Thanks to @couture2540 for the amazing new cover!  Love it.

Chapter Twelve

Aaron looked at the lights of New York City as his plane came into land. He missed the place when he wasn't there. It was as close to a home as he'd ever had. Not something his mother would like to hear. She had called him earlier, lamenting about how wonderful it had been to see him, how she wished he visited more often. He didn't hate them, there was no real reason why he DIDN'T travel home more often, only that he was too busy...and he liked the life he had. He couldn't see him ever moving back to Britain, it had been too long. He glanced out the window again and smiled, and that was largely due to the City That Never Sleeps that he had the privilege of living in.

He sighed, though he rarely appreciated that much consciously. He'd realised that when he took Julia on a brief tour, her face, lighting up at the so familiar places, every street corner was a movie scene. It was a long time since he'd felt that love, that delight at the place he lived. He needed to take a long look at what his life had become.

All work and no play...how many girlfriends had thrown that adage at him? Too many to count. Maybe it was time to start living a little more?

Then he thought about Melissa, the first woman he'd seemed to give his time to. He didn't love her, he wasn't sure that he'd ever love anyone, he'd not met anyone who made him believe that, but Melissa had seemed different. Then he'd found her fucking some bit-part actor. And she'd orchestrated that. He knew that. "Come collect me? Around five? Here, have a key..."

He struggled to understand her motive; did she want the drama of him fighting with her roommate over her? Did she think that her value increased if he had competition? Or was she just a bitch, fucking with his emotions?

Weeks later he didn't know, and he hadn't cared...that was until the last week when she was trying to sell him out to the paparazzi. The anger bubbled under the surface, he'd tried to resist contacting her, he feared he might hurt her, and he knew that would be disastrous, that's without Tom reminding him in technicolour of his position on it all.

The stewardess smiled at him as she walked through the first class cabin, her eyes lingering longer on him than the others. Him with his crumpled suit and glasses that Melissa told him were geeky. He returned her smile, but then tipped his head, gathering his belongings. he wasn't about to come on to the woman, not that there was anything wrong with her, and not that he hadn't hooked up with members of cabin staff on trips in the past, he just wasn't in the mood any more.

He wanted to go home.

Patrick was waiting for him, leaning against the bonnet of the limo that was the head of his company's fleet of cars.

"Home, Mr Harding?"

Aaron smiled at the young man, "you read me like a book, Patrick. Thanks."

In the car, he pulled out his mobile phone and noted the messages that had arrived since landing. Groaning he unlocked the phone, then groaned. He had a dozen messages, but there were four slap bang in the middle of the list that were in capitals.

From Melissa.

He'd known there'd be a backlash for him thwarting her attempts at media attention.

WHO THE FUCK HAVE U MOVED INTO UR PLACE? U WOULDN'T EVEN LET ME STAY THE NIGHT

Suddenly he felt sick, the woman he'd dated for a few months, turning up at his place...someone as selfish and as unstable as Melissa was. He grimaced. Poor Julia, he only hoped that she was ok. He needed to cal her, but there were more messages.

U WILL PAY FOR THIS. MAKING ME LOOK A FOOL

Making YOU look a fool? There was so much wrong in that statement, at the end of the day he'd found HER with another man, this was only more evidence that she was crazy...and that she was feeling scorned over her failed attempt at a Kiss And Tell. Hell hath no fury...and all that. Groaning he looked back at the screen.

U NEED 2 ANSWER ME OR ELSE

It was Julia he needed to call...

I HATE YOU

As he searched for Julia's number he curbed the need to scream the exact words at her, but he wouldn't waste his breath or his phone time.

Julia's phone kicked straight to answer phone, and she didn't pick up on the house phone; he wanted to think that she'd gone out, but it was her presence that had triggered all this. If he'd been there, it wouldn't have ended any better, but delusional Melissa wouldn't realise that.

Leaning forward he called to Patrick, "any short cut possible will be rewarded."

Patrick chuckled, "ok, Mr Harding."

Aaron groaned, "it's Aaron, you know that, Patrick."

"And I always take the shortest route."

