Wings: Chapter Four

Aaron's P.O.V.

I stepped into the storage room, the only place where it was fresh in this hellhole, sighing in relief at the cool breeze blowing in through the vent. I always came here on my break. It was always kind of ridiculous to me about how hectic and chaotic this place got at times, and I was grateful that my break started during the rush hour, when things got most busy around here. My friend Cam had the same luck, but for some reason, he was still in the kitchen, taking food to the tables.
I took a look outside in the kitchen through the crack in the open door, and I found myself observing Elena once she barged in through the doors.
Max, another waiter that worked here, handed her a notepad. “I already brought out the drinks to Table 7. You take the orders.”
She shrugged and walked back out. She came back two minutes later asking for an order of fries along with a hamburger. She brought orders in and out, and it fascinated me how easily she could handle it, even though she’d only been working here a short period of time now.
I chuckled as I popped a gum in my mouth.
Elena suddenly rushed in, grabbing a fistful of straws from a box and sticking them in her pocket. She then looked behind a few boxes and pulled out the bag of sugar. I noticed she was beginning to pour it into the salt container and chuckled.
“That’s not salt,” I sighed, shaking my head. She’d been here for a few months now, and she’d learned fast, but yet she still couldn’t tell the difference between the salt and the sugar. I held back a smile as I realized that such an independent woman still couldn’t completely get the hang of things.
She dipped her finger in the bag and licked it. Her eyes narrowed as she put the bag back on the shelf. I thought quick and locked the door with my key while she searched for the salt.
When she turned to leave and saw me blocking the door, she sighed. “Move, Aaron, I need to get this to Table 4.”
“Good luck,” I said under my breath as I moved over. When the door wouldn’t budge, she slammed the salt container on the shelf next to her and faced me, hands on those perfect hips of hers. “No games, today, Aaron, please. I’m not in the mood.”
“Oh, Skye,” I said sympathetically. “You need to relax. You know what they say about all work and no play…” I smirked.
“Give it a break already,” she almost growled.
“You know what you have to do to get out of here. And, no, it’s not saying the magic word.”
*Gives You Hell*
I hooked my finger inside her jean’s belt flap so she couldn’t pull away. Her jaw set as I leaned in and kissed her fiercely.
Her lips were as soft as I remembered them. There was no flavor like there always had been, it was just her and her bare, feather-like lips. I moaned as I kept my mouth pressed hard against hers.
I felt a pinch on my lower lip. I leaned away slowly and ran my tongue over it. “Did you just bite me?”
She smiled and held up my key and rattled them in my face. “I suggest you never try that again unless you want to get locked in here.”
I licked my lip again. “That depends: will you be locked in with me?”
She rolled her eyes and unlocked the door. When she came back to grab the salt she’d left on the shelf, she froze and took a gum out of her mouth.
I smirked. “Want to give it back?”
She scoffed at me as she threw the gum down on the ground.
Ouch.

Wings: Chapter Three

Aaron's P.O.V.

“Fine, but I ain’t doin’ it for free. I‘m not gonna spend my day off work babysitting without gettin’ paid,” Diego said through the phone, his voice sounding a bit annoyed.
I rolled my eyes. “That’s fine. Just be here at eight.”
“Oh, and no bullshit about extra shifts. I know you too well, my friend. Besides, I don’t want to hear you going on all day Tuesday with another episode of Aaron, Enamorado.”
I laughed. “Well, at least it’s not Diego, Desperado.”
I told Diego I’d talk to him tomorrow when Elena walked into the room, Naomi in her arms. “You know Spanish?” she asked me as she placed the little squirt in her crib.
“I took a class in high school.”
I entered the bathroom that was in the room, turned on the water and hopped into the shower. It was only after I was finished that I realized there were no towels.
“Shit.”
I heard Elena start going down the stairs, so I called her name before she could leave.
“Skye! Where are the towels? I don’t see any!”
“Aren’t there any in there?”
“Nope.”
It was silent for a moment, and then her feet shuffled. “Um. Hold on, I’ll get you one.”
The door opened a crack a few seconds later, and her hand slipped through it, holding a white towel. “H-here,” she stammered.
I stifled a laugh and took the towel from her hand. I wrapped it around my waist, then stepped out, seeing a baffled look on Elena’s face. Now I had to laugh.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Naomi grab the edge of her crib and pull herself up. She reached out for me, so I picked her up. I kissed her forehead, and Elena smiled weakly.
“Dada,” Naomi suddenly cooed.
My eyes widened. I swallowed hard and placed Naomi back in her crib. I looked at Elena, and she looked flabbergasted. “She…she called you-”
“Easy now,” I told her, bringing up my hands in front of me in a defensive way. “Don’t forget that I look a lot like Adam. I’m sure it’s just an innocent mistake.”
I instantly noticed her tense body relax. “Right, sorry.” She pursed her lips. “I just thought she could tell the difference. I guess I thought wrong.”
My fingers made their way from her hand up to her shoulder, and I noticed I left a trail of goose bumps behind where my fingers had brushed her skin. I could almost see a path rising up her arm. “Don’t worry about it,” I said softly.
I grabbed my boxers and a pair of jeans from my bag and went back into the bathroom to put them on. Elena was shivering the slightest bit when I stepped back out.
I groaned. “Please don’t tell me this has anything to do with what Naomi called me.”
She looked down. “Kind of.”
There was nothing I could possibly say, so I sighed and sat down on the bed next to her.
I pulled her back and laid her head on her pillow. A.k.a. me.
“What happened to this Aaron?”
I shrugged. “He got bored. You could see more of this Aaron if you let me…”
She ran her hand up and down my stomach, and her warmth felt too good.
“No,” she said in a hushed voice, but continued to soothe me with her soft touch.
She continued to do this until I felt her eyes flutter close, her eyelashes brushing against my chest.

Wings: Chapter Two

Skye's P.O.V.

I woke up to Naomi’s soft coos. Whatever I was resting my head on, it was definitely not my pillow. I opened my eyes, and saw Aaron’s chest. I almost fell off the bed when I flinched away. I looked at his face, and he was wide awake, hands behind his head, looking very smug.
“I told you to stay on your side!” I barked at him, furiously shoving my hair out of my face.
He chuckled. “I did. I told you you’d be the one to try something.”
What? No. Impossible. I lay my head on Adam’s chest at night, but…
I pushed him off the bed. He landed with a pleasing thud.
“What’s your problem?” he asked.
I got up and took Naomi out of her crib, ignoring him. “You slept through the whole night for once…”
Aaron fumbled to get to his feet. “She didn’t. You were out cold, so I took the night calls.”
I instantly felt guilty.
“I would understand why you’d be so deep under. Bet I’m a way comfier pillow than Adam.”
That guilt instantly disappeared.
I pushed him back on the bead and went outside to the backyard with Naomi. I let her crawl around for a while, observing the crawling ants that were carrying crumbs of who-knows-what.
Naomi was so adventurous. She was mesmerized by everything. And she was so hyper sometimes. If anyone gave her just the tiniest of smiles, she would start jumping up and down. I remembered the day she was born, how scared I had been, and knew it had been worth the pain the second I laid my eyes on her. I went into labor the last Friday in March, nine o’ clock at night, when I was already getting ready for bed. But then my water broke, and Adam rushed me to the hospital.
When it was time to start pushing, I squeezed Adam’s hand as much as I could.
“I’m scared,” I said wearily. He squeezed back. “You’ll be fine. I know you’ll do great.”
The pain had passed quickly. It was the energy drained from me that had me exhausted. I had fallen asleep, and when my eyes fluttered open, there was Adam holding our baby, a tired but flabbergasted look on his face. He noticed that I was staring at him with the baby, and he smiled. “Do you want to hold her?”
That was kind of ridiculous question. Of course I wanted to. I held out my arms, and he gently laid her in my arms. I pushed the blanket out of her little, chubby face, and the first thing I saw was her wide-open violet eyes. One corner of her little mouth twitched, I smiled with her, almost bursting into tears.
My phone rang; my screen read the name Adam.
“Well, if it isn’t Adam, the man that’s going to get his ass kicked when he comes home.”
“I’m guessing you’re still mad at me,” he chuckled. “I’m sorry, Skye. I really am. I should have asked you first.”
“Damn right you should have,” I muttered. After a few seconds of silence, I spoke.
“So,” I began awkwardly. “How was your flight?”
I could sense him smiling, knowing that I could never really stay mad at him for anything. “Too long,” he groaned. “It gave me a lot of time to think about my two beautiful girls, which made me miss you even more.”
“I’m not a girl,” I told him.
“No, you’re not,” I thought I heard him mumble. But then he said, “You know what I mean. So how did Aaron behave last night?”
I laughed as I pulled Naomi up to sit on my lap. “He was a gentlemen. I’m the one that…I guess I’m so used to using you as my pillow that…well, I-”
“Oh,” he chuckled, realizing my innocent mistake. “Don’t worry about it. Look, I have to go, but I’ll call later, alright? Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
I sighed as I shut my phone. Sundays were already boring enough, and now with Adam gone, it would be excruciating. I needed something to waste time. Play with Naomi, I supposed. I suddenly felt Aaron breathing down my neck, but it felt good. His breath smelled sweet, but minty. Clean, fresh.
“Got any plans?” he asked.
I shook my head no.
“Good. Because we need to find a babysitter for Naomi. We have to go to work tomorrow.” A smug smile was spreading across his face. I groaned. I’d almost forgot. The weekend was over. Time to go back to my waitress job at San Hun Hut…with Aaron. About a year and a half ago, before the wedding, I’d asked Aaron to help me land a job there. There had been a change of plans for a little while because of the…incident. But only a few days after the wedding, he told me I could start once the pregnancy was over and I felt ready.
“What about Diego? He’s off tomorrow.”
Aaron pursed his lips. “I’ll call him.”
He leaned down, his eyes on my neck, and my heart skipped a beat. He did this all the time, always teasing me. It was so annoying, but I couldn’t lie to myself…I liked it, and I hated myself for it. “We should tell him we’re working extra shifts,” he whispered in my ear, the wisp of his breath soothing to my skin. “Get some time alone.”
I swallowed hard. It disturbed me that, for just a split second, I considered this.

