Afterglow

by Artemis Anders

She searched for Aaron, not finding him in the military or history sections like she expected. Instead, she found him among the fiction books, sitting in a chair with his coffee and reading a familiar author.

  She giggled. “Tom Clancy. What a shock.”

  Aaron laughed, pulling her onto his lap. “What did you find?” She showed him and Aaron nodded. “Nice.”

  Teagan snuggled against him in the big chair and they remained there for a while, Aaron’s warmth radiating through her. When she looked up at him, Aaron was gazing at her with his steely blue eyes, enough to make her stomach flutter.

  “Stop looking at me like that,” she finally said.

  “Why?”

  “Because it makes me want to tear your clothes off.”

  Aaron shook his head, humor in his face. “Nope. Rules are rules. You don’t get the goods until March.”

  She smacked him on the chest as they laughed together. Teagan’s stomach rumbled. “You getting hungry yet?”

  “I could eat.”

  “What do you feel like? Boulder is chock-full of breweries…”

  He shook his head. “Let’s go somewhere nice. My treat.”

  Teagan considered their options. “Do you like game?”

  “I love game.”

  “I know a great place near here.”

  “We aren’t dressed for a place that serves game.”

  She waved a hand at him. “This is Boulder. Land of fleece vests and KEEN shoes. They won’t care, trust me.”

  She pulled out her phone and found The Glenwood, making a reservation for 5:15. It was their last reservation, but the timing would work out perfectly for them. They read for a while longer before they paid for their books and left.

  When they arrived at The Glenwood just outside town, the place was already busy. The tiny little restaurant still had its holiday lights up. Inside, it had rustic wood-paneled walls and racks of deer, elk, and buffalo mounted on them. The tables had tablecloths and candles, and the light was soft and romantic. It smelled delicious. Best of all, their reservation got them a seat near the roaring fireplace.

  After their salads, they ate a selection of game and drank red wine. They talked—about their childhoods, their career hopes, and even their divorces, albeit cautiously and briefly. By the end of the meal, Teagan no longer cared about their pact to wait until March. She longed to go back to her place and let Aaron have his way with her.

  Aaron seemed to have the same idea. He kept staring at her, holding her hand, paying special attention to her. He encouraged her to order the game plate despite it being the most expensive dish on the menu, and insisted they order dessert.

  Back at her place, they took off their coats and shoes and snuggled near the fire that Aaron built for them. Just as she was about to lead him to her bedroom, he took her hand and looked at her like he had something to say.

  “I love you, Teagan.” Teagan was stunned into silence. Before she could reciprocate, he went on. “And as much as I want to carry you into your bedroom and do things to you, and it’s really hard for me not to, I’m totally cool with the separate rooms thing. I fucked it up before, and I want to do things right this time. I want to be with you without anything else in the way, and I’m willing to wait for that.”

  Tears came to Teagan’s eyes. “I love you, too.”

  She said nothing else. She didn’t have to. Aaron had said it for them, had again done the right thing. It only made her love him more.

  Sunday morning, Teagan woke up and put on some coffee. There was a knock at the door. Ben.

  Ben walked in with his own cup of coffee. He eyed Aaron, just a hint of remorse in his expression. “Hey, man. Sorry I busted your chops before.”

  Aaron shook his head. “Don’t sweat it.”

  The two men shook hands and chatted while Teagan checked her email. She got one she hadn’t expected, a good one that made her cry out in excitement. The two men looked over from the kitchen.

  “I just got invited to be a special guest at Emerald City Comic Con, in Seattle! Emerald City is one of the biggest conventions in the world!”

  “That’s awesome,” Aaron said. “Which weekend?”

  She checked the email and told him the dates. “It’s just before spring break, so I won’t have to hurry back and can actually afford a few extra nights in a hotel!”

  “I can house-sit,” Ben said. He headed for the door. “Let me know.”

  After Ben left, Aaron stood there for a minute. “Do you want company in Seattle?”

  Teagan grew excited. “You would come with me?”

