Chapter Four

Aria was woken up by the shrill ringing of her phone, lifting her head off the pillow she reached for the device that was the source of her annoyance. ‘This better be good or someone is going to get an earful.’ She thought grumpily and answered the call without checking the caller ID. 

“Good morning gorgeous.” A husky voice sounded through the speaker and involuntarily a shiver ran down her spine, her irritation washed away as quickly as a smile graced her lips, 

“Not so good now that I’m awake.” Deagan imagined her pouting and chuckled at her childishness. 

He felt elated that a woman as beautiful and intelligent as herself would even give him the time of day. 

“Now, now Miss Gray, that's not very mature of you.” he teased and she grumbled a weak protest which earned her a full-blown laugh from him. 

He had no idea what his laugh did to her heart, two months of them knowing each other and he still made her breath catch in her throat the way he did the very first time. She both hated and loved the feeling he gave her, on one hand, she felt weak around him, but at the same time whenever she thought of him she felt invincible. 

It was a strange feeling, something absolutely foreign to her, it was unconventional and unworldly different from anything she had ever felt or heard of in her entire life. She had never been the hopeless romantic type, but even she was sure that no book or movie ever captured the feeling she felt within her when he was near.

“Get up and get pretty, I’ll be there to pick you up in an hour.” He ordered and she rolled her eyes at his demanding behaviour even though she was already halfway out of the bed, more than excited to see him after a whole week of him being out of the country due to his job. 

“I’ll be ready when I see fit, thank you very much!” she countered disinterestedly and she could almost feel his smirk when he said the next words. 

“Well I’ll be there in an hour and if you aren’t ready I’ll be more than happy to help you get ready.” She scoffed at his audacity and decided to tease him a bit, 

“No, no you don’t need to worry about that, Daniel happens to have great taste in women’s clothing, I’m sure he’d love to give me a hand.” She bit back a laugh when she heard a growl from the other end of the line.

Daniel is her thirty-five-year-old neighbour, divorced and crushing on a certain young lady. Deagan could not stand the man and it amused her to no end, she teased him often, loving the feeling she got when he became jealous and possessive. After threatening her not to dare speak to the man he hung up grumbling how he would need to have a word with ‘that man’. She laughed and continued getting ready with an unshakeable smile. 

The first time Deagan showed up at her house unexpectedly and demanded to take her out for their third date he was gobsmacked when she walked out of her room thirty minutes later looking like a goddess, he was still getting used to her less than typical female behaviour.

Precisely forty-eight minutes later she was ready and awaiting her Knight in shining Armani. She had no idea where they were going so she decided on a simple pair of dark blue bootleg jeans and a cute floral print peplum halter neck top with a pair of nude ballet flats and a nude leather jacket to block out the slightly chilly spring weather, her hair was French braided along the side and tied into a low bun. As usual, she opted for light makeup that only highlighted her natural beauty.

They hadn’t seen each other for a little over a week and had hardly spoken over the phone, apart from a few text messages thanks to the difference in time zones and their busy schedules. She waited anxiously for the remaining minutes to pass by, it’s strange how you can spend most of your life in your own company and feel completely content, but suddenly someone enters your life like a whirlwind and without warning you find yourself missing them when they’re not around.     

Aria wasn’t one to judge someone based on their achievements in life, despite having always pictured herself with someone much more like herself, she found herself forgetting her earlier idea of her type. Deagan’s presence in her life had taught her that opposites really do attract. She wasn’t the type to show PDA, he was. She couldn’t dazzle a crowd with a mere glance the way he did. He was easy-going and ambitious; a dreamer, she made plans and chased them. She wasn’t a fan of love stories and horror movies while he had a keen appreciation for them both.  

In so many ways they were different, yet they fit together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. 

Back in college, she was more attracted to the serious types, nerds if you must. Her ex-boyfriend of two years was an Actuarial Scientist, their relationship was a comfortable one, neither had too many expectations from the other and in many ways, they were compatible, so compatible that everyone around them was sure they would end up married someday. Her parents even loved him and that was saying a lot, they were pretty angry when she broke up with him and didn’t speak to her for weeks post-break-up. She didn’t care though; her parents were the type to overreact when she did something they didn’t approve of, so she stopped caring what they thought years ago. 

