"Where do you want to have lunch?" Aaron asked. He tilted his head in my direction, his eyes stayed on the road ahead.

"I get to choose?" I asked with a smile. I thought he was going to take me again to another one of those big luxurious restaurants where food bills were higher than my pay. The fact that he may turn out to actually own that freaking place was also a very real possibility.

"You get to choose," he smiled back.

"Okay then."

I gave him directions as he drove through the busy evening traffic.

I was taking him to a small burger shop in a less privileged part of the city. It was the ultimate favorite place for me to eat.

Being an artist, my mother was always searching for art and creativity all around her. Whether it was the shape of the clouds in the sky or random graffiti on a wall or the way flowers were arranged in a bouquet, she loved all of it. The burger place was one such corner of the world she had fallen in love with. And in turn, I had fallen in love with it too.

The burgers were great, no doubt. But it was the ambience that pulled her back to it every time. The murals on the wall spoke to the artist in her in a language that I was too young to understand.

Even after dad had put restrictions on her going out of the house without his permission, we had snuck out so many times. Going around the city and ending our days with burgers and art.

It had so many good memories and I had never been able to visit it after she was gone. There were times when I had thought about it but never could make up my mind to do it. The place was just a stop for burgers for me as a child. But once mom was gone, it had become something sacred. It would have felt like a sin to go and experience it when she wasn't there to experience it herself.

We got out of the car and Aaron looked skeptical about the place. It did look like an old shabby cellar from the outside. I took his hand and pulled him inside.

This place will always be associated with my mother. He was going to take me to see his father. It made me realize how much I wanted him to meet my mother. She wasn't there. I could not officially take him to her and introduce them, but this was the closest I could do. I was going to introduce him to a part of her that I had buried so deep in my heart for so long.

The place did not have a lot of crowd. The interior had changed a lot but the wall with the murals was still there. The staff had changed over the years, there was no similar face but the feeling of visiting an old memory overpowered any disappointment I felt about the change.

"What is this place?" Aaron said, sitting at the farther corner, away from the people.

"The best burger place," I told him.

"Doesn't look like the best," he commented looking around himself.

He was right. It didn't look the best. It was old, poorly lit with random paintings on the wall, but she had loved it here. It may not look the best, but it sure did feel like the best.

A boy came to take our orders. I ordered my favorite cheeseburger with lots of onion rings, for both Aaron and myself. Till our orders came, I asked Aaron about his dad. I already knew he was not going to like me but I was going to make an effort.

Aaron told me about his parents. He did not have much to say about his father but once he started talking about his mother, I could see the melancholy in his eyes. It felt so raw and relatable.

Our burgers arrived and we dug in. It took a while for Aaron to get accustomed to the place, but once he took a bite of the burger, he was impressed.

"This exceeded my expectations," Aaron commented.

I nodded. My mouth was full of the heavenly taste of the burger, I could not speak.

After lunch, he went to meet his father. My heartbeat rose as we drove closer to his father's mansion. I hadn't even practiced how I was going to greet him or talk to him.

Aaron stopped the car outside a huge mansion. He came to my side, took my hand in his and gave me an assuring smile. I returned it, though I was sure with all the anxiety I was feeling, I was going to pass out before I faced his father.

I walked behind him, holding his hand tightly for courage. Aaron stopped in front of a door, then turned to look at me.

"Let's not do this," I begged him to allow me to run out of the house.

"We're doing this," he chuckled. With an amused smile playing on his lips at my reaction, he pushed the doors open and pulled me inside.

It was a home office. Tall bookshelves lined the walls of the room, there was a set of couches at one corner of the room and Ethan Woodwords sat behind a wooden desk, reading some documents.

As soon as he saw us, he smiled and put the papers away. Getting up he came to greet me.

"How have you been, young lady?" He asked with a genuine smile. He doesn't hate me? He wasn't going to ask me to get out of his house and his son's life?

"I've been well, Mr Woodwords," I said, trying my best to not stutter.

He guided us to the couches and we sat down.

"Oh, no-no. Please call me Ethan. I hope you know me."

"We met at my father's house once," I told him. He had expected someone else to be at my place at that time, but I wasn't going to think about it. I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that he was being nice to me.

"We did," he nodded, "and I hope Aaron talks about me." He threw a glance at Aaron. Aaron just rolled his eyes.

"He does," I replied.

"I doubt it," Ethan glared at Aaron, faking a hurt expression.

"Since his mother is not here to fire questions. I'll do her part too," he continued. His eyes sparkled when he talked of his wife. It appeared he missed her just as much as Aaron did. Maybe more. "How did you two meet?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows like a kid.

Aaron was sitting beside me, not much interested in the exchange but the question caught his attention. He looked at me with a teasing smile, waiting for the answer.

"I broke his car," I almost whispered. Aaron smirked.

The incident was long gone. So much had changed since then, but the embarrassment that I felt at thinking about it was still the same.

Ethan looked at Aaron and then back at me, thinking I was joking until he realized I had done nothing more than confess the truth.

"Interesting," he laughed out loud. "That's one way to meet the love of your life. So what did you do that he decided to marry you? I mean, I've been pestering him for so long. Talking to know you are going to be my daughter in law, feels like a miracle," Ethan eyed Aaron.

You threw money on his face!

A voice inside my head spoke.

"I don't know," I said and looked over at Aaron. Maybe he was the one who should be answering that question. He just shrugged while Ethan laughed.

