“What would I do without you?”
“Get more sleep.”
“Who needs sleep, anyway?”
“Not you, apparently.”
He shrugs. “It’s overrated.”
I lean in closer and kiss him, hard. The elevator chimes, and the doors open. I quickly back away and probably look about as guilty as the young girl did when the elevator doors opened on them. He chuckles, takes my hand, and leads me outside.
“Thanks for dinner. It was wonderful.”
“Only the best for my girl. You should know that by now.” He pulls out his phone from his pocket, sending a text message to Mike. Positioning himself behind me, he embraces me and rests his chin on my shoulder as I wrap my arms over his.
“I thought…” he pauses, making me turn my face to the side to meet his, “… I thought I was going to be in there for seven years, and I was going to lose you.”
My stomach falls right through the floor at his admission, so I turn my whole body to face him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I shake my head. “Stop it! Don’t even think like that. You’re out now, and I’m here. I wasn’t going anywhere then, and I’m not going anywhere now.”
He exhales loudly. “I can’t believe they set me up like that.”
“Listen to me… they’re out of our lives, and you’ve got nothing to worry about. I know it’s hard to think that someone you’ve known for so long could do this to you, but you have to let go of any anger you have toward them. If you don’t, it will bottle up inside you, and then it’ll eat you from the inside out. Trust me. I know how bottling up misery can be bad for you,” I tell him, thinking of my ex, Jason, and the mess I was in before I met Aiden.
“I love how you keep me focused. You help me just by being here with me now, in this moment, together.”
Mike pulls up to the curb.
We hold each other closely as Mike walks around and opens the door. Eventually, we part and slide into the car.
I’m so fucking glad he’s slowly opening up to me, even if it’s only small bits and pieces at a time. By the time we arrive back at the apartment, it’s after eleven, and though we’ve been sleeping on and off all day, we decide to go to bed, completely exhausted. The time spent apart has taken its toll on our relationship.
Since Aiden’s been home, we’ve spent our days and nights with each other, never losing sight or being far from the other’s grasp.
Aiden talks to me every now and then about what life was like behind bars. It wasn’t easy for him. Being wealthy meant men tried to make deals and use him for their advantage. All he wanted was to lay low and do his time so he could get out.
I know talking about it has been hard, but I’m so fucking glad he’s slowly opening up to me, but in that place with men who deserved to be locked behind those bars is enough to take its toll, no matter how hard you try to block it out.
To get through the roller coaster of emotions, he’s scheduled himself in to see a therapist. He’s trying to move on.
In the meantime, he’s focusing on me, and I can’t complain one little bit.