Chapter 7: Chapter 7

As I stood behind the curtains, as the roaring sounds of applause wavered in I thought to myself ‘’ This was it!’’, I had trained weeks on end for this, the nutritious diets, skincare treatments and numerous catwalk exercises had led up to this moment, today was the day, M and M’s collaborative women’s wear showcase was today and I was opening the show and behind this very curtain were a crowd of people who decided my fate. Wearing a dress I had only seen in my dreams and such expensive shoes as I’d only imagined , I looked great! for the first time in my life I could boldly say I looked great , the only problem was that I was scared shitless.. I was just a girl a poor girl from Madison a town in Wisconsin and I felt so terrified I could barely breathe , I had asked my personal trainer who had luckily turned out to be Tallie who I’d grown extremely close to , if I could go last but according to her the boss’s order must be followed ,the boss being Mr grumpy tight pants who hadn’t spoken a word to me since our last run-in at the restaurant where we had both gone out on dates , me with my precious ex-boyfriend Baylor , he with miss long legs, elegant perfection who I found out after weeks of working closely with, is a goddamn perfectionist which was one more striking similarity with Aaron, which was just proof of how meant to be the two were ,am still suspicious of what their relationship is though , I had asked Tallie one night after rehearsals and I was told they were partners.. partners? a word with multiple meanings, swallowing my discontentment with her answer I had said goodbye and walked away, why was I thinking of this ?? well it wasn’t my fault as the very alike couple in question were standing side by side by the corner of the hallway talking in hushed tones, groaning at much I hated seeing them together I did a little warm up to distract myself repeating to myself over and over ‘’ I can do this! I can do this’’. Han the fashion analyst of the company walked by at that moment, a strikingly handsome Korean guy with really gorgeous dark eyes and really pretty plump lips, according to the information tallie who seemed to be quite taken with him gave me ,Han’s real name was Han sung min, he was 27, a Korean national born in Daegu, South Korea, years later his father got a job as a translator at a firm in new York and his family had moved here permanently , Han was a very likeable person who was fresh faced, friendly, bubbly and who always had a smile on his face , his silver dyed hair, coupled with a mullet, a cute button nose, silky smooth glass skin, an oval face with sharp, well defined jawline and killer dimples gave him an exotic , visual god look and he was always dressed impeccably in high end street wear which consisted mainly of designer leather jackets and ripped skinny jeans which fit his lean frame perfectly and he also drove a Ferrari , with tallie telling me he owned two more exotic cars , looks wise he could give Aaron a run for his money but while Han was boyishly handsome , Aaron had a mature breath-taking, stormy look, Aaron and Han were both stunners compared to Leo who i found lacking and who i believed suffered from a personality disorder, Han overall was a nice person and a great person to be around which was probably the reason why he was he was Aaron’s right hand man, confidant and best friend , even his mere presence seemed to spell assurance unlike Leo who made her really uncomfortable with his rowing eyes and raw, uncensored talk , Leo was 30, and was born and raised in new York with a silver spoon in his mouth as his parent were wealthy influential hoteliers, and been born into such wealth and exuberance as a teenager gave him a leverage to get with girls , he didn’t need a job as it was known to all and sundry that he had a very huge inheritance, plus he could always join the family business but for some reason he wanted to work at a different place and where else than at a fashion company where beautiful, sexy women would be lounging at and he was very popular among the employees as a real wild cat who was a serial womaniser that was famous for his cheesy pickup lines , and who held a record of having bedded almost all the female employees at M and M but despite his track record Leo was goal oriented and became serious and strict when it came to fashion matters , he could take you to bed today and try to bite your head off the day, after over the smallest mistake , that by the way ,after Han took a good look at me and sensed my fear he placed a hand on my shoulder and with a sweet smile said ‘’ Hwaiting!’’ . In a gushy tone, with a bunched fist up, confused yet grateful I had replied with ‘’ Hwaiting!’’. Even though I had no idea what it meant but all that mattered was it made me feel encouraged and I felt better in seconds, l looked back then and caught Aaron shooting daggers in I and Han’s direction, wondering what had his pants in a twist this time I sighed loudly, rolling my eyes dramatically. Looking away, I focused on myself and the scary road I was on, the scary road which’s path was paved by Aaron’s twat of a mother who had wrongfully and unjustly accused me of theft and who I was taking to court at a later date, giving myself a stern warning I realised I shouldn’t be feeling anything for Aaron as he was the enemy and Baylor, loving, perfect Baylor was the better choice, the best pick but being with Baylor, seeing Baylor didn’t make my heart race and the big problem was that... despite as many times as I told myself that I shouldn’t like Aaron my heart didn’t process it and now … The curtains burst open and now i face the light.

AARON’S POV

She was stunning, she looked absolutely stunning and I just couldn’t look away from the pure perfection that was Paris flinch, the moment Han placed a hand on her shoulder, I felt my temperature rise and the hair on my body stood up straight and despite how harmless the body contact was, I in this moment just wanted to drag her away and hide her away from the rest of the world so no one could touch her. I was falling and fast… I liked Paris, that I couldn’t hide anymore but it was wrong, the whole situation was so wrong, so twisted …but what do I do? Looking at her again for the third time I could feel her nervousness from where I was standing, she was scared I could tell, knowing just how low she thought of herself I could feel her fear mounting and I wanted to go to her, I wanted to take her in my arms and hold her soft hand and give her words of comfort, I wanted to tell her ‘’ the stage under the light isn’t as scary as it seems, you can do this’’. But I couldn’t! ...I just couldn’t!! some safe distance was good, observing her from a safe distance she looked even taller in her heels and the dress …. ohh the dress clung to her curves and fit her snugly like a second skin , I had spent weeks designing that dress and seeing such a beautiful woman wear it made me feel so proud, I wanted her opening the show for a reason and the reason was that she was beyond perfect , and I wanted the world to know that , I held my breath as it was announced that the showcase was about to start and Paris fidgeting nervously suddenly stood up and started pacing up and down the room in terror and as crazy as it sounded I felt her fear deep down in my bone marrow but as soon as she was informed it was her turn to go out she let out a breathe and walked out with steady slow steps into the light and I let out the breathe I had been holding. Glancing at me Alexa said with a coy smile on her face ‘’ She is not our typical kind of model so why did you ever pick her? just her fear alone can ruin everything’’. Knowing she was trying to bait me I dodged the bullet with a safe ‘’ Because she is good’’. ‘’ Good huh? do you think she would ….’’, she meant to say but having had enough of her nonsense, I cut her off mid-sentence. ‘’ She will do great’’ I said curtly signalling the end of our conversation and moved to the small projector in the hallway to see how Paris was faring on the runway. Alexa was important to me but some scars just don’t heal and she needed to know her place when it came to Paris.

PARIS’S POV

Stepping out I realised I had to face my fear as it was only me and me here and it was too late to go back, I was going to kill this show I told myself, I will make this show my bitch I muttered to myself as the crowd looked at me in wonder probably wondering what I was waiting for, clicking my tongue, a habit I subconsciously exhibited whenever I was nervous, I started walking down the runway, taking the exact same steps I had been taught to take a million times. I walked the length of the runway trying to keep a brave face and once I got to the end there came a thunderous applause , feeling relieved I had walked back and I spotted tallie signalling to me to walk back again , with my confidence in high gear I had swaggered back, confidently taking off the sexy coat ,bobby the stylist had put on me last minute which led to an even glorious applause ,feeling giddy and on top of the world I walked back to the hallway as the other models filed out, to a clapping Han and a smirking Leo but in that moment the reaction I cared about most was that of Aaron, searching the length of the hallway for him I spotted him, only to find him staring blankly at me , miss exotic right by his side ,trying to hide the sneer on her face under an obvious saccharine smile , suddenly I felt lightheaded and lost my balance almost falling to the ground, only to be caught around the waist by strong hands belonging to Aaron, he placed me back on my feet as I still wobbled and I realised his large steady hands were still on my waist keeping me steady as seconds went by and he didn’t let go of me, burrowing his nose into my hair instead ,oblivious to the world around us he asked softly ‘’Tell me about your obsession with strawberries, you always smell so strongly of them’’. ‘’ Huh?’’ I had said in confusion as his musk citrus, woody smell was making my heart race , then getting a hang of his question , I replied with a ‘’ Hmmm they are my favourite fruit , I use and buy anything strawberry flavoured , my lip-gloss, shampoo , soap and even my toothpaste is strawberry flavoured. ‘’Strawberry toothpaste?’’ he asked, a cute look on his gorgeous face. Giggling softly, I replied ‘’Strawberry mint!’’ to which he smiled saying ‘’ You are one hell of a woman Paris’’. ‘’You did great today’’ he adds ‘’ you were absolutely fantastic, I knew you could do it and I wasn’t wrong’’ I had turned as red as a tomato which made Aaron smile widely, Leo at that moment let out a light cough jolting us back to reality and to the multiple eyes staring at us in bewilderment, his hand then left my waist and I felt the sudden urge to cry as I for some reason I felt naked and vulnerable. Aaron then looked around the room and walked away leaving me feeling utterly devastated ‘’ He was ashamed to be seen with gutter trash like me I thought to myself’’ , tallie then came to my rescue leading me away to the changing room , after my glamorous outfit had been taken off and the show ended, I headed back to my apartment only to find a bowl of fresh strawberries and a bowl of melted chocolate on the kitchen counter , realising there was only one person who had access to my apartment apart from tallie and that was Aaron and only he knew of my strawberry weakness , I smiled widely, grinning like a Cheshire cat I read the note which was attached to the top of the chocolate bowl and it read ‘’I tried eating strawberries today and I really don’t understand your love for the fruit as they are quite sour ,try eating them with the melted chocolate, I heard it tastes marvellous when eaten together , haven’t tried it yet though…. P.S you did great today. ’’ with tears of gratitude almost streaming down my face I pulled open the bowl’s cover ,dipped the fruit into the gooey chocolate, smiling widely and moaning at the taste, I then grabbed a coat , packed up the fruit and chocolate bowl, ran out of my apartment, and took a cab back to M and M. CHAPTER TEN – STRAWBERRY AND CHOCOLATE KISSES

AARON’S POV