  “Why not? The timing’s good; I’ll be finishing up training some Air Force cadets. I can take a couple days off and we can explore Seattle. I’ve been a lot of places, but never there.”

  “It’s cold in March. And rainy.”

  He shrugged. “We’ll have fun.” He paused. “That’s more than a month away, though. I’m pretty busy until then, but I can fly you to Tucson before that—”

  “No. I’ll be busy too. I can wait, as long as we can talk and Skype.”

  “Done.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Rain fell on the hilly Seattle streets. The dreary sky felt like darkness was on its way, despite it being only three in the afternoon. When her shuttle crested a hill, Teagan spotted Puget Sound in the distance, its gray waters dotted with islands. Soon, the shuttle arrived at her hotel near the convention center.

  She checked in, impressed by the room the convention had arranged for the next three nights, with its king-sized bed and sweeping city view. Aaron too would be impressed when he arrived on Friday.

  They’d done a good job staying in touch for over a month. They Skyped most days, usually in the evenings when he was off duty and she was finished with her nightly writing. Sometimes Aaron texted her during the day, just to say hello; she would reply with an emoji, a joke, or a sexual comment, and Aaron liked not knowing which one to expect. He posted science fiction memes on her Facebook page, and she posted dog or Captain America memes on his. Five weeks hadn’t seemed that long when they’d made their plans, but now it felt like forever since she’d seen him. She was beyond glad to have Aaron back in her life, but the realities of LDRs had sunk in once more.

  Even more worrisome, Aaron hadn’t said two words about his divorce. He’d quit talking about it, despite the fact that it should’ve been finalized by now. Had something gone wrong with the paperwork? Had his ex caused problems again and delayed things? Or had it finalized, but Aaron had felt lousy about it and didn’t want to admit it? Finalizing a divorce was harder than people realized. She knew about that. She’d been there.

  Aaron didn’t usually talk about his feelings or vent about things that bothered him. She didn’t want to let fear run her life again, but Aaron knew how important this was and his silence didn’t bode well.

  After unpacking her things, she headed to the convention center to get checked in. Numerous escalators took her up many floors in the massive convention space. It wasn’t San Diego Comic Con massive—nothing rivaled SDCC—but it was bigger than she’d ever seen.

  Thursday night was preview night and Teagan had nothing scheduled, so she walked the entire convention before going back to get some rest. On Friday, she arrived at the guest author area at her designated time. The volunteers ushered her to her table, where they’d erected a poster of her Desert Suns series and had stacks of books waiting for her.

  “Can I get you anything, Teagan?” one said. “We have water, sodas, cookies…”

  Teagan hesitated. Get her anything? “Water would be great. Thank you.”

  People stood in line to meet her and she signed books, shook hands with readers, and answered questions about when the third book in the Desert Suns series would be released. She still couldn’t believe how many came to see her, and it touched her.

  She hadn’t yet heard from Aaron. Between panels, Teagan tried to call but got his voicemail. A few minutes later, he called back.

&
nbsp; “Hey.” He sounded unhappy. “Sorry I haven’t called. I’m just boarding the plane now.”

  “Great. How are you?”

  “I’m good,” he said, sounding unconvincing. “How’s the convention?”

  “Amazing, actually. They brought me water and cookies.”

  “Nice. I need to go, but I’ll see you in a few hours?”

  “Look forward to it.”

  Those few hours flew by and her duties as guest author kept her busy. The convention grew more packed as people arrived. Noise levels got intense at times and long lines to meet notable authors snaked around their floor and into the hallway. As time went on, Teagan checked her watch. She should have heard from Aaron by now.

  When she finally got his text, she took all the escalators down to the street to meet him. There he was, waiting under the awning, his bag at his feet. She ran over and hugged him.

  “You’re here!”

  He hugged her and gave her a quick kiss. “I’m here.”

  “You ready to come in?” She placed her guest badge around his neck.