Wings: Chapter One

Here it is! Chapters will be posted Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Fair enough?

A few weeks before Elena’s wedding, Adam had been offered a chance to play with his band, Ana Save Me, in Times Square. He turned it down because the date would have been on their honeymoon.
“I’d rather spend time with the woman I love than performing on stage in front of people that might not even like us,” he’d told me.
He didn’t turn it down when he got the chance a second time.
And now here we were, at the airport, with their little girl, already crawling at six months, saying goodbye.
“I’ll be sure to call you as soon as I get there,” he muttered, holding Elena’s hands in his.
“And everyday after that?” she urged.
He attempted a smile. “I’ll try. Whenever I can.”
Elena bit her lip. “Okay.”
Adam sighed. “I keep on telling myself that it’s only four weeks, but the more I say it, the longer it seems.”
She laughed. “Same here. I’ll miss you.”
He winced. Him leaving was just as hard for him as it was for her. “I’ll miss you, too.”
He looked over at me, holding little Naomi as she slept peacefully.
“I just started trusting you again, so don’t do anything stupid,” he demanded firmly.
“No promises,” I said under my breath.
There was an announcement; Adam’s plane was boarding.
I swallowed hard as Adam leaned in for one last kiss with Elena.
When he broke away, he took a deep breath. “Love you.”
“Love you, too,” she whispered back.
He released her hand and bent over to kiss Naomi on the forehead. “I’ll miss you, my little Angel,” he said quietly, not wanting to wake her.
He took one last look at me, then walked over to his gate. He was no longer in sight.
I put a hand on Elena’s shoulder. “C’mon,” I whispered.
It was quiet in the car for a long time, except for Naomi’s soft snores in the back.
“You know,” I began casually, breaking the silence. “You picked the guy with the career that’s going to make your relationship with him impossible.”
She raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
“Well, Naomi has already been keeping you two busy, but if Adam makes it big time, he’ll be even busier.”
“I already thought about that.”
“And?”
She sighed and said nothing.
“Things wouldn’t have been this complicated with me,” I mumbled.
She rolled her eyes.
I parked outside my apartment.
“I just need to get a few of my things.”
“Wha-”
“Didn’t Adam tell you? I’m staying over at your house.” A smirk began to form on my lips. Before she could protest, I disappeared into my apartment.
When I was came back, she was mumbling to herself, sulking. I laughed.
“Don’t worry, it’s just to help with Naomi. It was Adam’s idea; he felt guilty about leaving you alone with the baby and-”
“And he trusted you to stay and help? Out of all people?”
I acted offended by holding a hand up to my heart. “Ouch. Hurtful.”
She sighed gave me a cold stare. “Just don’t try anything.”
I chuckled. “ I won’t need to. A full week with just me, Adam’s twin, and you’ll be the one trying something.”
She smacked me on my knee, but I just laughed. “Since when are you so feisty?”
“Since you became my annoying big brother.”
I smirked. “That’s right, big brother.”
Her eyes narrowed and she held up her hand, clenching and unclenching her fingers like claws. “Don’t forget that I have the nails of a lion.”
That shut me up the rest of the ride home, but the smirk on my face never went away.

Skye’s P.O.V.

“You can just sleep on the pullout couch,” I told Aaron as we entered the front door, me carrying his only two bags while he carried Naomi.
“Um. Where is the pullout couch?”
“Where it always-” I began, but then stopped myself when I saw the empty space where the couch used to be. “Wha-”
“You should try calling Adam.”
I sighed and pulled out my cell phone as I walked up to my room and closed the door. He better pick up. The first thing I was going to rant about was the little decision he made without me about Aaron staying over. Then…Where the hell is the couch!?
It rang twice before he picked up. “Hello, Angel,” he said sweetly, and I almost felt guilty that I was about to yell at him. Almost.
“Don’t you ‘Hello, Angel’ me! Why Aaron? And where is the couch? There‘s nowhere else for him to sleep. We‘re still working on the baby‘s room.”
I heard him chuckle through the phone. “I know, I know. Calm down. Don’t get so worked up, Beautiful. It’s a test for Aaron. I need to see if I could trust him around you. Think you can forgive me and help me out?” He put on a fake sweet voice that sounded like he was pouting.
“Ugh! I don’t believe you! You’d take the chance of your brother sleeping with your own wife just to see if you could trust him again!?”
“Please? I really need you to do this for me. I want to trust my brother again.”
I sighed. I could tell he was being honest when he said this. “You better not be expecting a little ‘Welcome Home’ gift when you come back,” I muttered.
“Oh, I’m not,” he said, sounding smug. Before I closed the phone, I heard him clearly say in a sing-song voice, “But I’m getting it anyway…”
“What!?” I shouted into the phone, but he had already hung up.
Ooooh, he’s gonna get it, alright…
I stomped back downstairs, and Aaron greeted me back with an unwelcoming welcome.
“What’s this about sleeping with me?” He asked, stifling a laugh.
“Can it,” I told him, fiery. “I’m not in the mood. We’re going to have to share the bed.”
He opened his mouth to say something, probably something obnoxious, but I spoke before him. “You stay on your side, and I’ll stay on mine. Got it?”
He sighed in defeat and nodded.
I grabbed Naomi from Aaron’s arms and took her upstairs. I changed into my sleeping shorts and t-shirt, and Aaron walked in a few seconds later.
“Which is my side?” he asked.
“The left,” I sighed as I cozied into the right.
“Sweet dreams,” he teased once he was lying down.
“Ugh,” I replied, and doze off to sleep.

Wings Playlist!

Fellow Readers:
The first chapter of Wings will be posted this Friday, but the playlist/sneak peek will be posted now!

Saltwater Room - Owl City
When he broke away, he inhaled deeply. “Love you.”
“Love you, too,” she whispered back.
He released her hand and bent over to kiss Naomi on the forehead. “I’ll miss you, my little Angel,” he said quietly, not wanting to wake her.
He took one last look at me, then walked over to his gate. He was no longer in sight.

Last Of The American Girls - Green Day
I took a look outside in the kitchen through the crack in the open door, and I found myself observing Elena once she barged in through the doors.
Max, another waiter that worked here, handed her a notepad. “I already brought out the drinks to Table 7. You take the orders.”
She shrugged and walked back out. She came back two minutes later asking for an order of fries along with a hamburger. She brought orders in and out, and it fascinated me how easily she could handle it, even though she’d only been working here a short period of time now.
I chuckled as I popped a gum in my mouth.

Gives You Hell - All-American Rejects
I hooked my finger inside her jean’s belt flap so she couldn’t pull away. Her jaw set as I leaned in and kissed her fiercely.
Her lips were as soft as I remembered them. There was no flavor like there always had been, it was just her and her bare, feather-like lips. I moaned as I kept my mouth pressed hard against hers.
I felt a pinch on my lower lip. I leaned away slowly and ran my tongue over it. “Did you just bite me?”
She smiled and held up my key and rattled them in my face. “I suggest you never try that again unless you want to get locked in here.”
I licked my lip again. “That depends: will you be locked in with me?”
She rolled her eyes and unlocked the door. When she came back to grab the salt she’d left on the shelf, she froze and took a gum out of her mouth.
I smirked. “Want to give it back?”
She scoffed at me as she threw the gum down on the ground.
Ouch.

