by Maya Hughes
“I think your powers of persuasion will not let you down.”
Aedan reached her bag and held out the small bouquet. “Trade?”
“Sure!” She sniffed the flowers and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. Her eyes darted around and he realized she was unsure of who might be watching, and what might happen. He decided to get her into the car and home before she had second thoughts.
“I thought maybe we could take a car to your place? I bought a bunch of groceries on the way over and didn’t want us to have to lug them through the metro.” Jess’s shoulders visibly relaxed at the suggestion and she nodded. “That’s a great idea. Where are the bags? Do we need to order a taxi?”
“Ah no, Steven is here with a car. I figured it would be easier than trying to find parking and all of that,” He said, looking a little sheepish.
“That’s a great idea. Lead the way.” He pulled her hand into his and led her the one block over to where Steven was waiting outside of the black SUV. He opened the door and Jess hopped in first, scooting over to make room for him.
As they made their way to Jess’s apartment, her stress level declined and she sank back into the seat. The drive would probably end up taking less time than a metro ride, but helping Jess relax was his number one priority. He figured he’d butter her up with a nice drive and great food before he asked her to London with him.
“So how was your day?” he asked.
“Crazy, really crazy, but it was the last day of crazy. I finished up the project,” she said beaming at him. “It was a monster data set with tons of modeling and tables that I had to complete. This could be a promotion-securing project for me. I was freaking out about it, but stayed up most of last night working on it to finish it today.”
“You were up all night?” Aedan asked, concerned about even more stress in her life.
“Yeah, I didn’t sleep well.” She evaded his eyes and looked out the window.
He placed his hand over hers on the seat and gave it a squeeze. “So, your workload will slow down a bit now?”
“Absolutely. I think my bosses probably won’t give me another big project for at least a couple of weeks to protect against burnout. They keep telling me to go on a vacation, but for some reason I just keep finding excuses to keep pushing myself. I really do need to take a break, though.”
When they pulled up to Jess’s apartment, she seemed a bit skittish. She was looking around for anyone who might be looking for them.
“They don’t know where you live, so we should be good.” Aedan opened his door and walked around the back to the boot and opened it up to get the shopping.
“You would think that, wouldn’t you?” He started grabbing the bags when it registered to Aedan what Jess had said.
“Did someone come here? Has anyone bothered you?” he said rounding the back of the SUV with bags in his hands. Steven was carrying another bag in his arms. Jess grabbed the bag out of Steven’s hands and walked into the lobby.
“No, it’s nothing, I’m just being paranoid,” she denied. What are you going to cook me tonight, kind sir?”
“That’s for me to know and you to find out,” he added, still suspicious but willing to let it go for now.
“Tease,” she said bumping his hip.
“You know it.” They proceeded up the stairs to her apartment while Jess filled Aedan in on how wrapping up this project could truly impact her career—how it could help get a promotion to supervisor where she would get to manage her own team. Aedan was amazed at all of Jess’s accomplishments and hoped the project she had worked so hard on would lead to bigger things for her.
While Aedan could work miracles on the pitch, he’d taken one look at the work Jess was doing on her computer one night and felt like his brain was about to explode. He was proud of her dedication to her work and how much she seemed to enjoy it, even though it seemed she was close to burnout. A trip to London might be just the trick to refresh her. Now he only needed to convince her.
24
Jess helped him unpack all of the groceries. Though she wasn’t quite sure what he was going to make, all the ingredients looked delicious. Shrimp, lump crab meat, potatoes, flour, eggs, heavy whipping cream, Parmesan cheese, and garlic. Just what was going on here?
“What exactly are you going to make? All of this looks amazing, but I have no idea how you’re going to bring this all together.”
“On the menu tonight, we have some succulent seafood gnocchi with a white wine sauce,” Aedan said draping a dish towel over his arm like a waiter.
Jess’s mouth watered.
