Chapter 9

It was already dark by the time we made it to the hotel where we would be staying.

Aaron and Ronnie hadn’t planned on taking so long on the way. Since Jess wasn’t allowed to drive, she insisted we make a stop every hour after we took off from the convenience store.

Every time we stopped, Aaron and Ronnie would groan in annoyance. I noticed the smug look on Jess’ face and I couldn’t help but laugh at her wit.

Aaron had already made the reservations for the hotel. We only had to pick up the access cards and sign in. Ronnie and Jess left Aaron and me to take care of everything.

Ronnie claimed he had to “spank” Jess. Jess complained that we had to sign in for them because she had to run and “protect” herself from Ronnie.

It was all in good fun, so I didn’t mind that Aaron was left to sign us in. While he’d been signing papers and getting our access cards, I’d plugged in my ear buds and listened to some music.

As soon as Aaron was done with the paperwork, Ronnie and Jess mysteriously appeared, snatched the card to their room, and took off to the elevator. Aaron told me it was two doors down from ours. I wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

“Are you sleepy?” Aaron asked me.

We were sharing a room with a single bed. It wasn’t like it freaked me out. It wasn’t the first time we slept in the same bed.

Somehow, things just felt different in the trip.

Maybe it was the air, or how free I felt. There was a current of electricity between us, and I felt it every time he came too close to me.

“Not really, but I am tired,” I admitted.

I hadn’t slept well last night. I’d slept over at Aaron’s apartment. Being so close to him made it impossible not to think about the trip and what it would mean for us.

It felt too risky to be here, and now I understood just how dangerous it really was.

I didn’t want to jeopardize my friendship with Aaron- not when I was so close to going home and finally settling things with my past, with Matt.

“We should hang out here in the room then. We’ll watch a movie or something,” Aaron said, as he unpacked things from his duffel bag.

“Will you be busy all day tomorrow?” I asked him, thinking about the convention.

I hadn’t really talked to Aaron about it, but I was hesitant of going. I was nervous. As goofy as Jess acted, at least she knew what was up with Aaron and Ronnie.

My stomach was already in knots- wondering if maybe I’d be a burden to Aaron. I didn’t know the city well, I didn’t know anyone going to the convention, and I had no idea what I’d even be doing there.

“It’ll start around two in the afternoon. Last year it ended at midnight.  We don’t have to stay all day though.”

I nodded at his words, and began rummaging through my own suitcase.

“Do you mind if I don’t go?” I asked him.

Aaron was in the middle of piling some of his video games on the bedside table. My words caused him to stop what he was doing. He looked up at me, a frown quickly taking over his face.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s just- I don’t think it’s my scene. What if you went to the convention while I went out into the city? Or maybe I could stay here and catch up with some reading?”

“You don’t have any homework,” Aaron said, trapping me with his intense gaze.

He didn’t look pleased.

“I know. I mean, I could just stay here and read some books from your iPad. You downloaded so many good ones last week and I haven’t gotten a chance to check them out,” I said, very lamely.

It was the first thing that came to my mind and it sounded pathetic in my ears.

“You want to skip the convention to read?” He asked, sounding surprised. The way he shook his head in disapproval made me see he hadn’t believed my words.

I shook my head, and began messing with the hem of my shirt.

“Umm… Or I could go into the city?” I said, more in a question than a statement.

“We can go out into the city in the morning, before heading to the convention. Then we’ll go for a few hours to the campus. At night, if you want, we can go out clubbing or something,” Aaron replied, shrugging.

The frown was still on his forehead, but he’d eased it. He was trying to appear relaxed, but his tense posture told me he was far from it.

“I just-” was all I got to say before he interrupted me.

“You don’t want to be here,” Aaron stated, flatly.

“What?” I quickly asked, feeling panicky that he’d come to that conclusion.

“If you didn’t want to come, it wasn’t like I was going to force you or anything,” Aaron said.

He grabbed all of the videogame cases and dumped them roughly on the duffel bag he’d just taken them out of. They made a loud crashing sound and it made me shrink back.

“I did want to come. I just don’t know if I want to go to that convention thing. It’s just- it sounds…” I let the sentence hang.

“Nerdy?” He snapped.

I stared at him wide-eyed, not believing that he was getting mad over this.

It wasn’t like I was trying to insult him by not going. ‘Nerdy’ had been the last thing I expected him to say.

