Aaron Cross

He nodded his head a little in agreement as she explained how hard it had been for her not to have answers to the most obvious questions after returning as Aaron. “Looking back maybe I should have explained it all,” he considered. “Coming back to see you all those times was enough to get us both in a lot of trouble,” Aaron remembered weighing up the risk versus the reward each time he stepped back into her life. There was part of him that always felt selfish. He had believed that he was always getting far more in return than she was. Still, she welcomed him back each time. “You having that understanding about why I wasn’t the same anymore wouldn’t have changed much. At the time I wanted you to have as much plausible deniability as possible. Not that it made any difference in the end,” he reflected quietly. 

“I’m glad that I can put some of those things to good use now,” he brightened a bit more as she complimented him and expressed her interest in seeing him work. Most of the time he did his best to try to downplay the enhancements’ inherent abilities combined with all the conditioning and training. Corinne had always allowed him to feel more human and less like some science experiment. Even the way she complimented his abilities had him feeling more positively about those enhancements than he sometimes did. “I am grateful that I could be here and do this for you.” 

Aaron let out a little laugh as she reminded him that she’d once been his nurse. He looked almost bashful at the recollection of any number of compromising situations she might’ve dealt with him in. At the time he was essentially another person. It was entirely professional without even a thought of what was blooming between them now. Enamored as he might’ve been by her kindness, Kenny wouldn’t have even thought about things as they were now. Aaron appreciated that she was willing to keep the door open and even invite him in to ease some of his concerns. Still, he wrestled with the balance of keeping her safe and also allowing her to do the things she wanted to do. 

Her question clued him into how perceptive she was of him. Aaron did his best not to keep all of the walls up around her. Some of the conditioning was hard to break but she usually made it easier to be himself and not control quite as much as he did with others. He was finding the words to explain his thoughts when she became visibly upset. The sudden sparkle of tears in her eyes caught him off guard. While she tried to dismiss the sudden burst of emotions, he knew better. Either from her current life as Corinne or from somewhere long before, she’d clearly gotten good at trying to hide her feelings or at the very least dismiss them. Aaron wasn’t fooled. He gently slid his hand down from where he’d settled on her arm and slipped into her hand, giving a gentle squeeze. 

“Cory,” he started gently as he looked at her, “I still want to go on a date with you. I’d go right now if you were feeling up to it,” Aaron reassured with a smile. “It’s going to take more than a few tears to get out of a date with me at this point,” he teased. In reality if she really didn’t want to go on a date, all she had to do was say so. The last thing he’d ever want was to put their friendship at risk. Aaron was fairly certain that fact was obvious to her. 

“I know it’s not really just about the shower,” he began softly. “There’s a lot happening. You were worried. You’re not feeling well. It’s not easy having roles reversed,” with his free hand he wiggled his finger gesturing between them, “and if it was you here on your own you would go do what you wanted. All you want to do is take a shower and wash your hair. Instead you have this annoying guy trying to get you to slow down,” a small grin flickered at the corners of his lips.

Aaron tipped his head to the side as he looked at her sympathetically, “it’s a lot.” He gently squeezed her hand again. “My only concern is about you.” He drew in a slow breath before continuing, “one of those many changes they made was about how my mind works. Most of the time it’s helpful. But it’s quick to see all of those worst case scenarios. Great for some things, but not when all you want to do is go take a shower when you don’t feel well,” he offered. “That’s my only hesitation. I’m worried about you. But,” he gave her hand another squeeze, “part of that means I’m worried about everything. Whether you have a shower, if you don’t. What the risks are of both of those scenarios,” he gave a little shrug of his shoulders, “that’s why I thought it was a good compromise. I want you to have what you want but also somehow wrap you in bubble wrap and make sure you’re alright,” he smiled, “both of us are trying to figure out how not to be totally in control of the situation,” his tone returned to something more playful, “you’re just more graceful about it than I am.” 

He eased himself off the bed, his hand still in hers. “C’mon, let me help you up. I promise you don’t have to wear bubble wrap. I don’t think that would make for a very effective shower,” he grinned at her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Aaron, you made the right decision at the time, for both of us.” She reassured, her voice softened. “Neither of us would have felt okay if there had been consequences because of it for either one of us, or both.” She added gently. “And I don’t know that it would have changed how we felt about one another, it’s clear there was something drawing us to each other and to seek out those hours we could spend together.”

“One of the things I’ve always admired about you is your integrity and how careful you were with me, and clearly still are. You and I were and are alike in the fact that we didn’t always strictly follow all rules.” Her smile was warm as she gazed at him. “Add to all that we still found plenty to talk about even with any restrictions on topics.”

More than anything, she didn’t want him to carry any guilt about choices he made in the past. While she understood those burdens well, it wouldn’t do him any good to go down those ‘what if’ paths. Their feelings for one another would have grown no matter what, she was certain of that much. Perhaps they might have admitted to growing feelings sooner, but the outside circumstances would have happened still though it might have been even more catastrophic. That struck her as even more devastating, sending a chill twisting down her spine.

She caught the small laugh when she reminded him that she’d been his nurse. Though she normally avoided mentioning the past, especially that long ago, she’d been trying to reassure that she was okay with whatever additional safety measures would allow him to feel a little better about her doing more than he wanted her to. Corinne loved that he was not only mindful they hadn’t even been on an official date yet but respectful of her privacy as well. Perhaps it was remnants of her past along with being on the opposite side now that allowed her to try and extend some grace for his concerns.

There was something so incredibly sweet and infinitely reassuring in the way he moved his hand from its place on her arm to hold her hand. She squeezed his back in silent acknowledgment. Though she felt embarrassed by her sudden emotions, his gesture soothed her. While in her head she knew the heightened feelings were normal given the circumstances, the way Aaron seemed to take it in stride and do his best to offer comfort touched her deeply. She realized he was as attuned to her as she was to him. While she knew it, seeing how he moved so quickly to comfort added another level to it. He didn’t just say it with words, he acted on it. It was yet another reminder of how alike and like compatible they were because of their similar traits.

Then just as quickly he answering her in both a serious and gently teasing way about their planned date. She couldn’t help but smile at his instance that he would go out with her right then had she not been sick still. She knew of course. Instead though she’d let emotions take over the moment. “I don’t want to get out of our date, and I’m glad you’re not daunted by silly emotional responses to being ill. I was good at being on the other side, that part is easy. Being a patient, I am clearly the worst sort you could have gotten stuck with. Well, maybe except Annie.” She teased, offering a small smile.

“You are not annoying, in fact the opposite. Your patience seems to be infinite.” Had she not been sick, Corinne would have given in to the nearly overwhelming urge to kiss him. Thankfully, she wasn’t so lost in the moment and her vulnerability surrounding it to do so. While she was sure at some point they would kiss, she wanted the first time to be in a moment less fraught with what she believed to be her overreaction to her own missteps in taking care of herself.

“I know you’re only concerned about me.” She whispered, her voice still shaky now not only from being sick, but the heightened emotional response as well. “That’s what makes me so incredibly In awe of your patience with me.” She nodded as he explained how his thought processes worked. Corinne understood, and with time she’d begun to comprehend just how complex a lot those changes had been. She knew the risks and knew herself. He could think of all possible scenarios both good and worst case. “You’re underestimating the patience you’ve shown me, that’s about as graceful as it gets.” She replied with a sheepish smile.

He smiled as she acknowledged the unspoken and unacknowledged feelings of their past. It was nice to know that she had also felt the same. All too often he’d convinced himself that it was entirely one sided. “I followed a lot of rules but I found a good excuse to break a few,” he remarked as he gave her a warm smile. If he had followed all the rules he would’ve never met her and that would’ve been a true tragedy. 

Aaron blew out a puff of air, “Annie as a patient?” He shook his head with a grim look crossing his features. “I don’t know if either one of us would survive that one.” He was teasing, of course. If the situation called for it he, of course, would step in where he could. Corinne was by far the more qualified person to do so but he would do his best. “I think she would magically heal herself before she’d subject herself to me helping her,” he continued to tease. 

“You really aren’t a bad patient, Cory,” he assured her gently. “It might feel harder for you because you’re on the other side of things for once. But you’re not making this hard for me. The only part that has been hard about this is knowing you’re not well,” Aaron reflected as he thought back to how dire her condition had seemed at first. He gave her hand another squeeze, “don’t make me regret saying you’re not difficult,” he teased as he gave her a wink. Even if she did start to push the boundaries of what he was comfortable with, he could hardly blame her. She had looked after him when he was a different man. Nowadays, he was likely to be just the same as her, if not worse. 

He let out a soft huff of laughter as she suggested he had infinite patience. “I don’t know if it’s infinite,” he remarked with a coy smile, “I think there’s a lot of situations in which it definitely isn’t.” Aaron tipped his head to the side as he regarded her, “I think you’re the exception to that. It’s all been saved up for you.” 

He dipped his head down and averted his gaze. Aaron had gone so much of his life without receiving praise, particularly of the genuine variety, that it still caught him off guard. Corinne delivered soft reassurances and praise with such regularity yet at times it still caused the emotion to rise up in his chest. Aaron finally managed a gentle squeeze of her hand in acknowledgement of her words bringing his gaze up to hers with a small smile. There was a part of him that had always worried that he would never be good at normal life things. Relationship things. Yet, there she was soothing those worries in a way only her choice in words could. 

“No, no I guess they wouldn’t be in guidelines. We wouldn’t want to break any rules would we,” he shot her a teasing smile. As she’d already mentioned before, both of them were rather skilled in bending, if not entirely breaking, certain rules. Especially when it came to each other. 

