Page 41 of Lovestruck at Sundown
“In conclusion,” she continued, “he’s working more and becoming more stressed by the second.”
“Could be.” I shrugged. “I thought dating William would be harder in terms of logistics, but it hasn’t been. Everyone keeps telling me, ‘Oh, you don’t know how crazy it can get,’ but everything’s been fine so far.”
“That’s because you guys haven’t been dating out in the open,” Nina said. “You stay in, order takeout, spend weekends at his place in the Hamptons with his family, or attend dinner parties. But try going out for dinner or a night out in the city, and then we can talk.”
“You make a good point.”
I was happy with how things were going with our relationship. The privacy aspect was important for both of us, and William knew how overwhelming it’d been when I attended Tobias’spremiere. The red carpet, the cameras flashing our way, and the people screaming William’s name. He was shielding me somewhat from that world—the wild celebrity world—and I was thankful.
Regardless, I knew the time would come for me to attend red carpet events and parties with him, and to be honest, I was excited about it. But I didn’t know what to expect either. At least, not entirely. So to say that I was comfortable not knowing the full extent of what it meant to be William Sjöberg’s girlfriend out in the public eye was an understatement.
I didn’t want to give this topic much thought.
Luckily, our order was called, and we grabbed our coffees and stepped out into the bustle of the city, both of us savoring our well-deserved coffees and enjoying the after-run endorphins.
But not Aaron. He was the only human on Earth who could manage to get in a bad mood after a run. Not that anyone could tell, but I knew him well enough to detect it. His blue eyes turned a shade darker. And the characteristic broodiness that embodied his persona only intensified. He was a weights-at-an-indoor-gym-kind of guy.
“Drink.” I handed him the black Americano I got for him so he would cheer up. “It’s burn-your-esophagus kind of hot, just like you like it.”
Caleb once told me Aaron’s coffee had to feel like lava pouring down his throat or else he wouldn’t drink it. He said Aaron would always complain about the coffee machine at their apartment, claiming it was malfunctioning because his drink wasn’t poured at the “proper” temperature.
“I bet he orders caramel Frappuccino with extra whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles when no one’s watching,” Caleb used to joke, playfully annoyed about Aaron’s attitude regarding what he thought was a coffee’s correct temperature. He always knew how to make me laugh with the silliest things.
“Mmm.” Aaron hummed as he sipped on his extra hot coffee that I had asked the barista to bring to a boiling point. He clicked his tongue and nodded once, sharply. “Thank you, miss.”
He approved.
Not that I should care, but I felt relieved that he did.
“Cheer up, Aaron,” Nina said as we started down the street. “You’ll be the one suggesting to Billie to go out for a run in no time.” She chuckled, and a low groan rumbled in Aaron’s throat, making Nina and I laugh.
Making fun of “Moody Broody Aaron” would’ve been even more entertaining if he had allowed himself to let his guard down. And that was my best attempt at loosening him up. But formalities and protocol always came first for him. He would never step out of his role.
“Always happy to go for a run, Miss Lewis.”
Lies.
“He needs to get laid,” Nina whispered in my ear as we rounded the corner onto Park Av. “He’s so uptight.”
“Oh, I’m sure he has a regular,” I whispered back. “Knowing how methodical he is.” I took another small sip of my coffee. It was still scorching to the tongue, and unlike Aaron, I needed to wait for the coffee’s temperature to drop a little to enjoy it.
“Nah, I don’t think so,” she said, sounding sure of herself. “Let’s find him a regular.”
Nina shimmied her shoulders with excitement as if that were a viable and reasonable plan.
Aaron cleared his throat behind us.
“Shit, I think he overheard.” Nina laughed, and I followed. She turned around and said, “Don’t worry, Aaron. We’re talking about another Aaron who goes in my class. He really needs a good fuck so he can relax and enjoy life.”
Nina!I widened my eyes at herwith shock.
“Oh, come on.” She waved a carefree hand as she took another sip of her coffee. “He loves it.”
I wasn’t so sure.
Taking a deep breath to avoid laughing again, I peeked over my shoulder at Aaron and grinned apologetically. He pressed his lips in reply, but his eyes narrowed slightly as if the repressed smile had found an outlet through his glance.
I wondered what he would say if he weren’t forcing himself to always stick to protocol.