I Wanna - All-American Rejects
I saw a different side of Aaron I’d never seen before as he said this, saw him in a new light. Almost like the old Aaron, the kind, sensitive Aaron, but with something that I’d never noticed before. The Aaron that…the Aaron that could feel. Felt pain, felt needs. A vulnerable Aaron.
I had a moment of weakness, and I couldn’t resist pulling his face to mine. His arms gripped tightly around my waist as I pressed my lips against his, and he moaned softly when I slipped my hands through his shirt. He ended up taking it off.
I had wanted this since the last time we had kissed. It was hard to admit it, but I did. I wanted to taste his lips, wanted him to hold me close and kiss me fiercely. I could feel his need to be close to me, to hold me like this all the time. This was the same need I felt for him.
We didn’t need or want to come up for air when our breathing became heavy. We just needed to be close, wanted to feel each other’s desire for this.
My mind was blank as Aaron continued to kiss me. Every one of his touches made me shiver in pleasure. His lips followed every movement mine made. He made his way down my neck, then back up to my mouth. He tugged on my shirt, and I climbed on top of him. He licked my lips, and a moan of my own escaped from my throat.

I Never Told You - Colbie Caillat
He raised his hand to Elena’s face. She held it there.
“I love you,” he told her. “And tell Naomi that, too. Tell her I’m sorry that I won’t be there for her.”
“No,” Elena cried. “Don’t say your goodbyes just yet, Adam. Don’t you dare leave me!”
He took one last look at Elena before looking over at me, still standing by the door.
“Take care of them,” Adam whispered. His hand fell from her face and his eyes closed.
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.


The Only Exception - Paramore
I could hear my sneakers against the pavement as I ran.
I couldn’t face Naomi. I wouldn’t be able to look into her violet eyes, into her eyes that were so much like her father’s had been.
How could I ever enter that house again, with all of those burning memories still alive inside my head. Adam was a fire in my heart, a flame that refused to die.
And I wouldn’t let it. I couldn’t allow myself to forget him so easily. I couldn’t be happy now. I couldn’t ever have been happy. It was almost as if being miserable was my unfortunate fate, my inevitable destiny.

My Last Song - Dave Days (He's on YouTube)
“Glad you’re not dead,” the fake Aaron muttered softly. I watched as I pulled away from Adam to let him face Aaron. Adam laughed. “Glad you didn’t hope I was.”
Aaron joined him in his laugh, and then they both stopped abruptly.
And then, just when I thought that Adam and Aaron could never repeat what they had done at the wedding, they pulled each other into a firm hug, patting each other softly on the back.
The scene in front of me fainted slowly, then disappeared entirely, and we were back at the white field.

Keeping On Without You - This Providence
I felt his body shiver. “What…what did he say?”
I looked down at my hand as I let it fall from his face. “To move on. To live my life and be happy. With you.”
He lifted my head with his hand. “Are you?” He asked me, hopeful.
I closed my eyes and sighed. I remembered Adam’s words about living my life and not having to let go. Nothing else could possibly make me feel more at peace than knowing that I could trust his reassuring words.
I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders as I realized that I didn’t really lose Adam at all. He was gone, and I had felt like the world would end when I accepted this, but he would always be with me, watching over us.
I opened my eyes.
“Yes,” I answered.


Hey Princess - All Star Weekend
“Oh, shut up and kiss me,” she muttered, throwing the paper over her shoulder.
Happy to oblige, I thought as I laid my lips on hers, anxious to have her in my arms as I‘d imagined so many times.
Finally.

Kings And Queens - 30 Seconds To Mars
Charlie barked and Naomi cooed loudly, and I realized this really was family. A family that I could expand with Aaron, and nothing would make me happier than to do so. I smiled as we kissed, knowing that there was only one thing to call this joy I felt.
Love.

:O I know, I know: How could he/she!? (Or you'll probably be mad at me for the part where I gave away too much about the um beeeeep.) I've probably left you all with a lot of unanswered questions, but they will all be answered eventually, since I'm only posting the FIRST chapter on Friday. What do you think, one chapter each three days?

To Be Loved Playlist!

Here are some songs that I think go good with my story, and a specific piece that I thought it went well with. (And if it was a movie, Welcome To The Black Parade would be the opener.)

Are You Gonna Be My Girl - Jet
I dreamt about the day that Adam proposed to me three months ago.
I was waiting for him at the same place where we‘d met. He’d called me and told me that he had something important to tell me. I had no idea if it was a good or bad thing that he wanted to say to me.
I kept looking at the stage where Adam’s band had performed. I still remembered it clearly. I could almost see it, looking a bit faded, like in the movies. He spotted me in the crowd when they were just starting to sing the second song, Interrupted Love Scene.
I was telling you I drown in your eyes,
I was telling you I’m sick of goodbyes,
I never told you what was in my head,
I never told you what I should have said,
Because then he walked in.
His voice melted my brain, and my heart, all at once.

If My House Was A House - Owl City
I knocked on his door softly. He opened it a crack, and when he saw it was me, opened the door completely. He looked surprised. “Elena?”
“Could I talk to you about something?”
“Sure.” He stepped out and closed the door behind him. “What’s up?”
I hesitated. Then I spoke. “Do you have something against me? I don’t even think you’ve said a single word to me ever since Adam introduced me to you. I‘m sorry if I ever did anything to offend you, but at least let me know what I did.”
He looked down at the ground, then sighed. “I wish I could. But it’s too complicated. You probably wouldn’t understand.”
I crossed my arms. “Try me.”
He hesitated.
“C’mon, Aaron. Please.”
He sighed again. He was still looking down.
“She likes this guy I know,” he began slowly. “I want to be with her, but-”
“But?”
Then, not lifting his head, he stared at me seriously, so serious I thought I could die right then and there.
“Thing is…the guy’s my brother.”

Savior - Rise Against
Ever since I found out that Elena was going to marry my brother, I had forced myself not to think about her, to talk to her as little as possible, and I had done a good job at doing so. But after that kiss, I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Her mouth was so soft, as if the world’s softest feathers were caressing my lips. And I tasted something sweet, probably a lip gloss with the strawberry flavor I tasted.
That kiss had changed me forever. But I knew for Elena, it wouldn’t effect her the tiniest bit. She was crazy for Adam, and comparing me to him was like comparing a grain of sand to the whole beach. No matter how much I wanted it, Elena would never choose me over my brother. I was no match for Adam, the guitar player in an up-and-coming band that all the girls would die for. I was just Aaron, known only as the book worm, and nothing more.
Even if she did choose me, I couldn’t do that to my brother. He was like a savior to me. A hero. He’d helped me though so much, helped me with anything and everything. He was only minutes older, but he was years wiser.

21 Guns - Green Day
Then she looked up at me with those big blue eyes of hers. “I think…I may have feelings for you.”
I sighed. If only.
“No,” I told her flatly, firmly. “You only think you do, out of guilt. But you love Adam.”
“Yes, I do, and a lot. But I love you, too.”

Journey To The End Of My Life - All Star Weekend
I sighed softly and laid my head back on his chest as Adam ran his fingers through my hair. He kissed my forehead.
This is how I always wanted it to be for us, the next long days of our lives together. I wanted to be with him like this, always right there, listening to his heart thump as it tells me he will be with me for the rest of my life.

All These Things That I’ve Done - The Killers
I ended up at the beach again.
When things were bad, I threw rocks. When things were really bad, I went swimming.
I sat by the shore when I got tired. The sand was hot, and my body burned even more from the already blazing sun, but I didn’t go back into the refreshing water. I stayed there, and hoped that it was possible that I can be burned until I was nothing but ashes, hoped that I can be put out of my misery once and for all.

Need You Now - Lady Antebellum
My phone rang again. I wanted to launch it into the water like the rocks I threw. I hit ignore, and kept walking.
I had rarely been at my apartment the past few days. I was practically living at the beach now. I only went back to sleep. I came to the beach early in the morning, had my breakfast, lunch, and dinner there, and threw rocks in between. There was nothing else to do.
I listened to my voice mail. All of them were from Elena, all of them the same message.
It’s me. I have to talk to you about the wedding. Call me back.
I have to talk to you about the wedding. Please call.
Call me back, I convinced Adam to let you come to the wedding.
I didn’t give a damn about the wedding anymore. It didn’t matter if I could go. I wasn’t going, either way.
The final message began to play, and I stopped myself from pressing the delete key when I heard the urgency in her voice.
Aaron. I need to see you. Please. I don’t know what I’m going to do.

