Aiden shuffled me into a bedroom. It was enormous. Windows lined the far wall with the most spectacular view of the ocean. A large bed was smack in the centre of the room and if I laid in it, I could comfortably watch the beach below. It was like a painting, too beautiful to be real. The clouds were almost at our fingertips, floating on the other side of the glass. I was once again reminded of how contrasting circumstances could be. Perfection could exist, just as much as pure evil dwelled among it.

"Is this. . . your bedroom?" I questioned, fighting the urge to dive into the comfortable bed just to experience it first hand.

"Yeah," he closed the door and slid his hands into his pockets. "Look, what she said back there, about you being a one night stand, I can explain—"

"Aiden, you don't—"

"No please," he stepped a little closer. "Look, I'm not like that. But I was. I haven't seen Zee in almost two years and when she left, I was at a place in my life where I had women coming and going. But about eleven months ago, I just— I realised that's not what I want. I don't want you to get the wrong impression about who I am."

I gave him a shy smile. "Aiden, you don't have to explain yourself to me. You're a grown man with a sex drive. It's none of my business."

"I just didn't want you to get the wrong idea about me," his brows furrowed as he watched me with concern.

I wasn't sure why he was so worried about what I thought. It wasn't even a surprise to hear that he had an active sex life. The man was out of this world good looking. Hell, I had witnessed just how head turning he was whenever we were out and about together.

I gave him a little shrug and grinned. "I don't think bad of you. Honest. You can sleep with whoever you want."

His teeth sunk into his bottom lip as he stared down at me. The green in his gaze became darker and he subtly shook his head. "Not whoever I want."

My head spun. That was direct. Too direct to ignore. I had been choosing to believe that he still saw me as a friend for the sake of my heart. But his expression left no more room to feign oblivion. He was so close to me now. I could feel his mint breath fanning me as he watched me with rapid breaths. I was in a state much the same. I was becoming dizzy while I tried to remember what breathing was.

His hand slid on to my waist, his fingers curling around and gently digging in as he drew me forward. "Tell me not to kiss you," he murmured, using his free hand to brush the front of my hair behind my ear as he stared at my mouth.

I swallowed, sure that he could hear my heart. It was thumping. It was deafening but all I could do was whisper what I wanted to scream. "I don't want to."

His eyes widened for a moment so brief, that I almost didn't see it. And then his hand wrapped around my nape and he drew me in, his lips just brushing mine when the door flew open.

He dropped his hold as if he'd been burned and stepped back so fast that I almost ended up in a heap on the floor. Zoerina watched us with a sarcastic wince. "Whoops," she laughed. "I'm going to get some cigarettes. Where's the keys to my Merc."

"In the same place as my last fûcking nerve," Aiden snapped. He laced our fingers together and I gave his sister an apologetic smile as we passed her and headed for the kitchen. I stared down at our hands and almost died. I loved the look of his large warm grasp holding mine.

I could hear Zoerina walking behind us but it wasn't long before she made her presence known. "I wasn't expecting a welcome home party. But I don't even think you've said hello. What's the deal? Lose your last shred of humanity while I was gone?"

In the kitchen, Aiden dropped my hand and I couldn't help but feel disappointed as he beelined straight for the small row of hooks beside his alarm box. He snatched a pair of keys and tossed them at his sister who caught them with one hand.

"Thanks."

"Goodbye," Aiden said, moving over the food that we had been preparing before we became distracted. "We'll talk later."

"Look forward to it," she drawled, rolling her eyes as she twisted on her heel.

When she was gone, I peered over at Aiden who was making the tortellini. His hands didn't shake. His face was relaxed, save for the pinch in his brows. I wandered over and stood beside him, helping while the silence surrounded us to the point where I felt like I was going to burst from tension overload.

"I'm sorry, Arian," he finally said, his focus on the task not wavering. "You're married and that was way out of line. It won't happen again."

Disappointment flooded through me. I opened my mouth to dispute what he said, but I realised how it would sound. I couldn't tell him that I didn't care if I was married. I wanted him. That would put me in a bad light. And then I would have to explain why I didn't care that I was married and I couldn't do that. I wanted to. I was starting to believe that I should confide it all. But this wasn't the right time.

"You seem— tense about having your sister back," I filled in the silence and twisted the tortellini closed, throwing it into the pot beside us. It was filling up and we didn't have a lot left to do.

Aiden sighed with a slight nod. "Zee was dating someone before she left. He was a piece of shit. Used to hit her and that sort of thing."

I tried not to react while he continued talking.

"She had enough one day and batted him across the face, dislocated his jaw. Anyway after he healed, he came after her. He threatened her and said that he was going to kill her. I gave her some cash and told her to get out of town for a while. Recently he was— detained. But I didn't want her coming home. I don't know who told her that her ex had been tak— detained."

"Why didn't you want your sister coming home?" I questioned. I didn't want to dwell on the rest of the story. It hit too close to home.

