“Ok, I’ll be here later, baby.” He releases me and starts walking away. I see him give Lucas a death glare, bunching his fists by his sides. Um, is there more between these guys that I don’t know about? I start proceeding over to the bar and see Lucas watching me. Shit, I’m sure he saw that kiss. Ugh, I doubt PDA in the workplace is a good thing. Hopefully Leo didn’t see it too.
“So, you and Aiden, huh?” Lucas says with a smirk. Ugh, he did see that kiss.
“Um, yeah. He’s my new boyfriend, actually,” I say embarrassed. Yesterday I was hardcore flirting with Lucas, and now I’m dating another guy. He obviously thinks I get around quickly.
“It’s strange. I rarely see him talk to anybody; especially women. You’ve only been here a few days, and he’s already gotten you. I guess women really do go for the silent, brooding types. Damn, I really need to change my game, I guess,” he says playfully.
I shrug, not really knowing what to say. He just continues serving customers, and I shadow him like the previous day.
“So, Em. You should have told me you have a thing for rock stars yesterday. I would’ve joined a band or something,” he says winking. Rock star? That’s a weird thing to call Aiden. I understand that he produces music, but it’s still odd. I give him a puzzled look.
“Your boyfriend was a rock star last time I checked,” he says matter of fact. “What’s that look on your face?” he asks confused. I have no idea what’s he’s talking about.
“Former lead singer and guitarist of We Fight, We Fall. One of the top record producers of up and coming indie bands. This ringing any bells?” he asks perplexed. Holy shit! That’s why he’s been so secretive! He used to be in one of the most popular emo-rock bands. I never saw them perform, but I’m sure that I went by one of the countless music magazine covers and saw them at one point. I’m such an oblivious idiot!
“I’m guessing your one of the few people who didn’t recognize him, and he didn’t tell you about himself,” he says looking at me. I can only nod back at him.
“The only reason people leave him alone here is due to the fact that he’s not in the band anymore. No one really gives a shit. Damn, right before he officially moved here, this place was packed with people trying to see him after the accident. Poor guy,” he says remembering. What accident? Shit, Emma. You’ve been fucking Aiden senseless, living with him, and you know nothing about him. I try to calm down and get over the shock of what I just heard. I still don’t reply back to Lucas. My mouth feels dry, like I swallowed a cotton ball.
“Look, I’m not sure how much he’s told you, but if you want, we can talk about it during our break. I feel bad telling you things he obviously didn’t want you knowing yet, but I don’t want to see you hurt. From what I know, things haven’t been the easiest for him. I don’t want you dragged into that bullshit. It seems like all he does is attract it,” he says.
I want Aiden to tell me all of this himself, but I don’t know if he will. I don’t want to get too invested in him and find out I never really knew him at all.
God, you’re such a fucking hypocrite! You’re doing the same thing to him. You won’t open up either about your past. I know it’s wrong to hear about Aiden’s life from somebody else, but I just have to know. I cringe, knowing I will regret what I’m about to ask of Lucas.
“Yeah, could we do that? I want to know more about him. Um, I actually kind of live with him now, so the more information the better,” I choke out. He looks over at me and chuckles.
“Damn, he must be one hell of a guy. Already has you playing house with him. Lucky bastard!” Yeah, he is a hell of guy. I just hope it stays that way.
“Ok, get back to work, and we’ll talk in a few,” he says. I nod and start cleaning tables and serving customers. I try to be polite and accommodating to people, but I can’t stop thinking about this new Aiden revelation. I can barely wrap my mind around it. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize him! Well in all fairness, I’ve never been that interested in what a bands’ appearance. As long as the musicianship is there, I’m pacified. If I would have paid closer attention, I probably would’ve been obsessed with Aiden, well before we even met. Ugh, does this make me a groupie? I hope not.
The time seems to breeze by, or it is just me daydreaming too much about Aiden? Lucas nods to me, and I follow him out front of the bar and sit down on the sidewalk. I reach into my purse and pull out a cigarette. I haven’t smoked since I moved here. I was trying to quit, but at a time like this, quitting is the last thing on earth that I want to do. I offer one to Lucas, but he declines, saying he doesn’t smoke. I light it up and wait for Lucas to start.