Be Yourself - Audioslave
We said our ‘I Do’s’, exchanged the rings, and finally, the minister said the words:
“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
Adam stepped closer and put one arm around my waist. He rested the other on my cheek. Slowly, he leaned in and my eyes fluttered closed as he pressed his lips to mine.
He was heavenly gentle, but when I carefully bit down on his bottom lip and tugged, he smiled and gave me a more passionate kiss. When he broke away, the guests cheered and began throwing flower petals.

Once I'm finished writing Wings, I'll post the playlist ahead of time, so that way, you can know what to expect, and get a little taste of Wings at the same time!

To Be Loved: Final Chapter!

Well, here it is, the last, longest chapter, then I start posting the next installment: Wings.

Skye’s P.O.V.

Aaron’s words were still echoing in my head this morning. Over and over.
I still haven’t told Adam. He should know. He should have been the first to know! But I went and told Aaron instead. I didn’t know what I blamed myself more for: that I told Aaron first instead of Adam, or that I actually told Aaron at all and hurt him.
His reaction had been clear: there was no doubt that he despised me now. It was inevitable, I was sure.
I was deep in thought, and my coffee I got here at the airport got cold. The bitter taste brought me back to the present, and I heard Adam’s voice.
“Everything’s set,” Adam was telling me, sounding excited. “I double checked. Everything will be here on Tuesday, and then the guys will get the stuff ready for the wedding. All we have to do now is wait. ”
I gave a little smile. “That’s great. Look, Adam, I need to talk to you.”
He raised his eyebrow and sat down on the bed. “What’s up?”
“I don’t exactly how to say this, but…”
It took me a moment to figure out how to tell him, to find the right words.
“Well,” I began. “Um…What are your feelings toward…becoming a father?”
He straightened up quickly and looked at me with wide eyes. “You…you mean…?”
I nodded with a smile.
He exhaled, and his eyes lit up. They were practically glowing.
“Yes!” he exclaimed, laughing, completely forgetting about the groggy people around us. He stood, and brought me up with him. He held his arms tight around me. I wrapped my arms around his neck. He pulled back to look at me, and he put his hands up to my face. “You make me the happiest man on Earth, Elena. I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you!” He began twirling with me in his arms, and I laughed out of pure joy. He stopped suddenly, and kneeled down, resting his cheek against my stomach. “You too, little one.”
He stood again and leaned in to kiss me, but then stopped himself.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him.
“Nothing’s wrong,” he said, grinning. “Everything’s perfect. It’s just that…well, I don’t want to kiss you just yet. I want to wait for the wedding.”
I stared at him with disbelief, but, despite myself, started to laugh. “You mean you aren’t going to kiss me until Wednesday?”
He laughed, too. “Yeah, I know it’s kind of ridiculous, but-”
“Don’t worry, I get it. You think it’ll be more romantic.”
He smiled and nodded. “Right.”
“Fine,” I said, and I brushed my fingers over his lips. “Suit yourself.”
Adam smiled under my fingers. “You’re a tease,” he muttered, and then kissed me on the forehead.
“That doesn’t count,” he told me, grinning again.
“My turn,” I heard someone say. I turned around, and there was my dad.
“Dad!”
“Come here, sweetie!” he yelled with arms wide open.
I ran up to him, and his arms embraced me.
“Careful, dad,” I muttered, then smiled. “You don’t want to squish your grandchild, do you?”
He pulled away and looked at me with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open a little.
He laughed almost hysterically. “I can’t believe it! Last time I came back from a trip, I found out you were getting married. Now, my baby’s havin’ a baby!” Then he looked down at me with glowing eyes. “I’m glad, honey. Congrats.”

No matter how good it felt to be with my father again, I couldn’t stop worrying about Aaron. Would he call? Would he pick up if I called? Would he come to the wedding that he knew he could now come to, thanks to my millions of messages?
I knew where he was. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind. I just needed to gather the guts to actually go and talk to him.
“Um, Adam? Do you mind if I take your car? I need to check on Ariana, see if she has her bridesmaids dress.”
“Sure.” He fished in his pocket for the keys then flung them at me, and I caught them in midair.
“Thanks,” I said, then turned and began walking toward the door, then turned back again.
“By the way, you haven’t even told me who your best man is,” I said casually, afraid of what his response might be.
He gave me a little smile, then told me in a soft voice, “It’s still Aaron. So you better make sure he be there.”
I blew out a sigh of relief and smiled back at him. “I will.”
I started the engine as soon as I entered his Porsche, and drove down to the beach.
Just as I suspected, I found Aaron there, skipping rocks.
I stood behind him and cleared my throat.
“Oh, hey,” he mumbled, not even having to turn to know it was me. “How’d Adam take the news?”
“I’m here to know how you took the news.”
I heard something noticeably different in his voice when he spoke. The way he spoke sounded almost…relieved, carefree even. He sounded more relaxed than he’d been in days.
“Actually, I couldn’t be happier. I’m happy for you and Adam. And I’m also glad because it finally made me realize something.”
Finally, he turned to face me.
“It made me realize how strong your love is for Adam, and nothing I do could possibly change that.”
He took my hands in his. “I would never want to hurt you or my brother. But I can’t help my feelings for you. I love you, and I’ll always love you, but for the sake of your happiness with my brother, I’ll love you as I should; as a friend, as a sister.”
This made me suck in a gasp. For the sake of your happiness. This was a hard sacrifice he was making. For me. For my happiness. For my happiness.
“My true love will come,” he continued. “Some day. But for now, I’m just happy as long as you are.”
All of this made me wonder. Made me wonder what life would have been like without him, just me and Adam. Made me wonder what life would have been like, just us. Made me wonder if his true love would come one day and save him from the burden that I have become to him. Made me wonder how I would ever be able to thank him for doing this for me. Made me wonder that maybe everything could be happily ever after in the end after all.
“So you’ll come to the wedding?” I whispered. I couldn’t lift my head. He lifted it for me, cupping my chin in his hand so I was looking directly at him.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said, just as softly as me. Then he removed his cupped hand from under my chin and gave it a soft, playful little nudge, clicking his tongue once. I smiled weakly, and he pulled me into his arms. His embrace did so many things at once. Sent a chill through my body, made my cheeks warm, gave me a shiver that ran up my spine, raised goose bumps on my skin. Most of all, it made me realize that I’d have to feel all of this every single time I was in his arms from now on, and that I’d have to get used to it.

