He brought my hand to his mouth and kissed my fingers. We looked into each other’s eyes and the energy between us surged. It took my breath away for a moment.
“I’d better get you back to your dorm,” he whispered.
When we got to the front door of my dorm, I wondered if he was going to try to kiss me. I wondered if I’d let him. I didn’t have to wonder long.
Aaron leaned over and gave me a soft kiss. We both looked at each other and there was another energy surge between us. He didn’t hesitate to pull me into him and kiss me again. This time with more intensity and urgency.
When we broke away to both take a breath, he said, “I think I’d better go.”
I didn’t want him to. “My roommate will be out of town this weekend at a speech tournament,” I blurted.
Aaron raised an eyebrow. “Are you propositioning me?” He gave me a sly grin.
I smiled but didn’t deny it. Part of me was actually happy to see some of the arrogant Aaron returning. It was as much a part of him as the sensitive Aaron was. They were all sides of the complex guy I was growing to love.
“I’ll pick you up on Saturday at seven. Wear something really nice.”
I nodded. Aaron gave me one last kiss on the forehead then put his hands in his pockets and watched as I unlocked my dorm’s front door.
Ten
A Bounce Back
On Saturday, I wore the only dress that I had, the one I had worn Parent’s Weekend. I hoped Aaron wasn’t disappointed that I was wearing it again. I decided to dress it up a bit by pulling my hair back into a loose pony tail and wearing the pearls my mom had given me before she died.
At exactly seven, there was a knock on my door. When I opened it, Aaron handed me a small bouquet of sunflowers.
“Thank you,” I said. “They’re beautiful.”
“So are you.” Aaron grinned.
So was he. I didn’t think Aaron could get any more gorgeous until I saw him dressed in his charcoal grey suit. He could have put any male model to shame. Both of us eyed each other with such lust, I was sure he was thinking the same thing I was. Let’s skip the dinner and go right to dessert here in my dorm room.
“We’d better get going. Our reservation is in 15 minutes.”
***
The trendy restaurant was one I had heard about but never actually saw. It was supposed to be one of the most expensive in the city.
When we entered, the atmosphere was a bit haunting with an industrial vibe. I felt like I had entered a de Chirico painting.
The host led us to a secluded table near the back of the restaurant and we sat down.
After we ordered, Aaron’s expression turned serious. He gazed into my eyes. “I hope you don’t think this is too much too soon but I wanted to give you your Christmas present is little bit early.”
It was only the beginning of December. “I didn’t get you anything yet.”
He grabbed my hands in his. “And you don’t have to. Your being with me is enough of a gift.”
He reached into the breast pocket of his suit and removed an envelope, which he handed to me.
It wasn’t what I was expecting at all. My curiosity was definitely piqued. I opened the envelope and pulled out two airline tickets. They were to St. Petersburg, Florida.
“I want us to see the Dali Museum together,” he said softly. “I know he’s one of your favorite artists and I wanted you to build some happy memories there. You seemed so sad that the last time you went was connected to your mom’s death.”
“When?” I asked.
“I was hoping we could go after our exams but before Christmas. I know you want to see your dad but I was hoping we could spend a long weekend there. My uncle has a condo in St. Pete that he never uses. He said I can use it any time I want.”
Aaron had such a tenuous expression on his face, it almost looked like he was in pain waiting for my response.
“I’d love to go.”
Aaron exhaled and smiled. “Great. I can’t wait to completely spoil you in Florida.”
“Wait a minute. I agreed to the trip but I don’t remember agreeing to being spoiled.”
We both laughed.
When we got back to my room, awkwardness and sexual tension filled the small space. I wasn’t sure where we were with each other. I didn’t know if we’d take things where we had left off or start over from square one.
Aaron closed the space between us and cupped my face in his hands. He caressed my cheek with his thumbs as he looked into my eyes. “I’m glad you decided to give me another chance. I promise I won’t let you down this time.”
I gulped. “Kiss me,” I whispered.
And he did.
He started by softly pressing his lips to mine but it didn’t take long for his tongue to slip into my mouth and for the desire between us to build.
I grabbed his hand and led him to the bed. I pulled him down with me so we were both lying down. We stared at each other for a long moment. “I don’t deserve you,” he sighed.
I kissed him. I would have given myself to him completely if he had asked but he didn’t. He stroked my cheek with his thumb. “I want to make love to you. But not here and not now.”
I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed. He continued. “I told you, I want it to be perfect.”
“As long as it’s with you, I know it will be perfect. Will you stay here with me tonight?”
He smiled. “I was hoping you would ask.”
The next morning, I awoke with my head still on his chest, the way we had fallen asleep. His arms were wrapped around me and our legs were entangled. It felt so comfortable and so right, I didn’t want to move but I had to pee. I gently stroked Aaron’s chest until his eyes opened.
“Is it morning already?” He yawned.
“Yes, and we’ve got some work to do on our final project, which is due this week.”
He kissed my forehead. “Do you have any idea how much I love waking up next to you?”
“I think I have an idea.”
