“Great work everybody! I’ll see you again next week!” The class instructor announced as the 90. minute session came to an end and everyone began packing up.
I sighed tiredly as I grabbed my bag and stuffed my water bottle into it, checking to make sure I had everything before leaving the studio where the self–defence glasses were being held. I was eager to get home and collapse on the couch. (2)
It had been three weeks since I left school and in that time I hadn’t heard or seen Noah. The next day Aiden had practically dragged me to see a therapist who had prescribed hourly sessions twice a week and some anti–anxiety medication to help. The self–defence classes had been my idea along with the yoga to help with mindfulness but also because it gave me an excuse to get out of the house. Aiden had been truly amazing as well albeit a bit over protective. For the first week he wouldn’t let me out of his sight which led to a lot of boring hours for me at the bar while he worked. Eventually I had begged him to let me stay home, promising I would call him or Kyle if I started feeling anxious and he had agreed, letting me focus on other things to try and keep my mind off of things.
The anxiety attacks started not even a week later. The therapist said it could be the medication as it can make people feel worse before it gets better but it could also be trauma. I was still struggling to see what had happened to me as anything more than a really nasty bully but again, the therapist explained it was normal for someone to play down what happened to them as a coping mechanism.
In short she was telling me I was a mess.
Unsurprisingly Aiden was waiting for me outside. While he insisted on dropping me off and picking me up, the sight of him leaning against his truck, wheat blonde hair being tousled by the wind and a cigarette between his fingers instantly soothed any worries that had been threatening to creep in. I smiled as if it was a reflex from seeing Aiden. He still managed to make me blush like an idiot but I was finding myself more comfortable around him, letting him have all the PDA he wanted like a lion marking his territory.
“How’d it go?” His rich deep voice wrapped around me as I drew nearer.
“Exhausting.” I replied, my muscles still burning from all the different activities the instructor had me doing. “But good.”
“Good.” Aiden smirked, one arm snaking around me to be close, his lips finding mine in a slow kiss. “I’m taking you away for the weekend.”
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Chapter 89
I blinked in surprise, looking up at him with wide eyes. “Away? Where?”
“It’s a surprise.” He replied, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I just need you to pack when we get in and I’ll sort out the rest.”
I felt my cheeks warm in a blush and my heart flutter when Aiden kissed me again, his arm tightening around me to pull me closer. He knew exactly what to do to leave me a stuttering flustered mess and he seemed to enjoy seeing me so out of sorts because of him. I was envious of how composed he was even when dealing with nightmare customers in the bar or the washing machine which had decided to work intermittently. Sure, I had seen him angry or serious but I hadn’t ever seen him lose his cool. I wondered if he had always been this way or if it was something to do with his time in the military.
Aiden cruelly gave me half an hour to run upstairs, change and pack before he was trying to
usher me out the door again.
“Meds?” He asked.
“Yes.” I replied, shoving my bag in the back before getting comfortable.
“Good. When do you need to take them next?” Aiden asked as he started up the engine.
“Not until the morning.”
“Great.” Aiden’s lips twitched upwards.
It was already dark when we set out. The roads were busy as people headed home from work o out for the night. Aiden had put the radio on low to give us some background noise. We rarely talked when Aiden drove. It wasn’t that we didn’t have anything to talk about, it was just that we had this agreement that we prefered the silence. Even when he laced our fingers together with his free hand and flashed me a smile, we didn’t say anything.
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