“You look beautiful, honey.”
My father’s voice startled me. I hadn’t heard him come into the room. “Oh, hey, Dad.”
He chuckled. “I remember when you used to dress like this everyday when you played dress up. That too too always looked so cute on you. And now look at you.”
His kind, fatherly words gave me warmth, gave me confidence.
I never knew what was the reason behind the nervousness that brides got right before the wedding, but it was sure as hell happening to me. These pre-wedding jitters just added to my nerves.
But as I heard my dad’s reassuring voice, all those jitters and nerves disappeared. I looked myself in the mirror, and I didn’t see the same Elena Skye I’d always been. I saw the Elena Skye I was about to become. I saw the Elena Skye that would be a wife, that would be a mother.
“Can I come in?”
My jitters returned as I saw Aaron’s head poking in the room through the mirror.
Please don’t leave me alone with him. Please don’t leave me alone with him, I chanted in my head, hoping that it was possible to will my father to do so.
“I’ll just leave you two alone,” my father muttered as he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh.
It was silent for three long seconds before Aaron spoke. “You look beautiful.”
“Yeah, that’s what you’re supposed to say,” I joked, though I felt an edge to my voice.
“Doesn’t mean it’s not rue,” he replied. “I mean, you just looks so…gorgeous. You’re surely going to knock em’ dead.”
I chuckled and looked down at the floor when I felt my cheeks grow hot.
“I wanted to give you something.”
My heart skipped a beat.
He held out a white box, with the length of a 12-inch ruler. Slowly, he opened it.
The first thing I saw was the beautiful silver necklace that showed a small fern hanging in the middle.
“I thought it would look nice with your dress,” he said softly.
Right above the necklace, there was something imprinted into the cardboard that held the necklace in place.
No man is worth your tears, but once you find one that is, he won't make you cry.
I felt my throat tightening, and I held my hand up to it. “It’s beautiful,” I croaked. “Would you-”
“Of course,” he said, reading my mind. I turned back to the mirror and saw as the mirror copied his movement, mimicked him as his hands quickly hooked the necklace on and then rested weightless on my shoulders.
I felt something had been missing, and now, everything was perfect. I joined Aaron as he studied me in the mirror. The necklace glistened softly in the light. It went beautifully with my flowing dress, and even with my hair with white lilies pinned to a few of the bouncing curls. My glossy lips were pink and smooth, and as I caught a glimpse of my blue eyes, which looked bluer than ever, my rosy-colored lips began to quiver and my eyes started watering.
“Aw, don’t cry, Elena. You’ll mess up that beautiful make-up of yours.”
I sucked in a deep breathe and turned to him. “Your right.” I gave him a sincere look. “Thank you. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“It didn’t cost that much.”
“No, I said shaking my head. “I mean everything you’ve ever done for me, everything you are doing for me, and everything you will probably do for me. I don’t know how I’ll ever forgive myself for hurting you, and just know that I never meant to-”
“It was just a necklace,” he muttered. Then he chuckled and said, “Kidding.”
There was a knock on the door, and my father stepped back in. “Hey, kiddo, sorry to interrupt, but he have to get you down that aisle.”
“I’ll go tell them to get ready for the bride,” Aaron announced, and left the room.
My heart started pounding, and my stomach churned, though I was sure that was from the pregnancy.
I grabbed my bouquet as my father offered me his elbow, and I slipped my hand through his.
“Stop looking so worried,” my father told me. “Everything’s fine. Now put on that smile that the ‘too too’ you would wear.”
I smiled unwillingly as he told me that.
Usually, time was not on my side. Had bad timing, time went by too fast or too slow. I wanted things to go by fast today. But today, time was giving me a break. It seems as soon as we stepped out that door, we were already in the backyard, on the long, red carpet rolled out in front of us.
I took a deep breath and waited for my cue to start walking. The wedding march began, and the few dozens of people stood.
Left. Right. Left. Right.
It seemed like only a few steps before I was right in front of Adam, not being able to help but smile at how handsome he looked in his tux. Once I saw him, I saw no one else, not even Aaron.
Beautiful, he mouthed.
It seemed like only a few minutes had passed when it was time for the vows.
Adam spoke first. In my head, I was thinking, No matter what he says, don’t cry.
“Elena. My beautiful Elena. I believe it was fate that we met. In all my life, I never met someone as beautiful, as smart, as caring, as sweet, as perfect as you.”
Don’t cry, don’t cry, I said louder in my head.
"You’re my everything. A bee is nothing without it’s sweet honey, a singer is nothing without their voice, and I am nothing without you. I love you, and don’t you dare forget it.”
Damn it, I thought as the tears strolled down my face.
I began what I had rehearsed so many times. “Adam.” I smiled as I said his name. “There have been so many ‘best days of my life’ with you. This will be one of them.” I paused for a short moment. “And the next-” I took a deep breath and put a hand up to my belly. “Will be when the child growing inside me is born, with you right there by my side.”
Adam smiled. There were gasps and mutters from the audience. But I continued.
“And I hope to share many more ‘best days’ with you, for as long as our love will last.”
Love you, I mouthed.
We said our ‘I Do’s’, exchanged the rings, and finally, the minister said the words:
“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
Adam stepped closer and put one arm around my waist. He rested the other on my cheek. Slowly, he leaned in and my eyes fluttered closed as he pressed his lips to mine.
He was heavenly gentle, but when I carefully bit down on his bottom lip and tugged, he smiled and gave me a more passionate kiss. When he broke away, the guests cheered and began throwing flower petals. Adam gave me one more kiss, a soft kiss on the forehead, then picked me up and stood me on a nearby metal folding chair. I turned away from the crowd and shouted, “Ready?“ to the people behind me, then launched my bouquet over my head. I was surprised when Ariana caught it. I laughed when she looked at Noah with a smug look and he started whistling.
I looked over to where Aaron was standing and began to walk toward him. When I stood right in front of him, he held his arms wide open. “Come ‘ere, lil’ sis!” I wrapped my arms around his waist and he started to shake me left and right. We both laughed, but then Aaron stopped laughing for some reason, so I stopped, too. I looked up at him to see that he was staring at something in back of me, so I turned. There was Adam, standing tall, in front of me and his fraternal twin brother Aaron. And there I stood between both men that I loved, feeling small. I moved to the side and pushed them a bit closer.
Adam held out his hand. Aaron took it and they shook fiercely. I could tell both their grips were tight. And then my happily ever after happened. Adam pulled Aaron into his arms, patted his back and said to him, “I missed you, little brother.”

Epilogue

Aaron’s P.O.V.

I’d say things were finally back to normal, but they were never normal in the first place, so I’ll say that things are finally normal. Elena is happy, and that’s all I could wish for. The both of us really are like brother and sister now, always messing with each other. She has some kind of attitude toward me now. She acts cold sometimes, gotten real feisty. I always pretend to hit on her to tease her. (Or at least that‘s what I tell her.)
She’s six-months pregnant, and I’m actually pretty psyched. Adam is practically jumping up and down for the day to come.
Turns out Noah and Ariana did get married, about three months later. Shocker.
Everything’s normal, but that doesn’t mean that things aren’t different. Because things between me and Adam will never be the same again. It’s not completely awkward between us, but it’s not a stroll in the park, either. Our brotherhood has changed forever, our bond and trust gone, and it’s all thanks to the woman we could never say no to, to the woman we could never stay mad at. To the woman we will always love, Elena.

To Be Loved: Chapter Four

Hey all, I know I said I'd post daily from now on, so I apologize for yesterday. (Things got a little hectic.) So to make up for it, I'm posting double! Enjoy! =D

Skye’s P.O.V.

I was happy to wake up to the same scent as yesterday, minty and musky. I smiled as I laid my head on Adam’s hard chest.
“I love the sound of your heartbeat,” I told him quietly.
I could hear it very clearly. It was strong.
Boom, boom. Boom, boom.
“Why?” he asked, chuckling.
“Because when I listen to it, I know you‘ll live a long life, so it makes me happy to know that I‘ll have you with me forever.”
He smiled and held me closer to him.
“Promise me something, Adam?”
“What is it?”
I hesitated. “Promise me that you’ll always remember that I love you. Always. Even if you someday lose your memory. Keep it in the back of your head. Remember it like you remember how to breathe.”
His face was blank for a moment, and then he closed his eyes. He opened them again and looked at me. He grabbed my hand resting on his chest and pulled it closer to his heart.
“I promise.”
I sighed softly and laid my head back on his chest as Adam ran his fingers through my hair. He kissed my forehead.
This is how I always wanted it to be for us, the next long days of our lives together. I wanted to be with him like this, always right there, listening to his heart thump as it tells me he will be with me for the rest of my life.
I felt like I was forgetting something, and I remembered. I looked at the time on the digital clock next to us. Eight thirty-seven A.M.
“Aaron’s supposed to pick me up,” I mumbled to Adam. “He should have been here by now. Did he call?”
“Don’t think so. I left my cell phone on. Didn‘t have time to turn it off.” He smirked.
“He would have called if he couldn’t come…”
Something wasn’t right. It wasn’t like Aaron. I know he kept his word, and he would have called if he couldn’t.
I got on my feet and stretched. I picked up my phone from the desk and dialed Aaron’s number. I stood outside our door and then saw Aaron’s phone shaking, vibrating on the little table. My heart ached as I considered the possibility that was forming in my head.
“Oh, God,” I groaned.
“What’s wrong?” Aaron asked, instantly by my side, caressingly kissing my shoulder.
“Aaron. He left his phone here. He must have come back for it and heard us. He heard us, Adam!” I hid my face in my hands, horrified.
“So? He still would have called. He‘s not the kind of guy to get all uncomfortable and freaked out about that.”
“You don’t understand, Adam! Aaron-” I covered my mouth quickly.
“Aaron what?” He said suspiciously, his eyebrows furrowing.
I closed my eyes. Should I tell him? I wondered. I didn’t want to hurt him, but he should know. I didn’t want to keep this from him forever.
“Elena, Aaron what?” He asked again. He rarely ever called me Elena, except when he was serious or worried.
I took a deep breath, and looked down at the floor. “Aaron, he…a few nights ago…he told me he had feelings for me.” I raised my head, though I kept my eyes on his mouth. I didn‘t have the courage to look into his eyes.
“He kissed me,” I whispered.
Slowly, I looked up. His expression was blank.
“And I thought for a while that I had feelings for him,” I said slowly.
Still blank.
“But I don’t,” I continued quickly, defensively. “I love you and only you. I know that now.”
The doorbell rang. I kept my eyes on Adam a few seconds longer, then walked downstairs.
Even more proof. He would have just let himself in using the spare key. He always did.
I opened the door and there stood Aaron. He had circles under his red eyes.
“Aaron…”
“Sorry I’m late,” he mumbled, looking at the floor as he stepped inside.
“Aaron,“ I said again. “I-”
Adam was suddenly right there, grabbing Aaron from the collar of his shirt, shaking him a little. He was fast.
“Damn, you, Aaron! How dare you put even one finger on her! Trying to steal my girl, huh?” I saw him pull back his arm, and I quickly pushed Adam away from Aaron.
“Please, Adam, stop! Please,” I sobbed. I had my eyes shut tight. I felt his body relax and he slowly wrapped one arm around my waist, and rested the other on the small of my back. I could feel him staring at Aaron over my shoulder.
“Don’t you dare come to the wedding.”
My eyes opened wide in horror. I looked at Aaron, and he just stood there, looking at the floor. He probably hated me now, and I couldn’t blame him. I’ve hurt him too much already.
I dug my face back into Adam’s chest, and I heard the door close.