It made Aaron laugh, something he hadn't imagined could happen after the occurrences of the last ten minutes.

He took the stairs as the lift seemed to be taking ages, dragging his bag behind him, when he got to the floor, he was glad to find it locked...he had all sorts of visualisations. And they all involved Julia being hurt.

Opening the door, he threw his weekend bag to the floor, then burst into the lounge to find Julia, curled up on the sofa, the TV on, a glass of wine in front of her. She looked up at him when she heard him enter the room, and until that moment, he'd wondered if it was all his imagination. But her eyes looked sad, puffy. That bitch HAD upset her.

He rushed over, "I'm so sorry."

She sighed, "really?"

He nodded, "Melissa came here..."

Leaning forwards, she placed her elbows on her knees, "skinny psycho bitch? Is that who you mean? She rolled her eyes, "you have absolutely shit taste in women, Aaron Harding."

Lowering himself opposite her, he ran a hand through his hair, "she was an acquaintance...someone I dated...for FAR longer than I should have. But it's been over a long time."

She held up a hand, "don't need to hear anything...I have to go to bed. This has been a long day."

He wanted to reach out, stop her, explain, but he didn't move in time. With an awkward grimace, she disappeared into her bedroom.

Aaron punched the wall, just when he thought that he was making a breakthrough with Julia, that they were becoming friends...THIS happens.

Storming into the kitchen he pulled the top off a beer, and tried to drink it, but it felt as though it was choking him. Tossing the bottle in the sink, he climbed the wrought iron staircase to his bedroom, then marched into the shower.

He emerged fifteen minutes later a little more relaxed physically, but he was still furious at Melissa. He usually lounged around in his boxers, often slept naked, but with the lack of literally concrete walls between him and his houseguest, he had needed to invest in some lounge pants, which he pulled on, with an old college t-shirt.

He stared at his phone, sat on the bed blinking at him, but had to ignore it. No good would come from contacting her, he knew that. So he opened the side door and made for the roof garden.

There was something about the serenity of being above the humdrum of the Brooklyn streets, yet the scrapers of Manhattan seemed to stand there silently, waiting for noises of the night that surrounded them, almost an anticipation. It still thrilled him, still made him smile.

He moved to the small concealed fridge and tried again with a beer, it was still ineffective, still didn't ease any of the anxieties in him. Slumping into his seat, he pulled the phone from his pocket and stared at it for a moment, then with a groan dialled Tom.

"Don't call her!" He announced as soon as he'd explained his predicament, there was no anger at him calling at a late hour on a Friday, instead he was already typing into his laptop, Aaron could hear the almost furious tapping in the background. "We'll get an injunction out against her...the recent kiss and tell thing will add to your argument. The woman is crazy; just get her out of your life. Confronting her will just make her more inspired, she'll think that you care. Promise me you'll ignore her."

Aaron leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, "that's already done. Just hope I can repair the damage she's bloody caused."

Despite all that happened, he slept like a log. When he opened his eyes and reached for his watch, he was amazed to see it was after nine. He never slept in after eight. He had no agenda for the weekend, so a sleep in was a good thing. Rolling on to his back, he looked around the room then half smiled normally one of the C's would have woken him, wanting to go out; neither had the greatest bladder and he shut their balcony at night. He'd slept in because the dogs were with their new favourite house dweller...and it wasn't him.

Sitting him up, he stretched then headed into the bathroom, he wasn't going to function without a shower.

Julia was lying on the sofa watching The Gilmore Girls. She found a channel that re ran loads of old US dramas that she'd watched when her and Abi had been in Uni. This one was a classic, and she was glued...but then she'd been up for hours, something about hurtful and derogatory comments from a beautiful person really upset her equilibrium. Plus she had two dogs trying to smother her by trying to lie on her head.

So she'd got up, and dressed, then walked them to the park. It was invigorating getting up every morning and taking a walk around the park. Back in London she got up five minutes before her bus and ate a breakfast bar when she got on there. Here, she was up, awake, and ready to enjoy every day...even if it was the weekend.

