Inseparable Strangers (10 page)

When
I woke up, the first thing I felt was the absence of Aaron. How I knew he was
no longer in the room was a mystery. Just like everything else that circulated
around him.

Last
night’s memories slithered over me like a sly snake, ready to attack any
moment. Ready to trick my mind into believing it all happened. I was still
unable to wrap my head around the reality of my dream.

The
smell of bacon wafted through the vents. As much as I wanted to hide in the
comfort of my bed and relish in the remnants of last night’s shenanigans, I
trudged off the bed and slid on a pair of black yoga pants. Before walking out
of the room, I caught sight of my nipples pointing as if they were screaming
for attention beneath my nightgown. “This isn’t going to do,” I said out loud
to myself as I put a bra on beneath the paper-thin material. After what
happened last night, enticing Aaron with my tits was the last thing I needed.

Aaron
stood in front of the stove like a natural born chef. Except I’d never seen a
top chef cooking with nothing on but sweats hanging low on the hips. The
muscles in his back took turns flexing then relaxing with every move he made. I
wanted to run my hands over them as they formed different shapes.

He
must’ve felt my presence, just as I had him in my dream last night. He looked
over his shoulder at me like you see those hunky guys advertising the latest
fashion in a clothing store magazine. His cat eyes preyed upon me while I stood
there gazing at him. Then, his eyes turned up in a slant as his lips spread out
into a breathtaking smile. “Good morning, ba—Lennox.”

What
was he about to call me? Beautiful? Baby? Bitch? All the above?

“Ba-Lennox?
Have you created a new name for me?”

“Don’t
ask. Please, don’t ask,” he replied with a smile, shaking his head as if he
could wish it away.

“Ah,
c’mon,” I teased. “You got to spill your guts now.”

“Leave
it. It’s not happening.”

“Aaron,”
I sang.

“Lennox,”
he sang back in a surprisingly melodic voice.

“Tell
me,” I whined.

He
turned at his waist and with a plate full of bacon in hand. “Since you slept in
late, I decided to make us BLTs for lunch. I laid the bacon out last night in
anticipation to make breakfast this morning but those plans kind of got
squashed,” he explained while he began slicing up a tomato.

“Nice
change of topic.”

He
glanced up as he ripped pieces of lettuce off and placed them onto a platter. A
smile found his lips before he shook his head and went back to paying attention
to the task at hand.

I
could get used to this. Maybe I could permanently replace Zoila with him. I
would hate to put her out, but Aaron was handy in so many more ways than she
was. Plus, I really enjoyed his company. I liked the idea of him living here.
He made me feel safe. We may still be strangers living in the same house, but
he was comforting. Even without him doing anything, or myself not being succumbed
to any type of danger, he still made me feel protected. And I couldn’t ignore
the fact he was easy on the eyes.

Out
of the blue, Aaron dropped everything he was doing and practically ran to what
was now considered his bedroom. I got up from the bar to see what caused him to
scatter so quickly, but was interrupted when the front door opened.
Shit.
Shit. Shit.
How did I forget? Stupid question. When you have a
marvelous, mysterious hunk of meat in front of you, of course you’re going to
forget, Dumbass.

Stopping
in mid-step then spinning on the balls of my feet, I marched into the foyer to
greet my dad. “Hi, Daddy,” I welcomed a little too cheerily.

He
eyed me curiously then wrapped his arms around me with his usual heartfelt hug.
“Hi Princess,” he said, then kissed me on the cheek. Even though I took my dad
for granted, and he married the biggest bitch in the country, I still loved him
almost as much as myself.

He
walked into the kitchen, and I trailed right behind him. “Mmm, smells like I
made perfect timing. Did Zoila fry bacon for me?” he asked right as he shoved
the thin, crispy strip in his mouth.
Shitty, shit, shit.
I was not ready
to tell him about Aaron. God, I was so freaking stupid. My idiocy was putting
me in a shitty situation.