Aaron reluctantly let go of her hand in order to go in search of her request. He shuffled through the bag and found what he’d recalled seeing earlier. “No DIY required. Joe really did think of everything,” he remarked as he found the packages of the transparent waterproof coverings. Aaron felt intensely in debt to the other man. It was an unusual but welcomed change to be able to rely on someone else so he could focus on what was most important to him. He carefully took Corinne’s arm and pressed the edges down gently around the site. Aaron regarded it for a moment before catching her gaze. “I think that should be pretty watertight now.” 

The smile lingered on Aaron’s face as the banter continued amongst the group. The laughter coming from Corinne did something to settle some of the concern that had arisen throughout the night. There was something about the note in her laughter that let him know that things would be alright. She was relaxed and happy and he could see it all over her face and in her body language. It helped set him at ease too. 

He occasionally glanced over at Corinne to make sure that none of the banter pushed too far. It was all in good nature and for whatever reason seemed to help align him with her assistants. A delicate balance but one that Corinne seemed comfortable with based on his assessment. He added it to the ever growing list of things to discuss when they were finally alone. 

He laughed softly as they bantered back and forth about Corinne’s threats to the coffee machines. For a moment as he watched them all, he could get a glimpse of what the future could look like if things continued to go well. The laughter, playfulness, happiness. It was striking to him as someone who never thought he could have much of a future at all. He hoped they could lay the foundation that evening to make it happen. 

“I haven’t seen the cursing out yet. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time,” he smiled at Annie and then shot a playful look over to Corinne. Time. It was a funny thing between them. They had years of knowing one another and yet the time they’d had was so little amongst it all. He hoped that was changing. 

“I think it’s hard to say no to her all the time but maybe that’s just me,” he picked up his drink to take a long sip as he made a half-hearted attempt to hide another smile. 

Between his thinly veiled comments about her and Corinne’s in return it seemed like they were flirting back and forth openly in front of her assistants. Was it flirting? Or was he simply mistaking the looks and the way her comments seemed to hit him. Aaron wasn’t entirely sure what it all meant but he found himself continuing to lean into it. He didn’t know if it was part of Corinne trying to ingratiate him into the group. Showing her clear familiarity with him and him returning it. Except Aaron knew the flirtation was genuine. Was hers? 

Handsome. 

That gave the three operatives immediate pause. Corinne continued on with her sentence as if she hadn’t realized exactly what she’d said or maybe she had and continued on anyways. 

It made his heart flutter unexpectedly. All of the other quips and looks could’ve been mistaken for any number of things. At least in his mind, it felt like he might’ve been reading his own desires into her words and actions. Handsome. That implied something different entirely. And it was clear in her assistants’ sudden stillness that it wasn’t something they’d expected from Corinne either. 

A coy smile tugged at the corners of his lips as Corinne seemed to realize what was happening in the room. He found himself searching her features trying to get a read exactly on what she might be thinking. And for the millionth time since knowing her, he wished the enhancements had come with mindreading abilities. 

He shot a look at Joe who gave a shake of his head and looked at Annie who was grinning widely. At least they both seemed deeply amused by the sudden turn of events. Aaron could only imagine what their debrief would look like in comparison to he and Corinne’s. It was challenging for him to hold in the soft laugh as Joe decided to acknowledge but pointedly dodge any direct reply and discouraged Annie from doing the same. 

“How about something with chocolate?” Aaron suggested in response to Joe’s question. “Milk chocolate, specifically,” he tipped his head to look at Corinne pointedly before glancing back at Joe, “I happen to know that someone here is a fan.” 

“How did you know that about Annie?” Joe quipped back. 

Aaron laughed softly. 

“Since when?” Annie scoffed and rolled her eyes but there was a playfulness there that hadn’t been present earlier in the night. 

“C’mon, let’s get something started. I have some ideas,” Joe declared as he pushed himself up off the seat and gestured for Annie to follow him. Aaron knew he’d judged Joe correctly early on. He got the hint from Corinne and also took it upon himself to give them all a moment to regroup. 

“We’ll get this cleaned up so we can start fresh for dessert,” Aaron offered. 

Annie hesitated for a second as if she was contemplating saying something else before deciding better of it as she pushed herself up and followed after Joe. 

Aaron watched them both as they went to collect some ingredients for dessert before turning to look at Corinne. He smiled at her, questions sparkling in his eyes that he couldn’t find the words to ask just yet. The spark of excitement that had come with her unintentional compliment still floated around in the forefront of his mind. 

“The pizza was good. Can’t wait to see what they come up with for dessert,” Aaron offered as he eased himself up. The distance between them closed slightly as he stood in the space between their seats. He took the opportunity to lightly touch her arm. It briefly satisfied the ongoing desire to reach out and check in with her that he’d denied most of the night. 

“You okay? Everything going alright?” He asked, barely a whisper. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Oh yes, it’s a matter of time.” Annie said just as Joe also answered in the affirmative.

“Hazard of running a coffee shop, she tolerates very little attitude from the machines.” Joe quipped. “Honestly it’s entertaining.”

Corinne laughed. “It’s better than making an offhand remark to one of our more challenging customers at any rate, they at least make it possible to pay our bills while the machines just take up space and eat money on their worst days.” She added to the chorus of affirmative remarks about her tendency to curse out the appliances. “It’s much more tame than the gallows humor common in the medical profession.”

There was nothing they could say in front of Aaron she wouldn’t admit to herself.

“You and the technicians seem to suffer from the same problem there with Cory.” Annie cracked with a grin, drawing a laugh from Corinne and a slight louder one from Joe.

With a sweet smile on her face, Corinne looked over at Aaron. “It’s strategic with the technicians.” She replied to Annie’s commentary. “You know what they say about attracting more bees with honey or however that goes.” She then glanced at Aaron once more. “Though it’s a completely different situation with you.” She said without elaborating, just leaving it out there open to interpretation.

Though the term of endearment to Aaron had slipped out in a clear sign that for the moment at any rate, she’d let her guard down just a little. It was due in part to some the earlier tensions easing a bit. Though if she were being honest, she hadn’t reigned it in either. It was if anything, her subtle way of letting both Annie and Joe that her history with Aaron was deep.

Joe, to his credit and silent gratitude from Corinne had gracefully and clearly avoided making it any more of a discussion. After Joe preemptively shut down any thoughts Annie might have been pondering, Corinne met Joe’s eyes, the slightest hint of a grateful smile on her face. It was a blink and you miss it moment. In all the multitudes of layers between the four of them, it seemed at least that weapons had been lowered as it were in a silent agreed upon truce.

If she had any doubts that Aaron hadn’t caught it, those were immediately dispelled by his response to Joe about his dessert preference. She immediately looked over to him, her eyes meeting his. Corinne held his gaze for a moment, a soft smile curling up the edges of her lips. He remembered. She was deeply touched, not only that he had, but with the very specific nod to that night. For a moment, everything else fell away. She nodded every so slightly.

It was possible Annie might have missed it, but she was fairly certain that Joe did not. He’d quickly brought Annie into the banter. No matter what happened in the next few days and likely weeks, she was confident it was made clear that whatever was going on between Aaron and Corinne wasn’t going to end quickly.

Perhaps they should have realized it the minute she agreed to invite him to their pizza night. Though she understood their concerns and knew her quick acceptance of the continued presence of someone from her past must have been a shock and surprise, the fact that neither of them had shown the slightest flicker of recognition at Aaron’s name had changed a few things.

She couldn’t help but smile when Aaron told Joe and Annie that he and Corinne would get dinner cleaned up while they started on dessert. Her expression was a mix of admiration and pride, tinged with something more. Corinne had started to gather some of the remnants of their meal before getting up. She glanced up at Aaron. “It was good, I’m really happy you liked it and that could be here.” She replied. “No doubt dessert will be special. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised that you remembered.” She said softly.

Then just as she was saying it, he was touching her arm. She’d been trying to say what she had quickly while Annie and Joe were out of earshot and it seemed Aaron had similar thoughts. The contact was electric, all at once it was a grounding she’d needed, not realizing how desperately so until he’d done it. There had been so many moments where she’d ached to do that herself or feel him reach out and when he had it was everything all at once. Both calming and exciting at the same time. “I’m fine. More than fine now.” She whispered back. “Are you?” She asked in the same hushed tone. Standing herself, not to break contact but to quickly reach out with her own similar gesture. A softest touch of her fingertips to his hand. It was the briefest touch, not because she wanted it to be so, but fearful the other two would return.

Not that some kind of feelings or flirtation hadn’t just suddenly been made much more clear, but she’d felt either her or Aaron pushing further wasn’t necessary and might just make it worse when it was already precarious at best. Not only did she and Aaron need time to talk without being overheard, she needed to see where Annie and Joe were at both between the three of them and each on their own with Corinne. It was as complicated a group dynamic as it was in each imaginable pairing, not the least of which was Annie and Joe alone.

“Seems our list of topics for our planned debrief later has grown in some interesting ways. Though can’t say I have a single objection.” She added softly.

She heard them talking just before she saw Annie and Joe return with ingredients and Joe carrying one of the cast iron skillets. Her eyebrow rose as did a smile. “Ooh, is that for what I think it might be?” She asked.

Joe grinned back and nodded.

Before he could reply though, Annie spoke up unable to contain her excitement either it seemed. “We’re making a giant skillet cookie.” She announced. “Aaron, you ever had one?”

Everyone looked to Aaron, including Corinne who had, just before, dropped her hand and gone back to clearing dinner dishes from their seats. “Yes, that’s a great question. Have you had a skillet cookie before? And more importantly, from the looks of things communal style where that is set warm, within reach and all of us grab a spoon?”

“Before you answer, specifically a chocolate chip cookie version with of course, multiple kinds of chocolate chips, though mostly milk chocolate. And milk chocolate ganache on top, like hot fudge.” Joe added.

