Aaron loved to walk around shirtless and I overwhelmingly approved of his choice. Having seen the gym in one of the house’s tiny bedrooms, I understood how he kept so ripped. Every time he caught me admiring the view, I pretended to be looking at his tats. He wasn’t fooled.
His little bungalow wasn’t what I expected when I imagined Aaron’s house. Passing by the front, I likely would have thought an elderly couple lived inside. The front yard was small and generic with grass and nothing else. Aaron clearly didn’t have a green thumb.
Inside was remodeled and felt new and fresh. Aaron obviously wasn’t afraid of using bold primary colors. A red kitchen with black and white tiled floors. A black accent wall in the living room. My favorite was his chalk wall in what was likely meant to be a dining room. This was where he sketched out ideas and kept his grocery list jotted down.
Despite the quaint vibe of the bungalow, the place was male. The big TV, the large comfy leather couch. No accent pillows or knickknacks, just art on the walls. In the gourmet kitchen were cookbooks on the shelf, yet everything so clean that I doubted he cooked much.
Aaron was an artist in the body of a biker. He smiled easily like a sweet boy next door and glared often like a bad boy looking for someone to punch. His irritation was mainly directed at the sounds out on the street. Deputy Dickhead or someone else nannying the neighborhood.
I stood next to Aaron as he glared outside. The front porch looked cozy and I wished to sit out there and watch the world go by. Of course, I was supposed to be at Bailey’s and I didn’t want anyone telling Larry otherwise.
Eventually, we took sandwiches and sodas to the back screened in porch. As we ate lunch, the dogs ran around the backyard searching for something.
“Rabbits,” Aaron said, answering my unspoken question. “We get rabbits running around here and the dogs think they’re hunters.”
“Is there a reason you have Boston Terriers?”
“Don’t you like them?”
“I like any dog that likes me. Larry’s dog thinks I’m a rabbit needing to be hunted.”
Aaron smiled, but his blue eyes held anger whenever I mentioned my stepdad’s name.
“My mom breeds dogs. Not like a puppy mill, just as a hobby. She and Cooper are always talking dogs when they get together. He loves them big and scary. She likes them small and cuddly, but they’re dog lovers at heart. It’s pretty fucking adorable to see them showing each other pics on their phones.”
When I grinned for too long, Aaron leaned over the table and kissed me softly. Returning to his seat, I felt my skin flush at the expression on his face.
“Anyway, my mom had these two sickly runts that no one wanted. I took them since I had moved in here and the house felt creepy back then. Like a horror movie house. I thought something might come up through the floor as I watched the game. Figured if I had dogs, the monster would eat them first.”
We both laughed as he glanced at Pollack chasing a butterfly.
“The sad thing is I would try to save them. How lame is it when someone tries to save a dog in horror movie. Fuck. I hate when people do it, but I’d want to save the little turds. They’d expect me to save them too. They’d stare with those big eyes and how could I say no?”
“I don’t even know them and I’d try to save them too.”
“Yeah, but you’re a sweet dove.”
“I’m not sweet.”
“In my reality, you are the sweetest. I like my girls sweet. I also like when they can throw a punch. My delicate roller derby girl.”
“Do you want me to show more of my moves?” I asked, wiggling brows.
“Soon,” he said, smiling in an odd way. “I wish I could see you during the week.”
“If you still like me by the end of the weekend…”
“If?”
“Things happen.”
“Nothing is going to happen. What were you going to say?”
“I could spend next weekend with you too.”
Aaron nodded. “For how long do we need to sneak around? I get why you need to do it, but how long do we need to hide?”
“I don’t know. Larry is being an asshole. He’s been an asshole since I met him, so I can’t imagine anything is going to change soon.” After a quiet minute, I added, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I just want more of you and I couldn’t give a shit about fucking Larry and his rules.”
“I want to go to college and I can’t do that and pay for rent.”
“Maybe you’ll be in a position to live somewhere else rent free soon.”
Avoiding his gaze, I tried not to read too much into his comment. Aaron sensed as much and seemed cranky afterwards.
“Can we go to your studio so I can look at your artwork?”
“Sure,” he said, sounding bummed.