“Um…well…uh…
actually, somebody else made the bacon… for me,” I replied shyly. There was no
fooling Dad. I didn’t do shy and he knew it. Any minute, I anticipated Aaron to
walk out of his bedroom and expose himself. I wanted to keep him hidden, but it
would probably be best if he would just appear and blow my cover.

Dad
chomped down on another piece. “Oh?” He knew. I knew he knew. He was waiting
for me to say it so he didn’t have to.

I
inhaled deeply and rolled my eyes. “Yes, Dad.”

“Well
don’t make me wait. Tell me who this lucky guy is.”

“Who
said it was a guy?” Take that. Let’s see your reaction when the thought of your
daughter being a lesbian enters your mind.

“Oh,”
he said acting surprised. “You made a friend? This is wonderful news, Len.”

Damn
bastard called my bluff.

“So
when do I get to meet your new BFF? I want to thank her for making BLTs. I’ve
not had one of these in years,” he said, making himself a sandwich. “You know,
I don’t like the idea of you always being alone. It’s about time you started
making friends,” he remarked then took a bite of his sandwich piled high with
bacon.

“It’s
not a her, it’s a him. And, we’re just friends.” Who likes to do naughty things
in my dreams, I thought to myself.

Dad
stopped in mid-chew. “Friends?” he garbled with a mouth full of bacon. He
chewed quickly, clearly ready to ask more. He swallowed thickly, then sat his
sandwich down. “Is he here?”

Reluctantly,
I answered, “Yes. He’s in the spare room. I’ll go get him.” I didn’t have to
ask Dad if he wanted to meet him. I knew he would.

My
nerves were on edge and I didn’t like it. Everything I’d worked so hard to be
was changing outside of my control. My tough exterior. My nerves of steel. My
hardened heart. Feeling was too difficult. Life was easier when you were a
badass. Hesitating, I slowly turned the knob to Aaron’s room. “Aaron?” I called
in a soft tone as I opened the door. The room was quiet and empty. “Aaron?” I
whispered. I didn’t want my dad to hear me. “Aaron? Where did you go?” I knew he
didn’t leave, I would’ve seen him. This was weird. I started searching all
around the bedroom—in the closet, under the bed, behind the dresser, as if he
was a child playing hide and go seek. This was ridiculous. There was nowhere
else he could be. If he snuck out of here, how in the hell did I not see or
hear him? This was a time I wished I had a dog. You could never turn invisible
around a dog.

Without
being caught by my dad, I tiptoed out of the bedroom, down the hall, and into
the bathroom. The lights were off and Aaron wasn’t in there either.
Son of a
bitch.
Where is that stupid fucker?
My blood was heating up. He was
starting to piss me off. I didn’t have time to play Where’s Waldo. As soon as
my dad finished his sandwich, he would come join me to see what I was doing.

I
wondered if he took this opportunity to explore the rest of the house. Surely
not. As many times as he’d been here alone, why would he do it now?

Not
wanting to chance it, I walked back to the kitchen and conjured up a lie about
Aaron’s whereabouts along the way.

“Well,
pops, Aaron has slipped out for a run.” I was about to tell him he’d gone to
the store until I remembered he had no way of getting there. He will be in for
the biggest ass kicking when I find him.

“Huh,
what a shame,” he said. 

He
knew I was lying. Sometimes I could pull the wool over my dad’s eyes, but he
wasn’t buying my story today.

“So
who is this Aaron guy? How long have you known each other? Where did you meet?
Is he staying here?” He asked, ticking off a finger with each question. This is
what I get for keeping my personal business on the down low.

“Whoa,
Dad, slow down with the interrogation. I’ve known him a few weeks. We met on
the greenway when I was out for my daily run.” He didn’t need to know the
specifics of that night. “And he’s stayed over a few times.” I added
nonchalantly, hoping he wouldn’t ask anymore.

He
raised an eyebrow. “If I’m paying for this house, the least you can do is
introduce me to someone before you start allowing them to sleep in your bed.”