I was anxious all the next day. When I woke up, Adam was gone. He left a note that said he went over to Noah’s to rehearse, and I knew he was staying longer than he needed to.
I tried to keep myself busy by cleaning, but there wasn’t much to clean, so I finished quickly. I went upstairs to the room, took out a book, and waited.
I heard a car pull up around six, then I heard the front door open and close. It was silent for a few seconds, but then I heard him begin to walk up the stairs, and I stood.
He entered, carrying his guitar case, and closed the door behind him.
“Hi,” I said quietly, forcing a smile, though only one corner of my mouth curved.
“Hey.”
We stood there quietly for a moment. The silence was almost deafening.
Then he dropped his case and pulled me close to him. I shut my eyes closed to prevent from crying. Didn‘t work.
“I’m sorry,” I sobbed into his shirt. “Please understand. Please forgive me.”
He held me tighter and rest his chin on my head as he smoothed my hair. “I understand. I forgive you.”
I clenched to him more. There was no distance between us, I was as close as possible, and yet it was never enough for me when I held Adam.
We stayed like that for a long time, in complete silence, just holding each other.
“Adam?”
“Yeah?”
I opened my mouth to speak, but no sound came out. I closed it, then opened it again. “Please let Aaron come to the wedding. I’d feel bad if he wasn’t there.”
“No,” he answered, gentle but firm.
“Please. I’m just as guilty.”
He looked down at me. I hated myself for causing the pain I could see in his eyes.
“I can’t, Skye.”
“But he’s your brother!”
He sighed, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry, but the answer is still no.”
My lips trembled, and I could feel tears in my eyes. “Okay,” I muttered, my voice only above a whisper. “Fine. Sorry I asked.”
He looked at me again and groaned. “Skye,” he pleaded. “Babe, please don’t-”
I looked away so he wouldn’t see my agonized, pathetic face.
He sighed again. “Fine,” he said through his teeth. “But just promise me something.”
I looked back up at him. “Anything.”
“I want you to remember something too. Remember that I would do anything to make you happy. I would do everything to make you happy.”
I nodded my head. “I promise.” I put my arms around his neck. “Thank you.”
He pulled me closer and kissed my forehead.
“Be honest with me,” murmured. “Do you truly love him? If he’s the one you want, then I won’t get in the way of your happiness. Like I said, I’d do anything. Even if it means letting you go…”
I felt as if my heart shattered into a million little pieces as I looked at him and saw the same pain in his eyes.
“No. I know who I want.” I dug my face into his chest, and he put his arms around me again.
“You’re still going to sing at the wedding, right?” I asked him, worried that he’d changed his mind.
I could hear a smile in his voice as he spoke.
“Of course I am.”

Aaron’s P.O.V.

I ended up at the beach again.
When things were bad, I threw rocks. When things were really bad, I went swimming.
I sat by the shore when I got tired. The sand was hot, and my body burned even more from the already blazing sun, but I didn’t go back into the refreshing water. I stayed there, and hoped that it was possible that I can be burned until I was nothing but ashes, hoped that I can be put out of my misery once and for all.
I grabbed a handful of sand, then slowly let it slip through my fingers. I did the same thing over and over, until I picked up a piece of glass with the sand. I observed the glass, and it reminded me of Elena. Everything was reminding me of Elena. When I closed my eyes, I saw Elena. When I opened them, I saw Elena. I couldn’t get her out of my head. But this piece of glass was different. Glass was easy to break. Glass was sharp. It was very delicate, but it could cut you just as easy as it was to shatter it.
Just like Elena. I shattered her, and she’d cut me without trying.
I didn’t realize I’d clenched my hand with the glass in it into a fist until I saw the dripping blood. I opened my hand and dropped the glass. I just continued to watch the blood drip.
Plop. Plop.

And here's the second bit. =)

Skye’s P.O.V.

“Hey, Aaron, it’s me. Please call me back. It’s about the wedding.”
I shut my phone and hid my face in my hands. He wasn’t going to call back. Not ever. It had already been a whole week. He hadn’t called back, and when I went over to his house, he wasn’t home. And if he was, he obviously didn’t come running to open the door for me.
The phone rang. I picked it up quickly. “Hello?”
“Hey, pumpkin.” It wasn’t Aaron. But I was glad to hear my father on the other end. “Dad! It’s so good to hear your voice!”
“I just wanted to see how you were doing and let you know I’ll be there Monday.”
It was Saturday. I felt tears in my eyes. “That’s great! I’ll be able to spend time with you before the wedding on Wednesday. I can’t wait to see you!” It was quiet for a moment. “I miss you, Daddy.” I hadn’t called my father Daddy since I was six. I felt like a little girl again. I was gonna start crying like one, too.
“I miss you, too, sweetie. I’m afraid I have to go now, though. I’ll call you when I arrive, ‘kay?”
“Alright. Bye.”
“See you soon, hun.”
I sat there frozen on the bed. Everyone was going to be there.
Everyone but Aaron.
The tears in my eyes escaped, and I sobbed into my hands.
“Angel, what’s wrong?” Adam was suddenly by my side, and he hugged my shoulders.
I took a deep breath. “It’s nothing. My dad’s coming on Monday.”
His brows furrowed. “That’s not the reason why you were crying, Elena. I know you.”
I sighed. I couldn’t tell him it was because of Aaron. “I don’t know, Adam. I have been really sensitive lately.”
Now Adam sighed. “I swear, girls are so complicated.”
He started to walk away, but I tugged on his shirt and held on tight to him. “Don’t leave.”
He wrapped his arms around me, the tightest he ever had before.
“Sensitive isn’t the only thing you’ve been lately,” he muttered.
He was right. I was feeling needy. For him. For a lot of things. I wondered why that was.
Despite my emotions, I forced myself to laugh and let him go. “Sorry.”
He shook his head. “Don’t be. Anyway, come downstairs. My mom’s here. She just got out of the hospital after having her baby, and her boyfriend’s taking us out to dinner.”
I felt surprise on my face. “How come you never told me?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “It never came up.”
“Well you could have at least told me about the dinner part. Now I have to get ready!”
He threw his head back and laughed. “I’ll tell them to wait a few minutes.”

The whole night I held the baby. She was so soft and so warm, and already so beautiful. Her name was Macie. Adam’s mother told me that she was so happy that she finally got a girl, and I laughed. “Yeah, you must have been pretty busy with two boys,” I told her.
“Not really. Aaron was no trouble. Adam was the real rebel.”
I smirked. “Why do I not find that surprising?”
“Aren’t you going to eat anything?” Adam mumbled at me.
“Just some shrimp. I’m not all that hungry.”
Since Adam hadn’t mentioned anything about his mother and dinner, I’d already finished a big bag of chips and a pasta salad at home a few hours before.
I took a sip of my soda, then continued to coo at Macie.
As I held her, I felt a warm feeling in the pit of my stomach. I tried to imagine myself with a big round belly, tried to imagine what it could possibly feel like having such a small living thing inside of you, kicking and making your stomach jump out.
It was a wondrous feeling, this warmth. It was stronger than anything I’d ever felt before.

We got home around nine. When I entered our room, it was humid.
“We really need to get an air conditioner,” I told Adam.
“Sorry, beautiful,” he said, taking off his jacket. “An open window’s the best I can do right now.”
I plopped onto the bed and dug my face into my pillow.
“Aren’t you going to change?”
I groaned in a whiny tone, and he laughed. “Fine, suit yourself.”
I kept tossing and turning the whole night. I couldn’t sleep in this heat. My forehead was covered in sweat. In the middle of the night, I began to feel my stomach churning, and I recognized the feeling. I ran to the bathroom and kneeled in front of the toilet.
The smell reeked. I forced myself to sniff it a bit to get it all out and over with.
It took several minutes. I rinsed my mouth with water and brushed my teeth, then looked at myself in the mirror above the sink. My eyes looked weary, tired. I went back to bed.
“You okay?” Adam asked, a worried look on his face.
“I’m fine. It was probably all of the shrimp I ate.”
I was telling myself this more than I was telling him.
A connection was forming in my head, though I didn’t notice until I could almost hear the clicks.
The emotions, the eating, the warm feeling as I held Adam’s new baby sister, the sickness just now.
I didn’t want to think about it, but I knew exactly what was happening to me.