Deagan arrived earlier than he was meant to which was not at all unexpected on her part, he was always exactly three minutes early. By the time he arrived she was already halfway out the door to greet him, she didn’t want to seem too eager, but Deagan always seemed to bring out her inner child and to some extent, she loved it. Six long strides later he had his strong arms wrapped firmly around her waist, she could feel his bulging muscles below his maroon button-down shirt and she relished in the feeling of his taut back under her fingertips. 

Deagan let out a content sigh as he buried his face in her neck, he had missed feeling her body pressed up against his and her warm cheek against his chest. He took absolute pleasure in her feather-light touch dancing along his back; he bit back a shiver and involuntarily loosened his hold on her to gather himself again. 

She took a step back and smiled widely at him, “Missed me, ey?” she teased which he returned with a smirk, 

“You’re one to talk.” She could see it in his eyes that he had missed her and it only made her feel more elated, 

“I never denied it.” She said, sending him a meaningful look which caused his smirk to turn into a grin.

“Ready to go M’lady?” he asked in a fake British accent that she’d have to admit wasn’t half bad, with a chuckle she nodded and mumbled something about grabbing her purse from the table. Seconds later she emerged from the house and after locking the door behind her she wrapped her arm around his own and allowed him to escort her to the passenger side of his beautiful Ford Granda. It may have been old, but she loved it and he always kept the car in impeccable condition. 

After she got settled in the car he rushed over to the driver’s side and ducked in looking like a model. He placed the key in the ignition and the powerful engine roared to life which sent a thrill through her body; she was excited for the day ahead. He never failed to amaze her with his plans for their dates. 

Then again, she might be biased, because even the littlest thing he did impressed her.

He looked at her with eager eyes, “Are you ready for the time of your life?” he sounded like a little boy, she couldn’t help but laugh. His grin widened when she nodded and without warning, he took off to their destination. He had a vague idea of where he wanted to take her, but he was never really one to make plans, he much preferred the idea of going where the wind blew him. Their first stop however was a must. 

Not once did she question where they were going as she watched the scenery change from the extravagant concrete city to the lush greenery of the countryside, listening to the soothing voice of Brian Mcknight. Aria found the utmost pleasure in his amazing taste in music, she hummed to the tune and often sang along quietly enjoying the comfortable atmosphere, her mind was free and she realised that whenever she was with him, she was completely relaxed, the commotion of everyday life was the furthest thing from her mind. 

Deagan delighted in her relaxed posture on the seat beside him where she sat with her head resting against the seat and a gentle smile on her face as she sang along to the music, he couldn’t help the glances he stole every few seconds, she seemed to be in a faraway place. 

An hour later they turned off the highway onto a gravel path that leads into the forest, at the change in direction Aria’s curiosity showed; she refrained from asking but grew more excited for the surprise that awaited her. Soon enough they pulled up outside a little cottage that had plants creeping up the walls engulfing the maroon brick in a green shadow. 

Deagan turned to face her with a grin on his face and tilted his head gesturing for her to climb out of the car, he was eager to see her reaction to what he had in store. He walked around the car and grasped her hand, “Come on, you’re going to love it.” He beamed pulling her in the direction of the door. He rang the doorbell and minutes and minutes later the door opened to reveal a little white-haired woman who had a pair of bifocal spectacles resting on her nose. The moment her eyes landed on Deagan her face lit up like a Christmas tree and tears gathered in the corner of her eyes. 

“Deagan, my dear is that you?” she whispered in a hoarse voice. Deagan smiled widely and stepped forward to embrace her.

“Hi, Grams.” As the words left his mouth she threw her frail arms around his waist and a strangled cry left her lips as they parted, 

“My dear boy I haven’t seen you in years, you’ve grown up so much and so handsome too.” Deagan chuckled and glanced inside the house which seemed to snap her from her lit “Oh my, please come inside!” 

