~∞~
“I was thinking of having lunch with Andi,” Maggie told Aaron as they rode into town. “I’m sure she can give me a ride home so you don’t have to wait on me after your meeting.” Maggie still wasn’t sure who this mysterious meeting was with, and she did find it a little odd that Aaron was being so vague about it, but she also wanted to show him that if he wanted a little space she could give it to him. After he’d left earlier she’d wondered if she’d been too pushy about coming to town with him.
“I imagine she’s dying to see you and get all the juicy details about what’s going on between us,” Aaron teased.
“Some details she’ll just have to do without,” she assured him.
“I’m sure you girls will have plenty to catch up on. If you’d like to have a girl’s night, I’d understand,” Aaron said.
“I doubt she’ll stay the whole night,” Maggie said
“If you want me to come over later just give me a call,” Aaron told her.
“Maybe I’ll come to your place tonight,” Maggie offered. “I’d love to see it.”
“It isn’t much,” he said, sounding uncomfortable.
“It doesn’t need to be,” she assured him.
“Trust me. It’s nowhere near as comfortable as the big house. I really don’t mind coming to you.” He didn’t seem to want her to come to his home which bothered her. She didn’t like that there were parts of himself that he was still keeping from her, and she really didn’t like how distant he seemed all of a sudden.
“Aaron, just because I’m staying in the ‘big house’ for the summer does not mean that it defines my standard of living by any means,” she said, in her mind seeing the stark contrast from the grand home to the sparse dorm room she’d left behind.
“Maggie, you grew up in the Hamptons,” Aaron reminded her dryly. It was her turn to shift uncomfortably. It was the first time that she’d ever felt any real division between them, and she didn’t like it.
“I left that life behind years ago,” Maggie commented quietly. She didn’t like that he saw her as someone who needed to be kept comfortable. One of the first things that had attracted her to him was the fact that she felt like she could be real with him, no pretenses. She’d spent her childhood being treated like a porcelain doll, and she’d sacrificed a lot to prove that that’s not who she was. Now it suddenly felt like Aaron was treating her that way too.
Aaron looked toward her, hearing the difference in her tone. He didn’t know what to say, he didn’t know how to explain to her that his place wasn’t good enough for her, that it didn’t reflect what he could offer her. An awkward silence dragged out between them as they arrived at the grocery store.
“I guess I’ll see you later,” Maggie said. She didn’t really want to leave with this strange tension between them. She still wasn’t sure where it had come from. She leaned over and kissed him, and she didn’t pull away until she felt his body respond, his arms tightening around her as he deepened the kiss. Satisfied that she was leaving him wanting more, she finally broke the kiss.
“I’ll call you,” she promised before slipping out of the truck. She was sure to put a little extra sway in her hips as she walked up to the store knowing he’d be watching. Just before entering the store she turned back and looked over her shoulder. She was rewarded with Aaron’s smoldering stare that told her she’d succeeded in reminding him of exactly why he should want her to come over tonight.
~∞~
Andi was so excited to see Maggie walk into the store she was practically bouncing. She pulled off her apron and walked straight to the manager’s office.
“I’m taking lunch,” she called into the door as she tossed her apron on a table. She turned to Maggie with a big smile on her face. “You better be ready to spill, cuz I’m about to bust!” she exclaimed. “If you hadn’t come out of hiding I was about to go in there after you,” she joked.
“You can call off the search party,” Maggie assured her. “Do you want to get some lunch? I’m starving!”
“I bet you are,” Andi teased as she hooked her arm through Maggie’s and led her down the sidewalk toward a corner deli. Maggie rolled her eyes at her friend, but didn’t deny the insinuation.
The women ordered lunch as Maggie began to fill Andi in on the events of the last few days. She didn’t reveal the secrets Aaron had shared with her, they weren’t her secrets to tell, but she did assure her friend that he’d been honest with her about his past. She also left out some of the more intimate details of the last few days, but the way she blushed when she spoke of Aaron told Andi all she needed to know.