VENUSThe thing about Aaron was… he didn’t know how to do half-measures.If he cared, he cared with his whole damn spine. No diluted attention. No “I’ll check in later.” You got the full force of him, every hour of every day, like he’d decided the rest of the world could wait.And now, apparently, the rest of the world was waiting.Because Aaron was here. Always here.That night, the words he’d said—I never want to lose you—kept replaying in my head. They clung to me, curling around every breath I took.It should have made me feel safe.And it did… but there was something else underneath, something I didn’t have a name for.It was past midnight. He’d insisted I sleep in his bed again, his tone so certain I didn’t even think about arguing. The lights were dim, the air cool, the sheets crisp in that expensive way that made you think of hotels you couldn’t afford.I woke sometime after three, heart pounding, the remnants of a dream still clawing at me. I didn’t remember the details, just
VENUSIt started to feel… routine.If you could call waking up in the middle of the night, shaking and gasping, a routine.The first night, I told myself it was just a fluke. Too many emotions, too much noise, and then sudden quiet. But then it happened again. And again. And again.By the third night, I didn’t even hesitate anymore. I just padded down the hall, bare feet brushing the carpet, and climbed into his bed like I belonged there. Like I’d been doing it my whole life.And Aaron never once made me feel like I was intruding.If anything, it was the opposite.The second my body hit the mattress, he’d pull me against him, no questions, no hesitation, just his arm locking firmly around my waist, his chin brushing the top of my head like he was making sure I stayed exactly where I was. Sometimes he’d murmur low reassurances until my breathing matched his. Sometimes he didn’t speak at all, just let his warmth and steady heartbeat work their way under my skin until sleep came for me a
VENUS The penthouse didn’t go quiet all at once.It was a gradual dimming like the sun slipping below the horizon in increments so small you almost miss them.One by one, they said their goodbyes. Rosemary kissed my cheek again, her perfume lingering long after she’d stepped into the private elevator. Silas shook Aaron’s hand with that firm, wordless exchange men like them have mastered, then rested his palm briefly on my shoulder, like a quiet reassurance. Alana clung to me the longest, her small fingers tight around mine until Aaron gently pried them loose and promised she could see me tomorrow.Gianna and Lucien? left together, their voices low as they stepped into the hallway. Connor and Sabine stayed long enough to help clear a few mugs from the living room before muttering something about an early meeting. Jude also hitched a ride with them. The laughter and chatter that had filled the space just hours ago faded until the only sound left was the faint hum of the refrigerator a
AARONOne week agoThe hospital at night was the kind of quiet that made you hear your own pulse.Most people hated it. I didn’t.The absence of noise gave me room to think. And lately, that was the only time I had to actually line my thoughts up instead of letting them claw at each other in my head.I was in Venus’s room, leaning against the wall near the window. The lights were low, the steady beeping of the monitor filling the space between her breaths. She was asleep, head turned slightly toward me, one hand curled near her face like she was bracing against something even in her dreams.That hand had been gripping mine before she drifted off.I told her I’d stay until she woke. I meant it.The knock came soft, but I didn’t miss it.I turned my head just enough to see who stepped inside.Colton Ashford.He moved like someone who wasn’t sure if he belonged here but his eyes were locked on Venus like he’d been staring at her for years without being able to touch.I stayed exactly whe
VENUS The ride home felt too quiet.Maybe because I was waiting for my chest to stop aching from everything Aaron had just said.Spoiler: it didn’t.The elevator ride up felt too quiet. The thing about hospitals is they have a way of keeping you in this half-suspended state, like you’re wrapped in gauze and muffled sound. Stepping into the penthouse was like the bandages came off all at once.The air was warmer here. Lived in.The faint scent of rosemary bread, coffee, and something sweet—vanilla maybe—wrapped around me before I even stepped forward. And then… the noise.Not the hospital’s low, sterile hum.Not the beeping of monitors or the squeak of nurses’ shoes.Laughter.Soft chatter.The shuffle of someone’s feet on polished wood.It was so normal that it knocked the breath out of me.I didn’t expect them all to be here. Honestly, I thought maybe Gianna would be waiting, maybe Connor, maybe one or two others if Aaron had warned them I was coming. But they were all here. All of
VENUSThe thing about hearing I love you from someone you’ve been quietly bleeding for is that… it’s never clean.It doesn’t just land like a soft kiss; it hits like a collision.It shoves open doors you’d boarded up, shines light in corners you’ve been keeping dark on purpose.The me before Gerald happened would've been estatic,Happy that he finally felt the same.But now? I didn't feel good enough for anyone.So I decided that I'd push him away.I just stood there, my fingers gripping the hospital-issued tote so tight the straps bit into my palms.The clothes inside suddenly weighed a hundred pounds. Or maybe it was me.Aaron was watching me like a man who’d just set himself on fire and was waiting to see if I’d throw water on him or walk away.“I don’t…” My voice cracked. I swallowed hard. “I don’t know what you expect me to do with that.”He didn’t even blink. “I don’t expect anything.”“Don’t lie to me.” The laugh that came out of me was hollow, brittle. “Nobody drops I love you