Aria smiled at their little reunion, both of them seemed to have forgotten all about her, but she didn’t mind watching their exchange. Deagan and Aria both stepped in and just then is when the older woman noticed her presence, “Oh my and who is this beautiful young lady?” she was about to speak when Deagan stepped forward, 

“Grandma Lacy this is Aria, my girlfriend.” Aria was taken aback but recovered quickly sending a warm smile at the cheerful woman. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Mam.” She said earning a chuckle from the tiny woman, 

“Please honey, call me Grandma Lacy. ‘Mam’ makes me sound old.” she insisted with a mischievous look which caused all three of them to burst out laughing. Once they composed themselves she ushered them further into the house to the kitchen all the while rambling to Aria about every time Deagan visited her and gushing to Deagan about how lovely his girlfriend was, to which he smiled proudly.

Deagan and Aria sat at the breakfast bar by Grandma Lacy’s order as she prepared coffee and took out some of her homemade caramel chip cookies, Deagan was looking intently at Aria as she told Grandma Lacy about the oats cookies that her Aunt makes and how she had to visit her just to have some of those soon. 

Deagan loved listening to her talking about the things she loved; she always spoke with such passion and enthusiasm, but somehow still managed to sound mature. The thought of her interrogating someone in the courtroom sent a shiver of pleasure down his spine; he was willing to put money on it, she must sound super sexy. 

He was so lost in his thoughts he didn’t realise both women were staring at him with amused looks plastered on their faces, he jolted from the sudden break from his reverie and both women cracked up at the startled expression he sported. Aria couldn’t help, but think how much he resembled a confused puppy and it was just as cute as it was funny. The amusement never left her face as she watched him pout childishly, ‘how adorable!’ She mentally gushed. She refrained from saying it out loud and rather settled for leaning over and pinching his cheeks with a teasing pout of her own. Deagan didn’t seem impressed by her gesture and frowned in disgust and swatted her hand away which caused her to choke out another laugh. 

Lacy admired the couple as they teased and bugged each other, they looked so happy. She felt content when she saw the tender smile on his face when he looked at the young woman before him; she held back tears of joy. The both of them were so caught up in their little exchange that they almost missed the little woman staring at them with a face-splitting grin and tears in her warm brown eyes. Deagan being a typical guy immediately freaked out when he saw the tears in the old woman’s eyes, but she simply waved him off and asked what made him suddenly decide to visit after all these years. He didn’t miss the sadness in her eyes when she spoke, he felt a pang of guilt when he did and for a fleeting moment wished he hadn’t been so harsh on the old woman.    

He sighed and dropped his gaze to the comforting hand Aria had placed on his when she noticed the sadness in his eyes. “I missed you, Grams, I really have. It’s just… Every time I thought of seeing you, the thought of seeing that place again, stopped me.” he looked up at her and the woman’s eyes showed recognition. Aria was curious but refrained from asking, she knew he would tell her when he was ready.             

Grandma Lacy’s smile never faded, “I understand Dear. You are here now and I couldn’t be happier, I am so proud of you Deagan and I know that they all are too.” She glanced at Aria as she spoke and Deagan felt pride surge within him as he felt the warmth radiating off the exquisite woman beside him. She gave him strength and filled his heart with contentment, with her by his side he felt like the luckiest man on the planet. 

“Thank you, Grams, I promise we’ll visit more from now on.” He said glancing at Aria who nodded in confirmation and an excited grin settled on Grandma Lacy’s face. 

“As long as you promise to let me know when you are coming the next time so that I can try out all those new recipes I got from my cooking club sisters.” The both of them laughed at the calculating look on her face but nodded still. 

“Now, I believe there’s somewhere you wanted to show Aria.” Grandma Lacy said sending Deagan a meaningful look and a wink towards Aria. Deagan nodded and stood up from the seat and helped Aria up after him. He looked at Grandma Lacy who nodded encouragingly before taking a step towards the door that led out of the kitchen to the back yard. 

To the place that held his darkest secrets and fondest memories.