I wanted to be her boyfriend.
“I’ll leave you alone.” The words came out so soft I hardly heard them, and I’d said them.
I blew out a deep breath, turning on my heel and heading into the living room. There was nothing else for us to say, was there?
That was how she felt. And I wasn’t going to be able to change that, so I should just leave her alone. Am I supposed to fight for her? I wondered.
I padded into the guest room and flicked the light on. It was a pretty safe bet that she wasn’t going to want to sleep with me tonight, so I’d take the guest room. That way she didn’t have to worry about it. A snide smirk rose over my face. Even when I’m mad at her, I’m trying to child her.
I bit my lip as I pulled my phone out of my pocket, wanting to call someone for advice, but having no clue who to call.
The downside to working all the time was that it didn’t leave a lot of time for friends. Melina has friends, I thought.
She was lucky to have friends. I knew that; I’d had friends before. Before I started working so much. Before I started earning more than them and being more careful with my money.
I sat down on the bed, my head in my hands and let out a soft sign. I felt a tear sting the corner of my eye.
Was this it?
Was she going to be done with me?
I have to find a way to fight for her. I had to find a way to make her stay, but that meant I was going to have to get my own shit in shape and stop trying to take care of her.
I was done with my essay by 3:00. I closed my computer after sending it to my professor and stared at the wall blankly.
I yawned, closing my eyes. He still hasn’t come to bed, I thought.
Maybe he was going to sleep on the couch tonight or something.
I was still mad at him; I was more than mad, honestly, but I wanted to at least try and patch things up before leaving.
I pushed myself off the bed and padded into the living room. There was no sign of him.
The guest room door was open. I marched over to it and peered in. Yup, there he was.
My heart ached. I don’t want to leave you.
Why did this have to be happening?
He was perfect. He was smart, and kind, and caring, and successful—but he had one flaw. He wanted to treat me like a child.
A tear pricked the corner of my eye. I took a deep breath and made my way into the room quietly. I made my way to the bed and lay down. I closed my eyes, and he moved towards me.
“Still mad?” he mumbled, half asleep.
“Yes,” I admitted. “But I still love you,” I said softly.
“I love you too,” he whispered, pulling me closer to him, his arms tightening around me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
I fell asleep without even realizing it.
It had been a long day for me, and I was beyond tired both mentally and physically.
Chapter Fourteen
I woke while the sun was still rising; Aron’s alarm was going off. I reached out and grabbed it, tossing it to him.
“Are you getting up with me?” he asked, turning the phone off.
No. I didn’t want to. I wanted to keep sleeping.
“You know …” He trailed off and placed a kiss on my cheek. “Never mind.”
“What?” I rolled over, opening my eyes to face him.
“Nothing.” He gave me a smile, sliding out of bed.
I have this thing where I don’t care what someone is about to say. It could be the meanest thing in the world, but if they stop themselves, I suddenly need to know what it is.
I sat up, watching him.
“Nothing?” I raised an eyebrow.
“I was going to child you.” He looked away from me. “But I caught myself before I said anything.”
“Thank you.” I slipped out of bed with him. Whatever he’d been about to say was probably true. I should be getting up with him; I still needed to do some research for an assignment due next week, and I had to write another three essays and study for a test.
I had a lot of work ahead of me; I knew I’d need to sleep eventually, but I needed to get work done too. I stretched my arms over my head and cracked my neck before slipping out of bed.
“Jamie, what are you doing here?” I looked up from my desk.
“Hi,” she said breathlessly.
It wasn’t abnormal for Jamie to stop by and see me while I was working, but I hadn’t seen her for a couple of weeks. In all honesty, I thought she’d moved on.
“How are you doing, Aron?”
“I’m fine, thank you. Was there something I could do for you?” Normally it was help related that she contacted me. Well, that’s what she said.
“Actually ...” she sat down across from me and pulled something out of her purse. “I did some baking; I thought you might like some brownies.” She handed me a small container of them.
“Oh, wow. Thank you.” I forced a smile over my lips as I took them from her. I didn’t want to be rude but needed to find a way to tell her that I wasn’t interested.
For the longest time, I didn’t say anything; after all, she was nice, and she’d never come out and said she was interested in me. I figured it would be rude to just act like I knew for sure that she did. But, if she did have feelings for me, then I needed to let her know that Melina and I were together.
If we even are for long. After last night, I couldn’t be mad at her if she wanted to be with someone else. I couldn’t blame her if she thought I was an ass for the way I’d treated her.
I knew on some level it had a lot to do with the fact I wanted to take care of her. I’d wanted her to realize how bad it was she waited so long. I hadn’t wanted to fight with her about it, though. I hadn’t wanted to hurt her. But you did.
And when it came down to it, that was what mattered, wasn’t it?
“Aron?”
My own name snapped me back to the real world.
“Yes?”
“You … you looked lost in thought.”
