~Aaron~
Words couldn’t begin to describe the frustration and disbelief I felt in that moment, standing in my own house, staring at Angelina with a suitcase in hand.
I didn’t need to ask why she was here; the suitcase said it all. She’d come to stay, uninvited.
I should have turned her around, booked her the next flight to New York, and sent her on her way. It was exactly what I should have done. But she hadn’t told me she was coming for a reason-because she knew I’d say no.
It was my mistake, really, letting her know my address. If I’d kept my location private, she’d still be in Brooklyn, and my life would be far simpler.
“Do I get to sleep with you?” she asked, her voice sweet and her lashes fluttering like I wouldn’t notice the audacity of her question.
I didn’t bother replying, let alone glancing in her direction. Instead, I walked past her, heading to the room at the farthest end of the hallway. I pushed open the door and stepped aside for her to see. Her face fell the moment she took in the space.
“Am I sleeping alone?” she asked, a whine creeping into her tone.
I fixed her with a glare sharp enough to cut. She pressed her lips together, finally sensing that she was testing my patience. Smartest thing she’d done since she arrived.
“You’ll stay here for the time being. Tomorrow, you’re heading back to New York,” I said, my voice clipped.
Angelina crossed her arms, defiance written all over her face. “Oh no, I’m here to stay. I’m not leaving until you are.”
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to stay calm, but my teeth were grinding all the same. God, she was infuriating.
“Angelina, you didn’t inform me. You said nothing,” I snapped, my voice rising. She had the decency to look guilty for a moment, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. Not that it mattered.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly, her words rushing out like they could fix everything.
“I just wanted to spend time with my boyfriend. You’re always away, Aaron. If you’re not locked up in your office, it’s your study. And then, just when I thought I’d have you to myself, you went on a trip and weren’t coming back for two weeks.”
She pouted as if that would make me sympathetic.
“It’s not fair to me,” she added, her voice soft and laced with fake hurt.
I raised my hand to tug on my hair, but I stopped myself at the last second. Losing control wouldn’t help anything.
“You’ll stay here. Don’t push me, Angelina,” I said firmly before turning on my heel and walking out of the room.
My frustration burned under my skin, hotter than I wanted to admit. I’d never been this annoyed. Not even Joan, who tested my patience every single day, managed to piss me off like this.
I headed straight for the sitting room, my steps heavy with anger, and went to the cabinet to pour myself a glass of scotch. I didn’t even bother with ice-I needed something strong to take the edge off.
A flash of red hair caught my eye in the corner of the room, moving just at the edge of my vision. I knew who it was, but I pretended not to notice.
She stood a few steps away, giving me some space, though it wasn’t much. At least she had the decency to keep her distance for now.
She was right-it had been a long night. I wasn’t in the mood for her snide remarks, but I could feel them coming.
“I’m not surprised that’s your girlfriend,” she said, her voice smooth but cutting. I turned my head slightly, catching her twirling a strand of her messy red hair between her fingers.
Her green eyes looked lighter tonight, probably from the way she glared at me.
I ignored her. There was nothing to say, nothing I wanted to say.
“You cheated on your girlfriend with me,” she hissed, her voice lower this time, quieter but no less pointed.
I tipped my glass back, draining it, and set it down on the cabinet with more force than necessary before finally turning to face her.
She looked angry-more than angry, really. Hurt.
“And that’s your problem?” I asked, my tone sharp.
Her glare darkened.
“Of course it is! I thought you and she…” She gestured between us with her hands, fumbling for the right words. “I thought you weren’t together anymore.”
The tips of her ears flushed red as she spoke, though her expression stayed firm. I studied her, taking in the way her anger barely masked something else-disappointment, maybe?
Was her problem that I’d cheated on Angelina with her? Or was it that Angelina was here now?
“I think that’s my problem to worry about,” I said finally, my voice even.
She let out a humorless laugh, shaking her head before running her hand through her tangled hair. For a moment, her features looked softer.
“Oh, you think?” she asked bitterly, stepping back like she couldn’t stand to be near me anymore.
“Stay away from me, Aaron. And I mean it,” she said firmly before turning on her heel and walking away.
I poured myself another glass of scotch, pretending like nothing had happened. But her words lingered in the back of my mind, stubbornly refusing to go away.
I’d seen the hurt in her eyes, even if she tried to mask it. I just couldn’t quite wrap my head around why it mattered to her so much.
She’d have to wait. I’d deal with her later.
Right now, I needed to figure out how to get Angela out of my house and out of my life-preferably for good.