Aaron’s P.O.V.

My phone rang again. I wanted to launch it into the water like the rocks I threw. I hit ignore, and kept walking.
I had rarely been at my apartment the past few days. I was practically living at the beach now. I only went back to sleep. I came to the beach early in the morning, had my breakfast, lunch, and dinner there, and threw rocks in between. There was nothing else to do.
I listened to my voice mail. All of them were from Elena, all of them the same message.
It’s me. I have to talk to you about the wedding. Call me back.
I have to talk to you about the wedding. Please call.
Call me back, I convinced Adam to let you come to the wedding.
I didn’t give a damn about the wedding anymore. It didn’t matter if I could go. I wasn’t going, either way.
The final message began to play, and I stopped myself from pressing the delete key when I heard the urgency in her voice.
Aaron. I need to see you. Please. I don’t know what I’m going to do.
I froze completely. I listened to the message over again. Her voice sounded worried, sounded like she was crying. I dialed her number. She picked up on the first ring.
“Hello?”
I said nothing.
“Hello? Who is this this?”
“Elena?” I muttered softly.
It was quiet on the other end.
“I’m at the beach. I’ll be waiting.”
I began pacing as I waited for her.
I found her sitting by the shore, not even looking around to find me. Wasn’t she the one that was supposed to find me?
I sat down next to her, and waited for her to say something, but she kept looking out into the distance.
“What happened?” If she was this quiet, something serious was going on.
She was silent.
“I went to a clinic today,” she murmured, still not looking at me.
My eyebrows furrowed. “A clinic? Why? What’s wrong, are you okay?”
She finally looked at me, with eyes so drowsy, they looked dead. And then, with one little halfhearted smile, she said, “I’m pregnant.”

I sat there frozen. Why was she telling me this? Was she trying to break me on purpose? Hadn’t she cut me enough already?
Damn it, Elena, I thought. Why me?
“You should go home and tell Adam,” I told her in a low voice. “He should know.”
I walked away.

Only one more part to To Be Loved, then comes Wings. ;D

To Be Loved: Chapter Three

I was going to post these on Mondays and Tuesdays, but I couln't wait! I finally finished, finally figured out the ending, so I'll be posting the chapters daily now, and then I'll make you wait a few weeks for the sequel. Enjoy! =D

Aaron's P.O.V.

“Ugh. I need some water. I’m so tired.”
Elena giggled. “So tired that you forgot that we just finished painting these walls?”
I realized quickly that I had leaned against a wall without remembering that tiny fact and got off instantly. I looked over my shoulder. I was covered in yellow paint.
“Oh, great,” I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. She laughed. Her laugh was so sweet. So beautiful. More soothing than any melody.
“I’ll get you that water,” she said, then made her way downstairs.
I covered the spot I’d just leaned against, and when I turned around, ice cold water spilled on my shirt.
“Damn it! Aaron, I’m so sorry, I-”
“Hey, it’s no big deal.”
I took it off and twisted up the shirt and squeezed some of the water out.
Elena wouldn’t look at me.
“Am I that ugly to look at?” I joked.
“Not at all,” she muttered.
I couldn’t have wiped the smirk off my face even if I’d wanted to.
“Hey, mind if I ask for another one of those favors?”
“What now?”
“Well, I was wondering if maybe you could hook me up with a job at the restaurant you work at. I hate my job as an assistant. All I do is get coffee for my boss.”
I laughed. “You really want to be with me all the time now, don’t you?”
“You don’t know how right you are,” she muttered sadly.
I stopped laughing. “What?”
Then she looked up at me with those big blue eyes of hers. “I think…I may have feelings for you.”
I sighed. If only.
“No,” I told her flatly, firmly. “You only think you do, out of guilt. But you love Adam.”
“Yes, I do, and a lot. But I love you, too.”
She was making this so much worse for me. I couldn’t take it. It ached me to know that she wanted to have feelings for me. But she was just confused. She truly loved Adam.
“You don’t love me.”
“I do.”
“No, you don’t,” I said through my teeth.
“Yes, I do,” she retorted stubbornly.
“You don’t!”
She crossed her arms. “Prove it.”
I looked up at the ceiling, letting out a puff of air.
As I looked back down at her, my brain was telling me, practically shouting at me, that this was a bad idea.
I leaned in as she closed her eyes.
Our lips met, and I tasted a piña colada kind of taste this time. Much sweeter than last time.
Her soft lips made me realize that she was just soft in general. Her lips, her eyes, her voice, her skin.. I wrapped my arms around her, and she rested her hands on my shoulders, slowly making their way to my back. I could feel her nails digging into my skin just from gripping on tightly.
I broke away slowly. “Now, compare that to when you kiss Adam,” I directed her.
“It’s…” she paused. “With Adam, it’s butterflies, but with you…it’s…fireworks.”
I put my face into my hands.
Why was she making this so complicated?
“It doesn’t matter anyway,” she whispered. “You don’t like me anymore.”
I looked up at her, and the corners of my lips twitched, tempting me to show a wide grin. “Trust me, that is definitely not the case here.”
Her eyes had a glint of hope in them as she stared up at me.
“But like you said,” I continued. “It doesn’t matter. Look, I just want you to be happy. But I want you to be happy with Adam. Alright?”
She merely nodded.
“I’ll be here at eight to pick you up for the job interview.”
I left the house and went to the beach.
I wished my brother luck. I had kissed those sweet lips for the last time. I’d only tasted strawberry and coconut. He will taste much more. Bubble gum, watermelon, vanilla, coconut, kiwi…

Skye’s P.O.V.

Adam came home tired, rubbing his neck.
I had already put on my shorts and T-shirt and was getting into bed, when I heard him come in.
“Were you having a meeting, or rehearsing?” I joked.
He grinned. “Meeting. But figures I’d pick the uncomfortable chair.”
I laughed. “Take off your shirt and sit down on the bed. I’ll give you a massage.”
He raised his eyebrow. “Since when are you a masseuse?”
I rolled my eyes. “Do you want one, or not?”
He shut up and took off his shirt as he sat on the bed. I sat behind him, legs crossed, and dug my thumbs softly into his neck, making my way to his shoulders. I pressed down into his skin, rubbing as I made little circles, around and around.
He was so tense.
“Relax. Take a deep breath,” I told him as I continued circling my thumbs into his muscles.
He did as I told, and I felt him loosen up. I ran my fingers up and down his back, hearing him sigh. I put my hands on his shoulders gently, then pushed my thumbs up into his neck again. Around and around…
He sighed once more. He grabbed the hand resting on his shoulder and held it up to his face. “You’re hands are so soft. So warm…”
He kissed my knuckles softly, and my head started to spin.
As he released my hand, I hugged him from behind, resting my chin on his shoulder.
“Thanks, beautiful, I already feel better.”
He wasn’t wearing cologne today, but I smelled a musky, minty scent. His scent. It intoxicated me.
“No problem. Hey, what were you doing yesterday? I didn’t see you the whole day.”
I felt him straighten up.
“Adam,” I said, trying to sound hurt. “Are you hiding something from me?”
He smiled.
“Well…I wanted it to be a surprise, but I might as well.”
He got up and pulled open a drawer, searching for something. He pulled out a sheet of paper and sat down next to me. He handed the sheet to me. “I’ve been writing a song. For you.”
I raised my eyebrow and looked down at the paper. At the top it said:
Seven Nights, One Day (Firelight)
“Lyrics?”
He nodded. He began to sing as I read along.
There are seven nights and one day in a week,
Oh, please, girl, don’t make me get on my knees,
You tell me there’re plenty of fish in the sea,
But you are the only mermaid for me,
I look in your eyes, there’s a fire burnin’
That firelight keeps my head on turnin’
I keep staring, won’t I ever start learnin’
The lyrics ended, and he stopped singing.
“That’s all I got.”
I was speechless. The way he sang the words were so beautiful, so perfect.
I felt tears in my eyes as I realized something.
I really was an idiot. I’d been spending so much time with Aaron, too much time, to try to figure out my feelings for him, that I’d completely forgotten about the love I had for Adam. We’ve never had a day to ourselves, never had some real time alone, with Adam always so busy with the band.
“It’s beautiful,” I finally managed, but my voice was only a whisper.
“I wanted to sing it at the wedding,” he muttered.
I looked at him in complete awe. He met my gaze. We stared at each other for what seemed like forever, when finally, he leaned in slowly.
Adam had always been gentle, giving me soft kisses, but this kiss was passionate.
It made my heart skip a beat.
He made his way down to my neck, his lips caressing my skin. He ran his fingers across my shoulder and down my arm, and his soft touch gave me goose bumps. He twisted his fingers into the spaces between mine.
“So warm…” he said as he kissed me, then pulled away. “Wait. Isn’t this supposed to be part of the honeymoon?” He was beginning to smirk.
“I can’t wait that long,” I breathed. He bit his lip, and pressed his lips to mine.
In my head, I was imagining the butterflies in my stomach fluttering up into the sky, and suddenly exploding into a star of colors, shining brightly and luminously in the blue of the night above my head.
Fireworks.