He wondered if he should tell her how he used to recall their visits while he was abroad. Aaron could lay in a bed, or a tent, or out under the stars and replay their conversations like a movie in his mind’s eye. He didn’t want to forget any of the details. During the worst of times, he held tightly onto the recollection of the sound of her laughter, the way her eyes danced with amusement, and the warmth of her hugs. It felt like it was too much to explain to her then. There were too many ears listening out intently. Perhaps another time, another night. 

He gave a slight nod of his head in agreement as she insisted that she was doing fine. “I am, if you are,” he assured her quietly. Dealing with the various personalities, dancing around topics, and trying to work out the intentions and tactics of another operative was not unusual for him. The strangeness came when it was balanced with trying to protect Corinne amongst it all. It was a complicated and delicate balance of protecting her relationship with her assistants whilst also establishing his place in her life too. 

Aaron drew in a soft breath as she stood up, lingering even closer to him. The soft feel of her fingertips brushing against his hand was electric. They had always reached for each other in their quietly reassuring ways. Now it felt different. There was the intensity of their exchanges with her assistants mixed with the almost open flirtation towards one another. It was an unexpected but welcome shift. Aaron wasn’t sure what it meant yet. 

As if drawing her words out of his mind, she quipped about their planned debrief later. “Very interesting ways,” Aaron smiled at her and nodded. “No objections here,” he remarked, quietly pleased she’d acknowledged the changes in her own way too. He couldn’t wait to be able to talk to her without eavesdroppers. The anticipation of what their conversation might bring sent a wave of excitement through him that would help fuel him for the rest of the night. 

He sighed softly as the voices of her assistants approached. Their moment alone felt far too brief. The distance felt vast as they both stepped away to begin the task Aaron had volunteered to do in their absence. He wasn’t sure if they were intentionally being noisy to give them some warning or it was coincidental. Either way, the pair hadn’t entirely stepped away before Aaron caught a glance from Joe. He was sure the other operative had seen their proximity before the two had begun clearing plates. 

Aaron smiled as Corinne seemed excited about what Annie and Joe were carrying. He was glad that he had mentioned the milk chocolate that had hopefully sparked an idea. Aaron was particularly relieved when Annie seemed genuinely thrilled about the dessert option and also to include him in the discussion. Perhaps the tides were changing. He was cautiously optimistic. 

“No, I haven’t had a skillet cookie before,” Aaron answered as everyone looked at him for an answer. He shot them an almost sheepish smile. There was so much about life, both little things and much bigger that he had yet to experience. He had missed out on many traditional experiences both as a child and then suddenly as he found himself launched into the most unorthodox kind of life. Without really understanding it as Sarah, Corinne had helped him navigate lots of new ‘firsts’. And it seemed she was going to continue that just as much, if not more, in present times. 

“I don’t think I’ve had any kind of skillet cookie, regardless of the type or amount of chocolate chips,” he gave Joe a friendly smile as he answered. Aaron decided quickly to give a little more about himself. A gesture of goodwill amongst slowly forming friendships. “The closest thing was cooking made up cookie dough or brownie batter in little tins on the hood of the MRAPs in the desert,” he knew that there was little doubt in her assistants minds about his military background. It wouldn’t be new information but he hoped it would make it seem like he was being as forthcoming as possible. 

“I think we’ll be able to come up with something better than that,” Annie remarked as she gave a smile. It seemed like she was pleased with that little tidbit of information. 

“It will definitely be better than that,” Joe shot him a knowing look and a little nod of his head. 

Aaron spared a quick glance in Corinne’s direction to gauge her own reaction as he picked up another plate off the table. The more and more they talked the more it seemed like the topics for later would be endless. He always valued his brief moments of quiet with her but now more than ever he was craving the end of the night. But he didn’t want to rush it. It was important for him to establish himself with them. And now that the height of the tension had eased, he was actually enjoying himself. 

Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye

I never imagined I could be this happy. 

As if his morning wasn’t already going perfectly, the words mixed with the look on her features had a warmth and happiness coursing through him that he’d never felt before. “Neither did I,” he admitted softly. When he had first met her as Sarah, and even when he’d walked back into her life as Aaron, he never imagined a life like this. Sometimes he could fill his mind with daydreams of a life after the program but it seemed unlikely if not impossible for him to be truly happy. And yet there they were. 

Aaron smiled warmly as she agreed to him getting out of bed with her. As she often did, she seemed to eloquently give voice to the feelings that had been swirling around in his mind. The almost shy way she glanced at him as she admitted her thoughts had him melting. There was something endearing about her bashfulness in sharing her inner thoughts despite their current state and previous emotional and physical intimacy. “It doesn’t seem silly to me at all,” he assured her softly, “I feel exactly the same way,” he held her a little closer against him for a moment.

“Definitely no disagreements about having more mornings like this one,” Aaron grinned at her. It seemed hard to believe that any morning could be as magical as the one they were currently enjoying but he was happy to try. Corinne had a way of constantly surprising him with how life could get better and better with her at his side. The former operative was finally able to experience a life he’d only dreamed of. “Well, in that case, that really seals the deal on the ‘no more couch’ thing,” he smiled at her. 

“Fast?” His voice pitched upwards playfully and he shot her an incredulous look. “I don’t know about that. This has been slowly happening since I sat across from you in that cafe and interrupted your lunch.” His eyes held all the fondness that had grown over the years since that moment as he looked at her. “I know what you mean,” the playful tone had left him and he grew more sincere, “I feel it too,” he assured her gently. The realization that she felt the shift between them was remarkable and he felt compelled to give voice to the fact that it was mutual. “Fast or slow, a long time coming or something new - I’m happy with whatever it is,” he added warmly. 

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” the teasing was quickly back in his tone. The hint of suggestiveness lingering there. “Not sure if that’s very safe though,” he pondered aloud. Aaron reluctantly released his hold on her to point over the side of the bed where he recalled discarding her pajamas. “I think you’ll find them over there.” 

He took in a deep breath as if mentally preparing himself for untangling himself from her. “Wait,” he declared. Aaron brushed his fingertips along her jaw and tipped her towards him so he could dip his head and kiss her softly, “just one more before we get up,” he insisted as if he wasn’t likely to kiss her again, perhaps more than once, in the kitchen in a few minutes time. 

He groaned softly as he pulled himself away from her lips. “Okay, okay - let’s go.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That moment he hugged her a little tighter and quietly told her he felt the same way as she did about not wanting to be that far apart sent a warmth washing over her. There was nothing quite like the feeling of knowing not only had he not thought she was being ridiculous but he felt in a similar way. She snuggled a little closer. “I’m happy to know it’s not just me feeling it.” She said, quietly in deference to their close proximity. “You know maybe it’s in part because of how many times we had to say goodbye over the years.”

She grinned at him when he made the remark about no more sleeping on the couch. Though she would understand if he felt restless enough to be worried he might lash out in his dreams, she was happy to know he was more receptive to remaining in the bed. She was still in awe of how well she’d slept with him beside her. “Well, if you need encouragement to choose the bed over the couch, I’m happy to work on persuading you with that.”

She laughed when he initially teased her about the comment she’d made about how fast it seemed she hadn’t wanted to be far from him. “Yeah, it was a long time coming wasn’t it?” She agreed, after he’d admitted that he had known what she meant. “I think that’s why what we have feels so strong. It took a long time to get here. Probably another reason I don’t want to be that far from you I suppose.” She slipped her arms around him, gently tightening her grip.

“I love the way you say it began when you sat down at my table while I was having lunch that day.” She murmured softly as she snuggled closer for a moment. “And I agree, what it is and however long it took to get here, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be and no one else I’d rather be with. All those times we had to say goodbye it was harder each time and now we don’t have to anymore.”

“Yeah, It’s most definitely not safe.” She agreed. “And as comfortable as I feel with you, I am not ready to cook without clothes on, at least something” She laughed when he pointed towards floor near the bed. “Thanks narrowing down the search radius.” Corinne teased, though she’d already been considering putting on something else.

She tilted her head a little wondering what Aaron meant but immediately realized at the touch of his fingertips to her face. She smiled against his lips as he kissed her, softly pressing her lips against his returning the kiss. “We’re not going far.” She whispered.

She was smiling when he pulled away. “Do you have any idea what that sound you make does to me?” She teased softly. “As tempting as it is to stay right here, I think we could be use something to eat.” Knowing how easy it would be to resist the urge, Corinne moved to sit up before she could change her mind.

“There were so many times I wanted to say something before I had to leave,” Aaron reflected quietly. “But, I didn’t know what to say. How do you explain this,” he gestured between them. “It didn’t feel like there was a way to explain it without making a complicated situation even more complicated. How do you even describe this?” Love - he thought. 

“So maybe we’re making up for lost time,” he considered, smiling as she hugged her arms around him a little tighter. No matter how many times she did it, every little touch that she initiated sent a wave of warmth settling over him. She wanted to be there with him as much as he wanted to be with her. While he didn’t always understand why she’d made that choice to be with him, he was more than happy to accept it. 

As she remarked on the soft groan he’d made when pulling away from her, Aaron had all kinds of thoughts about pulling her back into bed. But she was right and they needed to eat. Reluctantly he let her go but he didn’t make any hurried moves to get out of bed. Instead, he propped himself up and watched her as she got dressed. He had gotten to enjoy her, more than once, up close but he was also enjoying this aspect of their morning too. His gaze trailed over her as he studied her from afar as she chose something to wear. 

“You’re really not making this any easier,” he remarked as he looked her over as she got dressed. He had decided quickly that he enjoyed all the various clothed and unclothed versions of her. It was exceptionally tantalizing to see her wearing his shirt. “You don’t have to ask,” he corrected her quickly. “You are welcome to borrow that any time, in fact, it’s yours now. I’ll get a new one,” he shot her a playful grin. 

