2017, October 10th Ethan tugged on Aria’s arm as she was on her way out that morning. “Where to?” he asked. “Just heading out to join the morning sparring session,” she shrugged, making her way down the stairs. “It’s not for another hour. Dawn’s just breaking.” “I like to get an early start.” “Oh? Are you sure it has nothing to do with the crown prince waiting for you in the courtyard, Adele?” Ethan's question stopped Aria dead in her tracks. Busted. He descended the stairs, grabbed her arms and turned her towards him. “I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t be seeing him anymore,” Ethan sighed. “He’s leaving in three days Ethan. He doesn’t even know who I am. It’s harmless.” “The hell it is! I’ve been watching you with him. You guys are all over each other and don’t think I haven’t seen the way you’ve been looking at him either.
2019, December 20th “You’re just going to stand up here and watch them while your mind implodes?” Troy asked, leaning forward with his clasped hands over the railing as he came to stand next to CC. “What do you want me to say, Troy? It’s not that you spend four hours a day working out and training, it’s that you do it with her? Don’t spend time with your dead best friend’s sister?” CC snapped. Troy chuckled. “Wow, four hours. That’s something. Looks like I missed a few things. When did this start?” he asked, smiling as he watched Aria laugh as she sparred with Bart. CC turned her head to Troy, watching his beautiful brown eyes darken ever so slightly. CC had made herself fluent in even the subtlest changes in Troy’s facial expressions. How long had she spent studying this man to try and outwit him? Back then, he always kept her close and she would go hours at a time just watching him. You wouldn’t know it from the easy smile on his face, but while Troy wasn’t nuclear angry, he was d
2017, October 11th He’d been watching her for ages, but she just wasn't stirring. All the early mornings had probably caught up with her. After kissing her forehead, Aaron took a shower and headed downstairs to kill some time until Adele woke up. He was about to take a stroll through the garden when he saw her. Hearing Adele chastise him in his head, Aaron grinned to himself and followed anyway. The woman led him to Troy’s shooting range. “Put up a gun, Condor,” she said, taking aim. Aaron was always wary of women with guns. They seemed somehow more terrifying than men. Super hot, but terrifying. “I didn’t sleep with you, did I?” he asked, taking up the space next to hers. “Because if I did, I’m really sorry I didn’t call,” he said, turning on the charm and taking her in. Everything she had on was pure black. Black dress, heels, leather jacket and shades. She was so well dressed, even CC would be impressed. She looked
2017, October 11th Aaron got back to Troy's around 8 PM. He wanted to stay, but Adele had insisted she didn't want to upset Ethan again. Seriously that guy was really starting to get on his nerves. It was just as well though. There was only so long he could stay, only so long he could brush her hair and listen to her play without his hands roaming elsewhere. Aaron was walking through the house, looking for signs of life when his eyes fell on the table and his mouth fell open. "I don't think I've ever seen so much cake in my life. What is this?" Aaron asked. "You're telling me," Troy shrugged. "I'm not running the show Aaron, I'm just going along for the ride." "This is what you call getting her to agree to go home?" "Hey manchild, if you have any brilliant ideas-" "You could be a dick like you've been from the start." "Boys, boys, there's plenty to go around," said a voice. She took centre stage like she seemed to whenever she entered a room, eliciting a "Keira" from both men as she c
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