Everything was setting me off it seemed. It all started as the dance practice for Fran's wedding progressed I was building up to a dangerous level. I could not stand the friction of my breasts rubbing up against the thin fabric of my shirt, feeling as if I was embarrassingly close to losing my grip and going into a heat mid-practice. That could not happen, however, but as I watched Edward, the way the lighting fell upon every groove of the muscles in his arms, all I could think about was being shoved up against the wall with the strength, held up fully of the ground. Lost in the thought I nearly missed my cue, and the rest of the practice just became far more unbearable after that. My skin was sensitive, and of course, Edward knew exactly how to take me apart, brushing his fingers innocently along my arms, down my back. Seemingly innocent gestures, but he knew what the fuck he was doing, and it was driving me wild. It was unfair because I wanted to focus on making sure nothin
Edward did not give up easily. He was not the kind of guy to give up control. I realised that as the server came with our plates. It started slow, his toe tracing against the sensitive flesh of my calf. The action caused me to instinctively jerk against the contact. I stilled as if not moving a muscle would make me invisible, hoping beyond hope that Edward didn't notice. But if the way I was rigid, he most certainly has. I was aware I had to say something. Anything will do to break the tension, but then Edward raised his head, eyes wide and blinking innocently. A low curse slipped from my mouth unbidden, and my body's response was inevitable. With only two thin layers of fabric between us, heat pooled low in my belly as I felt myself jolt at the touch. His lips parted as if he could read the thought going in my head, and my heart stopped. "Are you all right, cara?" His voice came out raspier than usual. He's still peering staring as if I can even pretend to concentrate when h
/Edward POV/ I didn't think twice before resting my arm comfortably on the back of Aria's chair, hand occasionally grazing her shoulder. None of them are paying attention at all. And when she didn't shove me away, I leaned in, just slightly, and needed to feel a little closer. And it's like a flip has been switched. We weren't shying away from each other anymore, now seamlessly slipping into it, what should be. I was going along with it, welcoming it, and now that Aria didn't seem to be actively on edge anymore, I could feel the tension in my shoulders start to drain, can feel it pooling in the rest of my body, leaving me feeling achy and desperate. "Behave..." She whispered, twirling her fork idly on her plate, no heat in her voice. I hummed. It was difficult to do that around her. Behave. Neither of us was ready to give in, toying around and waiting for the other to snap. It felt like I finally met my match. "We leave in three days. Where did the days go?" I froze at
The hotel room was pitch black when we stumbled in together, Edward panting against my neck, biting and sucking, while I whined in the back of my throat. He kept one hand on my ass, the other along the wall, working his way around the room by touch. He was close enough to feel that he was pressed up against my front, and when I pushed forward, dragging my hips together, he let out a frustrated groan that had my heart racing. He slid his mouth back up to me as he pushed me up against the first empty wall he could find, keeping his hands firm on the back of my head to cushion it, grinding his hips forward. My reaction was exactly what he was waiting for, my lips insistent, hands gripping at his hair, breathing sharp. He pulled back slightly, dragging his hands to the front of my dress, fingers tracing my curves, watching me squirm. As he turned on the nearby switch, my eyes adjusted to the darkness slowly, and the first thing I focused on was the way he stared back, eyelids droopi
I held my breath as he sat up on his knees. A big hand landed on my cheek, lightly tracing it and he looked fond. Like he could almost not believe it was happening. And for a second the same thought crossed in my mind. How did it happen? After a few more seconds of silence, I decided to look at him as he was still. Was he going to back out now? It was silly to think but I was too excited for him to be my first. But it made sense for Edward to be the one. My lips pressed together at the thought. It was such a giddy thing. But along the way with all this time we spent together, it led me to this road. Edward was not only intelligent and witty to be around but he was also a kind and caring person. The way he cares for his mother and can't stop teasing his sister and is so easy to talk with. All these things took me time to discover but the wait was so worth it. I was able to know him inch by inch every day and it was magical. "Hey" He whispered stroking my cheek. My eyes imme
My lips twitched and I sheilded my eyes as I felt harsh bright light. It felt as if my entire face was on fire and I turned around only to collide with a wall. I opened my eyes immediately, a wince slipping out of my lips at the impact. Everything from the last night flodded my brain and a huge smile lit my lips. Edward was there beside me, still sleeping. I took a moment to appreciate his beauty. Due to my body covering the harsh sunlight only some of the rays hit his face. A strand of his hair curled on his forehead while he soft tuffs of breath tried move it. Surprisingly he slept with his mouth parted and on his front. The white duvet was covering his body till his waist. As I tried to poke his arm he huffed and simply batted my hand away. I giggled at that but did not stop. He needed to wake up so that we can finally walk out of the room. It's a surprise that no one came looking for us. Not even Francesca. Then again she was proper sloshed the night before. My eye