Aaron pushed himself out of bed and regarded his discarded clothing on the floor. His pajama pants were discarded for a second time that morning and the memory made him smile briefly as he pulled them on. It felt like a marked difference from the night before when he’d emerged from the shower shirtless. Both of them had been stuck in a cycle of uncertainty and hesitation with one another. As he made his way over to her now, it felt like another lifetime. 

He lightly tugged at the tail of his flannel shirt and pulled her in close to him. “I really like this on you,” he commented softly as he pressed another kiss to her lips. Aaron drew in a soft breath and shook his head. If he wasn’t careful, his pajamas would be finding the floor for the third time that morning. 

“No. No, Aaron. We’re going to the kitchen,” he shook his head as he audibly scolded himself and shot her a boyish grin. He gently spun her around, tugging her close to him before he playfully nudged her towards the door.  

Beth Revis, A Million Suns

You’re too important to me to risk that. 

The words warmed him and he couldn't help but smile at her. “I’m okay. We’re okay. And you haven’t hurt me by not telling me,” Aaron assured her. While he was fairly certain they had cleared the air sufficiently he wanted to make sure he clearly spoke the words. He knew how easily either of them could drift down second guessing things when the world got quiet later. Aaron would prefer if his reassurances could fill that silence instead. 

“Even if Joe hadn’t told me before and it was the first time I was hearing it. I don’t feel like it was a secret. You weren’t keeping anything from me. There was nothing to hide. It doesn’t change anything between us.” He insisted gently. The more time he’d spent with Joe and Corinne the more that was evident. Not to mention he had immense trust in Corinne and the relationship they were building together. Her devotion was evident in everything she did and said. While his own fears and concerns could sometimes cloud his judgement, the trust never truly wavered when it came to her. 

He tipped his head slightly as she assured him that they didn’t need to talk about the past they hadn’t shared together. Aaron hesitated as he tried to parse out whether that was because she didn’t want to pry or didn’t want to share. “I could ask you a million questions about every aspect of your life,” he offered her a smile, choosing to keep things lighter with a hint of playfulness in his tone. “I want to know everything there is about you. As long as you want me to,” he encouraged. “We don’t have to talk about that time. There was a lot that happened that got us both to this point. Some of it good, some of it not," he considered. There was plenty that Aaron would rather forget about and he assumed the same for Corinne, “but we can if you want to. Only if you want to.” He continued softly with a hint of a smile, “and if you don’t want to I’m more than happy to keep focusing on right now, which is the most important thing to me.” 

All of the tension seemed to have eased from all the prior overthinking and concerns. It amazed him how quickly they’d been able to fall back into their usual playful banter and affection. It was comforting to him to know that they could voice concerns and easily find their way back to one another. It wasn’t the first time and he was sure it was unlikely to be the last. He brightened even more as she looked at him with that certain playfulness in her tone. “Happy to settle any frayed nerves and sooth thoughts in whatever way you’d like,” he added suggestively as he gave her a boyish grin. 

As they pulled away from the hug and she kissed him gently, he couldn’t help but smile. “Best offerings?” He quirked up his brows playfully curious. Aaron wondered if it had been an intentional choice given the topic of conversation she had been worried about settling at his feet or just a coincidental choice. He decided to keep the thought to himself, not wanting to bring up a topic so quickly that they’d just tucked away. “I’m honored I get any of your offerings let alone the best ones,” he grinned at her. 

Aaron was reluctant to let her out of his arms but he knew it would’ve been exceedingly impractical for her to get dinner ready otherwise. The thought of him trying to hug her while she tried to move around the kitchen made him smile a little. He picked up the wine glass again to fill his now empty hands. 

“More on the rare side. I usually get medium rare if I’m ordering somewhere. Just kind of wing it when I’ve done it myself,” he explained as he watched her. Corinne had helped him figure out a number of other preferences that he hadn’t really known about himself. Most notably their first night of sampling all kinds of chocolates. And even on his return trying to test pizza combinations. The steak had been something he’d figured out early on after becoming Aaron. Though it wasn’t something he’d gotten a chance to share with Corinne until that point. 

“Do you need help with anything?” A quick glance around and it seemed like in all her stressing that she’d gotten things mostly under control prior to his arrival. He was regretful that she’d gotten to that point but grateful now they’d settled things and could enjoy a nice evening together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I’m glad to hear you say it.” She admitted quietly. “You are the last person I’d ever want to hurt, even inadvertently.” Her eyes searched his face, not for any signs but more because she loved looking at him. It was as if she somehow needed a reminder that he was really there with her. She’d never really accepted being told he was gone. Not without a physical confirmation of facts, just relying on the absence of proof she held onto hope. Even if it was just the smallest scrap, she’d never let go of it. Despite being told differently, she’d never quite trusted the motives behind what was said.

“Thank you for reassuring me.” She said softly. “I know there’s so much I really don’t know about either of your former jobs. I can see subtle similarities in both of you and since you’re both important to me, I was really hopeful you would get along and if I’m being honest, like and respect each other. In the end it wouldn’t matter, because you’re part of my life and that only way that changes is if either you or I make that choice, no one else.”

“What you and I have is so different from anyone else.” She said softly. “I’ve never felt this kind of need to stay so close and keep that physical connection so constantly. There’s this pull that I can’t begin to describe, I just feel it. Those gestures like holding hands, feeling your hand on my back or arm, stroking your cheek.” She rattled off just a few of the ways they keep that connection between them.”They mean the world to me.” Corinne gave him that smile Joe had commented he’d not seen her flash at anyone else before.

She wasn’t sure what was going through Aaron’s head when she told him they didn’t have to talk about the years between the time they last saw one another and when he’d found her cafe. She smiled when he said it. “Aaron.” She said his name with that soft reverence. It was almost as if she’d been afraid she’d never get to say it again. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know. It just wasn’t all…” She paused a moment, searching for the right way to phrase it. “It wasn’t always lightness or easy.” She gave him a helpless shrug. “But I don’t have anything to hide or that I wouldn’t say if you really want to know.” She offered quietly. “I was saying it more to give you an out if there were things you didn’t want to share. But I want to know anything and everything if you’re okay with it. Fair?”

She grinned back at his suggestive response to what she’d thrown out there. “Oh, I plan to take you up on that later.” She promised softly, a sultry note in her tone. “I can’t think better way to sooth my nerves and make me forget everything else for a while.”

His playful response to her way of phrasing her meal choices drew another soft laugh from her. “Have I mentioned how much I adore the way you can take just about anything I say and turn it suggestive?” She asked, then realized instead of her intention to tease, she’d turned it on herself and felt those familiar hues coloring her cheeks. “We’ll discuss that later.” She quickly added, then gestured towards the counters. “I thought a sentimental nod to when we talked that first night and all I wanted to do was offer to make you my chocolate chip cookies or promise to send them to you might be nice. And well, steak is one of my favorites, I wanted to make my coffee rubbed version because it’s special. And if I needed to apologize to make things right because I had no idea you already knew about Joe, then it was that and otherwise, it’s also because you mean a lot to me and well if you haven’t figured out by now that It’s another of my love languages, it’s probably time.” She finished with a gentle laugh.

Corinne smiled when Aaron told her how he preferred the cook on his steak. “Oh phew!” She made a teasingly dramatic wiping of her brow. “Thank goodness. I was worried we might have a real issue if you told me that you preferred it well done.” She teased playfully. “Seriously, that’s why I made the loin roast so you could have it any way you like. But I am relieved to hear you like it more rare than done.”

Her assistants had been an unexpected bonus of stumbling across Corinne’s life and the cafe. Aaron had never worked as a team before. It was a strange and lonely life. The pizza nights, the banter, the comfort in knowing there was someone else to rely upon if things got rough had healed something in Aaron that he hadn’t known needed it. It gave him a deep level of comfort knowing that Corinne was protected three times over. It made it less likely that something would be missed. And in situations, like when she was sick, it meant they could spread the resources around more effectively to care for her. 

The smile lingered on his lips as she described how much she enjoyed their physical connection. It sent a wave of warmth washing over him. He loved the way she gave voice to the way she felt about him. For someone who chronically was in his own head and often overthinking things, the clearly spoken assurances did a lot to silence those stray threads of anxiety. “I’ve felt that pull for a long time,” he admitted softly. Aaron thought back to those early days when he was with Sarah. He had always been drawn towards her even if he wasn’t entirely sure why or what it meant at the time. Now it was clearer than ever. “I consider myself pretty careful about almost everything I do and say. And yet, somehow I always find myself closer and closer to you,” he smiled warmly at her, “always drawn to you without even realizing it’s happening.” 

The soft way she spoke his name had him focused on her. He nodded ever so slightly as she admitted the reality of that time for her. “You lost everything,” he acknowledged quietly, “of course it wouldn’t have been light or easy.” Aaron had been caught up in a frantic scramble to solve the issue of his degrading condition. He’d had to fight for his life multiple times. It was a different kind of turmoil than the one he imagined she had endured. In the end he had won his freedom. She had been forced to start a new life. He shook his head slightly, “I don’t need an out,” he assured her. “The only reason I ever hesitated in sharing anything with you was because I felt like I had to. All that is done now. There’s nothing you can’t know about me.” 

The flirtatious way she responded to his own suggestive comment sent an arc of exciting sparks through him. The eager confirmation that she would take him up on his offer momentarily had him thinking of abandoning dinner. Though she'd gone to so much effort he didn’t want it to go to waste. There was time. It was a concept he was still trying to adjust to when it came to her. “You adore that do you?” The boyish grin tugged widely across his lips. He was all too pleased to see the warmth coloring her cheeks. It was endearing to know that he could get to her in that way, or in that instance, she talked herself into it. “I’m sure you’ll give me plenty more opportunities that I’ll be sure to take you up on.” 