As much as he loved video games, computers, and hacking into things- Aaron was far from being nerdy.

He was too smart, I would never argue against that. But he made it up by being so normal, funny, and his appearance- it made it unfair for everybody else.

Aaron had everything. He wasn’t the problem, I was.

“I just don’t want to go, alright?” My voice sounded whiny, and I hated that.

“Then maybe you should’ve told me that before coming.” His voice was sharp, and it made me take a step back away from him.

“You didn’t back off. You kept telling me and telling me to come. How did you expect me to say ‘no’ if you kept insisting?” I asked in a demanding tone.

Aaron took a deep breath, looking like he was trying to calm down. My words had really gotten to him.

It was a low blow from my part. He’d jokingly been pushing me to come, but he never put pressure. I actually really did want to come- especially because I hadn’t been ready to give up my time with him.

But I was too mad at him. Saying that was the first thing that came to my mind and I spoke before thinking.

“You’re right,” he agreed.  His voice sounded emotionless.

He was agreeing with me, yet his words felt wrong- detached. My heart instantly began beating faster.

“I keep insisting with you. I get it. I’ll back off now.”

His words were like a slap to my face, which stung deeper than I thought it could.

I stared at him, not knowing what to say.

“Aaron,” I whispered his name, taking a step closer to him.

He raised his hands in the air defensively, like if he didn’t want to have any contact with me.

“Don’t,” he said, before stalking to the door.

The door slammed shut really loud, the sound resounding through the room and making me feel so alone- even though Aaron had just left.

I stood in the same place, staring at the door, and wondering what the hell had just happened.

I didn’t notice I was crying until I felt the tears dripping down my cheeks and making my vision blurry.

‘Aaron just walked out on me,’ I kept thinking.

Somehow, that thought didn’t make sense to me.

I wasn’t sure how much time passed, but I remained standing in the same place. I expected Aaron to come back. After all, his things were here.

His clothes, his videogames, his laptop, his duffel bag- everything was scattered around the hotel room.

As soon as I felt some control over my legs, I made my way to the bathroom to try and clean up.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My hair was all over the place, my face looked blotchy, and I could see the trail of dried tears on my cheeks.

In simple words- I looked a mess.

So many thoughts kept running through my mind- and I couldn’t focus on one single thing.

Was it my fault? Was it wrong that I proposed to ditch the convention?

He had been going on and off about it for the past week. Aaron had said there were so many things he wanted to show me, and he wanted me to meet more of his friends.

I just didn’t want to go. I was horrible with technology, and I didn’t want to change things between us by meeting more of his friends- not yet at least.

At the same time, I felt excited about getting more involved in Aaron’s life.

I’d spent so much time in the dark after Matt died. Aaron had been the only person who’d given my life any form of color.

The more I thought about it, the guiltier I felt.

I quietly made my way to Ronnie and Jess’ room, wondering if they’d stayed in like Aaron and I had planned to do.

If they were in the room, there was no doubt Aaron would be in there with them.

I knocked softly on the door, looking to my left and right- hoping to catch any sign of Aaron.

The TV blasting through the other side of the door told me they were in there.

“Jess!” I called, knocking louder.

A few seconds later, Ronnie opened the door. The goofy grin on his face told me he was up to something.

“Hey, is Aaron here?” I asked him.

My voice sounded nervous, and I cursed myself for not saying a few words to try and smooth it out before coming to find Aaron.

“Are you okay?” Ronnie asked, frowning at me.

He crossed his arms on his chest, and suddenly- he looked intimidating. I knew he wasn’t going for that, but it was how it appeared. It was strange, since I’d usually pegged him on the softy side.

“I’m fine. I’m just looking for Aaron. Have you seen him around?” I asked him.

“Annie?” Jess asked, coming to the door. She stood next to Ronnie, and they both looked at me with questioning eyes.

“Wasn’t he with you?” Ronnie asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“He was, but then he left,” I replied, too slow and unsure. It sounded like a lie.

“Let me call him. Come on in,” Ronnie said.

He motioned with his arm toward the inside, and Jess quickly offered me a warm smile.

She looped her arm with mine, and dragged me into the room.

Her hair looked messy, and her clothes were wrinkled. No doubt her and Ronnie were getting up to something before I’d come to interrupt.

“Did you two get into a fight?” Jess asked me, with a sympathetic expression on her face.