“I need that in my stomach, immediately. How can I help? And keep in mind that I must be relegated to the most basic of tasks if we don’t want to die of some sort of weird food borne illness.”
“How about you put on a pot of water to boil, salt the water and start peeling the potatoes? Do you think you can handle that?”
“I think I can,” Jess said, reaching for the pots.
“And you are on wine duty,” He uncorked a bottle of white and handed it over to her. This was definitely up her alley. “This one is for us to drink, but we need to make sure we save a bottle for the sauce.”
“I can definitely handle that. Do you want a glass now or do you want a different drink?”
“Wine is good for me.” Jess poured them both a glass of wine and went about her tasks.
They worked together in the kitchen, boiling the potatoes, mashing them and mixing them to begin working on the gnocchi. Aedan put some fresh bread dough into the oven and started on the sauce after rolling the gnocchi. Jess even tried her hand at making a few gnocchi and they didn’t turn out half bad.
He boiled the gnocchi and added them into the skillet with the shrimp and crab meat. Working his cooking magic, he transformed those basic ingredients into a meal Jess would have paid money to eat. She kept sneaking to the pan so often for taste-tests that Aedan finally had to cut her off so they’d have some left for the meal.
As she was attempting to sneak back to the pan for a little bit more of that heavenly sauce, a text came through on her phone. It was from an unknown number.
Unknown: How does it feel being a footballer’s whore? There’s no way he’s using you for more than a quick and dirty fuck.
It was like all of the ugly thoughts that were running through the back of Jess’s mind were poured out on the screen for her to see. What the fuck?!
The phone dropped out of Jess’s hand. Her heart began to pound and she felt a bit light headed.
“Jess! Jess, what’s wrong?” The look of concern on Aedan’s face almost brought tears to her eyes.
“Jess, what is it?” Seeing her phone on the floor, Aedan rushed over and picked it up. He gasped and his face turned red, first with rage, then with shame.
“Jess, it’s OK. We’ll figure this out. I don’t know who sent this, but it’s going to be OK.”
“OK? You think this is going to be OK? That’s a text to my phone. My personal phone. Who was it? How did they get my number? What the hell Aedan?”
“I know, I know. It’s beyond messed up and I’m so sorry.” He moved toward her to try to pull her into his arms. She held up her hands to fend off his advance.
“Is this what it’s like to be with you? This is just the beginning, isn’t it? First, the guy yesterday and now this?”
“Jess, calm down. Just calm down and we can talk this over. What guy yesterday?”
“A photographer. He came here. He came to my apartment and confronted me in the lobby and said pretty much the same thing and took my picture.” Jess’s head started to swim. Black spots started to appear in her vision and she felt like she might pass out. It felt like she was suffocating in her own apartment. She needed to get out.
“I need to go,” Jess said, bordering on hysterical.
“What do you mean go? This is your apartment.”
“You can stay. Just lock the door when you head out. I need to get out of here. I’m sorry
about dinner.”
“Jess! Jess, will you please stop and talk to me?”
Grabbing her keys, Jess made a quick dash for the front door. She could hear Aedan call after her, struggling to turn off the stove. “Jess, please, just talk to me.”
There was a group of guys bringing a couch up through the door to the stairwell, so she had no choice but to take the elevator. Jess darted inside and pushed the button for the lobby. She punched the ‘door close’ button over and over until the doors finally started to close.
Just then she saw Aedan come out of her front door and start down the hallway toward her. “Jess,” he said warningly. The door closed before he could say anything else.
Standing in the elevator that moved about as fast as a snail moving backward, Jess contemplated just what she was doing. She took a few deep breaths and had to put her head between her knees when she felt like she was going to pass out. She knew exactly what she was doing. She was running away from something that could destroy her, someone who could destroy her.
One text message was all it took and she was falling apart. She couldn’t even stand up to a little bit of push back before she started having a near panic attack. Someone had invaded her space, first in the lobby and then by getting ahold of her phone number.
