by Ava Walsh
It was Chelsey who opened the door. He was surprised, hoping that he had got the address wrong. That somehow, Hannah was playing some kind of trick on him. But there was no denying it now, Chelsey lived in this house. At the edge of town.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, as she glared at him. She hadn’t changed out of her dress, and her hair was still in disarray. She hadn’t taken her makeup off either. And to Aaron, nobody had ever looked more beautiful. Even after all these years, Chelsey still had the same stunning effect on him.
“I got your address from Hannah,” he managed to say. He was awestruck by the strangeness of the whole situation.
She hadn’t opened the door wide. Now, she stepped out of the door and closed it shut behind her, before he had a chance to peep in.
“Of course she gave it to you. So much for ex-best friends,” Chelsey said. He detected a coldness in her voice.
“Why aren’t the two of you friends anymore?” he asked, for lack of anything else to say. Chelsey stared back at him, and her eyes softened. Then she looked away from him.
“You know why,” she said and Aaron tried to catch her gaze again.
“But she never knew. She wouldn’t have judged even if she did.”
“What do you mean by knew? Does she know now?” Chelsey asked. She sounded worried.
“She saw you leaving my room, then she caught me putting on my clothes,” Aaron said, and he tried to reach for her and touch her face. But Chelsey moved away.
“I was afraid that she would eventually find out,” she said, leaning against her door now.
“It doesn’t matter, Chelsey. Hannah used to be your best friend, she’s my sister. She can’t stay mad at us forever,” he said, pulling his hand back from her.
Chelsey remained leaning against the door, trying to avoid his gaze.
“Well, you need to leave, Aaron. What are you doing here anyway?” she asked. Her voice was low.
“Chelsey,” he began and then took a step towards her. He watched as she pressed herself against the door more, like she was afraid of him. “Chelsey, we need to talk.”
“Talk about what?” she asked, and now she even sounded afraid. Like he had caught her doing something wrong.
“About what happened between us, three years ago. About what happened, now,” he said, taking another step towards her.
“We were stupid then, and we were stupid again. That’s what happened, isn’t it?” she asked.
He couldn’t understand her, why she was resisting him. Then a thought dawned on him.
“Is there somebody in the house with you? Is that what is the problem? You’re seeing someone else?” he asked, and was surprised by the sudden anger in his voice.
“No,” she said flatly, but he wasn’t convinced.
“What are you doing in this house, Chelsey? Why don’t you live in town? Why don’t you talk to your mother anymore?” He barraged her with questions, but she only shook her head.
“You have to leave now, Aaron.”
“I want an explanation.”
“Why?” she snapped at him, and he saw the look on her face, like she was about to break into tears.
“Because I care about you.” He admitted it, and she stared back at him, with her jaw slightly hung open.
“Please don’t lie to yourself, Aaron. You don’t care about me. You’re just curious,” she said, raising her chin.
“If that’s what you think, then you don’t know me,” he said and she finally smiled.
“That’s true. I don’t know you, and you don’t know me. We were barely even friends. So let it go. It’s over now,” she said and Aaron came even closer towards her.
This time she thrust herself against the door and it gave way. She fell backwards and Aaron instinctively reached for her.
Chelsey was in his arms again. Their faces were only a few inches away from each other and his hands held her waist tightly. The door was swinging and they had both tumbled into the house.
Aaron’s eyes were fixed on her, and she peered back at him. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was holding his shoulders for support, when suddenly there was a wail.
Aaron’s brows crossed and he looked up, into the house for the first time. The last thing he had expected to see was a small girl sitting on the couch, her face twisted up in a cry.
Chapter Twenty Two - Chelsey
“It’s alright, baby.” Chelsey had wriggled out of his arms and was rushing towards her daughter. In the throes of the last few moments since she fell against the door and was face to face with Aaron again, she had forgotten that Ruby was sitting there.
Now she was rushing towards her wailing daughter, leaving Aaron standing by the front door. His mouth had fallen open.
“Mommy’s alright. Did you get a shock?” She picked Ruby up in her lap and held her tightly to her body.
“What is going on?” Ruby asked, in her baby voice that usually made Chelsey’s heart melt. But now, she was afraid, afraid that Ruby was going to be found out by the last person she wanted.
“Nothing, honey. Mommy was just talking to a friend,” Chelsey said, stroking her daughter’s hair.
She watched as Aaron walked into the house, straight towards them. He hadn’t even bothered to shut the door behind him.
He looked big in their small apartment. He was towering over them both, and his face was twisted up in confusion.
“Wait a minute, this is your daughter?” he asked, still unable to take his eyes off the little girl.
“My name is Ruby,” she said squeakily, and Aaron continued staring at her, in shock.
Ruby stared at Aaron and he looked back at her. They were both surprised to see each other.
“Hello Ruby, I’m Aaron,” he said, extending his hand to her. It was obvious that he wasn’t used to dealing with small children. He didn’t know how to conduct himself around her.
“Hello, Awon,” Ruby pronounced his name, and he laughed.
“You’re a little cutie, aren’t you?” He smiled at her, and Chelsey couldn’t help but smile either. Ruby always had that effect on the adults she interacted with.