"Because—" he paused, wincing as he rested his hands on the surface. "Because she's the reason that Po became an addict. I don't trust them around each other."

I stared at him with surprise. "Your sister is an addict too?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "She was friends with Po before I was. That's how I met him. They're both twenty seven and back in high school, I think she was in love with him. Perhaps, still is. The first time that he had sex, it was with her. But as he already told you, he was confused about who he was. So when he didn't fall straight back into bed with her, she was hurt. She started dating some dumb ass to make him jealous. And that dumb ass introduced her to drugs.

"She was still spending time with Po, as friends. Even if she did want more. So they experimented with things together that her boyfriend provided. Weed, MDMA and it got worse until both of them were on heroin. My parents helped them both out but when Dad died, Zee relapsed and then Po wasn't far behind. And well, you already know the rest of his story. Zee has never had good taste in men.

"And I don't say that lightly, because Po is like a brother to me."

"Wow."

"Mmmm. Last I heard, she was still clean. She looks sober and I doubt she would have come back if she was using. But I still get uncomfortable when her and Po are together. He's been doing well."

I processed what he told me and felt sorrow for what both of them had been through. I couldn't imagine how it must have felt for her when she wanted Hunapo and he wasn't secure enough in who he was to return the feelings. Unrequited love might have been the cruelest fate that life had to offer us. Which was hard for me to admit considering I was living a secret life of hell.

"Well, I like her," I said to Aiden, smiling when he glanced down at me with surprise.

"Wasn't she rude to you?"

"Yeah but that's just because she doesn't know me."

He laughed.

"I mean, she still might not when she does know me. But for now, that can be my reasoning."

"Na, you're right," he nodded and lifted the now full pot of pasta so that it could be filled with water. "She'll be sold as soon as she sees how great you are."

_____

When Aiden told me that he would purchase a dining table so that he could host dinner parties that I would cook for, I thought that he was kidding. But just before Maddie and Cameron arrived, a couple of men that worked for him, carried in a large dining table and had it put together in five minutes flat. It was a simple dark pine with soft black leather seats. It suited the rest of the kitchen well.

The aroma of fresh pasta floated around the kitchen, knives and forks moved against plates, wine was poured into glasses and I was relieved when the group seemed to agree that the food tasted delicious. Even Zoerina, who had joined us just in time to eat, thought that it was delectable.

"I don't know why you waitress," Maddie said with her mouthful. "You should be in the kitchen. You're so good at cooking."

Aiden sat beside me and nodded with agreement as he picked up his tall glass of chilled beer. The two of us locked gazes for a moment and all I could think about was the fact that we'd been a heart beat away from kissing and I had this strong desire to finish what we started.

"Who taught you how to cook?" Cameron questioned. I turned my attention from the man beside me and smiled at Maddie's fiancé.

He seemed sweet so far. He was tall and lean with fluffy brown hair and golden sun kissed skin. I pushed the food around in my plate and remembered Lana from back at home in Tampa who I hadn't seen since Desmond dragged me out of her diner when she insisted that she get our new phone number. I missed her.

"Lana, a family friend that I grew up close with," I explained, feeling sheepish with the table watching me. "She owns a diner. She's always been an inspiration."

"That's real nice," he nodded with a sincere smile. "I love it when people who aren't a direct relative can make so much impact in someone's life. As if they were meant to end up there. Ya know?"

"Cameron is big on fate," Maddie gave him a nudge and giggled. "He's super leave it to the stars and throw caution to the wind."

"You make it sound like I'm a circus travelling gypsy," he scoffed. "I just appreciate things that have happened, that would seem to be more than just chance."

"I love that," I piped up. "It's so positive. And I agree. Some things are just meant to be embraced whether it's happened out of the blue or not."

"This," Zoerina interrupted, her bowl already empty as she stared at all of us. "Reminds me of an Ayahuasca ceremony that I did on the outskirts of California two months ago. Now if we could all just proceed to violently vomit and shit, I would be convinced that someone slipped us the herbal tea."

"What's an Ayahuasca ceremony?" I questioned, confused but intrigued by her statement.

She leaned back in her seat and smiled. "Life changing."

I waited for her to elaborate, but she didn't. So I shrugged a shoulder and saw that Aiden was staring at her with boredom. I didn't have a sibling so I didn't understand the dynamics. But I was mildly amused at how much sarcasm seemed to be involved.

"So Arian," Maddie said as she set her glass down. "How's Desmond?"

"Oh right," I leaned forward and pointed to Cameron, keeping my demeanour light, which wasn't at all how I felt when I talked about my husband in such a public setting. "How come you don't like him? Please don't take that as me being offended. I'm just curious."

"Oh," he stared between Aiden and Maddie as if he was silently scolding them for dropping him in it. "We just don't see eye to eye on most things around the office. I'm also an intern, so I'm learning. But he doesn't have that element that makes him capable to teach. He's just kind of rude and has a bad energy about him."