Aaron smiled as she turned the conversation back to the food. His heart warmed immediately as she referenced the chocolate chip cookies and their first real meeting. “You really did go all out,” he looked at her thoughtfully as he considered her worrying about his reaction to her history with Joe. She’d thought about a menu that might offer up as an apology. “Even if you didn’t need to,” he added, hoping she’d understand. He gave a small shrug of his shoulders, “I have heard that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. I don’t know if that’s true for me but it’s hard to argue with.” He smiled at her warmly, “I appreciate you doing all of this.”

He laughed at her reaction to his steak cooking preferences. “Oh good,” he said teasingly, “I wouldn’t want us to find a dealbreaker like that at this point.” He grinned. “I actually don’t even mind it being rare. I’ve had a lot of dishes in places where it’s rare, sometimes even raw and more cured than anything,” he explained as he thought about where that particular preference had developed over the years. 

Aaron felt himself bracing for Corinne’s reaction to his quiet admission about Marta. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was expecting but his mind and worries had already gotten away from him. The soft, somehow reassuring way she uttered his name was not at all the reaction he’d been bracing himself to hear. It did not seem to indicate that what was to follow would be negative. The relief made him bring his gaze up to hers. 

A slight frown tugged at the corners of his lips as Corinne discussed Marta. He hadn’t expected how painful it might be to have the other woman be a topic of conversation. It was in the past and he was markedly happier than he’d ever been. Yet, the wounds that had been created by that heartache were undeniable. Unfortunately, in some respects Corinne had paid the price for what Marta had done. The way he had guarded his own feelings and been reluctant to open up had been largely driven by what had unfolded with Marta. The last thing he wanted was to open up about his feelings and lose Corinne in the same way. It wasn’t something he thought he could bear. 

The way she gently touched his hands helped to ground him. He swallowed hard, “I don’t know,” he started softly. Aaron had replayed what had happened with Marta many times. He had tried to parse through what she’d actually said versus what he believed she’d actually meant. Aaron had done a full post-mortem on their relationship from the moment he’d stepped into her life until he’d walked away. His own mind had not at all been kind to him during that time. Undeniably, it felt like it was all his fault. 

“She had lost everything. She was facing the reality of starting her life over completely. Abandoning a career she had worked hard for, family and friends believing she was dead, and the constant threat of being discovered again,” Aaron met Corinne’s gaze with a knowing look. As he spoke it out loud the similarities were undeniable in both their situations. 

“Everything she believed about goodness, or fairness, or how things ‘should’ work out was suddenly shattered. Her world suddenly got very small. In all that chaos, all she had was me,” his gaze dropped away again. Aaron didn’t know if he should go on explaining. He assumed it was no easier for Corinne to hear than it was for him to say. Yet, he felt compelled to explain so she might understand where the sudden flood of emotions had emerged. “It’s hard to separate what’s real from what’s survival.” 

He swallowed hard and shook his head, “I don’t think it was a lie. I think it was emotions and promises that were made before reality really sank in.” There was no bitterness in his tone, just a quiet reflection. The truth was, Aaron didn’t really blame Marta. Of course the heartache was devastating. It hurt, and the more time he spent with Corinne the more he realized the damage it had done to his heart. “When things slowed down and she finally had time to look around, to look at me, that’s when things changed for her.” 

Aaron brought his gaze up to meet Corinne’s again. “I’m sorry,” he started softly, “it’s not fair to make comparisons. It was easier to see the similarities rather than the differences,” Aaron paused as he considered his words. “I worried because of how things happened that you would end up choosing this out of obligation, or history,” he frowned, realizing how much he’d underestimated the depth of Corinne’s true feelings. The fear and doubt clouding what had been right in front of him for so long. “I held back a lot for a long time because I worried I would make it all happen all over again,” he added quietly. “But that’s not fair to you,” Aaron insisted softly, “you’ve been picking up pieces and mending things that you didn’t break,” he studied her features before adding, “that maybe you didn’t even know where broken but you fixed them anyways by just being you.” 

Aaron tipped his head to look at her. There was a hint of wonder that lingered in his eyes. He wasn’t sure how he’d gotten so lucky. So often in his life it felt like good things had always been handed to him with something equally as bad. Not with Corinne. Especially not now. His features softened as she did. A tension relaxed out of his shoulders as he saw her face brighten at his words. 

And finally know what it feels like to fall in love. 

The words coupled with the emotions thick in her voice took his breath away. They had discussed some of her past earlier that evening and occasionally in passing over their time together. The realization had never quite dawned on him that she’d never let herself fall in love before. But now she had. With him. 

He could feel his own chest tightening with emotion and the lump in his throat growing. Aaron found himself giving her hands a light squeeze, thumbs gently caressing over the tops of her hands as he gathered his thoughts. “Thank you for trusting me to be that person,” he spoke softly knowing it was no small decision for her to share her heart with someone given all that he had learned. 

“Even though I never said it back then, it was always you,” he admitted quietly, “you were the first person that made me realize that I was capable of feeling that way. That life could maybe be more even if it was just me hoping and dreaming.” He thought about the passport he’d had for her and the plans he’d made. “I always knew that one way or another things would always go sideways with the program. I’d made plans. I just didn’t get to you in time,” he added with a hint of sadness, “but it was always supposed to be you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When he said what he did about the woman he’d been with and explained what she’d gone through, it hit her hard. She felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. He could have been describing her but he wasn’t, he was talking about someone else and how he’d been there. For a moment she felt claustrophobic. She couldn’t react, couldn’t breathe. He was still holding onto her hands. She couldn’t clench them, or tighten her jaw or react in any way. Somehow she willed away the threatening tears, leaving only a trace of shininess. And the way he was looking at her, she wondered if he really understood how it sounded to her. How it felt to hear it.

He was making an excuse for her. When Corinne would have given anything to have him there for her. That woman had someone there with her. Her someone. She took a couple of calming breaths, in and out through her nose, unseen. The kind she’d have taken in front of a patient to keep them from seeing the worry or panic on her face. There was nowhere for all those emotions to go in those moments. For just a flicker of a second, she softly pulled with her teeth just under her bottom lip inside her mouth.

In everything that had happened, Sarah had lost him along with everything else, including her name. She was trying to listen as he went on, trying to hear what he was saying but it felt like she was under water searching for a way to the top.

As Aaron explained, she studied his face. It was hard to hear him say that this woman didn’t want what she had. While in her head she could understand they came from two different worlds and two different points of view, she couldn’t fathom how she had possibly been willing to let Aaron go. When he finished, she nodded, not yet trusting herself to speak.

Corinne could tell herself that she had help. She could try to find the reasons why it was different. She could argue she’d already learned life wasn’t fair long before she’d taken the job at the hospital. Aaron needed her to say something. He’d opened up to her and he needed to hear her tell him that it was okay. All she could see at the moment was how this other woman had the one person she would have given anything to have in her life, had looked at him and said no.

She let out a breath, pushed all of the noise out of her head and focused on him. Aaron, saying he was sorry that the comparisons weren’t fair. A tear fell then. She had to stop herself from wiping it away not wanting to break their physical connection, then listened as he went on. “I”m sorry for what you went through.” She said when he was done. “Of course you’d be worried, it makes sense. There were too many commonalities not to wonder.”

But can’t you see how different this is? How different I am? How I lost everything just like she did? Except…. I would never have let you go.

She took a breath, the words screaming in her head just begging to fall from her lips and she couldn’t let them. Corinne took in a shaky breath. She knew he believed she’d died. And deep down she understood he probably hadn’t realized how his words would hit her. “I hope you can remember how I feel about you when those worries start. And if you need a reminder, just ask me. I won’t let you forget.”

Because they’d already lost each other once. “I just found you again. I won’t let you go, not without a fight.”

The touch of his thumbs on her hands grounded her once more. She knew it couldn’t have been easy to share what he had with her. They’d been both through unimaginable devastation and grief. And someone had broken his heart. That was the part that made hers ache.

Even though I never said it back then, it was always you

It was then that she got her breath back and the tears spilled over. She should have known how she felt about him from the weight and size of her grief. It was then she understood that if she had admitted her feelings then she might not have been able to get through the rest of it. All those times he kept coming back. It was always there like a constant hum in the background. She could tune it out until the other noises quieted.

I’d made plans. I just didn’t get to you in time

She sucked in a surprised breath. “I didn’t know.” She whispered, the wonder and surprise wrapped up in the hushed confession. This time his words hit an in entirely different way. He’d been planning to come back for her. “I would have gone with you in a heartbeat.”

“Given the circumstances, I’m glad you had someone with you. I just hate that she broke your heart.” She said softly. “However, I’m so incredibly grateful that you somehow found your way back to me, especially since neither of us knew the other hadn’t been lost after all.” And in an instant all of the pain and grief she’d felt rushing back at her as he’d talked about what happened was washed away with his admission. He’d been able to see it wasn’t going to end well and had made plans for it, just as he always did with everything.

He didn’t need to be enhanced to accurately conclude what she was concealing. His words had hurt her. It was all wrapped up in the moment of silence between them after he’d finished speaking. She was controlling herself, her reactions, her words. She was trying not to hurt him with whatever was going on in her mind and heart. It made his heart ache painfully in his chest. He wondered if he shouldn’t have said anything at all. Aaron had made great strides in trying to open himself up. All the thoughts and feelings and parts of his past that he’d been conditioned to conceal were unravelling the more time he spent with Corinne. But perhaps he’d stepped too far. Aaron wanted to take the words back but none of his enhancements allowed him to reel them back in. He was forced to leave them out there and wait for her reply. 