I nodded, but didn’t say anything else. Suddenly, my throat felt dry. I looked at Jess suspiciously. Now, I wasn’t so sure how smart it was to be sitting so close to her.

I had only known her for a day, and already I was aware of how upfront and personal her questions could be.

“You two didn’t break up, did you? Annie, don’t ruin my spring break plans,” Jess said, pouting her lower lip at me.

“Jess!” Ronnie snapped at her.

He had his cell phone pressed to his ear, but he kept shaking his head.

“They’re not dating, so they couldn’t have broken up,” Ronnie told Jess, giving her a pointed look.

“You’re an idiot,” Jess told him.

Ronnie frowned at her, but he didn’t add anything else.

“I know you like him,” she whispered in my ear.

Her comment made me blush. Even though Ronnie hadn’t heard Jess’s words, I was still feeling nervous about the entire situation.

“He’s not picking up,” Ronnie told me, giving me an apologetic smile.

“It’s alright. Do you think you can tell him that I really need to talk to him? You know, if he comes here,” I asked.

Ronnie nodded his head at me. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he kept quiet. I was glad for that. I didn’t need someone else making comments about my strange relationship with Aaron.

Despite Jess’s many attempts to persuade me to stay, I was finally able to convince her that I was tired and needed sleep.

It was true, so at least I didn’t lie. But I knew that with Aaron gone, there was no way I could sleep.

I ended up in our room. Instead of lying down to sleep, I grabbed Aaron’s laptop. He’d already set it up in his desk. At midnight, there was supposed to be announcements about tomorrow.

The convention was not only for gamers, but for technology in general. According to Aaron, there would be prototypes of some gadgets that were barely getting tested and other ‘cool stuff’ that we could buy- which wasn’t even in stores yet.

His laptop was already on, and I knew the password to this one- so I quickly typed it and logged myself in.

I smiled when I glanced at his background.

It was a picture of him and me at the diner. Lately, he’d been getting the habit of carrying his camera everywhere and capturing ‘every moment’. I did love that sometimes he would pick his favorite pictures and then sketch them out.

Lately, he’d been letting me keep most of the sketches- which were usually of him and me or of me alone.

After pointlessly sitting around for half an hour, I decided to go look for him. I figured I’d walk around the hotel. If I didn’t see him anywhere, then I’d go check if he was in his car.

That was my last option, and I was hoping I’d find him somewhere around here.

I tried calling him a few times, but he never answered. After voting against leaving a voicemail, I settled for a text- knowing he’d at least open it even if he didn’t reply.

Are you okay? Where are you? I’m sorry…

I could’ve left a voicemail. I knew he would hear it. It was a typical Aaron thing. He didn’t like being kept in the dark and he didn’t like games- at least not when it came to something as serious as this.

I regretted not carrying a jacket once I stepped outside. It was fresh out, even though it had been hot during the day.

I slowly strolled through the sidewalk, enjoying the cold air hitting my skin. This city was just as big as the one back home- or what was my home while I attended school.

I could see Aaron’s black sleek car in the parking lot, on the side of the hotel.

Aaron was there, standing next to it.

He wasn’t alone though. There was a girl right in front of him and they seemed to be in a heated conversation. I measured up the girl who was making me slightly irritated. She hadn’t done anything, other than stand alone with Aaron right next to his car.

I began making my way toward them, wondering who she was. Aaron was here with me- and Ronny and Jess of course. But that was all.

“No offense, but there’s no way that’s even possible,” Aaron said.

He was facing away from me, so he hadn’t noticed I was approaching him.

“Oh please, you’re not as good as you think. And this is my year, I know it,” the girl replied.

“Hello?” The girl asked, cocking her head to the side and giving me a strange look.

I stopped walking just as Aaron turned to face me.

When his gaze landed on me, the smile he’d had on his lips vanished.

He wasn’t frowning at me, but there was something cold about his expression- it made a chill run down my spine.

“Babe, did you pack my iPod? You had it last night,” some other guy walked over to stand next to the girl that had been in front of Aaron.

“It’s in my bag,” she replied to him, but she kept her eyes on me.

“Hey,” I nervously waved at Aaron.

An awkward silence settled between us. Aaron wasn’t saying anything. He just looked at me with a blank expression.

The girl was looking between Aaron and me with curiosity, while the other guy stood next to her rummaging through a backpack.