The ride to the airport was the most awkward thing ever. Francesca urged me to come see her off at the airport, with Edward driving us all. It's not just irritation, though. It's a lot of residual feelings seeping out, unstoppable and palpable. And it's impossible to sit next to Edward and not have my mind race with memories. Whenever I stole a glimpse of Edward out of the corner of my eye, or when I caught a whiff of his shampoo or cologne. It's all dangerous territory, being trapped with him, unable to walk away and take deep breaths, to convince myself that it's fine, to stop thinking about him and our situation. If the couple caught on to the shift in our mood, no one said anything. There's still blatant hurt, but now there's confusion with a little bit of relief mixed in. When Edward asked me to pass the sunscreen, I didn’t whip it at him like I would have done on the first day, rolled my eyes, ignoring him entirely. Franci was too giddy about her honeymoon and kept gu
Two weeks passed. Fourteen days of me freaking out about the new development in my life—pregnancy. Elle has simply been supportive all throughout and stayed by my side as I expected. She did not even mention it to her partner. Each passing day was filling me with nerves, an ache in the pit of my belly. It took a lot of time for me to accept the change in my life—the biggest one yet. think about the ways to face him. I cringed as I thought about the last encounter with him. Ever since that day by the stairway, Edward had made no attempt to contact me. My parents also did not mention anything about him asking about me. In passing I heard my brother complain how after I left everyone started leaving too. By everyone I think he meant Edward. How would he react? I kept wondering. Will he happy? Sad? Angry? Judging from our last encounter I shuddered, thinking about his reaction. He did not want to have any relationship. After I left the beach house I was so furious and hear
"But Dad! If we don't leave now, all the good candy will be gone!" Aiden whined, twisting his mouth while he hopped excitedly on his feet. Edward let out a sigh, blinking at our son before looking at me for help. I shrugged in response. I did it every year. The same dance with him and it was tiring. “Aiden listen to me-" I tuned out their conversation, focusing on the batter in the bowl. The cupcakes needed to be ready for the party so that they can finally appreciate my baking skills. My mom in particular. "But dad!" Edward turned towards me again. I rolled my eyes a bit. That's all his fault really. He indulged our son too much even after all these years. At the age of eight, Aiden only grew up to be more sassy—a quality he inherited from me. That’s what Edward says every time he looses against his son. "Okay that’s enough you two.” I cleared my throat. “Aiden Edward Milano eat your dinner, or you'll be grounded in your room and won’t have any candy.” "Mom
I couldn't stop the fat tears from rolling down my cheeks. It was one thing for Edward to be cruel but letting Sara talk to me like that? How could Edward humiliate me like that? I genuinely believed him when he said he broke up with Sara. The ring on her finger was a clear indication that he was still very much with her. And like a fool I am I let go of Ashton for someone like him. This is karma. I laughed bitterly while wiping the tears away. Driving through the streets while it was raining felt a reflection of myself, the storm of emotions running through me. On the way back home I saw his name flash multiple times on the screen but did not bother to pick up. Minutes later, I was in the parking lot of my building and exhaled a long breath. The last thing I wanted was to cry on the way to my apartment. Wiping furiously at my cheeks I slammed the door to the car, locking it before rushing inside. The babysitter was looking after Aiden so as soon as she saw me enter, s
/Sara's POV/ When I found out that Edward was so serious about his son that he took them to meet his parents I had to do something. Nothing was working my way these days. Ever since he found out about Aiden, things began slipping from my fingers one by one. It’s all Aria. I should have been more cruel to her from the start, made sure she never sees him in the same light again. Believe me I tried. All these years I was able to lie and keep him all to myself but that Aria had to ruin everything. My face flamed with fury as soon as I remembered how he had the audacity cheat on me with her and later throw me out of the house. I endured everything he put me through as his assistant, pleased him in every way possible only to get discarded like this. Even after all the things he did I was still crazy about him. I knew that I had to do something to get him back and it would be my final shot. I tried not to make any sound as I sneaked in his bedroom. He was still asleep and as