My heart was on fire, I couldn’t sleep Paris flinch on my mind so here I was trying to calm down my racing heart by working on my latest design which I had been trying to adjust for the past one hour to Paris’s size, don’t get me wrong Paris was nowhere near fat but had wider hips and a larger chest size than most of the other models who were starting to look rake thin to me. I had been obsessed with fashion since I was a little boy and had my first taste of the fashion world when I was scouted by a modelling agency at my school gate when I was just fourteen , at fourteen I was taller than my mates and I already had grand dreams of owning my own fashion house , designing clothes and shoes but with no one to sponsor me or grant me a fashion internship I had to gradually work my way to the top from being a small time model to one of the biggest models in the city , I had people who cut , sew, stitched and designed for me but every now and then when I needed to cool down I would come down here after my employees had all left and work . My thoughts suddenly diverting back to Paris ,it was an hour already and no thank you message from Paris; my mind suddenly became plagued with questions. ‘’ Did she see the strawberries?’’. ‘’ Was I been intrusive?’’ ‘’ Was she not at home?’’. Maybe I did too much I thought to myself helplessly as my experience with women had taught me that women didn’t like men who put in too much effort or was my effort too little? Where was Han when I needed him? He would have had great tips for me at this moment, smiling to myself I flashbacked to my conversation with Han sung in my office, after the scene behind the curtain with me and Paris , he ran into my office , his face lit up smiling , looking all giddy like a kid who was paid an early visit by Santa Claus , asking if I and Paris were an item , I denied it of course, claiming I just liked her which was the plain truth except Han sung stopped smiling and stared at me like he was trying to figure me out, after minutes of intense scrutiny he tapped my shoulder and said.. ‘’ Call me when you sort out your feelings okay, I know you like her man but since you need time to figure it, take all the time you need? Jinja? Okay! Fighting!’’ then he swaggered out of the room. That was one of the reason why I liked Han sung , he was very perceptive and understanding , he was a great friend and I called him Han sung out of fondness because I didn’t want to be like everybody else who called him Han plus the first time we met as rookie models at a fashion show in Paris , he introduced himself as Han sung and asked I call him that , despite having spent most of his life in new York , Han sung was still Korean through and through so much that he kept in touch with his Korean roots , going home for every holiday possible, there was this time he wore a traditional Hanbok to work and caused a big stir and he could also argue for hours on end that soju tasted better than beer and seventeen other drinks included and that kimchi was unmatchable, he was so proud of his homeland that he added Hangul in almost every sentence even if it wasn’t necessary, he even called me Aaron-shii with an added suffix at times to piss me off and he did that mostly when he was drunk … arghh I hated such moments , plus he was such a loyal friend that because of my history with Alexa he initially tried hiding his feelings for her until I caught on and confronted him , giving him the go ahead to ask her out and after giving a one hour speech about how I had no feelings for her ,he then went ahead, confessed and asked her out, but got turned down and expecting him to be heartbroken ,he took it like a man ,making sure their business relationship wasn’t affected by the incident but that was just by the way, running a hand over my face in distress I heard loud footsteps and I had turned back swiftly coming face to face with Paris who was smiling and holding a package in her left hand, moving closer to me. Hell… this was going to be great. She says looking around avoiding eye contact ‘’ I went to your office; you weren’t there… I wanted to see you’’. ‘’ I left there an hour ago, I came here to clear my head’’ I say in response my heart beating wildly. ‘’ The chocolate and strawberry mixture was absolutely delicious, it’s some real winner thanks’’ she says and smiling back at her I felt elated that she didn’t think me a fool. ‘’ You are welcome’’ I said to her with a wider smile , when it came to her I found it so easy to laugh and smile , an action I had almost forgotten due to the shit storm I had been through in my last relationship, she was a ray of sunshine and it hurt to know that she wasn’t aware , she always lit up everywhere she entered spreading cheer , she spoke then freeing me from my trance. ‘’ You said you had never tasted strawberries with chocolate before so I brought you some… try it’’ shoving the bowl at me and smiling I took one of the strawberries, dipped it into the gooey chocolate and threw it in my mouth, moaning at the incredible mix of sweet and sour in my mouth. Paris was grinning her bunny teeth on full display ‘’ So what are you still doing here by this time of the night?’’ she asks with wide curious eyes. ‘’I was adjusting a dress … your dress’’ I replied. ‘’My dress??’’ she asks surprised. ‘’ Yes… your dress’’ I told her as I finished with the last stitch and handed the dress to her, saying ‘’ wear it! come on go try it on!’’ standing still for a minute trying to figure me out, she finally takes the dress and says ‘’ it’s really beautiful, you really are talented’’. Shaking my head, I tried to be modest with my reply ‘’ l have no real talent, I just have a flair for these things, you will be wearing that at the next showcase so go try it on!’’ Another first with her… modesty. I was well known for being hella proud of my work as a top designer and a model and there had never been a moment in my life where I tried to be modest about it and here I was trying on the coat of modesty for the first time in my life…. interesting! She had then taken the dress and gone into the dressing room to change, she then walked back out looking self-conscious but I ... I was mesmerized, the dress was a perfect fit and the nude colour complemented her pale skin perfectly, I felt myself go weak in the knees and my words came out in broken fragments ‘’ gorgeous … breathtakingly... beautiful … just perfect’’. I was talking about the woman in the dress and not the dress itself I realised, unable to look away from her, then I realised the zipper was stuck and moved behind her to adjust it. ‘’ The dress is breath-taking’’ she says in a shaky voice. ‘’ Not the dress but the woman in it’’ I say, pulling the zipper up but her scent filled my body so much that I couldn’t move away from her and I couldn’t resist moving her hair to the side and placing a soft kiss on her neck , Paris let out a soft sigh as I ran my hands over her arms then I turned her to me and pushed my tongue in her mouth , I held her head as the kiss turned passionate , our strawberry breath mingling together and even though she initially froze, she soon wraps her slender arms around my neck pulling me closer into her while raking her fingers through my hair , pulling at it slightly as I bit into her neck , she was mine I thought to myself with a loud groan, mine.. all mine, she belonged to nobody else but me and this was so goddam right! I was about to pull the dress off when the door squeaked and I and Paris instantly separated as Alexa who I didn’t even know was still in the building walked into the room turning the hot temperature of the room to cold instantly, looking suspiciously at Paris and I she asks in a low tone... ‘’ Can you take me home Aaron? my car broke down and you know how I feel about cabs.’’

PARIS’S POV

She was doing it, the bitch was at it again, she had her claws into him and was trying to manipulate him, willing Aaron to turn her down, my heart was shattered into a million pieces when he says ‘’Sure … let me grab my keys’’ throwing an apologetic look in my direction before walking out the door with Alexa who says with sneer on her face ‘’ Lock the door and turn the lights out before leaving …. Okay?’’. I fell to the floor distraught, feeling alone, used and discarded, then I mustered up courage, changed into my clothes and walked all the way home. CHAPTER ELEVEN – A LOT LIKE LOVE. PARIS’S POV After the showcase came the photoshoot and while I wasn’t going to admit it to anyone I was beginning to not only like but enjoy my career as a model and while I was scared of being the object of such intense popularity and fame , having always felt like I was invisible it felt nice to be paid attention to, in this room I was surrounded by more than twenty people consisting of Alexa, Han, Leo, Tallie, and the stylist, the makeup artist, the photographer , his team and some M and M staff and they were all here just for me as the other models would take their turns starting tomorrow , my small modelling stint in Madison couldn’t be compared to this ,in the space of two days my followers on Instagram had increased from ten to three hundred thousand and I wasn’t even following anybody other than the company’s official page, and more importantly everybody in the building except chestnut Becky and Alexa of course, treated me warmly and I was loving it but what I was loving more were the expensive clothes I was wearing, some from brands I have never seen before , only heard of, presently I was wearing a stylish gold dinner dress covered with feathers, the neckline low , my shoulders bare and covered in golden cream and bright highlights, bright golden earrings shaped like a globe decorating my earlobes, my hair was falling down in feathery waves around my face and down my back and I had on multiple layers of makeup, my eyes especially looked dramatic with the crazy, bold gold and black eyeshadow and the thick eyeliner I had on, making my eyes pop , they managed to even look greener than normal making me look like a racoon but I kind of liked it , It looked edgy and badass and that was okay with me , my mouth was covered in sparkling pink lip gloss and I looked like a beauty queen on the verge of taking over the world but despite how interesting I looked , the dress still took all the shine and I was told Aaron had designed this magnificent masterpiece , having changed clothes twenty times before, this dress held a sentimental value because it was Aaron’s work and as weird as it sounded as I ran my hand over the dress I could in my mind’s eye picture Aaron in that fitting room working passionately on the dress, his eyes focused, his hands working fast and with precision, the sight bringing a smile to my face , after my hair and makeup had been retouched , I sighed and I couldn’t help wishing and thinking that Aaron was here right now to see me in this dress, what I would give to have him here , these thoughts ran freely in my mind as I posed in front of the photographer a man who looked Mexican, had a deep raspy Mexican accent but claimed to be from welsh, until his words jolted me back to reality ‘’Hey tilt your head to side love, show off that magnificent jawline , those striking cheekbones , those rosy cheeks , use your hands to hold your hair up darling! Yeah you look like a goddess! Come on Girl! great! One more! One more love! Great! You are so beautiful like Camilla Cabello, like Selena Gomez!’’. But as he compared me to these extremely beautiful women all I could think about was how badly I wanted Aaron to see me in this dress , how beautiful I really would seem if only he would look at me with that glint in his eyes, and that slight regal smile I was becoming deeply acquainted with and by the help of a miracle I wished he would walk into this room, right at this moment. AARON’S POV I needed to get it together but I couldn’t, I was so distracted even Han could tell, the fact that Paris was floors away from me in that studio probably wearing my dress drove me crazy, I longed to see her, I couldn’t stop picturing her pretty face… I shouldn’t but I needed to , she was soon becoming important to me like the air I breathed , every morning my day started with watching her walk into the building from my office upstairs and it always ended with me watching her leave , looking like a total goddess even after stressful hours at the office, and even though there were days I longed to go home with her I couldn’t , I was fighting a battle between right and wrong, I was complicated, we were complicated and complications always led to fall outs, so most nights I just settled for imagining her legs and arms around me , sheets tangled up all around us, breathless, lips swollen and holding on to each other, afraid to let go. But right now I just needed to see her, a brief glance would do, I felt like a heroin addict who needed a quick fix, it had been long since I felt this way about anybody, this felt a lot like love I thought to myself as I hurriedly stood up and walked out of my office. I was crazy … this was crazy. PARIS’S POV

As the moments passed, my hand wouldn’t stop moving and I couldn’t stop sighing, where was Aaron? I was moments from running out this room to his office to see him, I didn’t know why but I wanted him and I wanted him bad , after having had a taste of his lips , I ached for more and as I contemplated walking out of the room, Aaron walked in ,dressed impeccably in a grey suit and I couldn’t help smiling , the photographer pausing and slowly turning back to look at the object of my affections , and like I had pictured in my head Aaron stood transfixed in his position, his full attention on me , and this time instead of that sly smile I got a full grin , with that beloved glint adorning his eyes as he looked at me with a look that didn’t seem like that of pride or admiration but looked a lot more like a look of love, then as soon as he walked in , he walked back out again leaving me with endless questions? What was wrong? Being the most important, then I looked to the left and there was Alexa watching me like a hawk. CHAPTER TWELVE - FIREWORKS PARIS’S POV After the photoshoot I was back to my normal dress which consisted of a white short skater skirt, a black turtleneck and knee length boots with my hair wound up into a ponytail, blonde tendrils framing my face , I had an English muffin in my right hand and a diet coke in the left and was secretly hiding behind the vending machine in the hallway to eat it since I was on a diet , one part that I didn’t like about being a model was the dieting part, I hated vegetables and lately I have eaten too much of that than a normal human should , last night I had mashed bananas for dinner with some vegetables dressings decorating it like a forbidden garden and for a minute I had considered throwing the plate at my newly assigned manager who took her job way too seriously and running out to eat chicken and pizza with a lot of cheese, I loved to eat and it was very hard to deprive myself of food , healthy delicious food I mean not the crap I was been given… don’t get me wrong, greens are good for healthy living but I’d rather live on the wild side than spend my youth wolfing down vegetables like an animal … what happened to living a little? Guess it didn’t apply in the modelling world. * Heavy sigh * it sucks. Tallie and my new manager whose name I just remembered was Sana would flip if I was ever caught hence me hiding to do the deed , after taking the last bite of my heavenly snack I closed my eyes in contentment and smiled and I was about to take a sip of my soda when my phone rang ,groaning loudly and rolling my eyes at the unprecedented disturbance I pulled my phone out of my purse and I froze when I saw Baylor’s name on the screen, mentally kicking myself upside the head, I totally forgot we had a date tonight but as soon as I thought of that ,what Aaron would think if he ever found out crossed my mind and for a moment I considered bailing on Baylor but again I thought to myself it wasn’t like Aaron and I were exclusive , we only shared brief moments which never even once lasted , a relationship can’t be built on that , that is if he even considered what we have as a relationship or even wanted one with me , sighing loudly I picked up as Baylor’s calm but husky voice filled my ears. ‘’Hello bay?’’ I said smugly. ‘’ Hey there snowy’’ he replied, the nickname putting a smile on my face. Baylor was always the fun type; he was ultimate perfect type. ‘’ How did the shoot go?’’ he asks, concern obvious in his voice, which made me smile again , I had gone on an endless rant last night during a call with Baylor after my mashed banana meal, I had complained about my diet, losing weight and about the workout sessions I had lately been involved in and Baylor out of concern had asked if I wanted to quit but I then replied saying I was not thinking about quitting as I loved modelling despite being frustrated , he had then said he would take me out for dinner after my shoot and ended the call with ‘’ It would get easier snowy , once you get used to it, it will get easier… I promise.’’ ‘’ The shoot went very well … where are you?’’ ‘’ Come downstairs, am waiting for you in the lobby’’ Came the shocking response. ‘’ You are here already? ‘’ You were supposed to call me after your photoshoot ended remember? After waiting an hour for your call I decided to come here, don’t worry If you are still busy I’ll just wait here for you, take your time, the receptionist seems to have taken a liking to me and has provided me with a comfortable waiting space plus I cleared out my schedule for tonight so I have nothing but time on my hands’’. He says making her smile again, Baylor hadn’t changed one bit, he was still the unbelievably cute and sweet guy I had fallen in love with years ago. ‘’ Am not busy at all, am on my way to you now, I’ll be there in a minute…. I said in response but weirdly I found it very hard to move to go downstairs to Baylor with Aaron still in the building, am not cheating I said to my racing heart, am not doing anything wrong I said out to myself again, breathing deeply I took out my compact mirror, put on some powder, reapplied my mascara, recoated my lips and walked out to meet Baylor… maybe this was what I needed. AARON POV’S Gritting my teeth so hard my jaw hurt , I scoffed angrily at the sight I was been punished with from the large window of my office , seeing Paris holding hands with the smiling blonde guy from the restaurant made my blood boil , just when I thought I seen it all, the blonde guy pulled Paris in for a deep hug, kissed her forehead and I watched in pure anguish as she wrapped her hands tightly around him, unable to help myself I turned my back to the sight in front of me and moved to seat at my table. Who was this guy? I asked myself in unrestrained anger, what was their relationship? Was she seeing the blondie? Well they have been blonde in common I thought to myself in sadistic jest, their physical proximity seemed to depict more than just friendship , banging my fist on the table in anger I walked away from the table and back to the window and watched them exit the door hand in hand , bothered by how bothered I was, I wanted to deny being jealous but with the anger and the bitterness coursing through my veins it was hard to do, I liked her and watching her walk away with another man didn’t bode well with me, lost in my thoughts I thought angrily about how funny life was ,given that minutes ago on my way back from a meeting in Han’s office I had been smiling sheepishly as I watched Paris sneaking off to hide beside the vending machine at the end of the hallway to eat an English muffin , for minutes I had silently watched her from afar with a wide smile on my face as I thought about how cute she looked , both cheeks filled with food like an hamster , an adorable smile on her face , looking around wide- eyed to check if anyone was coming over…helping her look around I had seen her manager Sana at that moment walking to the vending machine and I had hurriedly cornered her , asking her to get me some coffee from my favourite café across the street and leading her away so Paris could junk-feast in peace , now seeing them about to enter his car , I moved to go stop her from going away from the blondie, only to open the door and find Alexa behind it and for the umpteenth time I was reminded again of why it would never work between Paris and I no matter how hard I tried , there were too many obstacles , we were like a small ship fighting off a storm at sea without an anchor…. so sighing, I faked a smile and invited her in as she asked with a smile ‘’ Do you want to have dinner with me?... it’s on me.’’ Losing my reasoning for a moment I reluctantly nodded, wincing inwardly and trying to ignore the sound of the blonde guy’s car taking off with my Paris in it. PARIS’S POV After driving for what seemed like hours to me, we finally arrived at McDonald’s and Baylor and I walked in hand in hand and took our seats , minutes later our menu had been placed and delivered and I was digging into the most delicious cheese burger in the world , I finally looked up and saw Baylor smiling sheepishly and knowing how much of a messy eater I was, I suddenly became self- conscious and tried to wipe my lips , grabbing a wipe and smiling even wider Baylor suddenly leaned forward and cleaned off my lips but to my utmost surprise after wiping my messy lips clean he suddenly stood still and stared intently at my lips while running his thumb over it and biting his lower lip , for a moment I stopped thinking, closed my eyes and leaned forward to meet him and as soon as he pulled his chair back to move closer to meet me , I could feel his mint breathe on my face but my brain started projecting images of Aaron and I’s kiss in front of my eyes, trying to ignore the guilt I suddenly was feeling I pulled my own chair forward too and moved even closer that our lips were touching … I needed this , I needed this to get over my stupid obsession with Aaron , I need clarity, I thought to myself but as soon as I felt Baylor’s lips on mine I suddenly felt cold and a chill settled on my spine , it was a feeling so intense that I couldn’t help but pull back and as soon I opened my eyes and looked away from an embarrassed Baylor, I looked across to the door and I saw Aaron standing there with obvious hurt on his face, his mouth was slightly open and I could see the pain in his eyes but as soon as I started to feel guilty for doing to that him , a pretty hand suddenly slithered itself across his arm and my biggest nightmare Alexa stepped into the room and all the pent up guilt in me disappeared , disappointment and pain standing rigid in its place …. Maybe this better, we were never gonna work out anyways , and with a sinister smile I pulled Baylor’s face to me and laid a big kiss on him, fuck this….I was tired of the games, I was seriously hurting , I needed a timeout and unable to help myself I looked at the door to gauge Aaron’s reaction but I could only see Alexa ,an amused smile on her face, she then winked, clapped , turned and swaggered out, her skirt swishing around her long legs and looking out through the door into the distance I could see Aaron hurriedly getting into his Ferrari…. Lost as to what to do, I considered running out to meet Aaron but Baylor’s voice jolted me back to reality, out of concern he looked out through the door but luckily for me Aaron and Alexa had disappeared. This was a failed date…another failed date. ‘’ You look really pale, snowy… are you okay?’’. ‘’ Yeah am totally cool… where were we?’’ I responded, nervously trying to hide my unsteady heartbeat. ‘’ You kissed me out of the blue… that’s where we are’’ he says with a smirk, his eyes dancing with mischief. Embarrassed I put my hands over my face and groaned and Baylor burst out laughing, his hearty laugh easing my troubled heart. ‘’ Let’s forget about that’’ I said with a shy smile. ‘’ Okay… snowy, but it was kinda hot and it will be hard to forget because now its etched in my mind for life’’ he says, his purple eyes lighting up but suddenly guilt and shame washed over me ‘’Only if you knew… only if you knew, Baylor’’ I thought to myself as Baylor continued smiling, unable to take it, I decided to change the topic. ‘’So how’s the work you came here to do?’’ ‘’ Well it’s going well, my client’s case is a clean cut case so the trial is going to be a breeze, all I need to do is effectively sway the jury and it’s all over, I actually have a standing record … I have never lost a case … ever, would have told you more but lawyer - client confidentiality’’ he says proudly. ‘’ Am so happy you finally achieved your dreams of becoming a lawyer I might never understand or know what it is like to follow your dream’’ I say sadly taking a sip of my milkshake. You are a step closer to your dream I promise ‘’ Baylor says with a light smile. ‘’ You don’t even know what my dream is ‘’ I retort jokingly. ‘’isn’t it to be a model?’’ he asked his face bathed in confusion. ‘’That was a dream, a high school dream but it was never my actual dream’’ ‘’So do you want to tell me about this special dream of yours?’’ he says, his eyes glinting. ‘’ Well... actually I love modelling, I love being the centre of attention, I like the crazy high feeling I get when am walking on the runway, I like getting dressed…. I really do but there’s just this longing in my heart for…’’ I moved to say but suddenly a chain of random thoughts started running through my mind, why was it that every time I went out with Baylor, Alexa and Aaron always ended up in the exact same place, was it some kind of twisted fate or it was just a coincidence? Was it a sign? That we were meant to be or not to be? Or was Aaron trailing me? He didn’t even know I left the building so that theory didn’t hold water, neither did he the last time and suddenly my thought became jumbled up, and I started wondering how Aaron felt about the kiss. Was he hurt? Did he not care? Where was he right now, was he with Alexa? Was it jealousy that made him drive away? If it was why didn’t he just walk up to me, take my hand and walk away with me, why did he leave with Alexa instead? What was the story between those two? Why did I kiss Baylor and in front of him at that, why was I so stupid? Why was I being like this? The kiss between Aaron and I must have made me lose my mind. He should have tried to take my hand but why didn’t he? Why did he disappear so hurriedly during the photoshoot? Why was he always running away? Sipping my milk shake so fast that my head hurt and I winced, Baylor’s loud voice shook me out of my raging thoughts. ‘’ Paris? Paris! Are you okay?’’ ‘’ Oh yes… am fine, totally okay’’ I say, forcing a brave smile. ‘’Are you sure you are okay snowy? You keep spacing out… are you stressed out?’’ he asks worriedly, holding my hand and rubbing his thumb over it to soothe me, smiling I nodded but that still didn’t ease the worry in his purple eyes nor the painful ache in my heart. ‘’ Do you want to go clubbing?’’ I asked suddenly and Baylor just looked on, an eyebrow raised, which meant he was trying to figure me out. I know am acting crazy but am not actually crazy…. Hell even now…. I sounded crazy. ‘’ What you need is to go home and rest snowy, you look stressed out, I’ll order you more food to go’’ he says moving to call the waiter. ‘’ I need this bay, believe me, going home early and staring at the ceiling for a long time won’t do me any good, I’ve had a tough exhausting day, besides the best stress reliever for me right now is a night out… I’ve always wanted to go clubbing in New York, please bay’’ *Please agree bay, I thought to myself, I need this, I really do, maybe a night of hard-core partying and dancing might help take my mind off things, going home and spending all night thinking about Aaron was going to wreck me, I needed this. ‘’Okay but we are not staying long and I get to pick the club’’ he says pointing a finger at me, interlocking my finger with his I smiled saying ‘’ Okay commander, your word is law plus this little maiden doesn’t know anywhere in this big city’’ smiling brightly, Baylor sighed and said reluctantly’’ Let’s go snowy’’. AARON’S POV. Feeling totally uncomfortable with the current setting and the noisy environment , the smell of alcohol, cheap perfume, sweat and cigarettes permeating my nose , I sighed loudly and tried waving from my seat by the corner to Alexa who was chatting happily with an old female friend, laughing excitedly and throwing sly glances at me, if their subject was me or was related to me, I’d gladly not know, I wasn’t cut out for this, don’t get me wrong, I spent my teenage years partying and spent most of my modelling days attending exotic VIP only clubs and high end parties but I simply just wasn’t in the mood for loud music and a jam -packed room filled with grinding and swaying bodies, what I needed was a good nice hot shower and a good night’s sleep to rid me of the day’s unbearable events . Sighing again my thoughts turned to Paris and I wondered where she was and what she was doing? More like what she was doing with the blonde guy. Taking a sip of my awful wine, I couldn’t help replaying that kiss in my mind and it drove me wild, she belonged to me, only to me , the dominant alpha male part of me roared out and I slammed my glass on the ground in anger , luckily the music was too loud and nobody noticed not even Alexa who was grinning mischievously and whispering into her friends ear, but then the rational part of me disagreed, giving me reasons why I didn’t deserve her and more reasons why it wouldn’t work , I mean she had the nerve to kiss the blondie right in front of me. Was that her sending me a message? That she didn’t want me? Hell that couldn’t be, the Paris that kissed me some nights ago clearly wanted me, I could still feel her hands running through my hair sending fireworks shooting all through my system, did she get over me already? Did she regret that night? I couldn’t tell. We never even got to talk about the kiss , closing my eyes I could still see the fire in her eyes and could still feel the passion in her lips as she kissed me like there was no tomorrow , there was no way she was over that already, hell I still couldn’t stop reliving that moment , I was so whipped for Paris that , that night I was ready to break my own rule of no sexual relationship between co-workers by laying Paris out on the table and having her to my heart’s content in the company’s dressing room but how could I explain her kissing another man right in front of me? Calling out to Alexa I signalled to her that I was leaving and as I turned back I found myself face to face with Paris and the blonde. *Fuck, what are the odds of us not always running into each other? If this was fate, it was an horrific fate and it simply wasn’t funny anymore and if it was coincidence it had to be the world’s cruellest coincidence. New York is a big city, so why do they always have to be wherever I could see them, was this fate’s way of opposing my feelings for Paris? Feeling the need to play the big boss I smiled and wanted to speak but the hurt and guilty look on Paris’s face kept me from saying a word , with all the pain and misery I had endured from her all day I couldn’t look away from her, hell I still wanted her, I was itching to hold her, she was looking nervously at the floor but I wanted her to look up at me, I wanted her to see me and see I was better than this short blonde guy with very strange eyes, was I seeing clearly or were his eyes purple in colour? Shit! The jealousy was eating me up, I felt strange and insecure, I needed to leave but I just wasn’t going anywhere without Paris. Just as I made my resolution to drag her away from the strange guy and drive her home, I reached out for her, Paris looked up but she wasn’t even looking at me but past me, troubled I looked over my shoulder and there Alexa was, in all her diva glory, looking strangely at Paris. I might be overthinking things but am sure I just saw her glare darkly at Paris, when I looked again it wasn’t there… hell I was overthinking things definitely. ‘’ We meet yet again … strange yet fascinating …. hmmm what’s your name again?’’ Alexa spells out cattily, wrapping her small hands round my arm, she obviously knew Paris’s name, she was just looking to intimidate Paris. She seriously needed to tone down the craziness, I wasn’t some trophy to be won at a tournament plus her acrylic nails were digging painfully into my arm. Fuck! … that’s fucking painful. ‘’Paris’’ Paris replied meekly, hurt evident in her voice, her partner was looking around, at all of our faces, trying to gauge the situation. You are with the wrong woman... that’s what! You gutless prick, I said to myself eyeing him maliciously, to ordinary people blondie looked easy on the eyes but to me he was just a random short blondie with weird eyes and I ain’t no ordinary person…he was probably not even naturally blonde…. the wanker! I was mean right? Welcome to meanville blondie! Paris could do better, she deserved better. Like you? a voice in my head whispered to me. Yeah like me…. I threw back, I was golden, had great looks, a banging body… I mean I was an all-rounder and was also rich … purple eyes in his cut out jeans and faded jean jacket didn’t look too well off…. I maybe was being mean but at least I was spitting facts. He looked like a jerk! His disturbing eyes making it more glaring. I was once one of the biggest models in the city and my face was still on various billboards all over this city plus I was the successful owner of a fashion company, I could get any woman I wanted, it wasn’t like me to be this petty and childish, I had always been level headed, classy, graceful and mature, growing up I never even got into a fight once but here I was acting like a hormonal teenager, another first with Paris but guess what? I couldn’t help myself and I didn’t give two fucks. Oh shit I was turning into what I hated the most …. A fucking cave man I thought in alarm. I reverted my eyes back to Paris but she wasn’t even looking at Alexa again but at me, pain, worry and confusion evident in her beautiful eyes, am sorry about this shit storm I wanted to say but given the love triangle we were caught in, sorry just won’t cut it. ‘’ What a small world, if I didn’t know that better I would say you were following us but I do know better don’t I?’’ ‘’We are not…’’ Paris’s partner moves to say only to be cut off by Alexa. ‘’ Well I do need to take Aaron off to the dance floor, since you and your boyfriend are here, do join us’’ she says, like she’s the queen of the place. Classic - icy Alexa style. That was a sign of doom! Then before I could say Jack Robinson, Paris with a strange determined look in her eyes, grabs purple eyes by the right hand and drags him to the dancefloor, beyond shocked at her brazenness, I moved a step forward but before I could physically react I was pulled to the dancefloor roughly by Alexa. This isn’t gonna be good…at all. CHAPTER THIRTEEN- SIDE BY SIDE When Paris pulled Baylor to the dance floor , she stopped being rational and all she wanted was for Aaron to get a taste of how miserable she felt every time she took a step forward and he took two steps back , but looking at Alexa shamelessly grinding into Aaron and going up and down on him like a monkey trying to climb its way out of a zoo, she was the one holding the highest stakes right now when it came to pure misery , she was also dancing with Baylor but she was so distracted that even though she was surrounded by dancing bodies and the bright lights of the club all she could see was Aaron… except knucklehead ,bony ass Alexa was cutting into the picture. * Damn ! why was she feeling like this? How did things get this bad? She was falling for Aaron hard and fast, after vowing not to get involved with him, how did things escalate so quickly that here she was feeling like shit because of the sight of Aaron in another woman’s arms, he seemed to be enjoying himself…. the little shit head! But as angry as she was at that moment , the sight of him, his shirt slightly unbuttoned, sleeves rolled up, veins flexing , messy locks falling into his face , blue eyes glinting , Rolex gleaming and his skin bathed in light still made her weak in the knees , how was she ever going to get over him if he looked this way , he seemed to be trying his hardest not to look at her though , she was the one who should be wary of getting involved with him since she had a beef with his mother and wanted a lawsuit against the old cargo , a lawsuit she had even forgotten about since her move to new York , she wasn’t even sure about how she felt about the lawsuit anymore . She was screwed, she had lost her way, she thought to herself with a groan and faced Baylor who wore a solemn look on his face, smiling nervously she sighed, and continued dancing with Baylor but she still couldn’t tear her eyes away from Aaron, she wanted him to look at her and just in that moment, she locked eyes with him and she saw him take a deep breath and tear Alexa’s hands off him, whispering something into her ear but as soon as that happened … Alexa roughly grabbed Aaron’s face and kissed him….. and Paris’s whole world fell apart , with an aching heart she raced hurriedly out of the club with Baylor calling out for her. After leaving the club in a hurry , angrily leaving Alexa behind to find her way to her apartment by herself , Aaron lay in bed exhausted , his pulse unsteady as he thought of the brutal events of the day, he should have never gone out with Alexa and that tonight was his biggest regret ,just at the crucial moment when he had wanted to make things right , Alexa ruined it all with that kiss he had mouthed to Alexa that he was leaving but she didn’t seem to have heard him so he moved closer to her and had whispered to into her ear that he wasn’t comfortable anymore and wanted to head home to sleep but Alexa being Alexa just had to ruin it all ,feeling uncomfortable he stood up ,undressed and headed to the bathroom to have a cold shower , in the hopes that it would help clear his head but under the shower with cold almost icy water pouring down on him all he could about Paris and how badly the day turned out , both his heart and his head were hurting and he couldn’t help but think of Paris must be feeling , running shaky hands over his face he felt cold and his teeth started chattering ….hurriedly he turned off the shower, grabbed a towel and stepped out . Five minutes later dressed in warm clothes consisting of an M and M hoodie , baggy sweats and flip flops he stood in front of his large window looking out at the well-lit view of the city of new York , a glass of champagne in his left hand, Lauv’s Paris in the rain gracefully blasting out from his speaker, a song he had picked for reasons having nothing to do with Paris’s name being mentioned … he thought smugly. Damn! he was hella whipped . Admiring the Magnificent view, a thought came to his mind and he found himself comparing Paris’s exotic beauty with that of the beautiful view outside. ‘’ My heart lights this bright whenever I see Paris’’ he said to himself sadly, sipping his wine, as the alcohol flowed through his veins, warming him up, he wondered what the city would look like if all the lights suddenly went out and everywhere became pitch black and compared it to how the day’s events must have made Paris feel , dark , hopeless and probably desolate given the pained look on her face when she ran out , she needed an explanation and he was gonna give that to her , he was already feeling stupid enough that he didn’t try running after her at the club which was mainly because purple eyes was already headed to the rescue by the time he was done glaring at Alexa and making up his mind to darn it all to hell… shit , he should have just pulled the school boy looking asshole by the back of the neck and raced after the woman who owned his heart , placing his wine glass on the table he grabbed his phone and put a call through to Paris figuring that calling and asking if he could come over would be better than heading there especially if his chances of meeting purple eyes there were high, but as soon as her phone started ringing , it got cut and reassuring himself that it probably was the network , he tried again only to get the same results. Leaning against the window , feeling deflated he called her again the third time only to hear the phone had been turned off… shit! She obviously didn’t want to talk to him. Sliding down the window and throwing away his phone in anger, Aaron sat on the floor of his large living room and began questioning his life choices and just then then Troye sivan’s strawberry and cigarettes started playing and he groaned loudly, his heart thumping. * Hell no, definitely not a song about strawberries but in as much as he wanted to turn off the music, he stood still in his place and let the song play. Racing out of the club , Paris had turned blindly into a nearby alley and sat there crying for almost twenty minutes but finally getting herself together and walking back out ,worried that Baylor might be worried sick and would be out looking for her , eyes swollen and heart feeling it had been stomped over a billion times, she walked out feeling lost as she tried remembering how she got here in the first place, panic freezing her heart as she imagined being kidnapped or being mugged or stabbed to death in this dark deserted alley but walking out of the alley and towards a shining light, she breathed out a loud sigh of relief when Baylor stepped out of the car and ran towards her, hugging her tight, his almond milk and freesia scent filling her nostrils and giving a warm sense of comfort… why couldn’t she just love this man, it would be so much easier with Baylor but she sure did love complications…didn’t she? But then you know, they did say the heart wants what it wants and the heart sometimes can be pretty dumb and stupid, isn’t that why wise men would say to let your head preside over your heart but if there was something Paris had discovered lately about herself it was that she was quite foolish. ‘’ Am okay bay, let me free from this death hug before you squeeze me to death’’ I said trying to lighten up the situation. ‘’ I’ve been so worried about you; I was minutes away from going to call the cops…. gosh I was so worried, I know you don’t know anywhere in the city and I got goose bumps thinking about just lost you must have been’’ Baylor says into my hair, still hugging me tight, releasing me, he held my hands, looking up and down at me in worry. ‘’Are you okay? Did you get hurt?’’ ‘’ Am okay bay, am really okay’’ I say with a smile as Baylor hugs me again. ‘’ I don’t know what I would have done if anything happened to you’’ he says calmly his voice breaking, he was beyond perfect, he cared, he still loved me … only if I could look away from Aaron and at him… only if I could… Paris thought to herself with a sad smile and teary eyes. ‘’ Am so cold… let’s leave this creepy place’’ she says gently, patting Baylor’s back, despite her breakdown and how miserable she must have made him, he still stayed by her side, smiling he releases her, puts his coat around her and leads her to the car. ‘’ Thank you Baylor’’ she says as they settle into the car and Baylor starts driving, a pretty smile on his face. ‘’ Can you drive me to the store? I want to grab some groceries, it’s kind of embarrassing but am hungry again and I have nothing but fruits and vegetables in my place, my manager and fitness coach made sure to throw out all my snacks , I’d rather my eat my hair than vegetable this night’’ and at that Baylor burst out laughing out heartily , feeling good for the first time that night , Paris laughed with him. ‘’ There is one and only you Paris … to the store it is then’’ Baylor says in between bouts of laughter’’ and Paris leaned out of the window, the night’s refreshing and clean air on her face. It was soothing! Almost therapeutic. After their trip to store, Baylor and Paris sat down inside the car, silence reigning supreme in that small space, trying to kill the silence Paris moves to speak only for them to talk at the same time. ‘’ You should’’ he says. ‘’ Thank you’’ she says. ‘’Damn!’’ they both say at the same time together again and they simultaneously burst out laughing. ‘’ Go first ‘’ Baylor says with a smile. ‘’Thank your noble gentleman, and am grateful for tonight ‘’ ‘’And for you being a loyal friend to me… thank you.’’ She added and he cast his gaze on the steering wheel then back at her, a sad smile on his face. ‘’ You are welcome Paris and I’ll always be by your side, I’ll remain there for as long as you want me to’’ he says taking her cold hands in his large warm ones, as she rubbed her thumb over his hand he pecked her but as soon as his lips touched her skin, she started feeling uneasy again. she needed to leave. ‘’ I’ll go in now, thank you’’ she mouths and opens the car door. ‘’You should call up your mom Paris’’ he says out of the blue. ‘’ huh?’’ ‘’I know you are stressed out and I know you need some light, so maybe she would let you talk to nana… I mean it’s been a while and things are different now, talking to nana always made you feel better every you were tired, anger or upset, remember how you used to say….’’ he says with a familiar smile urging her to complete his statement. ‘’ It works like magic… every time, good night bay’’ she says, beaming brightly, she then waved and walked inside. As Baylor drove away and Paris opened the door to her apartment, a 65-year-old woman was being stabbed to death in a nearby street for refusing to release her purse to a masked thief. CHAPTER FOURTEEN- LIKE BUTTERFLY WINGS PARIS’S POV. ‘’So you kissed Baylor on the mouth but like… no love… Aaron whom you have also kissed? Who are you girl?’’ Amy squealed into my ear excitedly. She was crazy for this, that little fucker, I shouldn’t have called her. ‘’ Stop acting crazy Amy, this is a precarious situation’’ I said. This was exhausting, she was exhausting. ‘’Stop bluffing snowy, a precarious situation is Liam Hemsworth getting kidnapped, getting his precious perfect face carved off, Cole sprouse suddenly announcing he is gay, me breaking a leg or money heist getting cancelled without a final season, that adjective can’t be used to describe this situation’’ she says smugly. That fucking pyscho , she was enjoying this. ‘’ I am being serious Amy, I don’t know what to do’’ ‘’ Okay but I need to understand something first, you kissed Baylor on the lips in front of Aaron who you have fallen head over heels for?’’ ‘’ Don’t say it like, it makes it sound all fucked up when you say it like that’’ I say defensively. Why did i her call her up again? ‘’It is fucked up dude, real messed up’’ she says cattily. Am throwing hands… really. ‘’ I stopped thinking, at that moment seeing with Alexa made me lose my rationality, according to what I gathered they are not even a couple so why are they always together?’’ ‘’Well you and Baylor are not a couple and yet Aaron always sees you two together, I say it’s a pretty fair game …. I mean you kissed Baylor in front of him and bony ass Alexa kissed Aaron in front of you too’’. Hearing that from her made me sigh, there was absolutely no justice for me in this world. ‘’ Are you even on my side Amy? I have been losing sleep over this matter, I don’t know what to do, Aaron keeps calling me every two hours, I don’t know if I should talk to him.’’ ‘’Hmmm you should, I mean according to your words, Alexa initiated the kiss right? and before that happened he was trying to get her grabby hands off him… ain’t that right? So I would say Aaron isn’t the bad guy here … you are.’’ ‘’I am? Didn’t you hear me, he keeps messing with my feelings, one moment he is blowing hot and the next he is blowing cold, hell he kissed me, then left with Alexa, showed up at the shoot smiled and like he never was there…disappeared, what am I going to do with that? for how long should I put up with that?’’ I said, my heart aching, liking Aaron was weighing me down. ‘’ You love him… don’t you?’’ she asked. ‘’ I never said I did’’. ‘’ You are not denying it either’’ Why did she always have to be the sensible one, God! this was the sole reason why I hate smart and sensitive people. ‘’ The way I see it Paris, Aaron really really likes you, unlike you he is probably not even trying to deny his feelings but just look back that the circumstances that brought you two together and you might find the reason why he is fighting his feelings for you, the backstory with Alexa, that I don’t know but I feel Aaron really likes you.’’ Was that even true, was Aaron worth trusting? This was all so confusing. ‘’ Plus I was kinda hoping something happened between you two, even though you two were are each other’s throats the day you first met , going all gaga crazy …all I could think about then was that you two would make a lovely couple, I mean I literally saw sparks flying, it was so sexy’’ ‘’ You and coat… endgame, Alexa’s just an extra’’ she added, hollering like a banshee, Amy was not normal. She was being ridiculous. ‘’ You are one hella of a crazy woman Amy, your way of thinking always blows the roof of my head off… what stupid spark? we hated each other’s gut… get your facts right, you pyscho’’ ‘’Key word Paris ‘’ hated’’ which means you don’t hate him anymore plus you stopped calling him coat, now you call him by his name and you know what they say… that the opposite of hate is love, right?’’ ‘’It is indifference … dumbass’’ I say in mock jest, a sly smile on my face God I missed Amy. ‘’ Its love, you knucklehead’’ she throws back laughing , getting infected by her hearty laughter I burst out laughing , we both, laughing together on the phone despite the distance between us, I missed her, I missed her wild laughter I thought to myself again sadly . ‘’ So how’s baylor?’’ ‘’He’s okay….I guess, he called this morning to check up on me’’ I replied, my heart aching at the mention of his name. ‘’ Does he know you are gonna break his heart again ?’’ ‘’Stop that Amy’’. ‘’Sorry paris , that was insensitive , I shouldn’t have said that’’ she says sounding very sorry. ‘’ Its okay, so did you do what I asked you to, did you see nana?’’ ‘’I did go to your house paris but your mom didn’t let me see nana, she slammed the door in my face to be exact ….. am sorry.’’ My eyes started welling up with tears , why was my own mother doing this to me? I just really needed to see nana, even just hearing her voice was going to make me glad . ‘’ I gotta head off to my ballet class right now, I’ll call you later snow… take care ’’ . ‘’You too… bye’’ I replied sadly, as soon as the call ended I collapsed on the floor and started crying ugly , all my pent up pain swimming rapidly to the surface. ‘’ Aurora… have you been sleeping well?’’ ‘’ Nana!’’ I screamed out in excitementment, hugging her tight , tears streaming down my face , I missed her so much, I missed the rosewater smell of her hair and the coconut oil smell of her skin, I love her so much. ‘’ I’ve missed you nana, I missed you so much’’I say to her as her hands start patting my back slowly and gently, I finally was back in my safe space, nana was my home, my safe place. ‘’ My aurora … you have lost so much weight and you look so tired and haggard, haven’t you been eating well ? she says. ‘’Don’t make a fuss nana’’ I tell her. ‘’ What exactly have you been going through?’’ nana asks releasing me and holding my hands, a sad smile on her face as she scanned my face with uncertain gray eyes. ‘’ Am okay nana, am okay now that you are here, don’t just leave me again okay?’’ I said , tears streaming down my face. ‘’ Nodding slowly she held my face in her frail hands and slowly caressed it ,placing a kiss on my forehead, she then suddenly stood up and started to walk away. Fuck! She mustn’t leave me. ‘’ Nana!!!!’’ I screamed out in anguish and woke up, it was a dream , it all was just a dream…. I thought to myself as I started crying again, perplexed I took my phone, wiped my face and called my mother, waiting patiently for her to pick up was agonising. ‘’ Please pick up …please’’ I muttered under my breathe . ‘’ Hello ?’’ her voice rang out and I sighed in relief. ‘’ Hello mom… it’s me ,paris …. your daughter’’ I said slowly. Silence, there was just heart breaking silence. ‘’Hello mother… are you there?’’ ‘’ Your grandmother isn’t available right now, try again later’’ she said curtly and the line went dead, trying not to be defeated I called back again only to be told the phone had been switched off, deflated I sat back down on the floor, folding my legs and wrapping my arms around myself unable to stop myself from crying. In my mind’s eyes I saw myself again, this time the eight year old version of myself sitting in the rain , rain pouring down on me as I sat there ,legs folded ,arms wrapped around myself to keep myself warm, the school was empty and all the others students were walking away holding the hands of their mothers and fathers or both, safely sheathed from the relentless rain by big umbrellas, warm raincoats and cars but there I was waiting under the beating rain for a mother I wasn’t sure was gonna come, after waiting for five minutes I stood up and started to run, determined to find my own way home, two steps forward I ran blindly into a tall figure wearing a long dark raincoat, an bright yellow under covering the person’s face, curious I bent to peer under the umbrella and the umbrella moved, a smiling nana looking down at me with love. ‘’ Nana’’ I shouted, hugging her, she came for me I thought to myself smiling, bending down she handed me the umbrella , and took out a face towel and wiped my face and arms , kissing my cheek she put a small raincoat around me as she said sadly ‘’ Am sorry am late my little aurora, forgive this careless grandmother of yours’’…. beaming brightly I put the umbrella over her too and hugged her tight and then she took my bag from me, slung it over her right arm, scooped me up and carried me home. Right now I felt like my eight year old self again and I just wanted to scream out loud and tell the world I needed my grandmother, just then my phone rang and aaron’s name flashed brightly on the phone screen, this isn’t what I needed right now I told myself , a walk to clear my head was what I needed so even though it was dark outside , I grabbed a coat and walked out , wanting no disturbance as Baylor kept sending messages , I walked back in, dropped my phone on the center table and walked back out again in to the cold night , just as I rounded off to the next street , looking around at the empty street, I saw a poster by the wall on which was boldly written ‘’ ITS DANGEROUS TO WALK THESE STREETS AT NIGHT , BEWARE!’’ Scared, I turned back but as I took a step forward I suddenly had my back to the wall beside the poster , a shinning knife to my throat ‘’ Give me all your money ’’ came the menacing voice from the masked man holding the knife to my throat. Shit! I was fucked , I had no money and this man’s bloodshot eyes told tales of blood , horror and death. I wasn’t going to die tonight….Was I? CHAPTER FIFTEEN - STAY. AARON’S POV I was done running , I am not going to run away from paris or my feelings anymore , I was done making her run from me also , after a rough sleepless night and having the whole day to myself which I used judiciously in thinking of the pros and cons of my situation with paris , I decided I was done giving two fucks and despite my ego having received a huge beating due to paris’s refusal to talk to me , I grabbed a coat , put on a beanie and headed out despite it been the dead of the night and the weather been extremely chilly, I needed to set things straight with paris , I was also going to confess my feelings to her , I would go to her instead of waiting for her to come to me. I was done waiting. Making the decision to go talk to her was easy but getting the words out was the real work, so here I was , at eight o’clock in the night, wearing clothes worth thousands of dollars standing outside , in this cold weather, with my hands tucked into my coat pocket , shivering in front of the house of the woman I loved, afraid of going in, explaining myself and getting rejected . Maybe guilt was also one of my reasons but I really couldn’t tell,as I stood there staring at the building like I was just seeing it for the first time ,a short chubby woman looked at me curiously, a baseball bat hidden behind her but given that I was seeing it , she wanted me to see it…. seeing the suspicions dancing heavily in her eyes, I let out a charming but nervous smile but obviously not charmed , she frowned deeply and turned back , swinging the bat, stealing sly glances at me at she walked in… at the realization that she was suspicious of me, it dawned on me that i had been standing outside for almost three minutes and she probably could see me from her room’s window hence her coming out to check, it wasn’t her fault given that crime in these parts have been on the rise lately … maybe I should move paris to a safer and a better place… hmmm, I totally should, I should discuss that with her once I got in… I wasn’t gonna hesitate anymore Plus it’s freezing out here. Walking to paris’s door, I took a deep breathe ,then pressed the doorbell but there was no answer, sighing I pressed it again and again but yet again… no answer, worried I called paris but still she wasn’t picking up . Maybe she was sleeping Then again what if she wasn’t in? Does that mean she went out? That wasn’t possible … it was quite late. Maybe she she saw it was me and given she doesn’t want to talk to me , refused to open. ‘’ Paris , open the door please , we need to talk , I need to tell you what’s on my mind Silence …. Total silence. ‘’ Paris … okay I totally understand if you don’t want to talk to me but if you are in just say a word or atleast give me a sign so I can know you are safe inside.’’ More silence, something was up, paris wasn’t the silent treatment type , she was more of the I will make sure to give you a piece of my mind before you leave type’’ ‘’ The fuck you aaron, just walk away type’’ she was feisty and bold , she wasn’t one to keep silent. Then my thoughts ran totally wild and manic, what if she had been attacked or worse what if she slipped, hit her head on the kitchen table and had been knocked out cold , alone and bleeding. Refusing to take no for an answer I yanked the door, sighing when it opened up right away, she really needed to start being security conscious, I hurriedly walked in only to meet the whole apartment empty, breaking out in a cold sweat I ran to check the bathroom, the toilet, then the bedroom but she wasn’t anywhere to be found. Sitting down on the couch to gather my thoughts , I put a hand over my face and swallowed painfully, looking on the centre table I saw paris’s phone lying there, standing up I picked up the phone and opened it , fifty missed calls all from me flashing on the phone’s screen, and came to a final conclusion. Maybe she went out with the blonde and wanting no disturbance from me , she left her phone behind… if not for the dread creeping up my spine I could have chuckled at the fact that my name was saved as COAT on her phone , in all caps I must add, graciously decorated with angry emojis. Accepting defeat and realising the blonde was endgame , I stood up and walked to the door as I moved to open it , it suddenly dawned on me that there was something I overlooked on her phone, at that thought the phone beeped , moving back to the center table I picked up the phone again and two missed calls and five message all from baylor were seen , my heart thumping wildly I opened their chat and goosebumps covered my whole body. Who was baylor? BAYLOR How are you snowy? Are you feeling better now? Did you get any sleep? PARIS Am not in the right head space right now so I can’t talk, am going out for a walk, I need to clear my head , I’ll just walk to the next street and head back. This was sent almost ten minutes ago. BAYLOR Hey do you want me to come over and walk with you , its kinda late … I won’t say a word, I promise. BAYLOR Are you still there Paris?? BAYLOR Paris?? BAYLOR Snowy?? Talk to me. BAYLOR Guess you are out then… send me a message when you get back… okay? Stay safe. So blondie was baylor and she wasn’t with him….. She went on a bloody walk to the next street and in his mind’s eye all he see and hear was the news that filled the air some nights ago ‘’Siddalee Williams a sixty- five year old baker and mother of four was stabbed to death by an unknown assailant on her way home from her pastry shop, the incident occurred at around 9:00pm, the police are suspecting the crime to be a theft gone wrong as siddalee’s purse was found missing at the scene of the crime , the gruesome incident is reported to be similar to the chain of killings lately experienced near the central park,….. The authorities are advising resident to stay indoors at night………. The criminal is yet to be found and is considered extremely dangerous’’ Fuck!!! This woman was going to be the death of me , how could she think of walking out alone at this time of the night. The news…. Didn’t she see the news? Looking swiftly at the clock on the wall, thirty minutes has passed since she left the house , I ran out of the Apartment saying my first word of prayer in five years. Dear God, please keep paris safe, I’d appreciate if no harm came to her… please. PARIS’ POV As I looked into my assailant’s cold , empty eyes I couldn’t help but say a silent prayer. I don’t want to die tonight God , send me an angel please. ‘’ Where’s your purse?’’ ‘’I don’t have any money on me I swear it…. please just let me go’’. At my plea he starts chortling. God please… send help to me. ‘’ Listen foolish woman, I don’t wanna hurt you if I can help it but if you keep proving stubborn like this I’d cut your pretty throat without regrets.’’ ‘’ I really have no money on me please’’ I wanted to add that I just came out for a walk but that wouldn’t just be smart… would it? What if with a knife to my side , he leads me to my apartment takes all my money and still ends up stabbing me to death. At my response, a hard slap went across my face and I let out a loud yelp and closed my eyes as my cheek start stinging. I really wasn’t going to die was I?. To make matters worse I didn’t even take my phone out with me , nobody knew where I was , I didn’t want to die before telling aaron I loved him and was totally crazy about him… if I knew this would happen , I would have picked his call. I was gonna die with a lot of regrets . As I thought of this I suddenly felt a rush within me and thought about kicking him in the groin, yanking the knife off and making a run for it. ‘’ Don’t even about it’’ gray eyes challenged, an evil glint in his eyes. ‘’ That would get you killed faster than a bomb.’’ Shit! he could see through me , I was done for. ‘’ Please’’ I let out in fright as I could feel the tip of the knife start digging into my skin, a smirk on his face, at his twisted sick expression, I closed my eyes and started counting down… ten …. nine… eight …seven as I moved to call six I suddenly felt the knife leaving my throat and heard a loud sound and a ragged moan as though someone was being thrown violently against a wall… were those punching sounds? I heard a loud pained groan and recognised the husky, smoker’s voice as that of my assailant. Finally help is here…. as I thought of that, I opened my eyes in relief but my eyes felt heavy and were blurry with tears, through my blurred view I could see two figures in the dark, one towering over the other, the other letting out ragged groans as he kept hitting him over and over. God please don’t let my angel be the one getting beat up… I muttered to myself, I was supposed to stand up and run but my legs had turned to jelly and were trembling so instead I fell to the floor and remained there, shivering… now I understood why the characters in movies froze during or after a near death experience. The paralyzing fear was real. Loud and hard panting filled my ears and soon a face formed in my front of my barely open eyes… an unforgettable face, the most remarkable face in the universe, the face that keeps on plaguing me, even in my dreams. ‘’ Paris… are you okay? Talk to me! are you hurt anywhere?’’ the gruff sexy voice asked fearfully. ‘’Aaron’’ I called out weakly. He sounded scared, I wanted to console him so I held on to his hand..tight. ‘’ You came for me…. you are here’’. ‘’Yes am here Paris …. Stay with me’’ he replies holding my face, near us I could loud siren sounds and people talking loudly. Relief filled my body , the worst was over. ‘’ Good’’ I managed to say …..then everything went dark. CHAPTER SIXTEEN – INCEPTION When paris opened her eyes, she found herself in her apartment , the living room to be exact , laid out on the floor under a duvet , a pillow supporting her head and a blanket thrown over her, an air purifier was also beside her, the whole place was sparkling clean , which was weird given that her apartment was always a mess, no plates on the table, no spoons under the table and no empty cartons of milk under the sofa, or takeout bowls lying beside the television, the plates were clean and neatly arranged, the cutlery in the right place …. Who the hell did this? She thought with a pout , sitting up , she groaned loudly as she stood up ,suddenly have flashbacks of last night, a chill descended on her and she felt her energy depleting , feeling dizzy she sat down on the sofa and put a hand to her neck which was covered in a band aid, a tear rolled down her face as she remembered the knife pressed against her neck. She didn’t remember the knife cutting into her skin but given the band-aid on her neck … she must have gotten slashed a bit. I could have died she thought to herself sorrowfully. Aaron he saved her, she thought again with a shaky smile. He found her and saved her from a nasty fate…. Hell she was never going to go out at night again. That was a promise, cross her heart. But then Aaron she thought with a smile , he sure was cool , she didn’t see the fight clearly but given the other man’s pained groans aaron must have done a huge number on him but as she thought of that she became worried…. He wasn’t hurt was he? She wished she could see , she wanted to look at his face again , the face of the man who she couldn’t stop falling for no matter how hard she tried, she wanted to look into his blue eyes again and try to figure him out. Standing up again she walked to the fridge to grab a bottle of water and moved to open it when she saw note pasted on it. Even his handwriting was perfect , she thought with a smile... neat, bold and pretty just like the rest of him… God did have favourites and aaron kress was proof. ‘’ Rest … don’t move around too much and I already made you breakfast , I didn’t know how ate your breakfast and I really can’t cook so I settled for a sandwich with strawberry jam, fried plantain and fried eggs…plus i figured you might need your favourite fruit to cheer you up so look into the middle compartment and eat to your heart’s content’’ XOXO No way! No fucking way!! Aaron kress made her breakfast?…. What time did he leave last night? No given that he made breakfast , he obviously stayed till day break…. Did he also wash the dishes and clear her house? , she thought in shock as her mouth fell open and she shook her head in disbelief. That wasn’t possible…. was it? So not only did aaron kress save her , he also stayed here all night tending to her? The bandage , the sleeping space in the living … he did all that for her. He really was something , how could she ever think of getting over him when he did unbelievable things like this? Despite her shock at the unprecendented gesture, she couldn’t help but smile , her heart was full… full of adoration for the masterpiece that was aaron kress, sniffling and biting her lower lip she looked at the food laid out neatly on the table which was spick and span and moved to the fridge, took out her fresh and precious strawberries, a bottle of orange juice , bottle of sparkling water and treated herself to the feast laid out in front of her. Seating down like that, chewing on her sandwich, she felt like the princess in the stories that nana always told her as a kid, of an handsome prince on a white horse ,a bright halo on his beautiful head , the sword of a knight in his right hand , snatching off a maltreated beautiful girl who lived underground with an evil mother to his kingdom and taking care and protecting her forever. If that story would be her story and she was the girl from the underground , then aaron was her princely knight. Despite being in an important meeting , aaron couldn’t fully concentrate and kept tapping his feet against the floor, this meeting was going to yield millions if it went well but he didn’t care, he was rich enough anways, his thought and his total focus was on paris, he couldn’t stop wondering what she was doing and how she was doing. Should he just have skipped work? Hell no! this meeting was gravely important for the growth of the company, and skipping work and jeopardising the company over a woman was just doing too much. Shifting in his seat , he winced as the ache in his back grew stronger, him teaching the garbage who tried to hurt paris a lesson had earned him multiple blows to the back, even though he sustained no obvious outer injuries, his back was killing him. Carrying a passed out woman on that same back must have things worse…. Not that it mattered but maybe tending to a passed out woman all night made his back worse too, all the cooking and cleaning must have lent a helping hand. Why the hell did he have to go that far for a woman? He needed to focus! Aaron focus! He warned himself and looked up at Leo who was presently speaking, looking dapper in his suit, his eloquent speech filling the room ‘’Well recently we have seen a rise in investors this year, which is more than we even bargained or planned for last year and this is as a result of our very functional and capable team, I mean the numbers virtually speak for themselves , last year m and m made a total of seven billion dollars from sales, we also got glowing reviews from customers all around the world , which in every sense indicates our capabilities as a rapidly growing fashion house….all organic growth.’’. Aaron tried to listen but halfway through Leo’s speech he strayed again , his thoughts racing back to Paris…. He was screwed, he thought with a sigh. He had never cooked for a woman before in his life neither had he ever done dishes, he didn’t even do the dishes in his own house, he had a maid for that but when it came to paris and her sparkling eyes he seemed to lose all reasoning …. Things weren’t supposed to be like this. Not that he initially had the intention of staying at her place overnight , he had planned to leave after tending to her for an hour so he could go see a doctor to get painkillers but the night eventually took laws into it’s own hands and replanned itself , seeing that she need rest, given her ordeal he had tried carrying her to the bedroom only to see the room looking like it was torn apart by an earthquake, groaning he had carried her limp body back to the living room which also looked like a eyesore but given the circumstance , he needed to pick the lesser evil right so the living room was the obvious choice, he laid her out gently on the sofa and went back to the bedroom , snatching the duvet and pillows from her bed and grabbing a blanket from her wardrobe which he used to form a sleeping space for her, laying her down , he closed in to brush a stray lock from her face when he saw a small red cut on her neck, sighing he ran downstairs and grabbed a band aid and an ointment from the medical kit in his car and applied it on her cut, through it all she stirred but didn’t wake up… she must have gotten quite a scare. After that he moved to leave, when she suddenly called out his name softly , it was so soft , so light and so brief that for a moment he actually wondered if he heard wrong…he bit his lips again and took another step forward when he heard it again… ‘’Aaron’’ Unable to take it anymore, he sighed and briskly walked back to her ,wondering why he wanted to leave in the first place, given her condition she shouldn’t be alone and with that thought he laid out beside her and snuggled in with her, but given the close proximity of their bodies, the heat emanating from her body and his wild unsteady heartbeat , he couldn’t sleep so he stood up and trying to calm his racing decided to clear out the entire apartment…. Assuring himself repeatedly that he wasn’t doing her a favour , he forced himself to believe he was doing it because he couldn’t stand sleeping in such a dirty environment. Waking up beside her in the morning , he couldn’t help smiling as one of her legs was carelessly thrown over his , adjusting her leg , he brushed back her wild untamed hair and couldn’t help staring at her beautiful face… She was truly a masterpiece, her beauty was ethereal. Feeling soft he put a hand on her face and kissed her cheek, that soft feeling settling over him, he found himself at half past seven in the morning doing dishes and making breakfast for a woman. ‘’Aaron?’’ ‘’Aaron??’’ ‘’Aaron!’’ Leo’s loud voice pierced into his subconscious. ‘’ Ohh yeah’’ he replied ,smiling bravely to hide his embarrassment. ‘’ Do you have any input, CEO?’’ said alexa . ‘’ Well …….great work everybody’’ he says stupidly , as the room looked at him in bewilderment. After his meeting aaron walked hurriedly out of the office trying to avoid alexa who was wanting to talk, telling himself over and over he had done too much already, but that didn’t stop him from heading to a store to get paris things… why? He couldn’t tell. Driving to paris’s apartment didn’t take the overzealous aaron five minutes and getting to her door , he ringed the doorbell door swiftly ,feeling confident given his heroic efforts last night, excitement dancing in his veins , he didn’t want to admit it but he missed paris and the thought of seeing her made him giddy, breathing in he held his breathe as the door opened but to his utter disappointment….. Baylor stood gallant behind the door looking up and down at him strangely, the first three buttons of his shirt were open and his sleeves rolled up. What are you doing here? , aaron wanted to ask but instead he just stood there shaking in anger ‘’ Hi, we met before right ? you are…..’’ unable to control his anger, aaron cut him off coldly and tossed the shopping bag at him. ‘’ That’s for paris… she should take care’’ then he turned back and bitterly walked away. When baylor walked back in with the bag , paris ran in from the toilet with start and asked nervously ‘’ Who was that?’’ ‘’Your boss… he dropped these for you, left in a hurry though.’’ Baylor says handing her the bag , not knowing what to expect , paris opened the large bag and her jaw dropped open, three different smaller bags were tucked into the large bag , opening the first it was filled with her favourite snacks, ice cream, and candies… how the hell did he know she was craving these? He was been really sweet to her and she didn’t know how to take it, opening the second bag she smiled at the makeup and skincare products that filled up the bag , he must have seen her old makeup kit and its almost empty contents , she thought with a bright smile, opening the last bag she sat down on the sofa in shock and covered her mouth with a hand , it was a Gucci bag , one she had only seen in stores and never even dared to touch … tears of gratitude filling her eyes she looked at Baylor who was staring intently at the television , his hands in his pockets, looking closely at him, she realized something and stood up abruptly , trying to contain the panic welling up inside her. ‘’You opened the door right Baylor? Looking like that?’’ she asked , trying not to freak out. ‘’ Yes… you were in the toilet and the door bell kept ringing so….’’ ‘’ Oh no!’’ she muttered and ran out the door, knowing Aaron, given that he saw her kiss Baylor , he would have jumped into the wrong conclusions , racing down the hall and downstairs barefoot , she looked around the parking space but there was no sign of aaron. This one was on her ,this was her own fault , after her breakfast , Baylor had called to check up on her and she had recounted her ordeal to him , only for him to show up at her door ten minutes later, helping around the apartment , feeling pressed she had excused herself to the toilet and proceeded to take a bath afterwards,she needed to explain herself , she couldn’t let him hurt this way. Running back up, she ignored Baylor’s questions and hurriedly sent a message to aaron. ‘’ What ever you think is happening isn’t happening’’ pacing around nervously, she walked up and down the room for five minutes and ran to her phone at the first beep. Why was she even explaning herself? They weren’t an item. ‘’ Okay’’ came the curt and short response… what the fuck? , sighing in defeat, she sends him another message ‘’Thanks’’ and threw herself on the sofa, baylor tapping her shoulder in worry, trying to ease his worries, she winked at him then sighed, despite having stayed in her makeshift bed all day , she felt tired and exhausted. It was never gonna work out…. Was it? and with that she shook her head and laid back down. Life truly was a slippery slope. Dropping his phone on the table beside him, aaron grit his teeth angrily, a flame burning fiercely in him and as he moved to grab a drink , his doorbell rang , running to the door with excitement pumping in his bloodstream, he opened the door and his smile melted as alexa stood there wearing an all too familiar coat. Hell! And as he moved to ask why she came , she took off her coat, wearing nothing but a red lingerie,then she smiled and walked in. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN- PAPER HEARTS . If my heart was paper , I’d fold it, throw it to the wind and just hope it ends up with you- paper hearts by the vamps. At the second ring of her doorbell, paris ran to the door, not bothering to use the peephole to see who was behind the door, upon opening the door, she froze in place, her eyes bulging dangerously out of their socket. Good grief !. Aaron was looking back at her , a light intensity in his blue eyes as he scanned her curiously from head to toe, an amused smile forming on his lips. She was dressed in baggy yellow Pikachu bottoms that was twice her size, rolled over and over to fit her waist snugly and an equally baggy faded blue jack sparrow shirt coming down to her thighs, her hair was wild and untamed , in one word it was a mess , nerd glasses perched weirdly on her nose and her feet was bare…. Why didn’t she at atleast put on her slippers… she looked like a war veteran , all that was left to complete her crazy look was to wrap a bloody bandage round her head. ‘’Hey’’ aaron greeted ackwardly, she was glad to see him but he picked the wrongest time to show up, for someone she had praying earnestly to see for days after their last misunderstanding , all she wanted to do right now given the situation was to slam the door in his face but given their story, that would just birth more misunderstanding. Trying to act dignified despite her look , she put on a smile ,obviously for show and waved a hand at him . ‘’Hi’’ she spat out through clenched teeth, at the funny look on her face, aaron smiled. Compared to her aaron was decked in a stylish leather jacket thrown over a see black see through shirt , his wide shoulders filling his jacket magnificently , his big tiddies could be seen through his transparent top tucked into tight fitting ripped jeans trouser that hugged the hard muscle of his thighs and a gold chain dancing was shining around his neck , his overall look put together must have cost an astronomical sum of money, his luscious dark hair which was always styled back was not this time, falling around his face in long messy but stylish locks and for the first time she noticed the man’s mullet , he also smelled like sandalwood and jasmine body wash and his hair smelled like grapes and pomegranate, he looked totally different from the CEO she saw during the day, now he looked like a typical handsome American hot guy next door , no, that barely did him justice , he looked like a hot model on the page of a glossy, high Class magazine, the man was a work of art, his duality was astonishing . When she finally came back to earth , she beckoned him in with a hand and aaron noticed her hand was covered in dough and she had crumbs in her nails and baking flour in her hair. Was she baking? Taking her cue , aaron walked in and sat on the sofa looking around the messy room …. Forget her breath taking angelic looks , this woman was very disorganised, more empty cartons, water bottles and satchets of chocolate around the room and the place would become a pigsty , he couldn’t believe he spent hours clearing this house just days ago. Was that an hairband under the table? Soon after seating , he felt something sticking up his butt and moved over , as he did, a hot pink bra came into view and before he could think his actions through , he picked it and held it up as Paris walked into the living room with a cup of steaming coffee in her hands. ‘’ Hmmm… you might want to …..’’ he starts to say but at the sight of her bra in aaron’s right hand , paris placed the coffee on the dinning table and ran across the room so fast that her glasses fell off her face , with her face red and flushed with embarrassment , she snatched it from aaron and tucked under her big T-shirt , realising she was calling attention to her huge, ill – fitting top and aaron was looking at her intently, his eyes dancing with suppressed laughter and his lips drawn tight , she quickly took out the bra from under her top and tossed it under the sofa next to her with a weird embarrassed laugh and at that aaron totally lost his shit. Paris looked on in wonder as he threw his head back , laughing heartily with reckless abandon like that was the funniest shit he ever saw, his white, even, well set teeth gleaming brightly like stars in a dark night’s sky and infected by the sounds of his laugh despite the overwhelming embarrassment , she started laughing too. ‘’ I guess that is a safer place to keep undergarments , how many of that are buried there ?’’ he asks, still laughing. When the laughter died down , the atmosphere became tense, quiet and weird , lost as to what next to do , she handed aaron the cup of coffee. As he looked down at the coffee cup in his hand , she shook her head slowly wondering why a man would be blessed with long dark sooty lashes that covered his eyes totally , casting a shadow under his eyes…. Unconsciously she found herself imagining what it would be like to a child with him, that kid sure would be perfect thanks to this man’s superior genes. Trying to lighten the mood in the mood , she said nervously, twisting her hands together ‘’ Am making doughnuts , do you care for some?’’ ‘’Just started though’’ she added, but aaron was lost in thought , his eyes boring into paris with interest , aaron couldn’t help but notice how even in her baggy trousers her shape was still obvious , her breasts standing out over the dropping garment…. She was totally a femme fatale and she didn’t even know it, with absolutely no makeup , wild untamed hair and nerd glasses on, she could have competed for miss universe and still won first place, lost in his thoughts he could hear her voice but couldn’t figure out her words, he had stayed a while but he didn’t want to leave yet so he invented an excuse to stay. ‘’ Am hungry’’ he belts out before he could stop himself. What! ‘’What?’’ she asks ,her face bathed in confusion. Fuck! He felt like a dummy. After his embarrassing reply , he stood still not knowing whether to smile or frown to overcome the abhorrence of his stupid reply, when it came to this blonde woman he became someone else entirely , the 2017 winner of america’s next top model wouldn’t have said such garbage, the CEO of M and M wouldn’t be so foolish too …. So who the hell was he ?. He would never admit it to anyone else but himself but he totally dressed up to impress paris , the see through shirt being an obvious pick because he wanted her eyes on him all the time… he wanted to seduce her. ‘’Do you want to help me then?’’ Paris asks smiling , holding out an apron to him and the ackwardness in the room vanished . She was bae... he thought with a smile and took the apron. ‘’ What are you making?’’ ‘’Doughnuts with jam… strawberry jam to be precise’’ she says shyly , making cute gestures with her small hands. ‘’Damn! Strawberry jam wins again’’ he says with a smile. He was a sucker for her strawberry obsession , he would buy her all the strawberries in the world if that would make her happy. Trying the apron on was a problem aaron had never tackled before as he had never wore one, seeing his struggle , paris smiled and took it from him, at the closeness of her body and and her scent , aaron felt his chest tighten, a light tap however jolts him and he looks back as paris signal to him to bend down a bit, smiling he bends as she puts the apron on him, tying it behind him, she mouths. ‘’ Thanks for showing up and saving me aaron, I should have said this earlier but I guess it’s never too late….. without your appearance that night I would have actually died’’ turning aaron held her shoulders and hugged her tight. ‘’ I was so scared , so scared you might have been hurt, I don’t know what would have happened had you gotten hurt, am just glad you are okay and safe’’ he says releasing her with a smile. ‘’ Thanks for the gifts too’’ she says scrunching up her nose. ‘’ Don’t mention it paris… the mood is totally weird now isn’t it?’’ he asks in mock frustration. ‘’ Totally…. sorry let’s get to pastry making already, today am going to school you mr kress and your first baking experience would be a classic, I promise you.’’ She says with a sexy wink and aaron gulped. CHAPTER EIGTEEN - I WANT YOU Fifteen minutes later the room was filled with the smell of freshly baked doughnuts and strawberry jam , and for a crazy moment Aaron thought about staying and not leaving Paris’s apartment forever, he didn’t mind living like this , Paris, strawberries and home baked pastries, injecting a doughnut with jam with expert yet careful hands, she held it out to him and he took a big bite of it, groaning in delight. ‘’ And your first baking lesson is a success mr kress’’ she says excitedly jumping up and down like a kid on Christmas, when she stopped jumping , she went to the living room and paper hearts by the vamps started playing ,when she walked back aaron was taking another bite of his snack and she watched in fascination as he chewed …. Who would have thought that that a man eating a doughnut could look so sexy ? only aaron kress could relate. Taking the last bite of his snack, he took a big gulp out of his glass filled with chocolate milk and sighed contently , looking up at paris , he winks and she realised there was jam at the corner of his lips , wiggling her eyebrows at him , he frowns ;wide eyed, a cute look on his face…grinning she put a finger to her lips and swiped right, pointing at him , raising an eyebrow , he put his hands to his lips ,and at the sight of his long slender fingers swiping at the corners of his lips , paris’s defences collapsed , swallowing hungrily at his sturdy but lean frame in her kitchen wearing an apron over his see through shirt , his golden skin showing blatantly under his shirt , his big hard chest glowing, jacket long gone, his eyes dark with seriousness as he went back to stirring jam , she lost her mind and walked up to him interlocking her fingers with his long ones and kissed him , licking off the jam at the corners of his lips…..she pulled him into her and kissed him deeper, pulling away slightly she looked at him with ragged gasps , his intriguing eyes boring into hers with a burning intensity. Now that she was thinking about it , her life was becoming a series of days for her to fall over and over again for Aaron kress. Aaron was fighting an internal battle ,he would damn everything to hell to be with this woman Had he gone bananas? Yeah… a little voice whispered in his ear. Love was not sensible , he wasn’t sensible , if he had decency in him he’d let her be but he was shameless to admit that he didn’t want to… he wanted her , as he stood in that kitchen, papers hearts still playing in the living room , the smell of fresh doughnuts and jams filling his nose , he realised it ….. what he had been trying to supress , he was totally and utterly in love with Paris flinch and at that realisation he took a step forward , silently urging her to take the next . As the music changed to another slow song , Paris looked at aaron intently , his plump , full lips begging to be kissed and who was she to refuse? So she took two steps closer to him and kissed him again , at the action aaron’s breathing became ragged and she could feel his breathe on her face and she moved back to adore and caress his face , at the hungry look on his face , they both leaned back in and locked lips , his hands tightening around her waist , smiling she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, using it as a leverage to pull him down to her so she could kiss him deeper , picking her up, he placed on her the counter and wrapped his hands around her neck, feeling brave and wanton , she held his face in her hands and kissed his cheek before moving to his cheek , nipping lightly at the soft skin on his neck. ‘’ Fuck! ‘’ he moaned out softly, she was giving him a goddamn hickey but he didn’t even mind all he wanted was for her to continue kissing him as she was doing and he would be content. As the intensity of the kiss grew , aaron moved her from the kitchen and carried her to the living room, seating on the sofa and placing her on top of him, both parties grinding into each other and moaning uncontrollably , Aaron grabbed her ass and started rubbing her lower body against his while she put her hand under his shirt touching his bare chest , they continued fondling each other for minutes till the doorbell rang and the lovers broke apart, breathing hard. ‘’ Are you expecting someone?’’ aaron voices out. ‘’No.… none that I know of’’ after her reply, Paris stood up and walked to the door, yanking it open and excepting to find Baylor , she scoffed loudly at the sight of alexa the saboteur, a dark look on her face, as her voice penetrates into the apartment. ‘’ Is aaron here ?’’ Who did she think she was? Aaron’s guardian? Most importantly how did she know he was here? Was this some kind of telepathy? Looking up at the annoying woman , Paris says angrily ‘’Why should I tell you that , you are in front of my door and you were not invited so I don’t think I owe you answers’’ ‘’ Don’t worry your pretty little blonde head chika, I have no interest in coming into your little cubicle…. Aaron!’’ she calls out again. The nerve! ‘’ Sorry to disturb you CEO, but you are needed at the office’’ alexa says with a sly smile . Fox! Paris calls out under her breathe, wishing she could cast a spell on her that would wipe the shitty grin off her face. Gritting her teeth so hard it hurt , her jaw tightly clenched , she felt her heart sink to the bottom of her chest again when aaron appears , his jacket now balanced on his lean frame and zipped up, giving her a sorry look , he placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly ,the message was obvious and clear …. Sorry but am leaving again with her, sighing he walks out , not even looking back , alexa walking off behind him, a victorious smile on her tan face. This was more than simple rivalry… they were only business partners so why she always so bent out of shape when it came to aaron, it was obvious she was in love with him but wasn’t she overstepping her boundaries?. What was the back story between these two ? She found herself asking as she slammed the door shut angrily , on the speaker lose you to love me by Selena Gomez was playing soberly. CHAPTER NINETEEN – I LOVE YOU.

Paris had walked into Aaron’s office days later to a smiling Leo and Han who welcomed her in warmly, Leo saying loudly with a smile on his face ‘’ Here comes the star of the moment! congratulations girl on your highly successful debut!!’’. Wondering what the celebrations were all about, Han seeing the puzzled look on her face helps her out saying ‘’ Dearie the dress you wore for the showcase sold out, we are preparing to restock right now as the demand for those dresses are high, I mean in the history of this company this is the first time this is happening and we love to see it … what do you think Alexa? ‘’. ‘’Well….’’ says Alexa who has been focused on her nails rather than the issue at hand ‘’ well the dresses were magnificent so the high demand can be understood and most importantly Gucci has a huge followership and they are a massive and big brand so that helped with sales, it has nothing to do with the woman in the dress’’. ‘’ Huh …it totally does’’ came Leo’s response. ‘’ Have you even gone online today? or visited M and M’s official twitter page, its blowing up with comments about Paris who they are calling the ‘’ Curvy Elsa’’ who some others are calling new York’s perfect woman, and curvy Elsa is top trending on twitter, snowy white skin is trending second with hungry netizens asking for the name of the woman in the purple dress who went first at the show case ‘’. ‘’ Curvy Elsa?’’ Paris asks baffled ‘’ but I look nothing like Elsa, her eyes are blue mine are green, there is zero similarity between her and me’’. ‘’ Well you both are beautifully pale … and gorgeous, that’s a serious similarity love’’. Leo said. ‘’ Well to these people you are the modern day Elsa’’ Han says smugly ,elated Paris turns to look at Aaron whose eyes are on her , a light smile on his face , she smiles back at him which makes him smile even wider , as they looked at each other in that moment Paris realised how deep her feelings for him went, she was a nobody once and now she was a person who was on the receiving end of much love and adoration , none of which could have happened if it wasn’t for the handsome man with the vivid blue eyes staring intently at her, feeling her heart racing , she wished they were alone so she could show him and as the thought crossed her mind a voice at the back of her head belled out a warning about this leading to tears as this man was more complicated than she knew but she forced that voice to the back of her mind and mouthed a thank you to him which made him grin even wider. He was so precious, he even saved her life and now she was saving all her love for him… She thought with a smile. He was beyond perfect . Alexa’s voice jolts her back to reality ‘’ Well the internet is full of jobless youth with misplaced priorities so we shouldn’t take their opinions seriously.’’ she says grudgingly. ‘’ We totally should! Patch called and is asking her to be on the cover of their magazine for this month and asking to do an interview with her and some other smaller magazines have been asking her to model for them… this is not even a normal scale blowing up anymore it’s Paris world domination’’. Han said. ‘’ Patch is a small magazine, they just started, they really don’t matter’’. Alexa replied spitefully. ‘’ Better something than nothing and patch may be a small company but a lot of celebrities have been featured on the pages of their magazine , Zendaya was featured on their issue last month,Dua Lipa was featured on their magazine two months ago, Chinese mega star Fan Bing Bing and one of America’s biggest producer and actor Tyler Perry was also featured last year , I heard global superstars BTS are gonna appear on this month’ s edition’’ Leo inputted. ‘’ I didn’t even know patch was that influential, The bangtan sonyeondan? Tyler Perry? That’s huge! Really huge... Daebak! what do you think Aaron?’’ Han added. ‘’ Well it’s a really great start, patch might an underrated fashion magazine but they are just starting up and they already have a wide global reach ,they also do have great content plus any good publicity we get now will go a long way, no matter how small’’ Aaron said trying hard not to look back at Paris. It was when Aaron teared his eyes away from her and looked at Han that she realised then that Han and Alexa had been arguing with Leo observing the duo silently, an amused smile on his face , looking back at Aaron she finds him still looking at her , the smile still seating regally on his face ,his eyes burrowing into hers without even blinking and she found herself reliving their last kiss , a jab from Han revvs her back to life and he says ‘’The company is having a party next week saturday to celebrate our successful showcase and as the star of the company … be there and feel free to bring a date… its allowed !’’. He says before walking out the door, words that had brought a frown and a deep scowl to Aaron’s face, Alexa and Leo following suit, she moves to walk out afraid Alexa would storm back in to cause trouble, only to be held back by Aaron. ‘’ Am sorry about the night before , I shouldn’t have left you hanging like that without a word it was just that Alexa needed me at the office and I couldn’t turn her down plus what happened at the club, between her and me the other night was really nothing’’ he says and she realised he wasn’t apologising for leaving with Alexa who she had found out didn’t like her much but for leaving her alone , she just nods saying with a pained smile ‘’ You don’t owe me anything aaron much less an explanation’’ she then walked out, leaving a stunned Aaron wondering where the hell he went wrong . CHAPTER TWENTY - REPLAY

Taking a much needed walk home to think, her walk was interrupted by a call from Baylor who requested to meet and needing a distraction from her crazy world, she had accepted to see him and they decided to meet at the café nearby and after they had coffee and a bagel each they both walked out into the street and after taking a walk, settled under a tree under which a bench was positioned. ‘’ I want an autograph’’ Baylor says, confused Paris frowns and he takes out his phone showing her articles online with her picture from the showcase adorning the article, realising how mainstream she now was, she smiles coyly taking Baylor’s hand and removing a pen from her bag, with which she used to write her initials on his arm, Baylor smiling says ‘’ I always knew you would someday make it big, I could tell as you always were special, am just glad I got to see it’’. He said taking her hand in his big ones and rubbing them soothingly. ‘’ Thank you Baylor’’ she replies with a smile on her face, she didn’t deserve this man, she thought to herself sadly, he was a good man with a kind heart and she didn’t want to hurt him… again, but then he deserved the truth however bitter it was, preparing to speak Baylor cuts her off saying ‘’ Will you be my girlfriend again Paris ??’’. Swallowing she stands up unable to seat still ‘’ Am sorry Baylor … I … I. I’’ she says brokenly. ‘’ You have somebody else …. Right? is it the guy from the restaurant that night? Your boss, the one whose mom assaulted you , the one that made you throw up and leave in a hurry without even saying bye on our first date after many years, the same one that made you run out of the club that night?’’ he asks the pain evident on his face. ‘’ You knew?’’ she asks in terror ‘’ Baylor… I… I’’. ‘’ It was obvious, the moment you saw him with that woman your face lost all colour and even though I knew, I was desperately fighting it, plus it didn’t just happen once snowy , it happened every time you saw him with that woman , I chose not to believe it, I wanted to believe I wasn’t fighting an already lost battle, you know male ego and all…. it was right there but I chose to ignore it, I made the choice to ignore it because that made me feel better, I don’t know … maybe I was waiting for a miracle , one that would change your mind but somehow even I knew that wasn’t gonna happen ... it’s okay Paris, you don’t have to feel guilty or sad , shit happens…. whatever happens life goes on right’’ ‘’You know paris , i never deserved you anyways, when you needed me the most I wasn’t there for you, I left you in Wisconsin and travelled to Boston, I was so focused on getting my law degree I didn’t even call or text for months, if I didn’t deserve you then I sure don’t deserve you now!’’. Breaking into tears she hugged him with his arms tight around her, she could feel his pain and she felt guilty being the one inflicting it but she loved Aaron and she couldn’t imagine being with someone else ‘’ I can still help with your lawsuit right… or you are letting go of it?’’ he asks with a sad smile as soon as they separate but she shakes her head, saying ‘’ Am letting go of it …. Am letting go of everything’’ ‘’ Well then If I can do nothing for you can I at least be your good friend and walk you home??’’ feeling tongue tied, she nodded smiling sadly as Baylor led the way…as Baylor walked her home lyrics from one direction’s song I loved you first kept playing loudly in his head. He lost.