  He hesitated. “Do you mind if I go to the hotel room first? I need to drop off my bag and get cleaned up.”

  “Oh. Sure.” Teagan handed him her card key, trying to ignore her disappointment at Aaron’s businesslike way.

  “Thanks. I’ll be back in a while.”

  Teagan stood there a minute, watching Aaron stride off. After an hour and a half, Aaron texted her that he was on his way. By then, her signing session had finished and it was almost closing time. She replied that she’d just meet him back at the hotel. When she got back to their room, Aaron looked the same—preoccupied and unhappy.

  “Sorry,” he said. “That took longer than I expected.”

  He came over to kiss her, but she kept him at arm’s length. “What’s wrong?”

  He stared at her for a moment. “What do you mean?”

  “You’re acting funny.”

  “What am I doing?”

  “I can sense when something’s off with you, Aaron.”

  Aaron grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. “It’s fine. Just… something came up with work, that’s all.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  Aaron’s phone rang. He held up one finger and left the room to take the call. Several minutes later, he returned without a word, although he did appear less angry. Yet, his silence unnerved her. That and his preoccupation reminded her of when he’d come home from training. Which only made her think the worst—that he had bad news and was trying to find the words to say it.

  Teagan took a shower and took her time getting ready for dinner, putting on her tall leather boots and her tight pink sweater to combat Seattle’s weather. When she came out, Aaron looked at her briefly but said nothing. No compliment. Nothing.

  Outside, the rain had stopped, but the wet chill of Puget Sound seeped through her down coat and gloves. It was a cold totally unlike Colorado’s cold. As they walked hand-in-hand but in total silence, Teagan felt uneasy. In the past, she’d ignored it when a guy disappointed her, telling herself that no man was perfect. She couldn’t do that anymore, not even for Aaron. At the seafood restaurant she’d selected for them, they got seated and Teagan gathered the strength she needed to speak up. Again. But just as she went to speak, their server approached.

  “Good evening!” he said with a big smile, his bow tie just a little crooked. “Can I start you off with a glass of wine or a cocktail?”

  “I’m okay with water, thank you,” Teagan said.

  Aaron eyed her. “You sure you don’t want a drink?”

  She nodded.

  “You’re positive?” he pressed.

  “I’m positive.” What the hell was going on with him? Aaron never repeated himself or pushed when she said no.

  Aaron watched her for a moment before turning to the server. “Can you give us a minute?”

  “Sure. Of course.” He glanced at Teagan before scurrying off.

  “I wanted to wait until we both had a drink, but…” He reached into his jacket and pulled out his phone. He fiddled with it for a few moments before handing it to her, his expression unreadable.

  Teagan took the phone, wondering again what the hell was going on. What would Aaron’s phone have that warranted alcohol? Bad news, that’s what. Dread came over her as she examined the screen. It contained a document that was too small to read, so she enlarged it. And when she saw what it was, her stomach did a triple somersault.

  It was a divorce decree. Signed by the court and dated March 5th. That very day.

  She stared at it, scrolling up and down, reading it over and over again to ensure she’d read correctly. When she looked up, Aaron had a self-satisfied look on his face. He looked happy.

  “Is this for real?” Teagan said. It was a dumb question, but she couldn’t help it.

  “It’s real. I’m divorced.”

  Suddenly, her eyes filled with tears. She set down Aaron’s phone and put her face in her hands as the tears began to flow. Next thing she knew, someone grabbed her wrists and gently tugged on them.

  “Look at me,” Aaron said gently. He’d pulled his chair next to hers.

  Teagan looked at Aaron’s handsome face, the tears still coming.

  “Aren’t you happy?” he said.

  “Of course I’m happy.”

  “Then why are you crying?”

  “I don’t know. I thought you had bad news. You were acting so weird and pretending like it was about work.”

  He sighed. “I should know better than to try and hide anything from you. I’d been planning this as a surprise for a while, to come here and show you the decree. But when I called the courthouse to get the documents earlier this week, they couldn’t find them. I’ve been on the damned phone all week long, and then they said we might have to delay it again…” He shook his head. “I finally broke down and called in a favor with the General.”

