When I rolled over and stopped my alarm that morning, the same thoughts from the past four days swarmed my mind. I had spent my first waking moments with the same image in my head for the past three days and at this point, it was almost worrying me.

I wondered what was happening to me.

I opened my eyes and looked up at my ceiling.

Below me, I could hear the faint sounds of Carmelina readying my breakfast.

Around me, I could smell the air freshener that I always used.

Above me, as I stared at the ceiling, the thoughts in my mind manifested an image.

Rosalie.

I shook my head and sat up, wondering why I had been thinking of her since the day I took her home. There couldn't possibly be a good reason for it.

I sighed and got up, eager to get down to the breakfast Carmelina was making for me.

When I did walk into the kitchen, Carmelina nodded to me.

"Your breakfast is almost ready," she told me, showing me the pan that she was holding.

"Did you eat?" I asked her, pouring myself a glass of water.

She blushed. She always did whenever I checked up on her.

"You know I eat a good breakfast before starting the day," she said, "Oh, and a painting for the new house came. What shall I do with it?"

"I'll have it taken there and you can put it up wherever you like, okay?" I said to her.

She turned to me. "You want me to put that painting where I want? No, no. it's not my house," she said, shaking her head vigourously.

"Carmelina," I laughed, getting out a plate for her to put my breakfast on to, "I think you actually live in my house more than I do. Please put it somewhere where it won't collect much dust and you won't have to wipe it often."

Carmelina spooned the eggs on to my plate. "You are too nice," she said and then sent me off to eat.

I had bought a house that I absolutely loved and moving in had been put on hold because I wasn't entirely sure whether I wanted Caroline to see it. I had put so much of heart and soul into designing and building that house; it was special to me and I didn't really consider Caroline to be that.

It was somewhere I really felt at home, and I didn't want to share that with just anyone.

Now that she was gone, I wanted to move in there.

I'd still have my apartment in the city, but I wanted to have a home that could be all for me.

I spent the day throwing myself into my work despite it being Saturday so that my mind wasn't consumed with thoughts of a certain someone.

It was only when night had well and truly fallen, Carmelina had left and my eyes were getting blurry with all the documents I had been looking through, that I got up and got dressed to go and catch up with the boys as I had promised.

When I walked into Steven's, the night had already started for many around me. I took my place beside Connor and poured myself a pint of beer from the jug.

There were so many conversations going on and I could barely keep up.

"Hey, Aiden, is it true you have a wedding planner?" one of the guys that I wasn't entirely familiar with asked me.

"Yeah," I nodded, taking a gulp from my pint.

"That Rosalie Darling," another guy told him, "I read it in the paper."

"Now that is a hot piece of ass," the first guy said, laughing uproariously, "Connor, you should get it on with her the wedding."

Everyone around me laughed and I could feel my grip on the handle of my beer jug tightening at his words.

We were seated around the bar and our jug was getting empty, even though I had poured for myself only once and barely drunk any of it. I leaned over the counter and told the guy behind the bar to refill it to have something to do other than strangling that guy for talking about Rosalie like that.

"You!" I heard a voice across the counter and I turned, along with the other guys in my group.

There was another group of about five guys seated near us, about as wasted as our group was and one of them was pointing at me.

Ian Jeffries.

"Mr. Big Shot here thinks he can just swoop in and be Prince Charming," Ian told me, stumbling over to me.

"What are you going to do, Ian?" I asked.

Ian's eyes narrowed and suddenly, with surprising agility for a drunk guy, he swung his fist and punched me in the jaw, instantly making me realize something.

There was pandemonium.

Both groups had gotten up to fight each other and Ian had struck me again. I balled my hand into a fist and hit him back once to get him off of me and then held his hands down.

"Stop being an idiot," I spat at him and then pushed him away, "Guys! Guys! Just sit down."

I tried in vain to get them to stop, but the alcohol mixed with the testosterone and the mob mentality had caused a fight and the security at the bar came over and pulled everyone apart.

"All of you, out!" he commanded and two groups trudged out of the bar amidst cheers and boos.

I staggered out and shook myself. "Connor," I said, grabbing him by the shoulder, "I'm going home."

Connor was wincing and he nodded.

I walked away from the bar, alone and got into my car, fully intending to go home. It was when I pulled on to the road that something kicked in and I realized I definitely wasn't going home.

Pulling up to the parking lot, I parked as best I could and as fast as I could and stumbled out of the car, my feet urgently trying to get me where my heart was telling me to go.

I couldn't understand why I was in such a hurry, but all I knew was it was as if my life depended on getting there.

There was not a sensible thought in my head about what I would say or do as I knocked on the door, but I waited for it to open.

It seemed like hours had gone by when it finally opened and her head came around the door. When she saw me standing there, bracing myself against her doorframe, she opened the door wider for me to see that she was wearing shorts, socks and a tank top over which she wore an open knit cardigan.

Her hair was in a glorious mess at the top of her head and her big blue eyes questioned me.

"Aiden?" there was a hint of surprise in her voice, "It's so late. Is something wrong?"

I looked at her, a sight for sore eyes.

"Rosalie," I said, "I have just seen your ex-boyfriend."

I took a few steps into her apartment and she closed the door behind.

"Oh?" her voice was soft, surprised.

"Delightful chap," I told her, sarcastically, shaking my head.

Rosalie's shoulders dropped. "What did he do?" she asked, walking forward towards me.

I turned my head and tapped my jaw where I was pretty sure there must have been a mark forming from where Ian had hit me. "He gave me a gift, I guess," I said with a laugh.

Rosalie came to me and inspected my jaw. "Come into the kitchen. I'll get you some ice for that," she said and then looked at me, "And some coffee."

