Aaron watched Julia go. He was amused at his interest in her. Really he knew nothing about her, but there was something that dragged his eyes and thoughts back to her. Then he watched her hook up with Peter Smith. That didn't fit. He knew Luke's friend, he'd done for years, and he really didn't think that he was good enough to be her significant other. Despite everything, he could see she was vivacious, energetic, he imagined she lived life off the cuff. Peter...he was an accountant. He laughed to himself, that was a ridiculous conclusion, but it was true. He remembered him as they annoying friend of his brother, a childish fool. Maybe a lot of time had passed since the days when Luke and his friends had plagued him every day and night of the summer holidays before he headed off to the US. Peter could be a changed man. But he KNEW that Julia was complex, more that most women, she was different, and he wasn't up to that challenge.

And you are?

He baulked at that thought. He wasn't here to complicate things, and he definitely wasn't interested in shitting on his own doorstep. Julia was going to be one step away from family. He had to let go of any thoughts he had about her. He didn't want her, that wasn't what this was. But Peter? He groaned. Ridiculous. Then he had a thought. Maybe she only wanted him for tonight...he wasn't unattractive...but he was safe. Suddenly, Aaron felt like he got it.

With a sigh, he leaned back in the seat. God, he wished Melissa hadn't invited him around three weeks earlier, if he hadn't found her flatmate Ryan with his head between her legs, she'd be with him now and he could drag her into the bathroom and ease his frustration. Hell he wouldn't have even noticed Julia if he'd been with Melissa. She was traffic stopping, blonde, willowy with long legs and perky tits. Everything he loved at a superficial level.

Fake.

That word shocked him, because, yup, Melissa's curves were courtesy of an LA surgeon. Julia's most definitely weren't. Pervert. That wasn't the first time he's realised how lewd he was being. That wasn't him; the jetlag was doing strange things to his head.

Glancing around he realised he had nothing but his own company and the vivid images of how the night was playing out for various people, including his brother, Abi was whispering in his ear as the two danced, draped around each other to the tune of some sickly ballad being plated by the DJ. Thankfully the party was dwindling, his mother had long gone; now he just had to wait for the two love birds to call it a night, and that couldn't happen soon enough.

Luke was drunk. Very drunk. Seemingly his bravado at his earlier big display had led to a crash in his adrenaline, and now he was a soppy drunk. Which meant that Aaron had him draped around his neck telling him how much he loved his fiancée, how he was a wonderful brother, and that he was the happiest man alive on a loop as he followed Abi into the apartment, in the early hours of the morning.

Dragging him into the bedroom that she indicated as hers, he tossed him down onto the bed, then smiled at his soon to be sister-in-law, "do you need me to help?"

Abi laughed, "I'll take his shoes off, that's as much as he's getting. Thanks for your help."

"Do you mind if I make a cup of tea? My fatigue seems to have passed, I am now WIDE awake!"

"Are you sure you wouldn't prefer whisky? We have a decent bottle in the kitchen."

He shook his head, "oh no, I have had too much already. Do you want a cup?"

She followed him back out of the bedroom then glanced at the opposite door; he presumed that was Julia's bedroom. Then he realised how loud they were talking.

"Sorry, am I being too noisy? Will I wake her?"

Abi took a deep swallow, then shook her head, "Julia's not here..."

"She left with her boyfriend?" He prompted, hating that he was prying, but he had to know more.

She shrugged, "Julia doesn't have one, she doesn't do dating, and there's no way she's back here yet."

He gave a chuckle, needing to make the situation lighter, "love makes the world go around, if tonight is anything to go by, at least she's having fun."

"Love...fun..." she gave a dry laugh, "if only."

Then she turned on her heel and disappeared into her bedroom.

Peter's home was miles from the party, and the taxi had taken them ages. By the time they burst through the front door he was about to explode, she knew that. Their kisses had started drunkenly, but by the time they reached his front door they were both ravenous and hungry.

As he closed the front door, she reached for him. It took seconds for her to unfasten his trousers, slide her hand in to his boxer shorts and as she dragged him closer his hands lifting her skirt, she retrieved a condom from her bra. His eyes were wide in wonder, as she helped him slip it on, and then she pounced. Quick, furious and gratifying. That was all that she wanted. This was what she needed. Release.

Peter was gasping, he wasn't going to last long, but that didn't matter. What did was that she was there, doing this.

She was right; he had the exuberance of a teenager. It was just a few minutes before he collapsed against the wall beside her, panting and sighing.

"That was..." he shrugged, his eyes wide with wonder. "Do you want to come in?"

It was almost laughable, they'd just had fast and furious sex in his hallway and NOW he was inviting her in, not that she'd accept. That was the rule, fast, quick and painless. Her mind was already calming and her body relaxing. It was the greatest tonic. She could deal with life again.

She loved sex, mindless virtually anonymous sex. But she wasn't interested in the dissection afterwards. She had no intention of starting a relationship with this man, thought she always chose people that she knew, strangers...that scared her. She had no intention of staying for any longer than she had to. So she gave an awkward smile instead.

