Breathless

  • Thread starter ᴋɪᴛsᴜɴᴀᴇ
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"Hmm," Aaron smiled softly, "I do insist. Women are fascinating."

With that, Aaron sat down on her bed and watched her intently, "You do realize that you're crying, right? If it was allergies, you'd have been sniffling a lot earlier. I know you're not allergic to me, right? So, what's up, Clara? Did I go too far? I'm sorry." The apology had been genuine.

As Aaron sat there, he gazed around the room as if it were a mythical creature.
 
"No, I'm not allergic to you." Clara couldn't help but to let a small smile break through her lips before she continued, "When I needed you most, you weren't there. I know that's majority my fault, but you know me best, how could you not see what was really on my mind?" Turning around to look at him, she whispered, "My dad died three years ago. It was a car accident. Were you not there when the police officers took me out of class to tell me?" Turning back to the mirror, she finished touching up her makeup before going over to her bed to sit next to him.
 
"You know I'm oblivious, Clara," Aaron told her, "but no, I don't remember that. I used to ditch school a lot, I don't know. I'm sorry, I wasn't aware of that. I did wonder why the hell you lived alone."

Aaron wasn't quite ready to tell her all he'd been through. He couldn't exactly trust her with the information just yet, as much as he wanted to tell her. The brown-haired male leaned over slightly, pressing his shoulder to hers. "I'm here now. Whether or not you want me to be. I'm not letting you go that easy again. You've seen just how stubborn I am tonight, flower."

Aaron cleared his throat, and stood up before anything continued. It felt weird, being close to someone. "So, I guess you have work, yeah?"
 
When Aaron called her 'flower,' well she couldn't help the reddening of her cheeks. Looking down at her hands, she muttered, "Oh great." It felt weird having him there again, it was like they had never left one another. It was if they were picking up where they left off. Standing up with him, she nodded as she said, "Yeah." Thinking for a moment, she added, "Do you want to come and hang out for awhile?" She looked at him with hope in her eyes, but with in a second she averted her gaze, hoping he hadn't seen that small twinge of hope. Walking to her closet, she pulled on some heels, her dress riding up as she did and might I add, exposing a lot more than she should have.
 
Aaron couldn't help the small moment he saw her underwear, and his eyes drifted elsewhere. "No, yeah, sure. I don't mind. But if I get drunk I'm staying at your place," Aaron said humorously, but was serious in a manner. If he went home this late his aunt and uncle would hurt him, and if he went home the slightest bit buzzed, they would know, and they would do something he feared.

"I don't really look club-worthy, and I surely don't hope you have a suit in that closet? I'd actually be worried if you did," Aaron laughed softly.
 
Pulling a suit out of her closet, she nibbled her bottom lip nervously. Looking down at it and then to him, she said, "I actually do. It's Drake's...Or Steven's, maybe Donald's...Anyways, it should fit." Handing it to him, she said, "I'll be in the living room if you need me." With a quick smile, she retreated to the safety of the living room. She felt embarrassed by not being able to say whose suit it was. It was hard to recall who had left it and when, especially when her apartment was the place where people crashed on the weekends. The young woman never understood why, it wasn't like she ever hooked up with them or they brought hook ups over, but she had slumber parties with grown men on a regular basis. Sure, these weren't just random men she picked up on the street, but it was probably still sketchy to her neighbors.
 
Aaron watched her go with wide eyes. "Okay," he said almost humorously.

It wasn't long before Aaron arrived outside the room, dressed and looking rather sharp. "Do I look alright?" He asked, clearly self-conscious. Aaron gazed at her, brown eyes liked melted chocolate.
 
Clara didn't say anything for close to a minute as she looked him over. Without meaning to say it out loud, she said, "I better not let you out of my sigh, someone might steal you." Blushing at her statement, she grabbed her cars keys, "You look fine. I promise." Looking at him with a bright smile, she turned around, going out to her car.
 
Aaron laughed, "Plenty of people stole me, you let me out of your sight for three years, dummy." The response had been said under his breath, but it had been good in nature. The charming young man smiled, running out in front of her and opening the passenger's door for her.

"I'll drive, if you'll tell me where the club is," Aaron said politely. Clara was seeing a rare side of him right now, and he doubted it would last, but he wanted it to. It wouldn't went they went back to high school.
 