“It seems that you like Aiden a lot, so don’t shoot the messenger, ok?” he says. Oh, calm down. I won’t freak out on you. I just want to know what the hell is going on. I nod at him, wanting him to continue.
“So, about three years ago, around when I graduated high-school I think, Aiden came down here to visit his dad. The only reason I know this is because the town got flocked with paparazzi and fans, just trying to get near Aiden. I guess his dad’s health was declining, so he came down here to see him. His dad only moved here a few years before that; a retired lawyer or something.”
“Anyways, while he was visiting, he met a girl named Jessica Bradford. She was in my graduating class, and probably the biggest slut you will ever meet. She’d pretty much slept with our entire grade; even tried to sleep with me, but I didn’t want to run the risk of catching something, if you know what I mean. Somehow they met and hooked up while he was down here. She was only eighteen at the time, and they barely knew each other. I guess he didn’t care, because he married her only a few weeks after they met,” he says pausing.
Shit, I’m not special to him at all. He rushes into relationships hastily with all women. God, you’re so fucking naïve, Emma. He looks at me wondering if it’s ok to go on. I nod, wanting to hear how this story ends.
“So, shortly after they married, he takes her back to Los Angeles to live with him. That’s where his band lived and where his record label is. They only had been married a year when things started getting rough. I guess he started having issues with his band, and the guys got into a huge fight. Jessica and Aiden drove back down to here so he could take a break or something. He was driving at night, and crashed his car. He got banged up pretty badly, but as far as I know, there was no real damage.”
“When he gets released out of the hospital, he finds Jessica gone. She ran off with some local guy who worked at a gas station. Aiden ended up going back to L.A., severed ties with his band, and sold pretty much everything he owned.”
“I guess he started producing other bands after that. I heard that his late grandpa owned a record label, and he just took it over. He only came back here recently, right after his dad died,” he says looking over at me.
Wow…what a story. I’m sure there’s more to it, but at least I have a general idea of what his life’s been like. One thing has me curious though.
“How do you even know any of this?” I ask him. I doubt Aiden confided in him, considering how secretive he is with everything.
“Well, Jessica and I have a mutual friend from high school and supposedly that’s what she told her. The other stuff can be looked up online, I guess. It’s hard to tell what’s the truth and what’s not when stories are repeated,” he says shrugging. Hell, you could never know the real truth with how many lies there are.
“Shit, that was a pretty fucked up story. I’m not surprised Aiden didn’t tell me any of it,” I say sadly. God, how will I be able to hide all of this from him. I know he’s not ready to talk about things yet, and I don’t want to ruin things between us.
“I’m sorry that I told you all of it. I already regret it by the look on your face. I just don’t want you getting hurt, Em.”
“It’s true that trouble seems to find Aiden. I’m sure there are way worse things that have happened that no one else knows about. Whenever he comes to the bar, he talks to no on
e. He doesn’t even order alcohol; he just gets a coke. Someone with a lot of shit in their life goes to a bar to forget, not sit there alone sober,” he says, making a valid point. That is a pretty strange thing to do.
“Well, thanks for looking out for me. I will have to approach Aiden about it soon, that’s for sure,” I say dreading that unpleasant conversation. I just hope that he is the one who opens up to me first.
“Ok, Em. Let’s go back inside,” he says standing up. I put the cigarette out on the sidewalk, and he extends his hand towards me to help me up. His hand feels soft, and a little cold; just the opposite of Aiden’s.
God, am I going to compare every guy to him now? Lucas is looking at me like he wants to say something more but doesn’t. It would be so easy to just have fun with a guy like Lucas. He’s young and carefree, and I know we would have fun together. I look into his eyes, but I just don’t see anything past his blue irises. He releases my hand and smiles broadly. We walk back into the bar, and I continue my shift reluctantly.