“Chelsey?” He then turned to her.
“As you can see, Aaron. I’m occupied at the moment. It’s time for Ruby’s bed, and I have some other stuff to do,” Chelsey said, trying to give him the impression that she was busy and he needed to leave.
“Go right ahead, I can wait,” Aaron said to her surprise, and she stared back at him.
“Can I stay up for a little while longer? Please Mommy!” Ruby had started wailing again, this time to get her way, but Chelsey shook her head.
“You have to get to bed, sweetheart. You’re way past your bedtime,” Chelsey said, rocking her gently in her arms. But her eyes were still fixed on Aaron.
“Maybe you should come back later, Aaron,” she said, hoping to buy some time, but he wasn’t willing to go anywhere.
“No, now is fine. You can take your time with Ruby. I’ll make myself comfortable here,” he said, nodding at the couch where Ruby had been sitting moments ago.
Chelsey gulped but didn’t say anything, she felt like her whole world was coming crashing down around her and she had no control over it any more.
“Good night, Ruby. See you soon.” Aaron waved at her daughter, and Ruby hid her face in Chelsey’s arm out of shyness. Aaron laughed at that, and she noticed how his cheeks flushed. He was delighted at having met Ruby.
In silence, Chelsey took her daughter to the room that they shared in this one bedroom apartment. She put Ruby to sleep, tucked her in, and read to her from her favorite picture book.
It took twenty minutes for Ruby to fall asleep. The whole time, all Chelsey could think about was that Aaron Keels was in her living room, and that he had seen Ruby.
There was no escaping it now, the similarities in their features were plain to see. Chelsey bit down on her lip, as she stroked her daughter’s soft cheeks and then stood up. She shut the lights in the room
and walked back into the living room.
Aron was sitting on the couch, staring at the television screen that was still on. He hadn’t heard her walk back in, so she got a few seconds to watch him in peace. His handsome profile, his rugged athletic good looks. He would never forgive her.
“Aaron.” She said his name softly, and he jerked his head to look at her. He didn’t make a move to stand up.
“Is she asleep?” he asked, just as quietly. “Should I turn the volume down?”
Chelsey shook her head. “Leave it be. It’s better this way. I wouldn’t want her to hear any of this.”
She had walked closer to him, and he followed her with his eyes.
“Does Hannah know about Ruby?” he asked, and Chelsey shook her head.
“Nobody does. At least none of our old friends,” Chelsey replied, still unwilling to look him directly in the eye. She didn’t want him to see the extent to which she was panicking now. The little safe world that she had built for herself, and for Ruby, was in danger now and she had no idea how she could protect it any longer.
This was not supposed to happen. Aaron was never supposed to find out. She didn’t want him to pity them, to feel sorry for them, or offer them money. As much as it was a struggle for them to get by, Chelsey would never accept his money or his riches. She wanted his love, she wanted him to be a father to Ruby, none of which could ever happen.
“Why not, Chelsey? Why have you kept Ruby hidden from everyone for so long?” was his next question. She chose not to answer it, but only looked at her intertwined fingers. She couldn’t face him anymore. How many more lies was she supposed to tell him?
“Chelsey?” he called out to her, and something in his voice made her look up at him. “Is she mine? Is Ruby my daughter?” he asked, and this time Chelsey could do nothing more than to try and fight back her tears.
Chapter Twenty Three - Aaron
“Chelsey?” he urged her on again, but she wasn’t replying. None of this was making any sense to Aaron. He was still reeling from the shock.
How had all this happened? How had it gone from tumbling into bed with Chelsey’s naked body pressed against him, to him sitting on a couch in a cramped apartment at the edge of town, pleading Chelsey to admit that he was a father?
She wasn’t looking at him, and every second that passed in silence, Aaron could feel his resolve breaking. He was desperate to hear it from her.
He knew what the truth was, Chelsey didn’t have to spell it out for him. Ruby looked like him, and she didn’t look anything like Chelsey. No wonder she had kept Ruby hidden from even Hannah for so long, because his sister would also eventually see the similar features, and know the truth.
“Chelsey, please tell me!” Aaron stood up from the couch. He was not going to be able to take another moment of silence.
“Yes. Yes, Aaron. She is your daughter. You got me pregnant that night.” Chelsey was crying, and he didn’t want to hold back any longer. He wanted her in his arms, where he believed she belonged.
She let him hold her this time, and didn’t push him away. She was sniffing as she rested her head on his shoulders. Aaron was stroking her hair, in the same way that she had stroked Ruby’s.
“Why didn’t you tell anyone? Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked her as softly as possible. Chelsey took a few moments to reply.
“I didn’t think you would ever want to know. And everyone else…I didn’t want you to hear it from other people,” she said, her voice muffled by his jacket.
He didn’t know what to say to that, except to continue stroking her hair. Chelsey pulled away from him, and started wiping her cheeks.
“This is a mistake, Aaron. You shouldn’t even be here,” she said, trying to steady her voice, but it was unmistakable, her cries were stuck in her throat.
“Chelsey…” He whispered her name and stretched out his arm again, but she stood away from him. “How could you ever think that coming here and seeing my daughter could be a mistake?”