Aaron saw the tear slip from her lash line and regret welled up in his chest. He’d hurt her with his admissions. Unburdening himself of his worries no longer seemed worth it. He could have kept that part of his life to himself and they could’ve gone on with their night unscathed by the ghosts of his past. Aaron released one of her hands intending to brush away the tear. For a fraction of a moment, he hesitated with his hand suspended in motion. He wondered if she would not welcome the sudden new touch after what he’d said. He swallowed hard and pushed away the fear and reached for her. 

Gently he cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing away the fallen tear. “These worries have nothing to do with how you feel about me or how I feel about you,” he tried to reassure softly. “It’s fear. It doesn’t really make sense with what I know is true.” Aaron knew how easily his mind could get away from him if he allowed the dark cloud of anxiety to creep into his thoughts and take hold. It was the problem in being able to be so convincing. Sometimes he could convince even himself of entirely the wrong thing. How blind he’d been to her feelings all along was evidence enough. “If you don’t want to let me go, I promise I’m not going anywhere.” Aaron had already made that mistake once. It had protected her but also hurt her deeply too. He knew now that whatever they did, it would be together. 

His hand came away from her cheek and he gently returned to squeeze her hand, “I knew the day was always going to come,” he explained softly as she seemed shocked by his admission. “Even though I didn’t know how I would make it work I always had plans for a way out,” he admitted. “I didn’t know if it was going to be because of something I’d done or something they did. I always knew I was expendable to them. Expensive. But expendable,” he added bitterly. 

I would have gone with you in a heartbeat. It made his chest ache even more knowing she would’ve come if he’d only gotten to her in time. “I worried if they came for me because of seeing you that they would come for you too,” he trailed off as he thought about what they’d done. “I had your passport, wallet, money, car, everything,” he explained, “but by the time I got away it was already in the morning papers. I didn’t think there was any way…” his words fell away as he thought about her having to survive with someone else guiding her. Aaron had gotten snippets in their early conversations but they’d never delved. Not until he’d decided to finally open his mouth. Now he felt he should’ve kept the past in the past. 

Her soft reminder of loving him had his chest suddenly tight with emotion. “I will always take that reminder,” his voice thick with the swell of emotion, “as long as there isn’t a ‘but’ at the end of it.” Aaron tried to joke but it fell flat with all the heavy sentiments still lingering in the air. He’d heard that terrible phrase before, ‘I love you but…’ he was sure he couldn’t bear to hear it from Corinne. 

Her soft reassurance that she was somehow getting more in return made him smile. Aaron knew that there was a vast difference in between the quality of the conversations she might’ve had with Kenny compared to him. But still, he was deeply aware of the fact that there were many questions she had that were unable to be answered. There were large conversational holes that had to be danced around so he was grateful that she still felt it was worthwhile. 

Especially being healed as well.

A knowing smile pulled across his lips. He wasn’t entirely certain if she meant his actual injuries being healed or a small nod to the revolutionary changes that had been made. Either way, it elicited a smile. He set the wine glass down and brought his hand up to his hair again and ran his fingertips over his skull where there had once been significant damage. “Yeah, I think the hair is a better look than the completely bald and bandages,” he shot her a playful smile. Aaron ran his hand down his cheek where there had once been damage from shrapnel. He glanced down at his hand as he brought it down to rest against his thigh. The memory of seeing the IV protruding from his hand popping back into his mind. As another man, he’d often looked down at that hand and looked around only to see the same woman sitting across from him. 

Aaron drew his gaze back up to hers. “After seeing that, I know this is strange for you,” he started softly as he inched dangerously close to topics that he knew they couldn’t discuss. The danger they were already in was too great and the last thing she needed was more information that could put her at risk. “But being healed does make this much better,” he added as he stepped away from so many of the things he actually wanted to say. “Which is why I’m really glad you invited me to come here.” 

He smiled when she laughed at his random trivia about pizza. “Don’t laugh, it’ll only encourage me more,” he teased her. Aaron already knew he’d try to find as many things he could to make her laugh. There was something he really enjoyed about the way her face lit up when she found something genuinely amusing. “I know random facts about a lot of things. I don’t know if that’s fortunately or unfortunately. Probably unfortunately for you,” he continued to tease, shooting her a boyish grin. 

“I actually don’t know if they serve pizza. It would be really cruel to walk around looking at pizza for a few hours and not get any pizza at the end. Seems like there would be a big fight over which franchise can serve pizza at a pizza museum,” he mused. “I didn’t even know dessert pizza is a thing,” he raised his brow curiously, “I feel like I’ve been missing out on a few things.” More than he could probably ever adequately put into words but he wasn’t about to delve into that either. 

“It definitely is a common Italian name,” he considered her theory. “Angelo, Angel,” he contemplated, “probably makes more sense than a phone book strategy,” he chuckled softly. “Would make more sense to call it Aaron’s if you were doing that,” he teased, “not that it’s a very Italian sounding pizzeria.” 

Aaron glanced over at her as she tried to give him options. There was such thoughtfulness and kindness that struck him in the way she tried to give him choice. Choice. Something he hadn’t enjoyed much of in his life as Aaron, or Kenneth for that matter. “Why don’t we try one with everything,” he offered, “then maybe get something that is your favorite. I’m happy to try that and then there might be leftovers for you of something you like too,” he suggested with a smile. 

“Does this place have dessert pizza?” Aaron flipped over the menu to investigate further, “now that you’ve mentioned it I feel like I need to understand.” He glanced at the box of chocolates and let out a soft sigh, “though I’m not sure if more sugar is the answer.” The whole idea of getting pizza had been to take a break from the sweets. And, if he was being honest, to give an excuse to keep the night going even longer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

His admission that it must be strange for her after seeing him in the hospital struck a chord. She felt it was his small and likely only way of acknowledging what seemed a nearly endless list of subjects they couldn’t discuss. While she was on one level pleased he’d done it, on another, it was frustrating in a way she couldn’t blame him for really. It seemed he wanted to be there as much as she wanted him there but it struck her more as a page of text filled with more black bars hiding redacted information leaving only a few words that when strung together couldn’t make a complete sentence that made any sense. Yet they both seemed intent on trying despite the obvious obstacles.

The fact that they were both making an attempt seemed to her as them perhaps having more in common than she might have guessed. She would likely consider it later in reflecting on the unusual day that of course she hadn’t realized how it that way, she’d literally only just met him. The remnants of Kenny were in her memory more than she could see them clearly in Aaron. Sarah would have to admit at some point she was intrigued by the stranger who had come to find her and she’d taken a leap of faith for reasons she couldn’t simply explain away as curiosity.

She’d smile In response to his pointing out the physical changes. It was so much more than just healed injuries, swelling disappearing, and scars fading. The angles were different, features more defined. She’d been quietly taking note of those all night really. But to point those differences out would stray dangerously close to a line she’d promised not to cross, or really even step on though that was more a self imposed one to protect herself from being told he couldn’t answer. “I’m happy to see how well you healed.” She remarked softly. “Seems only fair given everything else I suppose.” She added, taking a small playful stab at it. He could simply ignore it as pretending not to see someone dip their toe in the water and decide not to go in the pool.

“I’m really happy I invited you, too.” She said in answer. “It such an unexpected and nice surprise, I wasn’t ready for it to be so brief, so thank you for agreeing to extend it.” Sarah gestured at the chocolates and wine set out in front of them. “Besides, I got chocolates and wine out of it, pretty good deal for me.” She teased.

She could only grin when he told her not to laugh as he supplied her with random facts that it would only encourage him. “But I’m enjoying it.” She insisted. “Not only do I find it fascinating, you’re literally giving me lots of cool facts I can use to distract my patients.” She added. “See? Win/win all around I’d say.” Her eyes were sparkling with humor.

“It definitely feels cruel to be going to any museum dedicated to anything edible and not get to sample the topic of said museum.” She agreed. “Valid point about allowing one franchise or local store to sell, but my guess is they’d run it like any commissary type place. The board overseeing most likely would make or purchase from a food service company.” Sarah paused and laughed. “Oh well now look, you’ve got me spouting random facts from my experience working in restaurants when I was in college. It’s contagious.” She added, still laughing.

“Never had dessert pizza, huh?” She repeated with a question in her tone. “You have most definitely been missing out.” Her smile was warm as she gazed over at him. Again in that moment, Sarah realized how much she was enjoying the banter between them.

HIs suggestion that they get one pizza with everything and then another with one of her favorites drew another smile curling up around her lips. “That’s very thoughtful of you to offer.” The inclination to dismiss his suggestion had been ready to flow off her tongue from force of habit. She stopped herself recalling some of the misunderstandings from earlier and trying to view it simply as his kindness. She’d understood from some of the comments he’d slipped in that he’d found it to be some kind of unequal exchange or debt he’d owed for her kindness to him in the past. It was in her nature to brush it off, to make herself smaller in the face of compliments or kindness even when she was dedicated to spreading it to others. “We can do that, though it’s not really necessary.” She added softly. While she’d made an attempt to quash the urge to demur, she hadn’t completely succeeded.

While she was thinking about what toppings to suggest, Aaron made the comment and started looking at the menu for a dessert pizza. She could help the laugh that bubbled up. “Oh no, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to tempt you with more sweets. Though I bet if they do offer one, it’s probably good.” She laughed more. “Sorry, I’m not much help here, more of an enabler.” As she watched him searching for the dessert offerings, she was struck once more with the realization of how much fun she was having, how it felt like they were finding ways to make the evening last longer and she didn’t mind at all.