  “Oh my God. He has that kind of pull?”

  Aaron nodded. “I’ve been in touch with him all afternoon. I just got a copy of the decree back at the hotel.”

  “That was the phone call,” she surmised. She wiped her eyes. “You scared me. I thought you had bad news.”

  “Seriously? You don’t trust me by now?”

  “It’s not that. You were acting like… like when you got home from training.”

  He sighed. “I’m sorry. I had this whole thing planned for weeks and it was falling apart…”

  “It’s okay. I just… divorce can be difficult.”

  Aaron looked up. Their server had approached. “Hey. Sorry, man. Give us another minute, will you?”

  When the server disappeared again, Teagan said, “But when you got the document, you seemed better but not right. You didn’t even notice my pink sweater and how it makes my boobs look nice.”

  “I noticed. You look beautiful. I was nervous, about something else.”

  “What?”

  Aaron took her hand. “I love you, Teagan. I want you to move in with me. Part time if that’s all you can do, but preferably full time. You can quit teaching and just write. I make enough for both of us to live on.”

  Teagan smiled, overwhelmed with happiness. She hugged Aaron, and his arms went around her. When they separated, he gazed at her.

  “Is that a yes?”

  She nodded, joy spreading through her. “Yes, that’s a yes. But you won’t be supporting me. I’m making enough from my books now to quit teaching.”

  “Either way. As long as you come.”

  Teagan excused herself and went to the bathroom to splash water on her face, glad she wore waterproof mascara. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were slightly red, but they were the eyes of a happy woman.

  When she returned, she found their grinning server at their table, opening a bottle of white pinot noir for them and pouring it into her glass. “Here you are,” he said with a flourish. “I hear we’re celebrating, and th
at a very special author may be relocating to Tucson.”

  Teagan nodded. “You heard right.”

  “Congratulations!” He poured Aaron’s glass and bowed dramatically before leaving.

  Aaron held up his glass. “To the future.”

  Teagan clinked her glass with his. “To the future.”

  After they ordered dinner, they talked more about their plans.

  “If you move to Tucson, we should hold on to your place,” Aaron suggested. “We can rent it out… or, depending on how big your mortgage payment is, we could keep it as a second home.”

  “My mortgage payment isn’t bad for the Denver market. But with your schedule, how much will we use it?”

  He shrugged. “Probably not much at first. But we can rethink things when I get closer to retirement and I can relocate. For now, let’s get you moved, as soon as possible. I’m tired of not seeing you every day.”

  Teagan smiled again. He wasn’t just talking about the future, he was planning it. And his plans included her.

  That’s when it dawned on her. Aaron had to do what he did. He had to leave her and go back to his ex. He had to know for sure that it could never work, and why. Otherwise, he’d have always wondered if he’d made the right decision, if he’d done the right thing. He wouldn’t be the Aaron she sat across from now: Captain America Aaron, happy Aaron, committed Aaron.

  After a delicious meal of fresh king salmon, wine, and caramel bread pudding, they took their stuffed and happy selves back to the hotel. Before she could do much more than take off her coat, Aaron grabbed her and kissed her. Tentatively at first, then deeply. Another wave of heat spread through her at the taste of him and the feel of his strong hands on her. She’d waited so long for this. Soon, their clothing lay strewn across the floor as Aaron pressed her up against the wall, his hands all over her.

  Teagan was ready for him. But she pushed him away when she had another thought. A better thought. Aaron watched her, his eyes ablaze as he waited to see what she had in mind.

  “Have a seat,” she ordered, pointing to the armchair. Aaron hesitated, then sat down.

  She leaned over and kissed him, long and deep. Then she kneeled in front of him, positioning herself between his legs. She looked up at him for a moment, watching him watch her. She smiled, slowly running her hands up Aaron’s muscular legs before setting her eyes on his hardness, standing erect in front of her.