“Oh, I have to admit, I was.” I gave her a quick smile. “I’ve been super busy recently, between work and my girlfriend moving in.” I saw her eyes widen. “I guess I’m not all there right now.”
“I …” she stammered. “I have to go.”
Without another word she stood up and left the room.
I wasn’t sure how to react and just stood there staring after her.
“Uh …”
Was I supposed to rush after her? Was I supposed to go after her and comfort her?
What did I do? All I said was … Oh. I’d mentioned my girlfriend. Well, at least that was that. I guess I didn’t have to worry about telling her about my girlfriend.
“Morning.” Rebecca beamed as she stared at me. By the looks of it, she’d been about to go refill her coffee cup.
John gave me a nod.
“Hey.”
“You look tired,” John said.
“I am,” I admitted. “Aron and I had a fight last night, and I was up until some dreadful hour working on that essay.”
I could see the look on Rebecca’s face. She wanted to stick around and learn more. She wanted to hear every detail, but she didn’t want to look like she was doing it. I bit my lip.
Can I actually trust her? I wondered as she gave me a sympathetic smile and walked away.
“Are you okay?” John asked, the second she was gone.
“I think so, yea.”
“You know, Mel,” he paused, staring into my eyes as he reached out and took my hand. “You deserve someone who makes you feel amazing. Not someone who hurts you.”
I stared at him with wide eyes. I mean, fights were normal for any couple—right?
He reached out and touched my hand softly. My heart skipped a beat as his warm fingers brushed against mine.
Oh.
He was just trying to make a move on me. Somehow, it seemed a lot less kind now that I rea
lized he was just playing his own game.
I cleared my throat and pulled my hand away, brushing my hair out of the way and looking around, praying for a second that Rebecca would come back and save me.
“I think we worked through it,” I said, trying to fill the awkward silence. “I mean, it’s our first fight, and now that we’re living together it’s going to be a little harder. I mean, it’s like we have to combine our lives.”
“I may not be as rich as him but ...”
“Wait, what?” I cut him off, staring at him. Why would he being rich mean—Oh.
“I mean, I know he’s rich and everything and that’s probably nice but—”
“I’m not with Aron because of his money.” I cut John off again. My brow furrowed. “I’m sorry that you think that’s the kind of person I am.”
Clearly, John was not the kind of person I’d want, even if I weren’t dating Aron.
I wasn’t going to tell him that; I didn’t want to be a total bitch. My jaw locked as I stared at John.
“Oh, I didn’t mean that. I just meant …” He trailed off. I could see him trying to figure out what to say next, and as bad as it was, I took a bit of pleasure in it. Seeing him squirm.
I glanced down at my phone and cleared my throat.
“I have to go. I’ll see you around, John.” God, I hope not.
I stood and walked away.
I couldn’t believe John would think that of me. I’d always thought he cared about me, but not in the normal way. I’d always felt like it was a really sweet thing.
I felt tears sting my eyes as I brushed past someone, accidently hitting their shoulder. I muttered a quick ‘sorry’, but I wasn’t sure if they heard it or not. I didn’t care.
I can’t fucking believe it! That John would treat me like I was just some gold digger. Was that what everyone thought of me?
Fuck them. I didn’t care. If that’s what they wanted to think of me, then that was their fucking issue, not mine. I was going to do my thing and live my life. If they wanted to think I was just some gold digger, then that was their fault. If that’s what they think, I’ll fucking show them.
I knew I shouldn’t do it, but I headed for my car.
Chapter Fifteen
“I need your credit card.”
Aron raised an eyebrow. “Don’t get me wrong; I’m glad you’re going to let me help out but … why?”
I bit my lip. Was he going to understand? No, he’d probably think I was being childish. Well, I was here now, so I’d better just come out with it—right?
I took a deep breath.
“So … there is this guy at school … John, I’ve told you about him.”
Aron nodded, I saw his muscles tense.
“Well, he … uh, pointed out something that I guess some people think we’re together … because of your money.”
Aron nodded, taking it all in. “And you want my card because …”
“I want to go shopping. If people are going to think I look like a gold digger, then why not? You wanted to take me shopping in New York, right?”
I was hoping bringing that up would help tip the odds in my favor. I knew it was stupid. I knew on some level that if I went out shopping and bought a Gucci purse, everyone would be talking about how I was a gold digger but did that really matter?
I’d spent this entire relationship, although it hadn’t been that long, trying to make a point that I was still going to take care of myself. And now, despite all that John wanted to suggest, I was just with Aron for his money. So, I’d give them all something to talk about.
“So… you want to spite people who think you’re a gold digger by going shopping, with my credit card?”
“Something like that.” I bit my lip, wondering if it even made sense to me anymore.
Aron nodded slowly as if it didn’t quite make sense, but he was still trying to make sense of it. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet and flipped it open. He looked down before closing it and stood.
“Alright, let’s go.”
I stared at him with wide eyes. “Um, what?”
“Well, I could use a break from work. Anyways, won’t it be more fun if I come with you?” His eyes sparkled.