He wondered if it was any other nurse if things would have gone differently. There was a real possibility that the caring and thoughtful nurse that Kenny remembered was not an entirely accurate picture. Everything was so compartmentalized there was no real way to know anyone’s level of insight or involvement in the program. Aaron had rightly assumed her involvement was limited but he’d had no way of knowing for certain. Truthfully he had gotten lucky that Sarah was the person that she was. Luck, fate, pure coincidence, Aaron wasn’t sure what he believed in but he was grateful for her. 

A warmth washed over him as she admitted she was also happy she’d invited him. He resisted the urge to hide the bashful look that crossed his features when she acknowledged that she wasn’t ready for their encounter to be a brief one. She could have easily said goodbye to him and he would’ve gone on his way. It was exactly what he’d planned to happen. Everything since that moment had been a surprising and wonderful bonus. “Well, I had to sweeten the deal somehow,” he teased her. “It didn't seem fair to interrupt your afternoon and now your evening without making it worthwhile.” 

Aaron knew that there was no way he could ever put into words what their little exchange meant to him. He couldn’t even begin to explain without having to divulge too much about his current situation. How could he ever tell her that this was the first time he really felt human? She looked at him like a person. Not data, an asset, or some means to an end. She was asking questions and trying to draw him out. Not because she had any ulterior motive seeing information she wasn’t meant to have, quite the opposite. She wanted to know about him. It was unprecedented for Aaron. It was a normalcy he was desperately trying to cling to because he knew it was unlikely he would ever have it again. 

But I’m enjoying it. A smile tugged across his lips as she insisted. “I’m sure I can come up with plenty of more interesting things than pizza for you to use,” he teased. A warmth coursed through him as he thought of her taking a tidbit she’d learned from him and passing it along to comfort someone else. He wasn’t sure why the thought of her thinking of him later was so striking. He knew for certain he would be thinking about her and their conversation for a long time to come.

He tipped his head listening intently as she took his tangent about pizza and ran with it. It was endearing to hear her work over the details of their theoretical pizza store with her real life experience. That feeling of ease and comfort with her was so prevalent. It didn’t really seem to matter what they talked about. They always managed to find a comfortable cadence with one another. He laughed softly as she caught herself. “See,” his eyes sparkled with a playfulness he hadn’t felt in a long time - maybe ever, “I told you that it was dangerous to get me started. Now it’s catching.” 

“It is necessary,” he met her more serious tone with a playful one, his eyes still bright and teasing as he glanced up at her. “Leftover pizza is great. If I can’t enjoy the leftover pizza then someone has to. I don’t make the rules, that’s just how it is,” Aaron shot her a grin. “And if you have to eat leftovers then it might as well be your favorite kind,” he knew they’d gotten off on the wrong foot with him trying to defer to her preferences. Time was not a luxury they had for her to understand his true nature and motives but Aaron hoped she understood him enough by now. He was doing his best to try to extend their evening, not shorten it. 

“No dessert pizza,” he gave a playful dramatic sigh and shook his head as he turned over the menu. Aaron shot her a smile. Maybe next time. He had to stop himself from the words slipping out. It felt natural. It felt like there should be a next time. Except there couldn’t be. Aaron knew he had to soak up every moment of this encounter because it was going to be the last. He wished things could be different but he also knew that no amount of wishing would change the reality of their situation. 

Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye

A warm, almost shy smile spread across his lips as she admitted she’d always loved spending time with him. Even though he had always believed it to be true based on her continually welcoming him back time after time, year after year, there was something different about hearing it said aloud. It helped to snuff out any lingering concerns about if those times before had been merely out of obligation or something more. It had always felt like something more to him but the topic felt like it was always off limits. At the time there had been no use in dreaming about the what-ifs and the future. It would have never been fair to her to keep her waiting for something that could’ve never been. Or rather, should have never been. And yet, it was. 

Aaron brightened further when she admitted that their first encounter had felt like a date. “I thought it felt like a date too,” the shyness lingered as he recalled that first moment of seeing her outside her friend’s apartment. She was dressed so beautifully and he stood there in front of her with wine and chocolate in hand. “But it seemed like wishful thinking on my part,” he admitted sheepishly, “didn’t think I’d ever be that lucky. Now I’ve actually got the chance I don’t want to screw it up,” his tone was playful but there was perhaps a hint of seriousness there. Aaron took their second chance seriously. Now knowing that many of his feelings were reciprocated added even more intensity to it all. 

“It should have been a hint that something was different when everything was always so easy with you and no one else,” he considered softly. “Even when I had to dance around answers and you had to avoid asking questions. Somehow we found hours of things to talk about over and over again.” Those snippets of time had given him a much needed reprieve from the ugliness of his work in the program. “Now we don’t have to worry about any of that.” He smiled at her warmly, “and the best part is no more deadlines and flights to catch.” 

Aaron laughed softly as she complimented his work. The slightly bashful look returned. He had become accustomed to being competent, exceedingly so, at many things yet the compliment from her was the highest praise. “I do have a bit of an unfair advantage to most nursing students,” he teased her playfully. If he could somehow channel all of his abilities into being beneficial for Corinne, he would. While the enhancements sometimes came with unwanted or unexpected consequences, that was one he could happily accept. 

“I don’t think I gave you too much choice the first time around,” Aaron gently teased about starting the IV in the first place, “but thank you for trusting me with this,” he reached to give her arm a gentle squeeze. That need for connection and reassurance always lingering between them. “And everything else,” he added softly. 

Aaron gave her a knowing smile as she questioned him about his own preferences regarding her hair and showering. “I trust you to not push yourself too much. Maybe a little more than I’d prefer, but not too much,” even though eventually he knew she would struggle with pushing herself to recover too quickly he didn’t think that time had arrived yet. Aaron saw the way that her own condition had frightened her and additionally concerned her about the burden she felt she’d placed her assistants and him. He didn’t think she would risk ending up there again too quickly. 

He drew in a breath as he considered her offer. He knew it was challenging enough to have to rely on someone else when someone was so used to doing everything alone. Aaron wanted to give her the choice of what she wanted to do but also protect her. “I think that sounds like a fair compromise,” there was notable hesitation in his voice despite the agreement. “Door doesn’t have to be open but unlocked? Ajar maybe?” He tipped his head looking at her with a hint of playfulness, “I’ll blindfold myself if that’s what it takes. I can still be pretty useful blind,” he teased.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She just loved seeing the smile spread across his features when she said she’d loved their time together. Though they’d spoken of it a little, they’d never really discussed how they’d felt about those moments they’d managed to spend with each other over the years before everything changed for both of them. It was with a fondness more than admitting to just how close they’d gotten.

She hadn’t known how Aaron really felt, other than he managed to make those meetings happen. That alone should have made it clear to her. It might have been driven by the idea that each time was perhaps their last and the temptation to read more into it came with risks she hadn’t been ready to take. It had brought her a small joy in the midst of uncertainty and the often heartbreaking parts of her job.

They way he said he’d also felt like that first time they met after he came back had felt like a date to him gave her that familiar warm feeling deep inside. She couldn’t help but be flattered that he felt the way he did. It was probably better though that she hadn’t known, it would have been too easy to dismiss them as the all too common feelings patients can develop for their caretakers. They weren’t commonly real but came about as a result of the situation. “I don’t think I realized you felt the way you did back then.” She said softly. Her voice held a bit of wonder mixed in with the usual warmth present when she spoke to him. “I had such mixed feelings given the circumstances.” She said. “The obvious big changes we couldn’t talk about and you couldn’t explain clearly the largest obstacle to me even beginning to sort out my feelings.” Corinne explained. “Yet, still those thoughts were present, probably confusing more than anything else at the time.”

“Clearly even unconsciously I had to have felt them though. I wanted to spend time getting to know you to the extent we could, even believing it was only that one time.” She couldn’t help the smile that crossed her features when he spoke about how his view of things had been so similar to hers. “Shows you what I know.” She added with a quiet laugh. “It was so special every time you managed to come back. And now here we are, you taking care of me. Never saw that coming.” She said the fondness and warmth as clear in her tone as the smile on her face.

When Aaron said he’d not really given her a choice the first time, she tipped her head to the side and gave him a sheepish smile. “There wasn’t a choice, not if I wasn’t willing to go to the hospital and I’m fairly certain I made my feelings about that quite clear.” Though she said in a light tone, easy enough to do in hindsight, those feelings weren’t so easy to forget or dismiss. “I’m lucky you knew what to do and did it.” She admitted quietly. “I hope you know how grateful I am for that and for you.”

Again she caught that almost bashful cross his face when she complimented his efficient handling with her IV. It touched in a place deep inside. Both the recognition of someone not so used to people noticing their skills and a certain pleasure from receiving admiration from someone they respected. She knew how he felt about her, she knew as well that when he’d said something kind to her in the past, it meant something to her as well. It was both sweet and rewarding to see that she could return it in kind. “Well, still it’s really cool to watch it in action and I think your calm bedside manner is all you.” She added softly. That simple touch to her arm, the connection drew more warmth settling through her. The way it both calmed and pleased her was clear in her smile. So often those gestures were unconscious, like a need they had to subtly remind each other was everything to her.

Her same absent minded gesture to touch his face had resulted in a discussion and admission of their deeper feelings for one another. The memory made her smile widen a bit more.

She couldn’t help but smile a little to hear him admit that he trusted her not to push herself but added the caveat she might do more than he’d prefer. She gave him a subtle nod to acknowledge that she’d heard but didn’t say anything. She could understand his concern, if their situations were reversed, she’d feel the same.

Corinne watched Aaron carefully when she offered the compromise. Though he said he thought it was a fair compromise she didn’t miss the note in his voice that seemed to contradict his words. “I don’t care if you’re in the room or we leave the door ajar.” She said. “I mean, it’s only fair honestly I was your nurse at one time.” Her voice matched his playful tone. “But tell me why you’re not quite okay with it.” She asked quietly. “I’ll listen to your concerns.”

