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Hailee
“If I knewmy trauma would’ve gotten me into your apartment, I would’ve unloaded it earlier on,” Aiden joked as we walked into my place. He looked around, slid his hands into his pockets, and whistled. “Whew. This place screams Hailee.”
I looked around at my organized to the T apartment. Everything had a label. Nothing was out of place, and it was as clean as ever. The four walls in my living room were covered in bookshelves, and in the middle two of the shelves was a television that was hardly ever on. If anything, it was a decorative piece.
I had plants throughout the space that Mama brought me because she said, “Every home needs a plant because it adds life to a space.” And something about helping the oxygen. Sadly, she had more of a green thumb than I did.
My kitchen island had a cake dish sitting there, and on it sat one of Mama’s lemon pound cakes. Each week, she’d made me a small cake for me to nibble at throughout the week. It explained clearly why my workouts didn’t do much. I lived a balanced life of sweets and squats. Honestly, it was the best of both worlds.
“Your plants are dying,” Aiden said as he took off his shoes and made himself comfortable. He walked over to my kitchen, filled up a pitcher, and took on the task of watering said plants. “When was the last time you fertilized?”
I arched an eyebrow. “Since when are you a plant guy?”
“I played a character who was addicted to plants once. These poor things need some tender love and care.” He stuck his finger into the soil and frowned. “When was the last time you watered these?”
“Uh, maybe two months ago?”
“Hailee!”
“What? In my defense, I didn’t want plants.”
“You’re killing me, Hails. You’re killing me.” For the next ten minutes, Aiden went around talking to my plants, singing them lullabies, and telling them they were loved as he watered them. “I’m sorry your mother mistreats you,” he told them.
Honestly, I wasn’t certain if it was a turn-on or a turnoff.
Then I looked at his biceps as he watered them, and well, yeah. It was a turn-on.
When he finished dusting the plants’ leaves, he washed his hands with pride in his eyes. “You are lucky that plants are forgiving. Watch how happy they will look in a few days.”
As he walked by my desk, he paused. He tilted his head in amazement as he noticed the items on my push-pin board. Movie tickets to all his films. He looked over at me. “You’ve seen them all?”
“I saw each one on opening night and own them on DVD. Not to be dramatic, but there’s a good chance I’m your biggest fan.”
“Hmph. Didn’t expect to feel that feeling.”
“What feeling?”
“Love.”
I smiled. “It kind of sneaks up on you.”
“Yeah, something like that.” He reached forward and grabbed the necklace that was hanging there. The Jerry necklace he tore off years prior. “Can I?”
I nodded. “Please.”
He put it around his neck, and I swore a part of my heart instantly healed.
I curled up on my couch and smiled his way. “Now that you’re done distracting yourself, do you want to talk about what happened with Jake and your dad?”
He narrowed his eyes. “I thought you brought me up here to do the sex?”
I laughed. “I never said I was going to do the sex with you.”
“Oh. Well. Um, it was nice seeing your place. I better get going—”
I threw a pillow at him. “Shut up and come sit down.”
He chuckled and did as I said. As he sat across from me, he sighed. “I know I should talk to him. I’m just not ready. And I know I shouldn’t have called him Samuel. That was a dick move. Sometimes I’m a dick. Then I’ll replay the dick moment in my head repeatedly and feel bad for my dad even though he did a shit thing.”
