023~ ECHO
1482 Words
Lucas
Lying on the bed, I found solace in Aria's presence, her peaceful sleep bathed in the soft glow of the bedside lamp. My fingers moved tenderly through her hair as I observed her rest.
The idea of dating her brought genuine happiness, a realization I hadn't fully embraced until now. Why hadn't I considered it sooner? The anticipation of her response lingered, and despite my promise to wait, I couldn't help but hope she would give me an answer tomorrow.
Patience
Even if she didn't immediately reciprocate my feelings, I pondered. It wasn't as if she harboured deep affections for the others she had dated. Still, an undeniable yearning lingered – a desire for her to love me with the same intensity.
Slowly, everything will work out fine.
The tranquillity was disrupted by a knock at the door, prompting me to reluctantly tear my gaze away from Aria's serene face. Jax entered, his eyes shifting from Aria to me.
"Oh," he remarked.
"Do you think we can talk now?"
Gently kissing her forehead, I extracted myself from her embrace and covered her with the duvet. Following Jax to the kitchen, I settled on a stool, resting my hand on the island as he retrieved four cans of beer from the fridge.
"Is four beers going to cut it?" I asked, to which Jax responded with a smile, producing four more and placing them in the centre.
I caught a beer as it slid toward me, opening it with the satisfying hiss of carbonation. We drank in silence until I decided to break the silence.
"She appeared in my apartment drunk," I began, Jax listening intently.
"She had pictures of me and Aria. Then she threatened to kill her if I didn't stop seeing her."
Taking a substantial gulp of beer, I allowed the weight of the revelation to hang in the air.
Jax's frustration and concern echoed in the air, his words landing heavily, "f**k, that..." He hesitated, holding back explicit language about my mom.
"We should take her threat seriously, and were you about to avoid her because of what your mom said?" His tone blended incredulity with genuine worry.
Gritting my teeth, I responded, "What the hell was I supposed to do? I didn't want her hurting because of me."
The mere thought irritated me, a surge of protective anger rising within.
"And you think your mom would let her go after finding out about her? She would still go looking for her, whether you stay with her or not. What you should be doing is protecting the woman you love, not running away from her," he asserted, punctuating his statement by hitting the island for emphasis.
I looked down, acknowledging the truth in Jax's words. I needed to protect Aria, not avoid her.
"If I had known she was this way, I would have reported to father the day you met her against his wish. How dare she threaten to kill her?" He seethed with anger.
"I was planning to go meet father tomorrow. I got rid of her former spy, but she got another one, and he is very discreet. Can't find any trace. That's why I didn't let her go back alone," I explained.
"I am getting pissed right now. If she wasn't your mom, I would have..." he paused, squeezing the empty can.
"f**k! You need to put an end to this and soon," he added frustration evident in his voice.
Turning away, I grabbed another beer and opened it. I should have dealt with my mom sooner. Indulging her was what got me into this mess in the first place. The gravity of the situation weighed heavily on me.
I stood in the hallway, anticipating Aria's appearance. The door opened, and she greeted me with a smile as she stepped out. Facing me, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and announced, "I will be leaving now."
"Jax is taking you back," I informed.
"Why?" she asked, curiosity etched on her face.
"Nothing, I should be the one, but I have something to take care of," I replied, leaning in to kiss her. However, she covered her lips with her palm, raising an eyebrow.
I crooked an eyebrow as she moved back, removing her palm.
"If I remember correctly, I haven't agreed to dating you, so no, you can't kiss me," she said, a playful smile on her face.
"No way, we've been doing this before last night, and I kissed you this morning." I pointed out, taking a step forward as she took another back, laughing.
"You said you would wait. Why are you impatient?" she teased.
"f**k, I didn't know this would happen. Who made that f*****g rule?" I grumbled.
"Well, you have to prove to me that you are worthy of being my boyfriend before you get that right."
"Are you playing hard to get?" I asked, sensing the mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Maybe," she replied, taking another step back until her back met the wall.
I closed the gap, cornering her against the wall, resting my arm above her.
"I can't also touch you?" I inquired, my voice low.
"Y-yes," she stammered, caught in the moment.
"How long?" I asked again.
"I don't know." She stared at her heels as she answered me.
"I am ready," Jax said from behind me, distracting me.
She seized the opportunity to slip away and made a run for it.
"Let's get going," she said to Jax, hurrying towards the door. He smiled at me and followed her, leaving me determined that she wouldn't escape the next time I got her.
●●●
I knocked on the door to my father's study, feeling the weight of my concerns pressing on me. Without waiting for an invitation, I entered the room. My father, engrossed in a book, didn't look up until I approached the desk.
"Good evening," I greeted, attempting to gauge his mood.
"I was wondering which troublemaker came to visit," my father remarked, closing the book and removing his glasses. Finally, he looked up at me. "You boys only come finding me when you're in trouble."
"If I remember correctly, you sent us away after the party," I defended, standing my ground.
He laughed, standing up and walking around the desk to meet me. "I didn't say you boys can't visit. Do you want to live with your old man forever?" He squeezed my arm before sitting down on a cushion near the window. I joined him.
"How have you been?" my father asked, trying to ease the tension.
"Great, I guess," I replied, not wanting to dwell on pleasantries. "Let's not make this awkward. Tell me what you want," he suggested, sensing my urgency.
"It's about Catherine," I began, knowing there was no hiding secrets from my father. "She got into my house and threatened she was going to kill someone."
"Who? A woman?" he inquired.
"Yeah," I said, withholding the information that it was Aria.
"You must really love her for Catherine to threaten to kill her," my father pondered, tapping his fingers on the cushion.
"I will deal with it. So don't worry too much," he assured, lifting a burden off my chest.
"Thank you," I smiled.
"You are my son. I should do everything to make sure you're happy. And you should hold on to this woman since you love her," he advised, looking away to his desk. Then, with a tinge of regret, he added, "You're lucky you realized you loved her before it was too late."
"Did you ever fall in love?" I asked, curious about a side of my father I hadn't often seen. The idea of my father experiencing such emotions seemed foreign and intriguing.
"Yeah, a woman who loved me and was willing to do anything for me. But before I realized my feelings for her, I had already delivered her into the hands of another man." His laughter sounded sad, an unusual expression on the face of a man who always had a smile.
I never thought I would see that look of sadness on my father's face. "Do you still love her?" I asked, curious if that was the reason my father never got married.
"Why? Do you want to help me pursue her?" He asked, smiling.
"Nah, I don't think it would work out. I bet she is married with kids right now," I said.
"To think one of her kids is the reason you are..." he trailed off, chuckling.
"Let's not talk about my failed love life; tell me about this girl," he added, his eyes sparking with excitement.
"That's not a conversation I want to be having with you," I squinted my eyes.
Discussing my affairs with my father would be super awkward. Right now, I'm just glad my mother will be taken care of.
- Writer
