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“I thought you could leave that here,” Sam shrugged, feeling awkward as the implication set it. Would Aero want to stay with her anymore? What if they never got back to that level of comfort and he wasn’t able to sleep with her? What if he didn’t trust her to—
“It’s great,” Aero said, his heart pattering with affection and excitement. When was the last time someone gave him a present?
Sam sighed, cutting off her panicked, doubtful thoughts. She said, “There’s more,” and he pulled out the next item.
“You didn’t have to do all this.” Aero unwrapped the paper from the soft package. He unfolded a t-shirt. It was black, with the words “New Mexico” and a sun symbol across the chest in red and orange print. It was just his size.
“Thank you, Sammy,” Aero said, his voice gruff with emotion.
“You’re welcome.” Sam leaned her head against his shoulder before rethinking it and moving away slightly. “I just wanted you to know I was thinking about you.”
Tucking everything back into the bag, Aero set it on the floor and wrapped Sam in his arms, holding her close, enjoying her familiar lavender scent. It soothed him, reminding him of how much he had missed her. Not just while she was in New Mexico, but ever since he had shut down their intimate moment in his room.
He felt like an ass. Avoiding Sam wasn’t the answer, and she hadn’t done anything wrong.
Since his episode and all but kicking her out, Aero had been seen Dr. Byrd five times, each session centered on why he was so afraid of being intimate with Sam, of letting their relationship progress naturally, and how he could approach the subject with Sam but not let himself spiral into the darkness of his negative thoughts.
“How’s your brother?” Aero asked, starting small.
“Good. It was great to see him. We talked a lot,” Sam said, clasping her hands tightly in her lap.
“About what?”
“I told him about you,” Sam admitted.
“What’d he have to say?”
Sam sighed. “He gave me the usual big brother routine, that you’d better be treating me right, that he’ll kill you if you hurt me, blah blah blah.”
Aero chuckled. Being a big brother himself, he’d had that conversation more than once. He could appreciate Anthony’s position, especially considering some of the guys his sisters brought home over the years.
“Overall, he seemed fine with it. Especially when I told him you were in the military. That went a long way with him,” Sam continued.
Aero nodded.
Sam bit her lip, considering whether or not she should tell Aero about the bulk of her conversation with Anthony. While they had spent the Thanksgiving holiday watching movies, going hiking, and doing some early Christmas shopping, Sam had been reeling for most of the trip, Anthony’s doubts playing over and over again through her head, slowly becoming her own.
By the time she crossed the Colorado state line, she had convinced herself there was no hope or future for her and Aero, that she needed to let him go, and that they’d both be better off. Then, by the time she pulled into her driveway and parked the car, she had talked herself back into the relationship and was determined to give it another chance. Now, seated on her bed beside Aero, seeing his beautiful face and troubled green eyes, she was somewhere in the middle.
Uncertainty was her constant companion, and it made her nauseous. She swallowed hard, but it didn’t make her feel any braver.
“What do you need to tell me, Sammy?”
Sam’s breath caught in her throat. The jig was up. She had to tell him.
Taking a deep breath, Sam let the words fly. “Anthony and I talked about you and our relationship. He doesn’t think I can handle it, that I’m too young and shouldn’t be tied down to someone… someone like you.”
Her shoulders rolled inward and she tensed, awaiting his response. Her words had been true, but no less cruel. He didn’t respond, so she closed her eyes and kept talking.
“I mean, he thinks that because of your… condition, it’ll take its toll on us. That if you haven’t dealt with your past, it’ll ruin my future. He told me to be patient, but… but…”
A deathly silence filled the room.
Sam could feel the blood rushing in her veins, her stomach tying itself into constrictor knots, her muscles clenching, as she anticipated his reaction. None came.
After a moment, she forced her eyes open and peeked over at him. Aero was stock still, his hands resting on his thighs, a deep frown on his face. “Aero?”
He cleared his throat before meeting her eyes. “Is he right?”