I followed her like the tide follows the moon into her kitchen, illuminated by the soft light of the moon. She opened the refrigerator and got out a bag of frozen peas and then poured me a cup of coffee from her coffee maker.

"Hold that against your jaw and drink this," she told me.

I looked down at her, as her touch lingered against my hand when she handed me the bag and the mug. She withdrew her hands hastily as I smiled at her.

"Why did Ian hit you?" she asked, pushing herself up on to the counter.

I pressed the bag to my jaw and shrugged. "After seeing me in your office the other day, I guess he thought something might be going on."

"What kind of thing?" Rosalie asked, swinging her legs. The cardigan she wore slipped off one shoulder and fell down her arm, revealing her collarbone and a hint of her skin.

I smiled; I had been smiling the entire that I had been at Rosalie's. Something about the innocence of her question made me like her even more than I already did.

"Something between you and me," I explained, gesturing to her and then to myself with the bag of peas.

"Why would he think that?" she asked, "For all he knows, you're getting married to someone else."

"I don't think people can be very sensible when it comes to you, Rosalie," I heard myself say.

I could see the muscles in her neck tighten as she caught her breath. "What do you mean?" she asked, more softly than she had been speaking.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, Rosalie," I said, putting the bag down on the counter, "This may come as a surprise to you, but you are quite the catch."

She chuckled, nervously, looking away from me.

"Don't you believe me?" I asked her, brazenly, taking slow steps towards her.

She exhaled audibly. "Why would he want to fight you?" she asked.

I was advancing on her and she wasn't even trying to move. "Believe me, Rosalie, I would think that any man would be trying to be with you, too."

Rosalie stopped swinging her legs. She had stopped moving entirely. Her eyes were focused on me. They roamed my face, widened with innocence, making me want to do anything but take this as slowly as I was.

I hadn't come here in the hopes of doing anything except seeing her, but now that she was here, so close, how could I not?

"Why?" she asked, almost in a whisper.

"You are extremely attractive, Rosalie," I told her, standing about one foot away from her.

She leaned forward. "So are you," she said, "Are people fighting over you, too?"

I laughed. "Are you saying you would fight over me?" I asked, challengingly.

Her eyes widened. "No," she said, too quickly, "I mean –"

She was at a loss and I laughed at her, putting my hand down on the counter beside her. "What, Rosalie?" I couldn't stop myself from looking at her lips.

"Did you fight Ian because of me?" she asked, looking at me, raising her eyes from my lips to my eyes.

"Maybe," I shrugged, involuntarily taking another step towards her.

I was pressed up against the counter now, so close to her.

"Why?" she asked, breathily.

I smirked with a laugh. "I think I've come to realize, Rosalie," I fingered the edge of her cardigan, "That you are quite special."

She raised her hand and ran a finger along my jaw, making my breath hitch. I leaned in closer to her and her hand dropped from my jaw to my shirt.

"Hmm?" she murmured.

"Quite special," I repeated, running my fingers up her arm.

"Aiden. Aiden," she said, softly, hurriedly, breathlessly, clutching my shirt in her delicate hands. Her body was pulling me closer and her mind was pushing me away. I couldn't tear my eyes off her face, her lips.

She was breathing heavily. "I'm planning your wedding," she said, her eyes focused on my lips, so close to hers, as she bit down on her lower lip.

I smirked, chuckling darkly. "What wedding?" I asked.

And that was enough.

It was enough for Rosalie to know that Caroline meant nothing to me, and it was enough for me to know that Rosalie felt the same way so much so that her argument was so thin.

I put my hands on her thighs and pulled her flush against me, my breathing ragged and I hadn't even kissed her yet.

Rosalie's hands still held on tightly to my shirt.

She wrapped her legs around my waist.

I tightened the grip that I had on her.

Rosalie raised her eyes from my lips to meet mine.

And I pressed my lips to hers.

There, in that moment, unraveled the feelings that seemed to have been bottled up from the day we met.

I had been with many women in my time and I didn't care to count how many I may have kissed.

But this kiss, standing in Rosalie's kitchen in the wee hours of the night, passionate, longing, needy sent my mind into a spin and I could barely think; I could barely breathe.

All I could think of was Rosalie, her form in my hands, molding herself against me, breathless, as she kissed me fervently and earnestly, unlike any other woman before her.

Never in my life had I kissed or been kissed like it was all that mattered in the world, and in my mind, I hated myself for having gone the months I had known Rosalie without kissing her.

If I could turn back time, I would barge into her office and kiss her, but for now I resolved to enjoying her when I did have her, right now.

When she pulled away, my head followed her involuntarily, wanting to be near her.

She smiled, coyly, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks as she bit down on her lip, staring at me. "Aiden." I smiled. Her voice sang my name and I wanted to hear her say it again.

"Yes?" I asked, my voice coming out ragged from breathlessness.

"What did we just do?" she asked, gripping me tightly.

"What we should have been doing for a long time," I told her.

I put one hand around her waist and covered her hand that was against my chest with the other and pulled her to me so that she no longer sat on the kitchen counter, but was wrapped around me, well and truly mine.

Rosalie laughed as I twirled her into her living room. I set her down on her dining table, but she didn't loosen her legs from around my waist.

I bent my head to hers and kissed her.

"Aiden," she said when I pulled back, so I kissed her again.

I planted kiss after kiss on her lips, unable to get enough of her.

"Do you want me to stop?" I asked her, as she repeated my name.

She looked up at me and a slow smirk crossed her lips. She raised her hands from my chest to my neck, leaving a trail of heat as she did. I immediately bent and kissed the exposed skin of her neck and shoulder and she rolled her head back letting me.

I raised my head, questioning her.

She pulled me in, her arms around my neck.

"Just kiss me."

*

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