Page 46 of Aaron's Patience

“Where are you?”

My neck snapped back at the curtness in Aaron’s tone. “I’m at the bookstore. I sent you a text.”

“I didn’t receive anything.”

I sighed. “I was letting you know I had to stop by here after my last class.”

“The bookstore on Sherman?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll be there in two minutes.”

I pulled the phone from my ear. He’d hung up. I frowned, never having had him be so short with me. It’d been a month since the first time Aaron slept over my apartment after that dinner with my father. Just about every night since he’d been at my place. And though, we’d never so much as kissed, there was an intimacy there I’d never shared with anyone else. I sometimes wondered what he saw in me, or even what we were doing. Were we just friends? Were we dating? Was he falling for me? I didn’t need to ask that last question in reverse, I already knew the answer. I had already fallen for him, even with all his brooding and scowling. We spent many late nights just hanging out and talking. He let me tell him all about my day, my hopes for the future, anything and everything. On occasion, he’d even let me read to him whatever book I was reading for fun at the time. My latest read had beenThe Shackwhich I’d finished just the night before, reading out loud as he listened.

“Everything okay?”

I turned to see Sam looking concerned. “Everything’s fine.” I went back to the register, retrieving my card along with the bag that held the book in it. “Thank you. Stay warm in this weather,” I told Sam before waving and turning to leave.

I stepped out of the door, into the frigid air. It was the middle of March but Mother Nature had chosen to give us one last snow dump before spring, I guessed, tightening my hood around my face and head. Barely thirty seconds after I stepped out of the bookstore, a Lincoln Town Car pulled up directly in front, cutting off my path to cross the street. Aaron didn’t wait for his driver to get out and open his door for him. Instead, he got out, staring at me from the space between his door and the car, scowling.

I wasn’t perturbed by the expression on his face. “You’re not wearing a coat,” I chided, going over to him.

He looked up as if just realizing that it was even snowing, then back down at me. The same tingly feeling I got whenever his eyes fell on me occurred.

“Get in.” He stepped aside, wrapping a hand around my lower back and assisting me into the backseat of his car. He got in behind me, slamming the door shut and then knocking on the glass partition, signaling the driver to pull off.

“We could’ve met at the restaurant. I was only a few minutes at the bookstore,” I began.

He turned to me, staring. “You took the subway all the way over here, in the snow?”

I squinted, confused. “Yeah, so.” I shrugged.

“So?” His voice raised slightly.

I sighed. “What’s the big deal?”

“Thebig dealis that I had to leave work early to make it over here to the bookstore to pick you up.”

“You didn’t have to pick me up. That’s what I’m saying.”

“So, I was supposed to let you walk around in the snow?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ve done it plenty of times before.”

“Not when I’m around.”

I frowned, not understanding what that even meant.

“I left a big meeting just to be able to pick you up.”

I furrowed my brows. “You only called me a few minutes ago.”

“And?”

“And your office is across town. How’d you get here so quickly?”

His jaw tightened. “Your text.”