2019, December 25th When they got to the Arden residence, Aria and Troy spent a considerable amount of time hovering over Ethan, forgetting everything and everyone else. Maybe it was the terror, the danger and adrenaline, but neither of them wanted to leave him or each other. Despite their display of passion at the base however, they were still very much fighting. He could block Aaron and Bart out while he was with Aria and Ethan, but Troy refused to stay the night at either the castle or the Arden mansion. "You're being petty," she said as she watched the road pass them by through the car window. "We should have stayed—" "Where Aria? With which of the men that you've recently spent the night with did you want to stay?" This shut her right up. Aria was angry too, but his thing clearly trumped hers. Troy hadn't acted out of character. She had. It didn't make her any less mad about what he'd done, but her guilt was letting him have more rope than he was giving her. Still, he was
2019, December 21st Aria hadn't been back to see baby Ethan. She just wasn't ready yet. What she was decidedly ready to do was rip into Troy. How long had he known? "Good morning Aria," said Troy. She was sitting on the floor, her back against the wall of Ethan's room, where she had likely been all night. Troy drew his fingers through his hair. She was a wreck. It was always going to be this way, he knew, but his keeping it from her probably didn't help. He couldn't change that now though. He had to focus on what he could do. For her, for them. Troy went over to her and sat down next to her. "When you're ready, he'll be right where you left him and so will I. I'm here to answer any and all of your questions." Troy looked at her. This quiet, silent version of her that he'd never seen before scared him. Even straight off of the battlefield, when he put her on a plane to Terres Somnia, she handled everything like a pro. Honestly he was surprised that she stayed the night. He knew she w
2017, October 12th Aaron had sneaked onto the castle grounds the way Adele had taught him to and then into the castle itself. Diane and Ethan's wedding had just ended and he was meeting Adele in her room like they'd planned. This last second wedding meant that they had even less time together today, so he wanted to get to her quickly. Things back in Terres Somnia were moving fast. Henry was being even more persistent now, so they were leaving tonight instead of tomorrow. The wedding was very low key. Aside from the king, queen, Troy, Caroline, Keira and Adele, there were no other guests allowed, not even Aaron. He wanted to go to spend more time with Adele, but Troy was still being overly cautious with Dean at large. As Aaron made his way to the room he'd spent yesterday in with Adele, he stumbled upon Keira and Ethan making out in the hallway. Sensing someone's presence, Ethan's eyes went to Aaron. He pulled away from Keira. "Please, don't stop the party on my account," Aaron grinn
2019, December 22nd "So which one was it? Boyfriend A or Boyfriend B?" Aria smiled, taking her place next to Troy by the piano. "You know, A for Aaron, B for Bart," he said, handing Aria her violin. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you? I suppose you really are the jealous type." Only when she held her violin up to her shoulder and started playing did Troy's fingers find the keys of the piano. Was it silly how she liked that he just assumed she would play with him now? Aria was so angry over the last two nights that she didn't see how intertwined they'd become, how he gave her little bits of himself everyday. They hadn't played together in two nights, which meant that neither of them had played at all because they almost never played alone anymore. "Which one?" he persisted. "So I can know how jealous I should be." "If you must know, Barry came by to see the baby." She still couldn't say it, couldn't call him Ethan. Troy brushed off his concern. He was watching her, waiting fo
2019, December 22nd When CC got home that morning, the sun was already high up in the sky. Bart was waiting for her on the porch of the Arden Mansion. This was home now. They'd started living together because CC wanted to be with Bart so that she could hold him at night when the loss of Ethan overwhelmed him. How things had changed. They'd been at each other's throats for the last few days and it always ended the same way. It needed to stop. They had to actually talk. "I'm sorry Caroline. I don't know what else to say. Aria called and said-" CC sighed. "Can her name not be part of the first sentences that come out of your mouth right now? I'm super wasted and I just want to go to bed." Bart turned around and squatted in front of her, offering her a piggyback ride. She smiled. It was a start. She could be mad and still want to touch him. CC wouldn't look at him, but she'd gotten onto his back. Her hands had slipped up his shirt, onto his bare chest and she was snuggling up to his bac
2018, April 15th & 16th (Terres Somnia) How she'd convinced him to do this he still wasn't sure. These were dark times. The last thing they needed was to be caught together. Her arms around his neck as he walked through the woods with her on his back made Bart feel like he could breathe again though. When her engagement ended and she came back, they started seeing each other in secret, meeting at a cabin that belonged to her and her brothers, a place only the four of them and Emily Maine knew about. "Are you sure Aaron won't be here today?" Bart asked. "Don't you ever get tired of worrying?" CC asked, kissing his cheek. "It's not like you're fooling anyone anyway," said Aaron, standing in the doorway of the cabin, apparently waiting on them. Bart squatted to let CC down and she reluctantly obliged. "Condor," said Bart, utter dislike on his face. Aaron rolled his eyes. "We get it, Bart. You don't like me. But I'm willing to wager you're going to like it even less when Terres Somn
2019, December 23rd Troy woke up early that morning. He wanted to give Aria the royal treatment before he told her that she wasn't the only one with a red hot date tonight. When Troy made the deal with CC he had devious intentions, he really did. But then things with Aria happened and now he just wanted to get through tonight so that they could all move on. It was stupid and crazy but he was doing this for her, because he loved her. After tonight, if she came back he would tell her. He would tell her tonight and every other night forever. Aria woke up to a tray with all her favorites on it. In the center of it all sat a diamond necklace. Troy smiled at her reaction. So even Aria Maine was just a woman after all when it came to diamonds. "Do you know what that is?" Troy asked. "Besides stunning you mean?" she beamed. "That is your collar. Proof and a reminder that you are mine," he said, handing her the invitation that came just a few minutes ago. Aria opened it up. "It's from Aaron.