If
he’d slapped me across the face I wouldn’t have been any more surprised. “Don’t
you think you should learn the facts before you start accusing? That was pretty
shitty, Dad. We are just friends. He has slept in the guest bedroom. He’s never
slept in my bed.” Except last night. “He’s never even been upstairs,” I stated
harshly with my finger pointing toward the second level. Again, another lie.
“Only place I’ve allowed him to roam is down here. I’ve set rules for him and
so far he’s followed them. God! Give me a little credit sometime.” My blood was
boiling.

Breathe
in, breathe out. I kept repeating the words to myself until I started to cool
down. I had a tendency of losing my temper with my father, and it pained me
every time. Regret always crept in, and it was always too late to say I was
sorry. All he wanted was what was best for his little girl, and I knew this but
it still ground on my nerves. He only wanted to protect me and I knew he lived
in fear of losing his only child.

“Lennox—“

“No,
Dad, I get it. I know you’re just a concerned father, and I apologize for not
telling you about him sooner. I really didn’t think he would be here this long.
I had all intentions of introducing the two of you today, but he left before I
could. He probably wanted to give us time alone. He’s kind of like that. He’s
good about giving me my space.” The last part easily fell out of my mouth.
Sometimes I was known to talk a line of bullshit.

“Am
I forgiven?” I asked, giving him my signature puppy dog eyes.

He
grabbed my shoulders, kissed my cheek, then hugged me. “Of course, Princess.
But I really wish you would get a dog or something. It would make me feel
better to know you weren’t alone in this house. This is too much for one
person, you know?” He raised his eyebrows, softening the deep lines around his
eyes.

This
was another battle I didn’t want to revisit at the moment. “Dad, we’re not
discussing this again. Case closed.” Ever since he bought the house for me, he
had suggested I let Zoila live in the guest room. I shot that idea down real
quick. There was no way I was having her in my face all day, every day. My dad
would ask her questions about me and she would spill her guts to him. I knew
how that game would be played and I wasn’t succumbing to it. Once he finally
realized that idea was out, he had been on me about getting a pet, preferably a
dog. A guard dog. Something along the lines of a Rottweiler, German Shepherd,
or a Pitbull. I told him if I were to get a dog, it would not be a large one
that would shed and slobber all over my house. It would be small and petite.
One I could easily carry around with me and dress up in frilly bows. He
obviously forgot I didn’t have time to take care of anyone else besides myself.
Well, that was until now, until Aaron.

He
shrugged his shoulders in defeat. “It was worth a try. I’m a concerned father.
I’ll never give up.”

“And
I’ll keep on fighting. Two stubborn mules butting heads,” I laughed.

Dad
looked down at his watch. “Thank you for lunch, Princess. I’ve got to get back
to the office. I’ll have patients waiting in thirty minutes,” he hugged me one
more time before walking to the door.

“Bye,
Dad. Love you.”

“Love
you too, sweetheart,” he called out as he walked outside.

As
soon as the door closed, I peeked out at him through the living room blinds
until he left my driveway, then I went on a manhunt. “Aaron!” I screamed.

Opening
the door to the basement, I yelled to him down the stairs. Silence.

I
shut the door and walked upstairs. “Aaron! I don’t know where the hell you are,
but you better get your ass out here now!” I shrieked. My blood was heating up
again.

There
was only so much of this house I could search and he was nowhere in sight. The
backyard. Maybe he was in the backyard. Why didn’t I think to look there? I ran
back downstairs. Before I reached the French doors to the back patio, I lost my
breath, my heart nearly stopped.

“Where
are you running off to in such a hurry?”

“Motherfuckinghell!
You just gave me a damn heart attack,” I said, gasping for air with my hand
over my heart.

He
shrugged, “Sorry?”

“Sorry?
That’s all you have to say after I’ve been running around this damn house
looking for you, calling for you?” My heart rate was pumping wildly. Every vein
in my body was thumping to the beat. “Where the hell have you been? My father
was just here and he wanted to meet you.”

“Your
father isn’t ready to meet me yet.” His face was blank. Expressionless. It was
odd. But then again, everything about Aaron was odd.