Aaron’s P.O.V.

“Damn,” I mumbled to myself. “Forgot my phone at their house.”
I grabbed my sweater and left my apartment.
When I got to their house, I grabbed the spare key that was always hidden under a plant and twisted the key into the hole. The door opened with ease.
They were probably asleep already. I didn’t want to wake them, so I tippy-toed to the little table right outside their room, where I‘d left my phone.
The door was closed. As I reached out for my phone, I froze.
I could hear them. Their long, passionate kisses…His heavy breathing…Her moans…
I got out of there. I didn’t even bother grabbing my phone.
I sat in the sand at the beach, soaking my toes when the water swiftly raised back up.
I heard them. Every single sound. It wouldn’t stop echoing in my head. I felt that annoying feeling in the back of my throat, tight and resisting to give in to the tears that were surely coming.
There was a soft breeze. It was soothing; it calmed me, though not enough.

I’ve been here for hours.
My eyes are heavy, but my heart is restless. I’m too tired to even sleep. I know that I’ll be here all night, and I know that I’d be alone the whole time.

To Be Loved: Chapter Two

Skye's P.O.V.

I’m such an idiot! I thought to myself.
Did Aaron really have feelings for me all this time? Did he like me from the very beginning, when he first met me? Was I really that clueless that I didn’t notice anything?
I’m such an idiot! I thought again.
“Aaron, I had no idea,” I mumbled. “I-I’m so sorry. I-”
“Look,” he interrupted. “Let’s just forget any of this ever happened, okay? It‘s fine.”
“No! No, it’s not fine. Something like this can’t be forgiven. What can I do?”
“You can act normal, like everything’s exactly the same, like nothing is different.”
“But-”
And then it happened. His lips…
He could probably feel my heart pounding against his chest. It was a long, soft, gentle kiss. It was amazing. Like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I hated myself for not wanting to pull away. But he did.
“Everything’s the same as it always was, okay?” He whispered, his eyes still closed.
I nodded. But it wasn’t. I would act like it was, but it would never be the same again after this.

Aaron’s P.O.V.

Ever since I found out that Elena was going to marry my brother, I had forced myself not to think about her, to talk to her as little as possible, and I had done a good job at doing so. But after that kiss, I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Her mouth was so soft, as if the world’s softest feathers were caressing my lips. And I tasted something sweet, probably a lip gloss with the strawberry flavor I tasted.
That kiss had changed me forever. But I knew for Elena, it wouldn’t effect her the tiniest bit. She was crazy for Adam, and comparing me to him was like comparing a grain of sand to the whole beach. No matter how much I wanted it, Elena would never choose me over my brother. I was no match for Adam, the guitar player in an up-and-coming band that all the girls would die for. I was just Aaron, known only as the book worm, and nothing more. Even if she did choose me, I couldn’t do that to my brother. He was like a savior to me. A hero. He’d helped me though so much, helped me with anything and everything. He was only minutes older, but he was years wiser.
When I was told that Adam proposed to Elena, I went to the beach to think. I threw rocks out into the water, and they’d leave a big, rippling ring. I liked observing the circles, how they stretched out and faded in a way I could never explain. I haven’t gone to the beach since.
But after that kiss, I felt like watching those ripples once again.
I went the next day, early in the morning.
The rocks skipped as I launched them into the water.
My phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Aaron! I’m so sorry! Please, I-”
“Elena?”
“Yes, it’s me. I went to your apartment, but you weren’t there. I asked Adam for your number.”
“ I told you it was fine. You don’t need to apologize.”
“I know,” she mumbled. “I’m apologizing ‘cause I was hoping that maybe…well, I’m shopping for a dress tomorrow and I wanted to get a guy’s opinion. I still do, so please forgive me.”
“Your wedding dress?” I paused and then sighed. “You don’t need to apologize,” I told her again. “I’ll go.”
She let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you. And again, I’m-”
“I get it.” I shut my phone and walked home. I went to bed as soon as I entered my room. I was going to need it. Seeing Elena in wedding dresses tomorrow was going to be absolute hell for me.

I got up pretty early, and by pretty early, I mean really early. Like five o’ clock early. So early that I saw the sunrise. It was a reddish pink on the horizon. I’d never seen it that way before. It was so odd, unreal almost. Things I’ve never seen before always seemed unreal to me. That’s why Elena was so interesting to me. I walked over to their house and let myself in by using the spare key. She was sleeping on the pullout couch downstairs. I liked watching her sleep. She looked so peaceful, lying there in bed. Her snores were quiet, just little breaths, in and out, in and out. Her hair was falling over face a little. I brushed the hairs away. Watching her sleep was like watching that new, red sun rise into the sky. And I do realize that is super cheesy, but it was true.
A few minutes later, she fell off the couch and I laughed. “What a way to start a morning.”
I held out my hand.
She finally took it after a few seconds and we stood.
“Get ready and let’s go,” I said.

Skye’s P.O.V.

What was I going to do?
Figures only weeks before my wedding, I’d fall for someone else.
And not just anyone, but my fiancé’s own brother. Had he gotten over me? Maybe he told himself it was hopeless so he just threw away his feelings for me. Even worse, I hoped that this wasn’t the case, that it wasn’t true. But I loved Adam. We’d been through too much so I can just decide that I love Aaron just because I was feeling this way. I couldn’t deny that I cared for Aaron, but I couldn’t love him like that; He was going to be my brother-in-law!
Once again, I ask:
What was I going to do?
I’d made the decision last night when Aaron came home. I would try to spend as much time with Aaron from now on until my wedding to be absolutely certain these feelings were real. So now we were going dress shopping together.
Oh, goody.
We arrived at the shop, and I didn’t think I ever saw so many dresses. Wedding, prom, party out in the town, you name it, and you would find it there.
“Welcome to Fiona,” the saleswoman greeted us. “Can I help you with finding anything in particular?”
“Any wedding gowns would be nice.”
“Getting married? Congratulations, but isn’t it bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her dress before-”
“Actually,” I interrupted, feeling myself blush. “This is his brother. I’m getting his opinion.”
“Ah. Well, please come with me.”

The first dress I tried on was strapless, and it had a lot of sequins, but the train was a bit too long for my taste. The next one was kind of nice, but Aaron and I both agreed it was too frilly. The next was like the first, but more simple and accident-proof. Although it was classy and my style, it was a bit heavy.
“You sure are picky,” Aaron chuckled.
“Please. This is only the third dress. This isn’t just any event. It’s a wedding. But be grateful that I’m not the kind of girl that try on like, forty dresses. I’m more of a twenty-two kind of girl.”
“Joy,” he replied sarcastically.
Luckily for him, twelfth time’s the charm. Even before I got a chance to look in the mirror, once I stepped out of the dressing room, Aaron stood quickly, as if he were approaching royalty.
“That’s the one, Elena.” he said. Then he murmured slowly, “Adam will be blown away.”
I looked in the mirror and instantly agreed with him. It was a satin gown, and very white, which was exactly how I wanted it. I was going to have flowers in my hair the day of the wedding, and as I imagined it right now in this dress, I couldn’t imagine it any other way.
“You look beautiful, Elena,” Aaron said suddenly, and I could hear him breathing not that far away seconds later. “It brings out your eyes.”
“Do you really think this is it?”
“Elena, I’m his fraternal twin. What do you think?”
I turned to him. “Would you please stop calling me Elena? Just call me Skye, okay?”
“Okay, sure, Skye it is,” he said softly.
I didn’t understand this way of him making me melt when he just looked at me. I bought the dress before I could do something stupid, and we walked home.
“See? This is how it should be,” Aaron said playfully, putting an arm around my shoulder. “Like brother and sister.” He pinched my cheek and laughed.
“Ha ha,” I said as I pushed his hand away and then his arm on my shoulder. “Listen, I have another favor to ask.”
“Shoot.”
“Well, the band’s got a meeting with the manager tomorrow and we were planning on painting the room.”
“As long as you already have the brushes and stuff, I’m happy to help.”
When we got to the house, I put my dress away where it would be safe and hidden, somewhere Adam wouldn’t see it. I went back downstairs.
“Thanks, Aaron. I really appreciate you coming with me.”
“No problem. Look, I have to go now, okay?”
He opened the door and stepped out. He closed the door behind him, leaving me standing there alone in the living room.