Jess was getting angry now, not just angry with the person who sent the text, but also with herself. She was so angry that she couldn’t woman up and go for it with Aedan, forget the consequences. Asking an actuary not to evaluate the risks was like asking a dolphin not to swim. But she wished for once she could be a carefree person, a strong person like the one who stood up for that waitress at the bar after a couple of drinks. The one who chatted up the hunky Irishman she picked up at the bar and who could go with the flow. And give the finger to anyone who tried to give her crap about being with Aedan. Why couldn’t she?
She’d heard the desperation in Aedan’s voice as he called after her as she got in the elevator. She seemed to have just as much power over him as he had over her. He was making himself vulnerable to her, trying to show her he cared. Why couldn’t she do the same? If one text was going to send her running for the hills, maybe she didn’t deserve him.
When the elevator finally reached the lobby—what seemed like fifteen minutes later—Jess was feeling pretty sheepish and stupid with the way she had reacted. Maybe if she just faked it until she made it, it would all work out. The doors opened just as Jess was about to push the button to her floor again. Aedan was standing in the open doors, a little out of breath.
Knowing he had run down every flight of stairs to catch her, Jess launched herself out of the elevator, grabbed him in a tight hug, pressed her face into his neck, and breathed him in. He smelled like the wine sauce she’d been tasting all night. Delicious.
“I’m sorry,” she breathed against his neck, not letting him get a word out. “I’m sorry I ran. I was scared, really scared. I still am pretty scared.” Pulling back, she looked him in the eyes. “You seriously scare me, Aedan.” He started to speak, but Jess cut him off.
“I’m sorry and I will try to be stronger and braver for us. I want there to be an 'us', if you still want there to be.” Jess pulled her eyes away and stared at the floor between then. She held her breath waiting for his response, trying to figure out if she’d blown it.
“That was unexpected! I thought I was going to have to carry you back upstairs kicking and screaming to get you to talk to me.”
“It was a long elevator ride,” Jess said with a shrug. “I had a lot of time to think and realize how stupid I was being.” Huffing out a laugh, she continued to hold onto him.
“Maybe you should take the elevator more often,” he chuckled, pulling her into him again and trailing kisses along her neck.
“Maybe I should,” Jess said and pulled him back into the elevator for the ride back up to her floor.
Goosebumps rose on her neck as she grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss.
“You really scared me with all that,” he said, suddenly serious again.
“I know. I freaked out. And I should have talked to you instead of just running out.”
“Please don’t do it again. I know you didn’t ask for any of this and I know what I’ve heaped on you is really unfair, but please just talk to me next time.”
“I will. I’m going to try to do better.”
“Well, you have the entire elevator ride up to make it up to me.” A mischievous smile broke out across his face and his eyes sparkled as he cornered Jess in the elevator for the long ride back up to her floor.
They exited the elevator looking a bit rumpled and Jess’s lips were the perfect shade of “kissed to within an inch of her life.” Aedan was sure to make her remember just how much he wanted her after finally getting her to come back upstairs.
“Come with me back to the UK.” Aedan said as they finished up their dinner. Jess looked up at Aedan, shocked. Jess’s change of heart in the elevator ride prompted Aedan to finally find the courage to ask her to go with him. He knew it was a long shot, but figured he should go for it. Leaving Jess this soon after everything went to hell was not what he wanted, plus the timing would be perfect. He would have training, could take her out a bit and show her London, and ensure she didn’t have time to start regretting their time together.
“Where did that come from? I can’t just pick up and leave.” Jess said as she grabbed their plates and walked them over to the kitchen sink.
“Why not? You said you have weeks of holiday saved up and you just finished your big project. Just come for a couple of weeks. I have pre-season training for now and won’t be traveling until August. I can be your guide, take you around, get you a stamp in your passport.”
“Aedan, things are crazy enough here. How much worse would it be in the UK? Everyone knows you, will be all over you, and all over us there.”