"If only I knew I had to look in my friend's house a little more carefully to finally find a woman good enough for my son, it would have saved me so much of my time," Ethan said when we were about to leave after the short conversation.

Aaron dropped me off home after that.

I was relieved after meeting his father and was glad that I did. I had been so wrong about him. He was too sweet. I had been worrying for nothing. It was quite noticeable that Aaron had hardly shared more than a few words with his father. Aaron's arrogance had felt unjustified as compared to Ethan's hospitality. But I knew better than to judge Aaron. He always had a reason.

"I'm going to Milan tomorrow," Aaron said when the car stopped outside my house.

"For how long?" I asked.

"A week or maybe more."

A week? Maybe more? The thought of not being able to see him for a whole week bothered me so much more than it should. In just these few days I had gotten used to his presence around me. It was strangely comforting and calming to just be with him and now to know that I was going to miss all of this, miss him, saddened me deeply.

I nodded because speaking was hard with all the emotions coursing through me. I unbuckled my seatbelt, intending to move out of the car when Aaron grabbed my arm to stop me. His hands cupped my cheeks pulling me closer to him.

"Accompany me," he said. Before I could process his words, his mouth crashed on mine. His lips were soft on mine at first, moving ever so slowly, teasing me. Then he made his claim and kissed me passionately.

Our lips moved in sync as he tilted my head for a better angle and deepened the kiss.

"Come with me to Milan," he whispered, his lips brushing against mine with every word he spoke.

"I can?" I asked, elated with the possibility.

"You can," he nodded. Pulling back, he moved out of the car. I did the same. Aaron came around to my side and pulled me to him. His arms were around my waist as he smiled at me. I placed my hands on his muscular chest. "I'll send a car in the morning to get you to the airport."

I was grinning ear to ear at the thought of spending the whole week with him, but I shook my head. "I'll meet you at the airport."

He dipped his head to peck my lips. "No, Caroline. I'll send someone."

"You didn't give me a Lamborghini to keep it as a showpiece. Did you? Let me make a little use of it. I also have to meet Nadia and tell her about leaving. I'm sure she'll want to come to the airport with me," I said. Aaron nodded in understanding.

If I went without informing Nadia, she'd chop me up into little pieces and feed it to... well, whoever she wanted to.

"Are you sure you won't break any more cars?" Aaron teased. I hit him playfully on his chest and he threw back his head to laugh with a deep sound.

"The flight takes off at 6:30 in the morning so be there before that," Aaron kissed my forehead, still chuckling.

I gave him an exciting nod and went inside the house with a big smile.

It was going to be my first trip outside the country. Though dad, along with Lahaina and Juliea often went for business trips and vacations, I had never had that pleasure. Nor did I ever express wanting to go with them. But I was ecstatic about going to Milan. Though I doubted that any of that happiness was about that trip. It was about going on that trip with Aaron. And more importantly, it was about Aaron offering me to come with him.

"Caro," I heard dad's voice call for me.

My hands went cold as I turned around to face him. His face was bruised and a bandage was wrapped around his nose. Juliea was behind him, her hands folded across her chest as she glared at me.

"May I know what you said to that man to make him hit me with the tennis ball?" He said through clenched teeth.

"That was unintentional," I told him, trying to keep my voice steady. After the phone call in the morning, I had expected some anger and a good scolding, but the incident at the tennis court had made it all so much worse.

I tried to convince him but his anger just rose.

"Like fuck it was!" Juliea exclaimed. "You remember how she talked to you this morning, James. She is faking it now. She made him do it."

"I did not. It was an accident," I defended, both myself and Aaron.

"He saw me. He was glaring at me when I entered that court and then he hit me with the ball. Don't you dare say it was an accident because it wasn't!" Dad said angrily, stepping near me with every sentence.

Did he really? It was hard to believe he would do that. I had my doubts earlier, but I know him. He is too nice to do something like that.

"I think you misunderstood the situation. They were in the middle of a game and then you came there-"

"You mean to say it's my fault that he hit me?" He yelled, daring me to agree.

"No. It was-"

"Get one thing really clear in your head, Caro. If I plan to get something, I get it. You are just a sacrificial pawn in this game. The day you start using your brain will be the day I'll make your oh-so-good heart stop. You won't want Aaron to pay for your deeds, would you now?" He threatened. His eyes were bloodshot and dangerous and all I wanted to do was run away.

I shook my head.

"Good. Then it will be better for you if you don't come between me and Aaron's money because I'm gonna get it. One way or another," he warned.

"Aaron wants me to accompany him to Milan," I said. My voice was barely above a whisper and it broke multiple times between this one sentence.

"Then you go with him. Just don't use your brain because you don't have it," he said and walked past me, pushing me away with his shoulder. Juliea followed him, giving me a sorry smile as she cared.

I felt a tear press at the corner of my eye, but I shook my head forcing it not to drop. I ran to my room and got inside my bed, covering my whole body under the comforter.

Aaron should not be suffering because of me. He was the best part of my life. Everything was better when he was around. Just a moment of happiness and then it all gets snatched away from me.

I know I will never be able to go against Aaron to fulfill my father's greed. It made me fear the day when dad would want me to do it. Why can't he just let me be? Why can't he just go away and leave Aaron and me alone?

Aaron did not deserve this.

And after living so many years in the dark in fear and finally getting pulled to the light by holding Aaron's hand, made me realize, I did not deserve this either.

- Analia