AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I look down, and I can’t say anything. What did I think? He would turn a blind eye and go home with me? The truth is that I’ve lost all my certainty, and I don’t know what to do or what direction to move in.
I blabber an explanation. “Yes, sorry. I didn’t expect you at my door, but I would have been surprised to find him too. So…”
Aaron tilts his head to the side and studies me with a slight smile on his face. He is still dressed in his elegant suit, only he’s no longer as flawless as last night at dinner. The tie is a bit loose, some wrinkles have appeared on the pants, and the shirt is slightly crumpled, but the perfection surrounding this man has not diminished at all. It’s not the suit that makes him elegant. It’s his bearing that makes him appear almost regal.
“Can we talk? I believe this situation has gotten way out of hand, and we need to understand its implications.” His tone is firm.
Evan never speaks about him. He never talks about anything related to his family, and I don’t know his brother aside from his public persona. I don’t think they’re on good terms, but Aaron seems to care about him, even though Evan growls at him.
“Legal implications, you mean?”
He shrugs and sits in the chair next to my bed. He rubs a hand on his wrinkled forehead. “That too.”
“Your father…” I don’t even know what to ask him. Is he okay? Is he going to report Evan to the police? There are so many possible consequences after last night I don’t even know where to start.
“My father always lands on his feet. He’ll be able to take advantage of this story.”
“Evan? Will he be able to land on his feet too, or will your father make his life hell?” My concern shines through every single word.
Aaron looks at me and shakes his head. He seems exasperated by this whole situation but tries to be polite. “I’ll take care of him, don’t worry.”
It’s my turn to study him, crossing my arms over my chest. He’s confident. Of course, he’ll be able to solve this mess too, but I don’t think he knows how we got to this point, how his brother is falling into an abyss.
“If he lets you.” A little anger at Evan’s stubbornness returns to stir in my chest.
Aaron inhales deeply and raises his face to stare at the ceiling. “Would you like to come with me, so we talk about it? You don’t have the context to truly understand my brother’s stubbornness.”
I’m torn. Is it worth following this man? Or better to catch the first flight to New York and try to talk to Evan? Despite the anger and frustration, we’ve worked together for more than two years and have friends in common. We will meet often, and we can’t let the resentment between us entirely ruin a relationship that may never again be civil. But if Aaron has come this far to explain, maybe I should listen to him. He doesn’t seem like someone who goes out of his way for a stranger.
“How do you know I’m missing context? Maybe Evan has already told me what you have to say.”
Aaron stands up, puts his hands in his pockets, and smiles at me. His features relax in an almost tender expression, and it clashes so much with the public figure I’m used to seeing on television that I’m surprised.
“You don’t seem like a bad person, and if you knew where he and I came from, you would never have approached my father. Not without wanting to intentionally hurt my brother.”
My stomach twists into a knot that almost hurts. I’m not so sure I want to know how I messed up this situation. Because while I’m angry about Evan’s stubbornness, this man makes me wonder if I caused worse harm than getting fired.
“I have already blown up my career and one of the few honest friendships I have ever had. How much worse can it get?” I sigh as I grab my bag from the bed.
Aaron looks at me, raising an eyebrow as if to ask “Are you sure you want to know?” and the earth shakes under my feet.
“It can’t get worse, right?”
He shrugs and throws me a half-smile. “You already messed up. Remaining unaware of the reasons will not help you.”
“Awesome,” I whisper as we walk out of my hotel room.
Of all the places I thought he would take me, I never thought it would be a small private beach in Malibu. The place is secluded, almost romantic, with white sand and a cliff behind us to protect us from prying eyes. I watch Aaron take off his jacket and fold it meticulously, then bend and take off his shoes and socks and stand barefoot in the sand. Before picking up the shoes, he folds the socks and puts one in each shoe. He doesn’t ball them up. He folds them. This obsessive attention to detail in the Steel family must be genetic. I smile and shake my head.
“Did I do something funny?”
“You folded your socks.”
He frowns and looks at me, waiting for an explanation. “Doesn’t everyone do that?”
“No one folds their socks. Only a psycho folds his socks.”
He pretends to be offended, bringing his hand to his chest. “What kind of savages are you used to dating?”