“It’s not that bad. I can make sure it doesn’t get too crazy. I can protect you. And my mum has been chewing my ear off telling me she wants to meet you.”
“Oh wow, that’s a big step.”
“You already met Aunt Aoife; it’s pretty much the same. And I know it’s a big step, but I want you to come with me, I want to show you the city, introduce you to my friends. I want to show you my life.”
“Are you sure you want to do this? Will is cause problems for you? You’re going to need to be training, right? What about what James said—,” Aedan interrupted before she could give any more reasons not to go.
“When did you talk to James? Don’t listen to a thing he says. Of course, I want this, I wouldn’t have asked otherwise. It won’t cause any problems. It will be a great time. I’ve only got training about three hours a day, so outside of that, I’ll be all yours.” Holding her hands in his, he gazed into her eyes. “I want you to come; I need you to come with me. Please Jess.”
“Well when you put it that way, OK. I’ll have to check in with work and make sure I can get the time off. When did you want to go?”
“I need to leave in two days. Do you think you could get things arranged by then?”
“I’m back at work tomorrow, so yes I should be able to get it all done by then.”
“Crackin’ I can’t wait.” Aedan was going on about all of the places he wanted to take her, telling her stories about all his teammates and friends. Jess seemed a bit distracted while washing the dishes. Aedan was excited. She’d said yes, he would get more time with her. All Aedan kept thinking about was how this trip was going to change things, and hope that she was ready for it.
25
The trip over to the UK was like nothing she’d experienced before. Jess was adamant that she paid for her own ticket. She wasn’t going to start leeching off of Aedan now that she knew he wasn’t a struggling, underpaid soccer player. It also made her feel a bit more in control, but that didn’t stop the sneaky little snake from upgrading her ticket at the airport. Not that she was complaining after experiencing a bit of the other side o
f the cattle-class curtain. James and Steven had flown the day before to prepare for Aedan’s arrival. Apparently, he had an arrival that required preparing for—who knew?
The airport lounge had been the first clue that she wasn’t going to hate flying for this trip. They walked into the business class lounge that was all decked out in white and chrome. Jess felt like they were walking into the future. An attendant greeted them at the front desk, checked their tickets, and made a note of their flight, so someone could get them once it was time for them to board.
Aedan walked over to the bar and ordered them both a burger and a Bombay bramble.
“You’ve got to try these. It will make your day for sure.” Jess was glad to see that all his fame hadn’t seemed to stop him from enjoying the ridiculous luxury that it afforded him. Wheeling her carry-on next to the bar stool, Jess didn’t feel like she needed to watch it like a hawk, lest it be mistaken for abandoned and exploded on the tarmac, or stolen.
After taking the place in for a few minutes, Jess was amazed. There were showers, a movie room, tables and booths for dining, and what looked like a spa and hair salon. The bartender settled the two drinks between them. Jess went to grab for it, but hesitated. She wasn’t sure if they needed to pay now or at the end.
“Don’t worry about feeling awkward. I’ve taken these flights for a long time now and I still feel like I’m going to get kicked out at any moment.” He picked up Jess’s drink and handed it to her. Leaning in he whispered, “And it’s all free. So, don’t worry about paying for it.” Taking a sip of the sweet pink, berry-flavored drink topped with crushed ice, a blackberry, and a lemon slice, Jess thought she might have just found a new favorite.
“I’m glad you’re here, and not just so I can pretend it was your idea to order these, so I don’t feel self-conscious.” Aedan laughed and seemed to savor the drink just as much as Jess.
A little while later, the burgers came out. She was skeptical about a burger being anything to write home about, but was learning that many old things could be new again when Aedan was in the mix. Without adding anything to it, it was the juiciest, most melt-in-your-mouth burger Jess had ever had. A burger with no ketchup required—who knew that existed? Completely stuffed, they settled down into one of the booth lounge areas and waited for their flight to board.