"Sorry, I have a really early start tomorrow."

He looked more shocked that when she'd attacked his belt, "ok. Can I call you?"

Nodding she straightened her dress, then gave him a smile, "sure. I'll catch you soon."

With that she smiled and escaped, knowing that he didn't have her number. And that she wouldn't answer if he called anyway.

Tea, TV, nothing seemed to help him relax, his mind was churning and the sofa wasn't his deluxe California King bed that took up almost half of his loft bedroom back in Brooklyn. He had had a lot oon his mind before he arrived, now...now it was compunded by thoughts of his family, he hated that he saw them as a complication, but he'd lived away from them for so long that trips home always brought anxiety. Before he'd left he'd been embroiled in some industrial espionage claims, and every time he closed his eyes, tried to sleep, the unease of not fully solving that situation haunted him, brought nausea, discomfort.

Then there was the fact that at any point the front door could open and Julia could walk in. He wasn't proud of the way he had acted all night. Not to her directly, he thought he'd been pleasant enough, but he'd had some pretty opinionated thoughts about her and he hated that. He felt like he needed to apologise to her, but then he'd have to disclose all that he'd been thinking about. That was lose lose. He was heading back to New York in a few days, he'd not see her again, he just had to get some sleep, and forget about the whole evening.

Aaron was making his fourth cup of tea, at three am, when the door opened after a scratching noise warned him that the key owner was struggling to find the lock. He knew that it would be Julia, and he knew despite them having spoken barely more than fifteen words to each other, that she'd hate to find him awake. But he wasn't about to feign sleep.

He was leaning against the work surface, his hip taking his weight when she slipped through the door.

Julia was never happier to get home than tonight. It had been such a difficult night, watching her best friend take huge strides towards a proper grown up life. She couldn't help but feel that she'd been left behind, tonight. Mindless sex in a strange hallway hadn't taken the edge of. It usually did, it usually restored the power. She wasn't feeling regretful, but she wasn't as euphoric as she had hoped. Leaning against the closed front door, she kicked off the heels that had been plaguing her all night, then sighed.

Home sweet home. For as long as it was.

Taking a step forward, she froze, across the hallway, in the kitchen; a pair of eyes watched her. Luke's brother. She racked her brain for a moment, Aaron. That was it. Taking a deep breath, she marched past him into the kitchen, hating that she wobbled slightly; she'd drunk far too much. As she drew level with him, she glanced up at him, keeping her face in a mask that she hoped portrayed confidence. He unnerved her, and she didn't know why.

"Told you it was uncomfortable."

He didn't react for far too long, his dark eyes staring at her from behind those glasses. His nonchalance angered her, and she wanted to stamp her feet. Instead she wobbled again and he reached out to steady her. Snatching her arm away, she moved to lean against the opposite work surface, opening the cupboard for a glass, that she filled from the cold tap.

"I think it's jetlag too."

He finally spoke, a smooth voice. Her eyes lifted to his and she nodded.

"Down side of travelling."

It was his turn to nod.

She drank the full glass, aware of him stood there, holding his mug of something hot. When she finished, she looked at him again, "you need anything."

He shook his head, "I'm good, thanks."

As she turned to leave the room, he offered, "sorry...for whatever I said to make you so bristly."

That stunned her, literally bowled her over, she took a moment, then gave him a humourless smile, "it's not you, I'm a bitch to everyone."

His eyes widened and he shook his head, "my brother thinks highly of you, he wouldn't if you were a bitch."

She laughed, "I've just screwed his best friend and walked out on him. I doubt he'll keep seeing me that way."

If she wanted to shock him, she failed, he'd already guessed as much. But he could still see that defensiveness, and he wanted to know what fired her.

"Was it fun?"

That stopped her in her tracks, "fun?"

Aaron shook his head, "it's the least that it should be. Sex. Fun is a minimal. If it's not fun, then it isn't pleasurable."

He watched her throat as she swallowed anxiously, "it was."

Again he nodded.

"What?" She turned to him, angry.

Shrugging he sipped at his tea, "nothing. Just agreeing."

"I do WHAT I want, WHEN I want and with WHO I want!"

"It's the twenty first century, I'd expect nothing less. Good for you."

Her eyes were sparkling, "don't patronise me!"

He wasn't patronising her, not deliberately, he was actually enjoying this fiery exchange.

"I'm not trying to." She scowled, and if she wasn't so angry, and drunk, he'd have laughed. "Look I thought we had something in common, we were the only ones propping up the bar tonight, the only ones not buying into the love fest. I thought that meant we had something to talk about."

Her face dropped as she took that in for a moment, "she's my best friend, I am over the moon for her. I don't know what you think you saw..."

This clearly wasn't going anywhere, he held up a hand, "sorry. I am just trying to make conversation...maybe we both need rest."

As he walked back to the lounge and his bed for the night, he heard her bare feet on the hall way floor, then her bedroom door opening and closing.

Women!