"Do you remember that night club we tried to get into when we were like thirteen?" Clara got into the passenger's side, passing him her keys, almost thankful that he had offered to drive. It was one thing to drive in flip flops, it was another to drive in high heels. Not waiting for his response, she added, "It's the same club. I don't think the owner realizes that I'm the same girl, but he pays well, so whatever." Glancing at him, her lips couldn't help but to curve into a big grin. In all honesty, she couldn't remember the last time he had acted this way towards her. Their whole high school track record consisted of them expressing their hate for one another in different ways, even if she knew she could never hate him. Thinking back at his statement on letting him out of her sight, she looked down at her lap feeling bad. It wasn't as if she had meant too, but people change and she changed a lot. Her dad was going through some things, her mother had showed up for a short time before disappearing to god knows where again, and it was high school. She wasn't going to stay the same girl forever.
 
Aaron smiled, "I remember that place. It's when I started really getting into girls because I realized that they'd give me something else other than cooties." The guy laughed, "At the time, though, I just wanted hang out with you."

The two didn't say much else until they parked in front of the nightclub. "Friday night. No wonder this place is packed," Aaron told her, turning off the car and tossing the keys back to her. With that, he got out of the car and waited for her to do the same.
 
Taking in a deep breath, she got out of the car, putting on an air of confidence. It was no secret that Clara was as much of an introvert as she was an extrovert. If she wasn't confident in what she doing, well then, things could go down the drain in a matter of seconds. Linking her arm with his, she grinned, "You're lucky you know me, if not, well..." Pointing at the line that was already circling down the other street, she bit her lip. Whispering into his ear, she said, "I hope you can keep up."

Walking with him, she waved to the bouncer as she brought Aaron inside. He didn't give her or Aaron a spare glance, Clara was always bringing extra people in with it. Once they were inside she let go of Aaron and turned to face him, holding him away at arms length. With a few fake tears in her eyes, she said, "My baby has gone and grown up on me." Kissing his cheek, she pushed him away, "Go be free my butterfly." Giggling, she went behind the bar and began preparing drinks.
 
"You're still fucking adorable, Clara," Aaron smiled softly. It was annoying, how he felt about her. Usually it was the men who were clueless, but the case happened to be different. The thoughts of running his hand along her cheeks and pushing back a stand of hair behind her ear, it tore him apart. He just wanted to be close to her. It annoyed the hell out of him. He'd never acted like this, picking up girls was easy and he never thought anything of it. Clara, well, she was special.

So, what was the one thing he could do to get her off his mind?

Drinks, and other girls. It wasn't long before he was mingling, thoughts still on the beauty he'd left behind.
 
"Who was that with you?" For a moment they had hit a dry spell where barely no one was up at the bar and Hayden decided to make time for idle chit chat. Now, Hayden wasn't Clara's first choice in working with and probably would never be her first choice for idle chit chat, but Stephan had left her alone with the older female, so apparently the blonde was her only option. Shifting her dark eyes over to Hayden, she cocked an eyebrow, asking, "Who? Aaron? Just a friend." Perhaps something more. Shrugging off her subconscious thought, she flicked her hair over her shoulder, grabbing a beer for one of the few guys sitting at the bar before returning to her no where conversation with Hayden.

Clara watched in horror as Hayden began checking Aaron out and she could tell Hayden liked what she saw. It wasn't that the older blonde wasn't pretty, but she was fairly certain that she wasn't Aaron's type. Well she assumed not, it wasn't as if Clara kept a record, but the only thing Clara could think would even remotely attract Aaron to Hayden was the fact that she was easy. It was safe to Hayden took home a new guy every night and maybe even more than one, if you catch my drift.

Clapping her hands together like a teenage girl, Hayden grinned as she said, "Do you think I could take him home with me? I bet he's really good in bed. Wait, are you together but you just say you're friends? Or do you both secretly like each other and won't admit it?"

"If you want to take him home, be my guest. I wouldn't want to get an STD." Clara gave Hayden a tight lipped smile before she added, "I'm gonna take my break. Do you and the others have things covered?" Hayden gave Clara a thumbs up which the brunette only rolled her eyes at. She was definitely never working with Hayden again if she could help it. The girl's hair dye was seeping into her head. Walking towards the back, she made sure to catch Aaron's eye before disappearing.
 
Aaron had been drinking a little. Not drunk, but definitely buzzed. it was safe to say that he was nearly melting into the chair he was sitting in, feeling calm and not quite as tense as he'd been before. As Clara headed back and caught his eye, part of him wanted to go back there with her and let things lead to one thing to another.

Damn him.

Once he stood up, he walked up to the bar and sat down, thinking it better to just sit down and wait for the girl. One like Clara would like time and patience being put in, not him going back there to possibly persuade her into kissing him, and perhaps farther. Aaron's eyes turned to Hayden, and really, he didn't see anything special. "Can I have a beer?"
It was a simple question, and he didn't seem to want anything else from the girl.
 
