Chapter 132 - Personal Errand Boy
The day after Thanksgiving, Aaron lovingly gazed at Keeley as she had her knees pulled to her chest under a blanket on his couch watching the season finale of Dancing with the Stars. He did his best to keep his anger in check about that Ryan guy so he could fully enjoy the experience of having her in his house.
Aaron hadn't had the chance to properly grill those two traitors who thought they could keep secrets from him yet since Cameron was off in lala land and Aiden's mother took his phone away even though he was a grown man so he would pay attention to the family over the weekend.
Maintaining his composure was difficult but he didn't want to lose the progress they had made by making accusations. He needed to have more information first before bringing anything up.
When it came to the commercial break and she fast forwarded through it, he tried to gauge where they were at. "What's your schedule like the next few weeks?"
Keeley sighed heavily and leaned her head back against the couch in defeat.
"Today is the last day I'm allowed to take it easy for the rest of the semester. After that I'll be swamped with papers, lab work, and finals. It's really lame because it means I'll probably have to make most of my Christmas treats a few days before Christmas instead of spreading them out over the month."
His ears perked up at the words 'Christmas treats.' The ones he swiped from Aiden last year were delicious. "What all are you making?"
"Sugar cookies, these gingersnap/snickerdoodle hybrids we call snickersnaps that are probably my favorite, mint brownies, M&M cookies with sprinkles, and white chocolate covered pretzels if I have time."
That was so much more than she ever made when they were together. Back then she only made sugar cookies.
"That's an awful lot of baking."
"They're all my mom's recipes; I'm trying to keep them up for my dad's sake. He misses her a lot this time of year," she said a bit wistfully.
Aaron knew how horrible it was missing your wife all too well; he really felt for Robert. Even now when she was alive again and he saw her on a semi regular basis, Aaron still missed his wife because things weren't the same.
"Do you need any help?"
She looked at him like he sprouted another head. "Have you ever baked anything in your entire life?"
"No," he admitted. Not in this one or the last. "But there has to be something I can do that doesn't require any actual skill."
"I'll get back to you on that," she said before starting her show up again.
She watched with increasing anxiety as it got closer to the winner of the season being announced. When they revealed the name she jumped up and pumped her fist in the air while squealing "yes!" over and over.
Aaron was amused. "I take it your favorite won?"
Keeley smiled a bit sheepishly. "Yeah. I had never even heard of that celebrity before but I love the dance partner he was paired with. She's one of the best people on the show."
"That's good. Are you hungry?"
"Nah, I stuffed myself on leftovers this morning. I am pretty tired though; I should probably go home before I fall asleep on you again."
It was on the tip of his tongue to beg her to fall asleep on him again but he still had some rationality. She would be freaked out. Today was already a victory; it could end here.
"Sure, just let me get my keys."
In the car Aaron asked her what time would be most helpful to bring her food when she was slaving away on campus. He refused to go an entire month without seeing her. Bringing her food every day would be the best way to get his Keeley fix.
She smiled at him with a hint of something he couldn't decipher. "You're dead set on spoiling me, aren't you?"
"Yes," he stated shamelessly.
Spoiling her was the only way she would ever stop being stubborn and be with him again. It had been working so far!
Keeley shook her head. "You're ridiculous, you know that? You're the vice president of a major corporation and you're acting like my personal errand boy."
"Being your errand boy is fun."
She raised an eyebrow at him like he'd lost his mind. "You're nuts. But if you insist, I'll probably be in the lab from 3-8 PM every day until the week before finals."
"Good to know, thanks."
She went silent for a while before speaking again. "Why are you like this?"
This again?
"I already told you; I just want to be nice to you." Aaron debated whether or not to add onto that thought but eventually went for it. "You're my favorite person. You would have to be pretty stupid not to be nice to your favorite person."
The last sentence was spoken with a cruel sense of irony because he had been that stupid in his first life.
"Yeah, you would," she agreed but still seemed conflicted. "But how exactly did you decide I was your favorite person?"
After an absurd amount of pushing, dragging, begging, and persisting. Keeley had been the only one who kept trying with him even when he was stone cold to her and that was how she was able to trickle into the cracks of his heart until she filled it entirely.
Aaron would never forget the first and only person who cared about him for who he was rather than what they thought he could do for them. He couldn't answer; his only defense was to shrug it off.
"I just did."
A faint, nearly imperceptible sigh escaped her lips. She was annoyed with him. He couldn't tell her the truth though; she wouldn't believe him.
"Does it really matter how the conclusion was reached as long as it got there eventually?" he asked.
"It does when you don't understand a concept."
"What's not to understand? You're a great person and I appreciate your company. End of story," he said simply.
She sighed again as they reached her building. "I will never understand you, Aaron Hale. Probably see you Monday since you're literally everywhere."
Keeley climbed out of the car and waved goodbye before disappearing inside.
If she said she would never understand him…did that mean she wanted to? Aaron drove home with a slight smile on his face.