/Edward's POV/ It was out. Finally. The pain of hiding it from her was swallowing me from inside. How long can I pretend that it was alright? The words were swirling inside me, always at the tip of my tongue but never having the courage to get them out. Breaking up with Sara made me notice things clearly. I could not keep it inside me anymore. It was selfish of me to do that even after knowing she’s dating Ashton. Better say it out when it’s in early stage rather than later. One thing I was sure is it would have gotten out one way or another. There’s only so many times I can keep getting away with it. The sound of my heart beating along with our shallow breaths was the only thing that I could hear. The silence in the room was deafening, almost scary that it made me want to say something. Aria was quiet and her silence was burning me inside. As those words left my mouth I could feel instant relief knowing that I was not caring the burden of keeping it for myself. From past
At Ashtons cold touch on my shoulder, I almost jerked in the spot, taking few seconds to recover. Then it dawned on me that we had already reached our destination. All throughout the car ride, I was occupied with thoughts, all of them leading to Edward. For some reason I could not stop thinking about how he did not tell me about his breakup with Sara. I deserved to know about it. Not only because we were parenting Aiden together but as a courtesy. He knew way too much about me and always sulked if I glossed over any minor detail but felt absolutely important to not share such a valuable piece of information. But why was I so affected by the whole thing? It was silly how my insides couldn't stop fluttering from the moment I heard about it. What was this strange feeling? For the sake of it, I decided not to put my finger on it, choosing to focus on important things. "You okay?” Ashton quietly asked as he tried to tug on my arm. When I met his eyes I could see that he was genui
/Edward's POV/ I was on cloud nine when Aria called me to look after Aiden in her absence. It meant that she finally trusted me enough to leave him alone with me. Her doubts where slowly fading away and I couldn't be any happier. She had every reason to be hesitant and nervous after all it was my fault for leaving her alone all those years ago. When I heard that the reason she was allowing me to take our son was that she was going out with Ashton. I should have known that she was actually dating him and did not make it up as I thought. Truly that night was nothing for her which made it even more painful to swallow. I tried not to dwell on it as I picked Aiden. He was someone who could genuinely make me feel better. The entire week I could make it through you just said the hope that he was there. Sara had been persistent asking me to take her back. She was never like this. It felt like she had changed into the obsessive person who wanted me at any cost. That scared me because
It had been a week since Aiden found out about Edward—his father. Things drastically changed and as much as I feared them to have gone wrong they did not. At least for now. I thought bitterly. Edward was trying to involve himself as much as he could. His effort was something that took my parents by surprise as well. One thing that made me realise that it’s serious was the dedication he put into showing up. Every morning he came at exact eight, had breakfast with Aiden and then insisted on dropping him to school. And in a different car everyday at that. Once Aiden found out that his father had money and lots of it, he made it a point to enjoy it. I was all against it, not wanting to entertain his tantrum of having a different car drop him every day but Edward spoiled him. He was making up for the lost time—basically buying everything he could possibly can. It was ridiculous. Aiden’s room was filled with boxes and boxes of legos, some he did not even had the chance to open be
My mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. Why did things not work my way for a change? I thought under my breath as I took in Ashton’s appearance. Never had I seen him so furious before, body language taut and lips pinched in a straight line as he acknowledged Edward in the room. If looks could kill he would have been six feet under by now. The question hung in the air for a few seconds, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I was hyper aware of his eyes on me, the need he had to know the answer. But I was hesitant to talk about it in front of Aiden. The last thing a five year old kid needed was even more drama for a day. He already had too much to deal with on his plate. “Aria.” He dropped his voice low, inching closer to me as if he thought I did not hear him after the first time. My eyes clenched shut. “I heard.” I swallowed the lump in my throat, hands falling to my sides helplessly. “Can we talk inside, please?" I softly asked. He stared a
The atmosphere around felt tense for no reason at all. I had no idea what Edward was going to tell him. Or what he had been planning all along. He looked dull, even though he was trying to put a front. I could see the bags under his eyes like he had not been sleeping well. They were noticeable for quite a while now but I didn’t want to broach into the topic. For the first time I noticed how resigned he appeared, almost deflated with his shoulders hunched as he tried to muster as much energy as possible. Did something happen the night before? I thought to myself. Maybe he was just as nervous thinking about introducing himself to Aiden’s life. For a hot second I sympathised with him and how difficult it must have been for him to come into senses with the new reality and accept it. Edward was taking it well, way better than I would have reacted and tried to make adjustments so that he could meet Aiden. That’s something I can never deny. He truly cared that he’s there for him and wan