“What are you doing out here? It’s cold,” Aaron scolded me, as he shrugged of his jacket. It had been inside his car, so I assumed he had gotten cold and taken it out.

He handed it to me and I took gratefully, welcoming any sort of contact or conversation from him.

Aaron didn’t smile at me, and he made a point of not even touching me while giving me his jacket.

The jacket was too big for me, but it was warm. I was relishing on the smell that reminded me so much of Aaron- it made me feel safe.

“I don’t know you,” the girl stated bluntly, while cocking an eyebrow.

There was an amused expression on her face.

“Right,” Aaron said, grabbing my elbow and standing me next to him.

He wasn’t touching my skin, since I had the jacket on. The way he was holding on to my elbow, it made me feel like I’d done something wrong. It let me know he was still mad at me.

“This is TJ and his girlfriend Sandy. Guys, this is Annabel,” Aaron introduced us.

“You two are…?” Sandy’s questioning tone made Aaron tighten the grip on my elbow.

TJ finally turned up from his backpack, and he grinned at me.

“I’ve heard about you,” he said to me, before nodding toward Aaron.

I was certain I was blushing, and the teasing look TJ was giving Aaron didn’t exactly help. Aaron frowned at him, but he didn’t say anything.

“I haven’t,” Sandy pressed, looking between the three us expectantly.

“Well you’re hearing about her now. We’re leaving because it’s cold out here, it’s late, and I’m tired,” Aaron quickly said.

He grabbed my hand tightly in his and began dragging us away from Sandy and TJ, and back to the hotel.

“I’ll kick your ass tomorrow Aaron!” Sandy yelled.

TJ burst out laughing. I didn’t turn to look at either of them, but a grin took over Aaron’s lips. He raised his hand up in the air and stuck his middle finger out- I assumed at Sandy.

“Bastard!” She called out, which only made TJ laugh louder.

Aaron’s tight grip on my hand didn’t let up until we made it inside the hotel.

Once we stepped into the lobby, he abruptly dropped my hand. I had to admit- it hurt. I let it go, and avoided his eyes.

He’d stopped walking and was looking down at me.

I couldn’t see his expression, but I felt his piercing stare on me.

“I could take you home tonight if you’d like. We could go get our stuff and I’ll drive you back. Pete’s coming over tomorrow morning and I’ll hitch a ride with him,” Aaron said.

I snapped my eyes so quickly to look up at him.

“You don’t want me here?” I asked him.

My voice sounded soft- insecure. It scared me.

Aaron frowned at me, and took a step back from where I stood.

“What?” He asked.

“Do you want me to leave?” I asked him sharply.

There were two guys at the front desk. We were a few feet away from them, and I felt too exposed having a private conversation with Aaron while other people were around. The silence that settled in the main lobby didn’t exactly help either.

“I shouldn’t have invited you, or forced you to come- whatever it is that you think I did,” Aaron replied, running a hand through his hair- messing it up in a very tempting way.

“You didn’t force me to come,” I replied in a small voice, looking down at the ground.

I heard Aaron sigh, and I noticed the steps he took toward me- closing the distance between us.

“You said that I did,” he told me, putting his hand under my chin and making me look up at him.

His hazel eyes were staring deeply into mine. The soft expression that usually coated them now looked dark- hurt even.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, not knowing how to take back what I had said earlier in our room.

“I wanted to come, it was my decision. I’m just scared that I’ll be out of place tomorrow. Your friends and their girlfriends are so- computer, videogame, and weird gadget savvy,” I muttered.

My words were more of a blur than anything else, but Aaron still smiled at me. I assumed he’d understood what I said.

“So?” He asked.

“I’ll be lost. I don’t know. I just thought maybe I could go and do something without burdening you while you’re having fun with your friends,” I replied.

His frown told me I’d said something wrong.

“You’re never a burden. Don’t say that,” Aaron said, sounding bothered by my words.

“Well, you know what I mean.”

“I don’t, not really.”

I gave him a flat look, not amused by his comment.

“Whatever,” I said, rolling my eyes at him.

He chuckled, running his hand lightly over my cheek.

“Annabel, I really don’t understand you sometimes,” he said. His words made me smile. That phrase was one I’d heard one too many times from him. I confused him apparently- all the time.

Comment and vote if you'd like. Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you all like the new chapter!