these?” he suggested, holding up a pair of small cowboy boots.
They were cute. I had to admit that.
Chapter Nine
By the time we got out of there, I had already spent my budget; well, Aron had, but I planned on paying him back, which meant I had spent it. My cheeks flushed. I was going to need a new suitcase before we headed back home, or I was going to have to mail it all to myself, which might not be much cheaper.
Aron grinned widely, holding one of my bags as we headed down the street. “And here I was thinking I’d have to take you to the mall for you to go on a shopping spree.”
My cheeks reddened. “I didn’t mean to spend that much,” I admitted.
“I know, and there is nothing wrong with you spending that much.”
I snorted. Maybe if I were him, there wouldn’t be anything wrong with it, but I was a college student. I needed money for bills and rent and food.
I thought about what he had said earlier, though. About us moving in. It would save a lot of money, even if we ended out doing more. I’d be able to afford more. I’d … I wouldn’t have to worry about being able to buy a new pair of shoes or a new outfit. And that idea thrilled me. Maybe it was worth moving in together. I mean, it would be fast, but it was more of a business move than anything else—right?
It would be good for both of us to have someone else living with us. I was sure he wouldn’t turn down the idea of being able to save a little.
“You look deep in thought.”
“I … I am,” I admitted. “I was thinking about us moving in together.”
“You were?” It sounded like he was trying to hide just how excited that made him. I nodded.
“I mean, it would be good for both of us. Not just because we’d get to see each other all the time, but because we’d both be able to save, and then we’d be able to do trips like this.”
Slowly, we made our way down the street.
“We could go to California next.”
“Yes.”
I had always wanted to go there. I took Aron’s hand in mine, our fingers entwining as we headed down the street.
“Maybe next month.” His eyes sparkled.
I laughed at that. “I think it will have to wait a little longer; I’ll have to talk to my landlady and see if she’ll be willing to let me out of the contract early. It will probably depend on if she has anyone lined up. I’m guessing, and this is just a guess, that she won’t have an issue replacing me.”
I’d gotten to it just in time when I managed to rent it out in the first place.
“So you should be able to get out of it?”
“I think so, yes.” We turned onto a side street. “But it’ll still take me a little time to save up, even with my expenses being cut.”
“You know I have no issue paying for you. I want to.”
I shook my head. “It’s fine. I can’t expect you to always pay for me.” I forced a smile over my lips.
“But …”
“Really, it’s fine.”
“I want to take care of you, Mel.”
His words sent a shiver down my spine. I just wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad one. I didn’t want him to feel like he had to take care of me; hell, I didn’t want to be some girlfriend that couldn’t fend for herself. But I did like the idea of being able to travel a lot and not having to pay for it.
I didn’t reply. Not because I couldn’t think of anything to say; it was because there was too much in my head and I didn’t know what I was supposed to say. My head warmed. So I forced a smile over my lips and dropped the subject.
�
�You know, when we get back, you’re going to have to meet my mom and dad.”
“I know.” He looked nervous.
“What? You don’t want to?”
“It’s not that … it’s … it’s just … well, what if we went to school together or something? What if they are younger than me? Or they think I look like I should be your dad.”
“Wait, you’re not still on about that woman in the elevator, are you?”
“Of course I am.” He sighed. “I can’t not think about the fact that whenever we go anywhere, people think I’m your dad.”
“The lady in the store didn’t.” I mean, she hadn’t said she thought he was my boyfriend, but did it matter? No.
Not if it was going to help me win the argument.
A soft smile touched his lips.
“Come on ...” I came to a dead stop. “Let’s go back to the hotel, and we can hang out there.”
“Don’t you want to do a little sightseeing?”
Not if you’re going to be upset.
“No, we can do that later. I’m tired anyways, and you said something about having sex with me earlier, didn’t you?” I raised an eyebrow, hoping sex would get his mind off everything.
Aron gave me a soft smile. “Alright, if you really want to head back to the hotel, but maybe we’ll save that for later.”
Chapter Ten
“Let’s go.”
I stared at Aron. “W-what?”
I thought we were going to stay in for the night. I’d been playing around with the clothes I got, piecing together outfits in the bathroom. Right now, I wore a pair of dark flared jeans with a brown scoop neck sweater that showed far too much boob for me to wear without something under it—in this case, a black tank top.
“I’ve called a cab; they will be outside soon.”
A cab? I frowned as I made my way out of the bathroom. Damnit, I don’t have time to change. I slipped into the flats I’d just bought.
“I thought we were staying in for the night.”
“I changed my mind, come on.” He took my hand before I could reach for my purse and all but dragged me out of the room. The door closed behind us, and we headed for the elevator. As it opened and we stepped onto it, my jaw dropped.
So did the elderly woman’s. She stared at me, then at Aron and looked away.
“Hello,” I said stepping into the elevator. “Nice to see you again.”
I prayed silently that this would be the last time we ran into this couple in the elevator. I couldn’t help smirking as we all stood there in the most awkward silence I’d ever experienced.
I reached out and took Aron’s hand. I’m not sure if it was to comfort him or if it was just to be an asshole and make that woman uncomfortable for the way she had made my boyfriend feel earlier. For making him feel like he shouldn’t be with me. I didn’t make eye contact with her or her husband as the elevator came to a stop and I stepped out.
Aron and I headed outside to find a cab waiting for us.
“Wow, that was quick.”
I have to admit, I was impressed by it. We slid in, and Aron gave an address. I didn’t pay much attention; I was too busy watching out my window as people passed by. They all looked in a rush, trying to get from one place to the next.
