I’m sorry.” I say as I enter the room.

“No need. I understand if you were busy.”

Aden hugs me, but once he wants to step back, I hold him in place.

“No, I’m sorry because I forgot some things lately and it’s making us unhappy.”

Aden stares at me blankly.

“You were right: all the things I said to you on the first day we met might as well have been from a two-cent discount store. I knew it to be true, but I didn’t really feel it. I’m a fucking hypocrite. I’ve been doing things all wrong.”

I lead him to sit on the bed.

“You were right; this can be a happy ending. Not one where we’re closing off from each other and trying to hide our hurt but really living like these two weeks are all we have.”

“I was looking to book a ticket home.” he says, resigned.

I can’t say I’m surprised. I was losing faith in us too only hours ago. But now, I understand what we need. I react with a quiet urgency.

“Don’t go if you still feel anything for me.”

“After everything we talked about–”
“Aden, people face problems much bigger than ours all the time. If we can’t move past this, what can we move past?”

“Isn’t that the point?”

“No, it doesn’t mean you give up with the first push back.”

“This isn’t the first.”

“Well, this isn’t the last either.”

When he looks unconvinced, I swiftly lose my patience.

“Have you got somewhere to be? Someone else you’d rather be fighting with?”

Aden appraises me before responding.

“No, I want to be here.”

“Then be here; not on a flight home.”
He pulls me in and presses his ear to my ribcage as I stroke his luscious hair.
“I’m going to open up to you; I promise.”

Aden looks away. I know what he’s thinking, and it hurts me.

“You don’t believe me? Alright, get up.”

His surly mood means he’s not even going to respond to me, despite following my instructions. I sit down on the bed and look up at him.

“Kneel, Aden.”

I see his gaze sharpen and focus on me. But he just stands in front of me, eyes deep emerald waters thick with hesitance.

“Don’t you want me?”

My chest heats. Doesn’t he want to touch me? I’m beyond mortified! What if he doesn’t want me anymore? What if he leaves.

“Ground rules.” He says in a firm tone, but my thoughts are spiralling out of control.

“Wait.” I panic. “I’m not ready for everything.”

Aden kneels, bunching my skirt at the very top of my thighs and pulling my hand to place it on top of my vulva.

“Your pleasure is still yours, I promise.”

He spreads my thighs open and lands his hand on my belly, encouraging me to lie on my back.

“Take off your shirt.”

I oblige and even dispose of my bra as well while my underwear is unhooked from my ankles. He finally pulls off my skirt, leaving me bare. I don’t even feel vulnerable in my nakedness, and he might be clothed, but his face shows how truly disarmed he is. I want to ask him why, but then he stands, taking my legs with him and pulling so my ass ends up against his jeans.

There’s nothing more that I want in that moment than his touch. His fingers softly trickle down from my shins into my inner thighs. He kisses my calves passionately. I never knew that could feel so good. Opting to touch myself sooner rather than later, I do it all while watching Aden watch me. His hands and mouth never stop.

I’m climbing higher, wriggling. He cups my ass cheeks before parting my legs mid-air and kneeling back down. That change in position allows me to apply more pressure to clitoris as I rub. I moan with his teeth scraping at skin, his hands toying with my nipples and his lips kissing around my working hand.

“You smell appetizing.”

I gasp, inadvertently trapping his head between my thighs for a few moments.

“Aden.”
I wheeze. I’m so close and his voice is a natural accelerant to the fire burning inside of me.

“I already know I’m going to enjoy tasting you.”

I rub harder feeling a crescendo in my spine as it arches, gasping for more.

“One day, I’m going to lick inside of you and give you a ride straight to–”

I don’t hear anything else as my ears fill themselves with a powerful static and I come. When I move my hand away, Aden takes my ring-finger into his mouth. He kisses his way up my torso, playing with my sensitized nipples before coming up to kiss me avidly. I don’t know how long we stay on the bed, making out with my naked body draped on top of his fully clothed one.

We watch the city move outside our window in a relaxed, happy state. Aden’s fingers dig into my flesh as he from time to time kisses sections of my back while I lie on my stomach.

“I don’t want to hide from you anymore. I want you to know everything about me.” I look back at him as he braces himself and climbs up to face me.

“I don’t want to leave anymore.”

“Then I guess we should get to having those pending conversations.”

He watches me for a while.

“But I still think it’s for the best if we end things once I leave Cleveland.”