But Aaron only smiled, his eyes closed as he said, "Only one secret a night, sorry. Good night, Julie."
Narrowing her eyes, she thought about trying to get more out of him…
But when she glanced back over her shoulder at him he looked so cute, so peaceful and angelic with that little smile on his lips, his eyes closed, but not yet asleep.
Instead of pushing him anymore, she turned her head to face a more comfortable direction –the window—and she hesitantly allowed her arm to rest on top of his.
Then, as she closed her eyes, just before she drifted off to sleep, she found herself wishing something she had never wished in her life.
Please let him get drunk more often.
Chapter Thirteen-
When Julie woke up the next morning, she woke up to an empty bed.
Strangely, she was disappointed.
She couldn't remember why at first, but when the thought flitted through her mind that she had wanted to enjoy a few more minutes lying in Aaron's embrace, she quickly pushed the errant thought from her mind.
Ridiculous.
She had just wanted to wake up before him once in her life, plus if he was anything like her then he would have one hell of a hangover and he should still be sleeping.
She should go find him and make sure he had plenty of water to drink.
Dragging herself from the bed, she wandered out to the living room, and saw no sign of Aaron there. Frowning, she looked in the kitchen, but he wasn't there either. She turned around and went back to the bathroom to take a peek, but he wasn't even in there.
"Aaron?" she called out.
Silence.
He was gone. Of course—he was always gone.
The house phone started ringing, and she brightened slightly, answering it in hopes that it was Aaron.
Instead, she got, "Who is this?"
It was a woman's voice, startled.
"Julie," she said, also feeling startled by the woman's tone.
"Who the hell are you?" the woman asked. "Did I dial the wrong number? Is this Aaron's phone?"
"Um…yes, Aaron Turner's phone."
"And who are you?" the woman repeated.
"Julie?" she said, but it sounded more to her like a question.
"Why the hell is some woman named Julie answering Aaron's phone—especially at this hour of the morning?"
Feeling slightly panicked, Julie remembered her curiosity about Aaron's relationship status, and she wondered if this female on the other end might be the answer.
"He isn't here right now," Julie said awkwardly. "If you'd like I can give him a message."
"Oh, don't worry. I'll call back later—he'll get the message."
And then the phone disconnected.