The car sped off, joining the rush of traffic as I realized I had no clue what we were doing.
“Where are we going?”
“Just somewhere.”
“Where?”
Aron’s eyes shone, but he didn’t say a word. He just pulled me into a kiss. A kiss that I returned, allowing it to distract me. It wasn’t that I forgot about the conversation, it was that I didn’t want to fight more than anything.
I pulled away, giving him a soft smile; after all, we were in the back seat of a taxi. I wasn’t going to have a full-on make out session with him. If he’d wanted that, we should have stayed at the hotel.
I stared out the window the entire time, trying to take everything in. Trying to see the Empire State Building, trying to catch a sight of classic New York. The kind of stuff you would see on the TV. I wanted to go back home and tell someone I felt like I’d been in a move. But who? It’s not like Rebecca and I were talking. And I wasn’t going to be besties with Sarah. I bit my lip. I could tell my mom, but we hadn’t talked in such a long time; I wasn’t sure I’d feel like I could just tell her anything.
I lost myself in my thoughts. I should try to patch things up with Rebecca. But … she was the one who decided she didn’t want anything to do with me. She was the one who stopped talking to me. I wasn’t the one who decided this friendship wasn’t worth it. It was true, not that that made me feel any better about the thoughts; if anything, they just made me feel worse.
I wanted to patch things up with Rebecca, and if I’d been the one to tell her we weren’t going to be friends anymore, I could try to take that back. I could try to patch things up with her. Now, I really wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do.
I mean, I could try to patch things up, but she’d made it clear she didn’t want to be my friend.
She’d made it clear that John was more important to her than I was.
As the car slowed down, I was snapped back to reality. I stared out the window with wide eyes.
“Wow.” I turned to Aron. “Are you … is this … it looks closed.”
I turned back to the sign. Nothing was going. Nothing looked like it was moving.
“It’s not. I called to make sure.” His eyes sparkled as he handed a bill over to the cab driver and waved away the change.
I slipped out of the car and looked around, shaking my head. This wasn’t possible, was it? My mouth fell open as I just stared.
Coney Island.
I stood there speechless, trying to take everything in, but I couldn’t. All I could do was stand there and stare at the sign.
“Come on ...” Aron took my hand, guiding me along. “We can’t just stand outside.”
“It looks closed,” I repeated.
“It’s not, to us.”
My brow furrowed. “What—” Everything clicked. I stumbled over my own footing. He’d managed to get the park just to us? How? I stared at him with wide eyes. The man I’m dating is … amazing.
And powerful. I couldn’t deny that, and honestly, it made me a little scared.
We made our way into the park.
“How did you do this?”
“I managed to offer enough for the manager to agree to it.” He shrugged. “It all comes down to what something is worth to someone and how much they can afford. This was worth anything to me, so I offered a good price.”
“Really?”
Aron stopped, turning to face me. “Really. Because you’re important to me. You mean a lot to me. I know we hardly know each other and that we haven’t been dating that long, but you mean so much to me already.”
He reached out, his fingers brushing my cheeks.
I didn’t dare say it. I didn’t dare tell her that I thought I was in love with her. If I said that, she’d think I was crazy. I took a deep breath and forced myself to look away from her.
“So, how about some of that pizza?”
“Sounds perfect.” My eyes sparkled as I let him lead the way to a vendor and order us two slices of cheese pizza.
I stared at him the entire time, my mind lost in thought. It looked like he had been about to say something right there. Like it had been important.
I was important to him; he’d just said that. But … what did that mean? Was he trying to say that he loved me? Was he trying to say that this was more than a crush?
My heart raced, butterflies filling my stomach. The idea of him caring about me that much … the idea that he could love me. I caught his eye, and he gave me a smile.
I think I love you.
I wanted to say it out loud. I wanted to tell him that was how I felt. But maybe I was just being crazy. I must be. I hardly know him.
We hadn’t been together all that long. To say I was in love with him would be … crazy. But would it be such a bad thing?
“Here.”
Before I could answer my own question, Aron handed me a slice of pizza.
“So, now what?”
“Now, we go ride some rides. There is going to be a firework display tonight, too. If you want to stay that late.”
I took a mouthful of pizza to avoid showing just how excited I was about it. I couldn’t believe that I was lucky enough to have someone like Aron in my life.
“What ride do you want to take first?” I asked.
“How about that one ...” He pointed towards the one closest to us.
“Sounds perfect.” I took the last bite of my pizza and moved closer to him as I chewed and swallowed. “And maybe the last ride I take for the night can be you,” I whispered close to his ear.
His cheeks turned a shade of pink that made me grin widely.
“I like your way of thinking.” His eyes glistened as he wrapped his arm around my hips gently, his hand tracing down to my butt. I grinned as we headed over to the rides. I can’t believe I get to do this.
We didn’t have to wait in line. We were the only ones here, and that meant we could do almost anything we wanted.
And we did.
We rode rides, ate ice cream, even played some of those silly games where you have to shoot the target.
“That was … amazing,” I said as we made our way back into the hotel room, another bag in my hand filled with gifts for family and friends. Or for myself, depending on how I was feeling—but I justified spending it all on friends and family.
“I’m glad you had fun.”
Aron’s eyes sparkled as he closed the door behind us. I heard him lock the door and make his way into the room as I slipped out of my shoes and turned to him. A grin spread over my face as I watched him slip out of his leather jacket.
As much as I liked seeing him in a suit, I liked seeing him in that leather jacket too. I liked it even more when he took it off, though. I closed the distance between us as I let my bag fall to the ground.
The Deal Page 84