We both got up and got out of bed. He took me into his arms and whispered into my ear, “I’ll see you in a few hours, Sunshine. We can spend as much time as you want today working on our project.”
***
Aaron and I had been working on the script for our final presentation for a few hours when there was a knock on the door. Strange because I wasn’t expecting anyone but Olivia and she wouldn’t knock on her own door.
When I opened the door, I saw it was Lucas. He went wide-eyed when he noticed Aaron was sitting on my bed.
“Maybe I should come back later,” he said uncomfortably.
“No, Man,” Aaron said. “It’s cool. We’re almost done with our work anyway.”
Lucas plopped down on Olivia’s bed and I sat down next to Aaron on my bed. The three of us stared at each other for a few moments.
“This is awkward,” Aaron blurted. I frowned at him and he shrugged.
“Olivia’s due back soon,” I said trying to make conversation. Aaron was right. It was awkward.
“She’s been spending a lot of time with Marney,” Lucas stated.
I saw a moment of recognition cross over Aaron’s face. Then he looked at Lucas with a puzzled expression. Before I could stop him, Aaron said, “Well, they are dating.”
Lucas’s face turned sheet white and Aaron looked at me. “I’m sorry,” he mouthed.
Lucas blinked a few times as if he was processing what he had just heard. “A lot of things make sense now.”
“Lucas, Olivia was afraid to tell you. She didn’t want you to think any less of her because she likes girls.”
“She was really worried about that?’” Lucas said. “Why?”
“You’ll have to ask her that question,” I said.
As if on cue, Olivia and Marney burst into the room. They were still on what appeared to be a post-debate-team-win high.
“What’s up, Bitches,” Marney said laughing. “You’re looking at speech t
eam regional champions!”
Olivia eyed Aaron. “I guess we can assume that the two of you kissed and made up while we were away?”
Aaron leaned over and kissed my cheek then said to Olivia, “Your keen powers of observation and deduction are unparalleled.”
Olivia eyed Aaron suspiciously. “Why the compliments all of a sudden, backhanded though they may be?”
Aaron cleared his throat. “It’s possible I may have accidently let it slip that you and Marney are a couple because I wasn’t aware that Lucas didn’t know.”
“And here I thought you were too drunk to remember that,” Marney chimed in.
Olivia sat on the bed next to her brother. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
“I’m a little upset that I’m the last to know. I am your only brother.”
Olivia embraced him in a big bear hug. “Now you have to help me tell Mom and Dad,” she said and we all smiled.
***
I was surprised at how unprepared most of the other groups were for their final presentations. I was glad we decided to go last. The other students may have been mad if they had to follow us. Two of the groups were so bad it made me wonder if they had worked on their presentations at all.
After every other group had finished, Dr. Griffin called me and Aaron forward. Aaron had placed his miniature museum at the front of the room with a sheet over it. He was beaming with such pride when he lifted the sheet to unveil his masterpiece. Several of the students in the room actually gasped in surprise. They all got up from their seats and gathered around the museum he had built to get a better look.
I cleared my throat then gave the oral part of the presentation. I tried to match the speech as closely as I could with the pieces he had reproduced. I also gave some interesting history about Mary Cassatt including the information Aaron had given me about her lost mural.
Ours was the only presentation to get a round of applause by the rest of the class.
After class, Dr. Griffin stopped both of us before we could leave.
“I just wanted to let the two of you know how impressed I was with your work,” she said. “That was, by far, the best presentation I have seen in my 30 years teaching this class.”
I could see a twinkle in Aaron’s eyes. I think he was proud of the accomplishment, even if he had initially only done it for me.
Dr. Griffin turned to me. “Rainy, the internship next semester is yours, if you want it.”
“Of course, I want it. Just let me know when you’d like me to start.”
She nodded. “I’ll email you all of the details.”
When we got outside, Aaron embraced me, picked me up off the ground and swung me around. “We did it!” he shouted.
When he placed me back on the ground, I reached up and gave him a kiss. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“No need to thank me. I know how much the internship means to you. All of the work was worth it.”
***
Aaron picked me up just liked he promised and we headed over to The Clubhouse for their final party of the semester. Over the weekend, students would be filtering home for break and Aaron and I would be on our way to Florida.
We stood at the front door of The Clubhouse and people were already lined up to get signed in. Aaron squeezed my hand. “Ready?” he asked.
I nodded even though I really didn’t feel ready. I didn’t trust Evan and the last time I saw him, with his fake apology, left a bad taste in my mouth.
“Don’t let go of my hand, okay?” Aaron instructed. “No matter what. Even if you have to use the bathroom, I’ll go with you and stand outside the door.”
The saddest part about Aaron’s statement was that it should have sounded extreme but really didn’t. I knew I wanted to be with Aaron but I also knew The Clubhouse was a big part of his life. I knew it was difficult for him to bring those two pieces of his life together because they really didn’t fit.
We didn’t stand in the line to sign in. Aaron pulled me right past the sign in table and the guys manning the station just nodded at him.
“I need to make the rounds first,” Aaron explained.