She'd brought some fresh and still warm croissants, hoping that Aaron appeared before they lost their edge. She had stormed out on him the previous night, quite erratically. But when they returned, the apartment was still in silence. But the three of them ate, and now, she was lying on the larger of the two sofas, both dogs curled up on her belly, when she heard Aaron's feet on the stairs.

Glancing up she met his eyes and felt a little awkward, "I brought some croissants from the bakery along the road."

His face lit up, "you've taken the boys out?"

She nodded as he reached the floor, "death by suffocation, or a walk...I'm not ready to die yet."

That made him laugh. Melissa had hated the dogs, the occasions that she had come to his home - and there weren't many...he had to lock them in their room. To see Julia wrapped up in them, uncaring...loving them even, it warmed him. And she'd got up before him to walk them; she was morphing into the perfect woman. He froze at that thought. Because that wasn't where he was heading, even in his thoughts. Comparing any woman to Melissa would see them come out winning. That was all it was.

"Croissants?" He asked, hoping his voice didn't betray his sudden rush of anxiety. "I love them from there."

She grinned, turning her eyes back to the TV, "they're still warm...and there's coffee."

"I could get used to this!"

He cringed as the words left his mouth; instead he sliced and filled his pastry, and grabbed a mug of coffee.

"I wanted to say sorry, for snapping last night."Julia offered as he sat opposite her.

He had a mouth full of flaky pastry, and could barely answer her, gulping at his coffee, he shook his head, "no. You owe me nothing. Look Melissa...she..."

Julia held up her hand, "you don't have to explain."

"I do. We dated...for a few months...which for me is quite long, she was meant to come to London with me. But I found her having sex with her housemate. Not sure if she was trying to make me jealous...whatever it was, it didn't work the way she wanted. I have no idea why she came around last night..."

Julia gave a sarcastic laugh, "I do. That was what the Statesiders call a Bootie Call."

He rolled his eyes, "I haven't seen her in weeks...months. She's nothing, ok?"

Shrugging, she scratched Cliffy's head and he wriggled on to his back, his head between her breasts, and Aaron had to turn his head away for a moment. "It's nothing to do with me, who you date? Who you bring home...

"I've not...she's not..." He felt his face flush but she wasn't about to let him finish.

"It's fine, Aaron. This is my bad."

He almost growled, "will you bloody listen to me, for just one minute?"

She stared at him, then nodded, "calm down, Mr."

"Look, I made a mistake - dating her. She's a bit psycho, and she orchestrated me walking in on her fucking her housemate, some two-bit TV actor. I haven't heard from her in weeks, and then this today. That is her being her psycho self. Ok? I had no idea when I invited you here that she'd turn up and upset you. I am sorry for that, because it is MY bad. Ok?"

He was so insistent that it was almost endearing.

"Truce?" She asked, extending an arm.

Aaron didn't seem to laugh that often, but when he did, it was a warm, rich happy sound and it made her smile as he took the proffered hand, "again? We seem to be blowing up and trucing far too often."

"Two strong people, that's all."

He laughed again, a real treat, "stubborn and pig-headed more like."

"That's exactly how Abi would describe me."

Aaron smile widened, "probably similar to how my brother describes me too."

Silence passed between them, other than the dialogue of the TV show, then one of the dogs...Aaron was sure it was Coco, the Shitzhu, let out a loud, and he knew from experience, stinky fart.

Julia laughed, placing her index and finger over her nose, before sliding the dogs off her.

"I take you for a walk and THAT'S how you repay me!"

Both dogs yapped excitedly and she rolled her eyes, "I can't be angry with them."

Chuckling, he scooped one up in each hand then nuzzled both of them, "stinkers, they are both stinkers. Come on guys."

He took them out to their room, closing the door before returning to Julia.

"I have to go in the City today, the East Village. Wondered if you wanted to do the tourist thing...walk Brooklyn Bridge with me."

Her eyes lit up and he knew he'd done the right thing.

"We'll go in five minutes?"

She nodded enthusiastically, before disappearing into her room. Finally they were on the same page...he'd leave Melissa to Tom and the legal wrangles he was familiar with. That didn't mean that he didn't want to scream at her.