“I’m glad that I can put some of those things to good use now,” he brightened a bit more as she complimented him and expressed her interest in seeing him work. Most of the time he did his best to try to downplay the enhancements’ inherent abilities combined with all the conditioning and training. Corinne had always allowed him to feel more human and less like some science experiment. Even the way she complimented his abilities had him feeling more positively about those enhancements than he sometimes did. “I am grateful that I could be here and do this for you.” 

Aaron let out a little laugh as she reminded him that she’d once been his nurse. He looked almost bashful at the recollection of any number of compromising situations she might’ve dealt with him in. At the time he was essentially another person. It was entirely professional without even a thought of what was blooming between them now. Enamored as he might’ve been by her kindness, Kenny wouldn’t have even thought about things as they were now. Aaron appreciated that she was willing to keep the door open and even invite him in to ease some of his concerns. Still, he wrestled with the balance of keeping her safe and also allowing her to do the things she wanted to do. 

Her question clued him into how perceptive she was of him. Aaron did his best not to keep all of the walls up around her. Some of the conditioning was hard to break but she usually made it easier to be himself and not control quite as much as he did with others. He was finding the words to explain his thoughts when she became visibly upset. The sudden sparkle of tears in her eyes caught him off guard. While she tried to dismiss the sudden burst of emotions, he knew better. Either from her current life as Corinne or from somewhere long before, she’d clearly gotten good at trying to hide her feelings or at the very least dismiss them. Aaron wasn’t fooled. He gently slid his hand down from where he’d settled on her arm and slipped into her hand, giving a gentle squeeze. 

“Cory,” he started gently as he looked at her, “I still want to go on a date with you. I’d go right now if you were feeling up to it,” Aaron reassured with a smile. “It’s going to take more than a few tears to get out of a date with me at this point,” he teased. In reality if she really didn’t want to go on a date, all she had to do was say so. The last thing he’d ever want was to put their friendship at risk. Aaron was fairly certain that fact was obvious to her. 

“I know it’s not really just about the shower,” he began softly. “There’s a lot happening. You were worried. You’re not feeling well. It’s not easy having roles reversed,” with his free hand he wiggled his finger gesturing between them, “and if it was you here on your own you would go do what you wanted. All you want to do is take a shower and wash your hair. Instead you have this annoying guy trying to get you to slow down,” a small grin flickered at the corners of his lips.

Aaron tipped his head to the side as he looked at her sympathetically, “it’s a lot.” He gently squeezed her hand again. “My only concern is about you.” He drew in a slow breath before continuing, “one of those many changes they made was about how my mind works. Most of the time it’s helpful. But it’s quick to see all of those worst case scenarios. Great for some things, but not when all you want to do is go take a shower when you don’t feel well,” he offered. “That’s my only hesitation. I’m worried about you. But,” he gave her hand another squeeze, “part of that means I’m worried about everything. Whether you have a shower, if you don’t. What the risks are of both of those scenarios,” he gave a little shrug of his shoulders, “that’s why I thought it was a good compromise. I want you to have what you want but also somehow wrap you in bubble wrap and make sure you’re alright,” he smiled, “both of us are trying to figure out how not to be totally in control of the situation,” his tone returned to something more playful, “you’re just more graceful about it than I am.” 

He let out a soft breath of laughter as she went through a list of potential breakfast options. “I think it depends more on what you feel like cooking because I feel like eating any of those things,” he grinned. “The stuffed French toast did have a ring to it though. And you sealed the deal with a side of something savory. Best of both worlds.” 

A bright smile pulled at Aaron’s lips as she confessed she was enjoying the pace of their morning. He hummed softly in approval. “Arguably one of the best mornings we’ve had,” his smile shifted into a more playful grin. “Certainly the top contender for the best morning I’ve ever had.” 

He let out a contented sigh and nodded his head slightly, “I wouldn’t complain about having more mornings like this,” a warmer and more genuine smile returned to his features. “Doesn’t have to be after an all night discussion. But it can be, if we need it.” 

As she mentioned getting out of bed to make them something to eat, his fingers flexed ever so slightly to keep her hugged close to him. Aaron knew they couldn’t stay like that forever but he wanted to savor the moment a bit longer before he let her go.

While he had insisted she stay in bed while he got the coffee, he found himself reluctant to let her go that far for as long as it would take to cook breakfast. It was a notable change he felt in himself. They had always been comfortable doing things separately. She would work at the cafe while he was off doing other things. He could go for a run while she read. She would cook while he chopped firewood. Yet now, he hardly wanted her out of arm’s reach. The sudden breaking of the emotional dam between them swirling with the new physical closeness had him feeling more connected to her than he ever had. To anyone, for that matter. 

“Why don’t we both get out of bed?” Aaron suggested. “I can help with cooking. And by help I mean offer to taste anything that needs tasting and try to stay out of your way,” he teased. He’d learned and practiced enough that he wasn’t entirely incapable in the kitchen but he paled in comparison to Corinne. Admittedly, he also enjoyed watching her work. The way she looked when she was focused and doing something she enjoyed left him feeling rather enamoured with her every time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Yes, that is my problem exactly.” She responded. “I want them all.” The quiet laugh he let out drew her smile up more, made even better curled up against him as she was. Their connection was more intimate, intensified in the small details like the sound of his breath near her ear and slight movement of his chest. She was about to playfully tease how he was no help at all when he mentioned the French toast. “I am a big fan of sweet and savory together. And clearly we will have more opportunities to make the other options.” Corinne added with a happy sigh, her fingers still tracing on his skin in that absent minded manner.

His smile sent a rush through her. There was something so sweet now about their willing openness with their feelings for one another that settled deep inside her. They’d been dancing along the edge of it for so long, the way the words seemed to fall freely from their lips added a new layer to everything. It was both thrilling and comfortable all at once. “Absolutely one of the best mornings we’ve had.” She agreed, her smile matching his. Her eyes sparkled, the expression on her face both pleased and adoring when he further added it was one of his best. “I would venture to say it’s at the top of my list as well.” She gazed at him for a few more beats before continuing. “I never imagined I could be this happy.”

“We can have those discussions anytime, day or night.” She added softly. “Seems we’re in agreement with no complaints about having more mornings like this one though.” Corinne let out a soft laugh, then shook her head. “Happy to know we agree. Never thought I’d be a girl who slept better with someone beside me, yet here we are.”

She didn’t miss the way he seemed to reflexively hold her a little closer when she talked about getting up. It was subtle, but it made her smile and filled her with a sense of contentment that he seemed as reluctant as she was to break their contact. It wasn’t that they hadn’t been close before, but something had shifted even subtly and they seemed so in tuned to one another they both felt it. It was reminiscent of the way they’d both reached out for a physical connection with a brush of fingers or touch to a hand or arm long before they were willing to admit their feelings out loud.

“I’m not going to complain about you coming with me.” She said softly. “I mean, it felt like I was being a bit ridiculous not wanting to leave you here, but I didn’t want to be apart that long and that seemed silly. It’s not like this place is that big.” She laughed quietly, but gave him a shy glance. “Wow, that seemed to have happened kind of fast.” She teased playfully. “For the record, you’re never in the way in the kitchen and quite helpful beyond tasting. Though that’s a huge part of the job, making sure the taste is right.”

As if his morning wasn’t already going perfectly, the words mixed with the look on her features had a warmth and happiness coursing through him that he’d never felt before. “Neither did I,” he admitted softly. When he had first met her as Sarah, and even when he’d walked back into her life as Aaron, he never imagined a life like this. Sometimes he could fill his mind with daydreams of a life after the program but it seemed unlikely if not impossible for him to be truly happy. And yet there they were. 

Aaron smiled warmly as she agreed to him getting out of bed with her. As she often did, she seemed to eloquently give voice to the feelings that had been swirling around in his mind. The almost shy way she glanced at him as she admitted her thoughts had him melting. There was something endearing about her bashfulness in sharing her inner thoughts despite their current state and previous emotional and physical intimacy. “It doesn’t seem silly to me at all,” he assured her softly, “I feel exactly the same way,” he held her a little closer against him for a moment.

“Definitely no disagreements about having more mornings like this one,” Aaron grinned at her. It seemed hard to believe that any morning could be as magical as the one they were currently enjoying but he was happy to try. Corinne had a way of constantly surprising him with how life could get better and better with her at his side. The former operative was finally able to experience a life he’d only dreamed of. “Well, in that case, that really seals the deal on the ‘no more couch’ thing,” he smiled at her. 

“Fast?” His voice pitched upwards playfully and he shot her an incredulous look. “I don’t know about that. This has been slowly happening since I sat across from you in that cafe and interrupted your lunch.” His eyes held all the fondness that had grown over the years since that moment as he looked at her. “I know what you mean,” the playful tone had left him and he grew more sincere, “I feel it too,” he assured her gently. The realization that she felt the shift between them was remarkable and he felt compelled to give voice to the fact that it was mutual. “Fast or slow, a long time coming or something new - I’m happy with whatever it is,” he added warmly. 

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” the teasing was quickly back in his tone. The hint of suggestiveness lingering there. “Not sure if that’s very safe though,” he pondered aloud. Aaron reluctantly released his hold on her to point over the side of the bed where he recalled discarding her pajamas. “I think you’ll find them over there.” 

He took in a deep breath as if mentally preparing himself for untangling himself from her. “Wait,” he declared. Aaron brushed his fingertips along her jaw and tipped her towards him so he could dip his head and kiss her softly, “just one more before we get up,” he insisted as if he wasn’t likely to kiss her again, perhaps more than once, in the kitchen in a few minutes time.