I assumed it was a duty related to him being President of The Clubhouse. He pulled me around the house as he checked in with various guys: two guys handing people beer at a keg; three guys serving drinks at the bar; a guy carrying a huge bowl of chips and dip toward the bar and a guy running toward the bathroom with several rolls of toilet paper.
“Looks like everything is okay,” Aaron said.
“Obviously the guy with the toilet paper has the most crucial job,” I said and smiled.
He grinned. “We always give that duty to the smartest freshman.”
He leaned down and gave me a soft kiss. “Thanks for coming. I know this isn’t your thing.”
Not my thing was really an understatement but I let it go. Then I caught sight of Evan out of the corner of my eye and cringed. I braced myself for whatever nasty thing I knew he was inevitably going to say.
Aaron saw my expression change before he saw Evan. I thought Aaron was going to say something to me but Evan stepped up next to him.
“Hey, Buddy,” Evan said as he patted Aaron on the shoulder. “Glad to see you made it. And brought your lovely girlfriend with you.”
I didn’t like the emphasis Evan placed on the word girlfriend. He managed to make it sound dirty.
“So, will Rainy and her family be joining us in Aspen this year?” Evan asked.
I could feel all of the muscles in the hand of Aaron’s I was holding immediately tense. When I looked into Aaron’s eyes, he was shooting daggers at Evan.
Aaron had said nothing to me about Aspen. Not that I had expected him to. We hadn’t really talked much about the winter break, other than our trip to St. Petersburg.
Evan continued, “I guess it would be a little awkward with Keira and her family being there.”
I froze. Keira? Who the hell is that? I tried pulling my hand from Aaron’s but he held it even tighter. I wanted to escape from Evan and The Clubhouse but Aaron wasn’t going to let me go this time.
“What do you want Evan?’ Aaron said coolly even though I could see his face was full of tension.
“Nothing, Man. Just trying to make small talk. See what plans your girlfriend had for break.”
“I’m taking Rainy to Florida for a few days then I’m flying to Aspen. Rainy wants to spend time with her dad. They’re very close.” Aaron continued glaring at Evan.
“Okay. I guess I’ll see you on the slopes when you get there.”
“I guess,” Aaron said coldly as Evan turned and walked away.
I tried pulling my hand from Aaron’s again but he continued to hold me with a firm grip. “I’m not letting you run away,” he whispered to me.
“Wouldn’t that be easier?” I whispered back. “Then you could be on your way to Aspen with Evan and Keira.”
Now Aaron was glaring at me. Without saying a word, he pulled me through The Clubhouse and out the door. He continued pulling me until we were well away from everyone in the middle of the now empty campus.
When Aaron turned to face me, his eyes were on fire. The intensity of his gaze nearly frightened me. “There is no one I want to be with but you. Got it?”
I gulped then nodded.
“Evan is a complete and total asshole.”
I nodded again. That wasn’t news.
“He’s messing with you to get to me.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Like me, he had two brothers, who were also in The Clubhouse.”
“And let me guess,” I interrupted. “They were also Presidents.”
Aaron nodded. “Evan and I have known each other for years. Our parents travel in the same circles. He’s always felt a need to do everything better than me. He’s super competitive. Golfing, skiing—you name it—he’s always trying to one up me. The only thing he couldn’t do was become President of The Clubhouse and it’s been eating him up all year.�
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That still didn’t explain anything about Keira. I wanted to ask but I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the answer.
“I know you’re wondering who Keira is.” He sighed. That probably wasn’t a good sign.
He continued. “The Whitley family owns half of the state. They’re very well established and well connected. Keira is their only daughter. She’s a senior at Yale. Our parents always assumed that the two of us would get together once we both graduated from college. A marriage between the two of us would bring together two of the country’s most influential families. Keira has made it very clear that she is interested in pursuing a relationship with me but she’s just not my type.”
“And why is that?”
Aaron looked at me with an odd expression. “Because she’s not you,” he said matter-of-factly.
The fact that Aaron could have the daughter of one of the most influential families in the country and he wanted me instead was a bit hard to swallow. I wondered how I could ever measure up. As much as I loved my dad, he certainly wasn’t influential, not even in our own community or at his job. He was an average, middle class guy and I was his average, middle class daughter.
Aaron cupped my face in his hands. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
I just shook my head. “Nothing,” I said even though it wasn’t the case. Somewhere deep inside I knew I was probably living in a dream that was eventually going to end. One day, Aaron would wake up and realize that our worlds were too different, too far apart and that he really belonged with someone like Keira. I just didn’t know when that would be. I decided that I would just enjoy the time we had together until we both woke up.
“Just take me back to my room. Olivia is staying at Marney’s place. Do you want to stay with me tonight?”
“You don’t have to ask me twice.”
***
When we got back to my room, the first thing he noticed was the enormous wrapped gift sitting next to my desk. It was carefully wrapped in red tissues paper and had an equally enormous red bow on it.
“Whose present it that?” Aaron asked. He seemed a bit tense about it. Surely, he didn’t think someone else had gotten me a gift of that size.
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