“You … you don’t think I’m being childish or something?”
“Oh no, I do. But I’d probably do the same if I were in your place.” He circled around the desk and motioned for me to come with him as he led the way out of the office, his hand touching the small of my back.
We came to a dead stop.
“Jamie.”
She had blonde hair and bright green eyes—the kind I’d kill for. My heart skipped a beat as they fell on me. I could have been seeing things, but I’m pretty sure I saw hate behind them.
Though she was a little shorter than me, I was still kinda scared of her when she gave me a snide smile before turning back to Aron.
“Hi Aron.” Her voice was soft and flirty. “Did you like my treat earlier?”
My brow furrowed.
I was sure she was trying to manipulate me into fighting with Aron, but I couldn’t help wanting to ask what the fuck she was talking about. Deep breath. I bit my lip and forced myself to smile.
“He loved it.” I gave her a soft grin.
Her eyes fell on me, widening.
“The brownies were really good,” Aron said quickly as if he was scared of what I thought she might mean.
Brownies. She baked for him? Wow. He had a hard time getting me to make dinner for him; if this girl actually baked for him, I was screwed. I couldn’t blame him if he wanted her. My stomach twisted. Don’t think like that.
“I’m glad to hear that.” She ignored me; instead, her full attention was on the man I was about to leave the building with.
“I’ll wait in the car,” I spoke softly. “I don’t want to get in the way of your guys’ work.” I gave Aron a quick smile and stepped past them, heading for the elevator.
“So, that’s your girlfriend?”
“Um, yea.”
“She … looks young enough to be your daughter.”
I smirked as I waited for the elevator. I wasn’t sure if she realized I could overhear them, or if she realized she wasn’t helping her case by telling him that. She was only hindering her own chances of getting with him by saying that, and I knew it.
“She is a couple years younger than me.”
The girl snorted.
The elevator door opened in front of me as I heard him ask if there was something she wanted or if he could join me.
I didn’t hear her answer before the door closed, as much as I would have loved to.
The elevator ride gave me a couple seconds to think, mostly about the woman who had been talking to Aron. She looked beautiful and about his age. And for some reason, that made me dislike her.
I was supposed to be confident because I was younger, because men weren’t supposed to give up a girl and trade her for an ‘older model’.
It was the other way around. Guys left their wife for a ‘younger model’. Right?
The elevator dinged, and I stepped out onto the main floor. I saw another elevator open.
Aron stepped off it.
“Hi,” his eyes sparkled.
I stared at him with wide eyes.
“I got lucky; there was an open one right as you started to go down. I managed to get away from Jamie just in time to get to it.” He reached out and took my hand in his quickly.
Together, we made our way out of the building and to his car.
“You know, if you want, you can borrow another car tomorrow.” His eyes shone as he said it. “Or I could buy you one.”
I was left speechless because he sounded like he actually meant it.
“No, I’m not going to make you buy me a new car!”
“You’re not making me do anything.” He gave me a quick smile as we came to a stop in front of his car just long enoug
h for him to unlock the door and we slid into our seats.
“I’m not going to let you buy me a new car.”
“But new clothes are fine?”
“Yes.”
He laughed softly. “Fine, but I have six; you can borrow whatever you want, except my Lambo.”
I turned slowly to stare at the man in the car with me. “You … you have a Lamborghini?”
Pride filled his eyes. “Yes.”
“Wow …” I stammered. I hadn’t realized. I really needed to go look in that garage; clearly he was holding out on me in there.
“I hardly drive her, but I do have one.”
I could understand why he hardly drove it. I’d be nervous to take it for a quick run up to the store. They were amazing cars from what I’d heard, but they were so expensive I’d be scared to scratch the paint on it.
Aron pulled out onto the main street. He seemed to know where he was going, though he didn’t give it away to me.
“So, are we talking a couple new things or a whole new set of clothes?”
“In the middle. I was thinking some nice shoes for sure.”
Aron smirked.. “Only if you wear them in the bedroom, too.”
I laughed. I reached out and took his hand; more than anything, I was just glad to see that Aron didn’t seem to mind that I wanted to do this.
We drove for half an hour until we pulled into a large mall parking lot. I looked around. I’d never seen it before. My brow furrowed. I’d never heard of this place before. Why here?
“If you want to get some nice clothes, the best place to go would be here,” Aron said as if reading my mind. “There are a few really high-end stores that sell some really high-end products. If I’m taking you shopping, I’m going to buy you good quality stuff.”
“And what if you’re just paying for a name, not the quality?” I raised a brow.
Aron laughed softly. “Remember, I do have a mother. I’ve been shopping with her too many times not to know. Sadly.” But his eyes sparkled as he guided me towards the mall entrance.
“So she told you all these good brands?”
“No, but I’ve picked up on where she likes to shop, and I do watch TV. I know some brand names. But mostly, I just go shopping with my mother.”
The Deal Page 88