"Tell her how you really feel," Aiden quietly murmured with amusement. I blushed at all of the attention.

I once again flared up with that nauseous anxiety. As if he would hear me or know that I was talking about him. It was ridiculous to let the fear control me so much. But I couldn't help it. Still, I didn't want him to ruin the evening that I was having so I just smiled and let it go.

"Who's Desmond?" Zoerina filled the quiet with confusion.

Maddie pointed at me with her fork. "Arian's husband."

"What the fûck?"

She stared at Aiden and I with utter confusion and disbelief. "I thought you two were dating?!"

"We're just fri— we're friends," I looked at Aiden who was shooting daggers at his glass. His harsh focus was directed on anything but the table's occupants.

"Alright, so was I seeing things when I walked in on the two of you having a pash earlier?"

"What?" Maddie and Cameron exclaimed in unison.

I stiffened and felt the fire in my cheeks. I knew that I would have been as red as a tomato. The air around us prickled with silence. It made me fear that the room would be able to hear the hammering in my chest. I wanted to say something but for the first time in a long time, no lie came forth on command.

"It wasn't a pash," Aiden informed everyone as he stared at Zoerina. "It was a hug. You were a bitch. Hurt her feelings."

That wasn't the truth. But his conviction was convincing. Plus it was better than everyone knowing that we were indeed about to kiss and would have if Zoerina hadn't interrupted. Perhaps it was best that she had. But I was finding it difficult to hold that opinion with sincerity.

Zoerina apologised for our initial meeting. She still continued to watch us as though she didn't believe what we told her though. So I put some distance between us after that. I made sure that I wasn't being too flirtatious with Aiden while we cleaned up after dinner and sat in the living room with a beverage.

Aiden informed his sister that Po would be home soon and not long after, she called it a night. He seemed surprised that she didn't wait around to see him, but he didn't question it. At about ten, Maddie and Cameron thanked us for dinner and left as well. Aiden and I sat beside each other on the couch and I was so aware of how alone we were that I was aching with the need to be closer.

It hurt. How much I tried to resist. The erratic breathing and fidgeting to distract myself from closing the distance between us was insane. And the front doors had only just closed. But it seemed that fate would have other ideas for us, because as Aiden subtly slid across the couch, Hunapo appeared from the corridor. I hadn't even seen him come through after being out at his meeting.

"We have a bit of an urgent situation," he said from the entrance. He and Aiden shared knowing looks.

Aiden stood up and offered me his hand as he continued to watch Hunapo. "I'll be there in a minute. Go and wait downstairs to give Arian a ride home please," he stared down at me and smiled. "I'm sorry that I have to cut the evening short."

His voice was quiet as his hands wrapped around my back and he held me close. "I had a great afternoon with you. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"If you wa— want," I was breathless as he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against my forehead. He offered to see me out but I told him to go ahead. Honestly, I was afraid that if I was around him for a lot longer, I would lose the will to resist.

I was so wound up with all of the tension that seemed to exist between us. Whenever he was close, my skin hummed with electricity that only he could spark with the touch of our hands or the graze of his lips.

I waited by the elevators but realised how much I needed to pee as they dinged open. I dropped my bag off my shoulder and dashed up the hall in search of the bathroom. I'd used it before but the corridor was like a maze with so many different doors that I could never remember which one went where.

I stopped outside of one at the end of the passageway and gripped the handle when I heard the distinct sound of a male whimpering. It was pleading and desperate and my blood ran cold as I listened. With a pounding heart and a voice telling me to turn the hell around, I twisted the handle and quietly opened the door. The voice became louder.

It was dark apart from a small slither of light at the bottom of the stair case. When I peered hard enough, it looked like there was another door at the bottom and it was ajar. I tip toed down the carpeted stair case and felt nauseous at the distressed sounds. But I was more alert when Aiden's harsh voice spoke over it.

"I told you I didn't want this done tonight. I had fûcking guests."

"We found a conversation on his phone boss," an unfamiliar voice replied. I reached the bottom of the stair case and peeked through the gap in the door. Aiden was standing beside another man who was dressed in dark clothes and a bullet proof vest. "It was tonight or he was going to get her. Read this."

The unfamiliar man held out a cellphone and Aiden leaned in beside him, reading or looking at whatever was on the screen. I swallowed and for a minute, I wondered if someone would have heard it because of how loud it was. I moved a fraction to the side and that allowed me to see a man sitting on the concrete floor. He was overweight, older and sweating because he was bound and gagged.

Aiden stepped back with a sound of disgust coming from his throat. He reached over, out of my line of vision and when he was back in sight, he had a gun, firing it without hesitation just as the victims eyes met mine. The bullet went straight through his head and a shower of blood covered the wall behind him.

It wasn't until Aiden and the man were staring at the spot that I was standing, that I realised that I had screamed. I was panting and breathless and I had screamed. He walked towards the door and swung it open while I fought to keep upright. "Arian," he reached out but I ran.

I ran with all that I had.