Hayden smiled at Aaron, grabbing a beer and handing it to him as she asked, "So you're friends with Clara? I knew she had toys, but never friends." A few heads shifted to look at Hayden as she brought up Clara's "toys." Of course the men that Hayden was speaking of were not Clara's "toys," they were more like annoying older brothers who Clara couldn't get rid of. There had only been one who Clara had ever fancied and he was long out of their lives, so the men respected her space. They were there to serve as a surrogate family in a way and help the young girl with her life. They may have been play boys at heart, but they might as well spend their money on something decent. It's not as if their parents gave a sparing glance.

When Clara came back she didn't look at Hayden and Aaron, instead she walked over to Stephan, who gave her a quizzical look. Leaning forward, he smirked as he asked, "Is he wearing my suit?"

Clara let out a relieved breath as she replied, "I didn't know who it belonged too, so I said he could borrow it."

"Smooth, love." Stephan took a long sip of his beer as he sideways glanced over at Aaron.
 
Aaron felt a little out of place, though, anyone would. These were people Clara knew, and they seemed to be staring into his soul as if trying to figure him out. It honestly had him uncomfortable and itching to get out of the place. The tenseness in the air was practically choking him, especially since he'd heard the suit comment.

"Yeah, so, it was nice meeting you guys and all," Matthews said as he finished his beer, "but I think I'm going to head home, Clara. I'll return the suit somehow, and thanks for inviting me, but yeah."

Typical Aaron. Backing out of a situation he couldn't handle; he was popular with his own friends but maybe not so much with Clara's. With that, he ran a hand through his soft hair and stood up, smiling almost nervously. In all honesty, it wasn't as bad as Aaron thought it was, he was just never good with trying to make a nice first impression. That and the mention of 'toys'. In his terms, that meant guys she messed around with, because he wasn't aware of it's actual meaning. Aaron didn't take Clara for that kind of girl, and she wasn't, but he took it that way.

Aaron almost wanted to stay and put up with the hell. When he went home that late and almost drunk, especially in a suit, his aunt and uncle would raise hell. His uncle would probably throw a punch his way as he usually did. That was thing, Aaron was abused, though he didn't think he should be treated better. In his mind, as his family had made it so, he was a worthless piece of shit that was nothing but a burden, a waste, a lost cause unable to have a purpose in life.
People wondered why he was the way he was, without ever looking for the answers that Aaron wouldn't so easily give.
 
Excusing herself from her conversation with Stephan, she pulled Aaron off the side as she said, "Don't go. They're just the regulars and my friends, you don't have to leave because of them. They're harmless, really and you probably have a lot in common with them. Please stay. I'll let you spend the night tonight." Clara gently took his hand into hers as if to reassure him that everything would be okay. The guys weren't fond of newcomers if they didn't have blonde hair and boobs, so it wasn't easy getting in on their little group. Clara was offering him a ticket back into her life, so she wondered if he'd take it or not. The only thing she was asking herself was why she was so willing to have him back.
 
Aaron peered down at their hands for a brief moment, before turning his attention back to Clara. A small grunt emitted from him, as it was clear he had given in to her plead of him staying. "Fine, but keep them off my back," Aaron said gently.

This was all too familiar- he felt like he was a tween again, running around after Clara like he was a lost puppy. In all honesty, he was. She was the only person he would ever be sweet or kind to. Aaron generally wasn't this polite but again, Clara was different. Part of him just wanted to pull her closer as their hands laced together, but he held back. With any girl he would at least get something within the first night; he'd known this one for years and nothing romantic yet. Or sexual, for that matter.

"I'll attempt to make friends with the guy whose suit I'm wearing, but if he punches me you're holding a wet rag to my nose," Aaron smirked, a hand being taken away from hers in order to slide up her arm in an affectionate manner. However he was quickly nervous as he noticed Stephan's angry glare from the corner of his eye, and began brushing at her as if getting something off her shirt, "Heh, piece of dirt. Just ah, getting that for you."
 
Clara noticed Stephan's glare and she shot him a glare right back, along with sticking her tongue out. Taking Aaron's hand back into hers, she walked him over to Stephan, "Steph, this is Aaron. An old friend of mine and Aaron, this is Stephan. He's kind of my part time roommate, sort off." Clara shrugged before returning back to the bar to fill some orders.

Stephan held out his hand to Aaron, giving him a tight lipped smile, "It's good to finally meet you. She's told me a little bit here and there."