She looked at him then, like she couldn’t believe the words she was hearing.
“You’re being emotional. You’re not thinking straight. You’ll regret saying any of this tomorrow morning,” she said, but Aaron shook his head.
“I haven’t been drinking tonight, Chelsey. I’m not drunk this time, if that’s what you’re thinking. I am thinking straight this time, and I’m not being emotional. This is not a mistake.” Aaron breathed slowly as he spoke. He wanted to hug her again, he wanted to convince her that it would be alright, that he was here now. But Chelsey was still resisting him. She didn’t believe him.
“The whole thing was a mistake. We should never have jumped into bed together. Not on your last night in town, not when you had been so drunk that you couldn’t think clearly.” She was pacing the floor in circles in the room now. She wasn’t even looking at him anymore. It was more like she was thinking to herself, rather than talking to him.
He realized then that Chelsey was panicking.
“Chelsey. Chelsey…listen to me.” Aaron stepped towards her till he was able to grab her by the waist and hold her close to him.
She struggled against him for a few seconds, till she began to calm down.
He held her tightly, with her back pressed to his chest. His arms held her tightly, over her chest, with his mouth pressed to her ear.
“Chelsey…” He breathed her name, right into her ear when she wasn’t struggling any more. “I was drunk, I admit that. I was drunk out of my mind, but the moment I saw you, I was sober again. I remember every moment of our night together, in complete detail. I knew exactly what I was doing,” he said slowly, in a near whisper in her ear. He could feel her body shaking, she was breathing heavily. But she was also finally listening to him.
She hadn’t said anything still.
“I know you think it was a mistake. But Ruby isn’t a mistake, Chelsey. She is a gift to us. She will bring us together. I want to be with you. I’ve always wanted to be with you,” he continued, and he finally heard her gasp.
Her body was still shaking, and she begun to cry again.
“Why didn’t you? How…when?” She was fumbling with her words, and he began to stroke her hair. He wasn’t sure how long they had been standing there in that position, entwined in each other’s arms like that.
“Why didn’t I what? Tell you anything? You were my sister’s best friend. I didn’t know you saw me as a guy. It would have been very inappropriate for me to make a move on you,” he said and she finally began to turn around, still in his arms.
“So why did you kiss me that night?” she asked him, looking at him directly now. He could see her lips move, her eyes gaze directly into his, and suddenly he felt like he had never felt happier. Becca Lowry had been wrong, he wasn’t destined to be unhappy because he had lost the one that he loved.
“Because I didn’t want to lose my one last chance. I thought if I kissed you when I was drunk, you’d forgive me later. But I hadn’t expected you to kiss me back,” he said, and to his surprise she kissed him again.
Chapter Twenty Four - Chelsey
Of course none of this was making any sense. How could Aaron Keels possibly be saying all this to her? But Chelsey didn’t care. She wanted to kiss him. So she straightened herself up, got up on her toes to reach him, and kissed his lips.
She had cut out some of the last words that he was saying, and felt his hands tighten on her waist as he held her in position so that they could kiss for longer.
Chelsey had never kissed him like this before. The two times that she had kissed Aaron Keels, it had been in the throes of passion, with their tongues down each other’s throats. Now, their kiss was soft and tender. She could taste him, feel his hands holding her affectionately. Neither of them was interested in ripping each other’s clothes apart.
When she finally pulled away from him to catch some air, she found him smiling at her.
“I can’t believe it. I’m a father.” Aaron was beaming now. Chelsey
bit down on her lip, trying to study the authenticity of the look that he was giving her.
“You’ve of course been a mother for three years so you don’t know how I’m feeling. I can’t believe I missed her birth. I’m so sorry, Chelsey.” He pulled her into his arms again, and hugged her tightly.
“It wasn’t your fault. I kept Ruby hidden from you, on purpose,” Chelsey said. Her heart was leaping now. This was not how she had predicted this scene to unfold. She had expected him to lose his temper, to threaten her with a lawsuit, to either give her money to shut up about their child, or try and take Ruby away. The last thing she was expecting was for Aaron to be hugging her and behaving like a beaming new father.
“You had your reasons. I can choose to forgive you, or forever hold a grudge. I have no other choice but to forgive you, because I’m so madly in love with you, Chelsey,” he said, and he was nearly laughing from joy.
She couldn’t help but smile either. In all the ways she had fantasized Aaron to come back to her, this wasn’t one of them and it was even better.
“I saw you leave that day. The next morning. I hid behind a tree and watched as you got into the car and drove off,” Chelsey said, feeling embarrassed and dropping her face to her hands. Aaron laughed and then reached for her chin, to prop up her face so that he could look at her again.
“You hid behind a tree?” he asked and laughed some more. “I wished you hadn’t. All of this could have been solved. I wanted to see you that morning, I wanted to call you. But in the middle of my parents hurrying me, battling a bad hangover and also dreading that you regretted what had happened between us…I couldn’t see you or reach you,” he said, taking her in his arms again.
Chelsey smiled at him again, this time joining him in his laughter. Now that it was all in the past, it was funny indeed. Now that they both knew how they felt about each other.