The time goes by quickly, and it’s almost time for me to go. I didn’t talk to Lucas much the rest of my shift. I was too occupied thinking about Aiden and bringing out food and drinks to my tables. I noticed him eyeing me a few times throughout the night, but he would quickly look away after I caught him. He’s probably just worried about me. I’m sure it’s nothing more than that.
Midnight finally arrives, and I go back to the kitchen to grab my bag to meet Aiden outside. I hope he’s here already, waiting for me. I wave goodbye to Leslie who I really like; the woman who served me beers my first night in town. She’s tall and lean, with light blonde hair and a pretty smile. She’s probably in her late twenties, I’m guessing, and doesn’t take shit from anyone; especially Lucas. I notice them bickering all the time. I think that she might possibly have a thing for him. They would be a really good match, if he wasn’t such a fucking flirt.
I start walking out the door, not paying much attention to anything. I hear someone yell, “Hey, Em. Hold up.” It’s Lucas, and he’s coming out from around the bar.
“You didn’t say goodbye to me,” he says looking sad. Oh my God, he’s so ridiculous!
I laugh. “I’m sorry, Lucas. I hope you have a good night.” There. Are you happy now, Lucas?
“Don’t I get a hug, though?” he says with puppy dog eyes. This guy is unbelievable, but I decide to humor him.
“Side hug and then a fist bump or something; whatever that thing is that guys do,” I say, and he laughs.
“Fair enough,” he says. He comes over to me and grabs my hand in his, putting it on his chest, and we pat each other on the back. There. That was a harmless friendly hug. I pull away and see him smiling down at me.
“Thanks for the love bro. See you tomorrow. Peace out, Lucas,” I say, trying to make my voice sound deep and manly. Of course I fail miserably and just sound like a chain smoker.
He starts laughing but stops abruptly, staring over my head. I turn around and see Aiden at the entrance of the bar. Oh, fuck me! He probably saw all of that. He’ll take the whole situation the wrong way, and I’ll have to explain that I was just being funny. I can tell by the expression on his face that he is far from pleased.
“You ready, Emma?” he says with slight irritation in his voice. Ugh, I hate being in trouble all the time. I feel like a naughty child waiting to be put in time-out.
“Yep. Sorry if I kept you waiting, Aiden. Let’s go,” I say not glancing back at Lucas. Don’t want to be in any more hot water than I already am. He puts my hand in his, and we walk over to his bike.
“I drove by here earlier, because I had to go to the grocery store. I saw you out here with him, and you guys were sitting close together smoking. I didn’t even know you smoked, actually,” he says tightly. “Then I come back tonight and see you two hugging each other.”
He looks over at me, pain etched on his face. “Be honest with me, Emma. Is there something I need to worry about?” he says, his voice shaking. I finally understand why he’s so paranoid about me hanging out with another guy. His bitch of an ex-wife left him, and ran off with some dude. Shit! I can’t tell him that I know this, though.
“We were just on break together. I was the only one smoking, and I only do it every once in a while, so it’s not a big deal.”
“And if you saw me hug him, then you know I did it like how two guys would.” I hope this explanation placates him. He still looks hurt, but I think that he believes me. He doesn’t say anything else; just grabs my hand and puts me on his bike. I know he’s still upset, and I hope that we can resolve everything when we get home.
When we arrive at his house, he still doesn’t say anything, but he helps me off of the bike. On entire ride over here, my curiosity was killing me. This sounds really bad, but I want to go online and see if I can find anything more about him. I want to see old pictures of him, and I especially want to see what that his ex looks like. I’m sure he has a computer than I can use. I’ll just have to be really sneaky, so he doesn’t realize what I’m doing. This inquisitiveness is eating me alive!
He unlocks the door to the house, and I set my bag on the floor. His back is to me, and I wonder if he will break the ice. I’m starting to get really impatient. Instead of calmly waiting for him to speak again, I decide to take matters into my own hands.
“Do you have a computer that I could use, Aiden? I need to check my email account.” There that doesn’t sound suspicious at all. Checking email is completely normal. He doesn’t turn around, but I hear him exhale before he replies. “Yeah, there’s an office with one. It’s the room next to the guest bedroom.”
“Ok, thanks. I’ll be out soon,” I say rushing to the bedroom, not bothering to look back.
I hope it won’t continue to be this awkward between us. I’m starting to get fed up with this silent treatment bullshit.
I go into the room and shut the door behind me. Low and behold I see a nice computer, already on. I glance back at the door guiltily. I hope he doesn’t walk in and find out what horrible deed I’m doing. I’m sure he won’t be curious as to why I’m checking my email.
I find a search engine and type in We Fight, We Fall. A bunch of images pop up, and I start to explore them. They all show four young guys, really fucking good looking, wearing all black. All of them have tattoos on their arms and a few piercings here and there. One of the members stands out, because he has green eyes, just like Aiden. He’s much smaller though, with short black hair and a nose ring.
I’m not sure how old this picture is, but it looks like a really young version of him. He must have started working out or something, because his body doesn’t even resemble the Aiden I know now. It’s bizarre seeing him like this; as a rock star. I wish I could watch a performance of theirs to see him on stage, but I know I don’t have enough time for that.
I come across a few magazine articles, interviewing Aiden. Ugh, I wish I could read them all! I go to his bands’ Wikipedia page and find out that Aiden’s last name is Crowe. I try to find a picture of him and his ex, and I think I find it. She’s some skinny little blonde bitch, with platinum blonde hair and a tattooed chest piece. Of course she’s hot, but in a plastic way. She’s a tad too tan for my taste though, but I’m sure some guys like that look. Obviously Aiden did, because he fucking married her. Damn Aiden, your taste in women sure as hell is inconsistent.
I type in Aiden Crowe now and find some pictures of a wrecked vehicle. I’m guessing this is the one that he crashed a while back. I start to read an article about it when I hear a voice from behind me. I whip my chair around, almost ungracefully flipping over in the process.
“So I guess you know about me now? Seems like Lucas and you had a nice little chat,” he says, eyes blazing. Shit, I was so engrossed in finding out about him, I didn’t realize that he opened the door and was observing me. I keep quiet, ashamed of being caught for snooping.
He walks out the door, and slams it. I jump, startled from the sound. I hear thing
s breaking out in the living room, and I rush outside to find out what’s going on.
I open the door and find his record player in pieces and his stereo turned over. He’s breathing heavily, his body shaking with barely contained fury. He doesn’t even look my way but starts making his way towards the front door. There is no way in hell I’m letting him drive his bike being this wound up. He’ll fucking crash!
“Aiden, stop! Please just stay here and talk to me!” I say yelling at him. Please listen to me, Aiden. Don’t walk out on me.
He starts to open the door, and I run over to him, grabbing onto his waist. “I swear to God, if you walk out that door I will scream bloody murder. I’m not letting you drive like this, Aiden!” I say panting.
He pauses, moving his body around to look at me. “Worried I’ll crash again, baby?” I suck in a sharp breath. That’s fucked up, Aiden. I start getting really irate, because he’s not listening to a word I’m saying.
I start to pound on his chest with my fists. “Fuck you, Aiden. Fuck you!” I scream at him.
I can just picture him wrecking his bike and never seeing him again. It brings back bad memories of being left behind. I won’t go through that again. I start sobbing violently, letting go of him and fall to my knees on the floor. I’m so scared that he’ll get injured. I know my emotions are irrational, but I can’t control them anymore. Him trying to walk out the door threw me into a panic.
He kneels down towards me. “Fuck,” he mutters, picking me up. I try to catch my breath, but sobs rack my body. I hear him say soothingly saying, “Shhh, baby. I’m not going anywhere. Please don’t cry for me. I can’t hear you cry.” He wraps me in his arms and sits on the couch.
I start to calm down but tears are still leaking out of my eyes. “You really care about me, don’t you?” he says with amazement. Of course I do. I fucking love you Aiden, I want to scream. All I do is nod into his chest. I feel him start to move, and he sets me beside him. I see him rise from the couch.
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