|25| i love you more then sandwhiches

I saw magic in his eyes.

Dirty, dark, beautiful magic.

~unknown

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*chapter includes talk of rape*

A few days later as I'm getting ready for work I'm interrupted by the sound of my phone buzzing with a text,

Unknown number: do you think he's actually going to stay with you when he finds out the truth?

I feel bile rising in my throat, I ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach and finish getting ready,

When I enter the building, I ignore my heart beating twice as fast and my lungs barely functioning as I plaster a smile on my face,

There's no way Aaron can know the truth, he won't want anything to do with me when he realizes I kept something from him,

I knock two times on Aarons's door and hear a 'come in'

I walk in with his coffee and smile seeing his beautiful face "Good morning"

"Good Morning, thank you," he says taking the coffee

I go around the table to kiss him, he pulls me on his lap and I yelp in surprise

"I need to get to work, I was just planning on kissing you good morning," I say laughing after I disconnected our lips

He hums "we should go to my mom's restaurant sometime this week"

I grin "really?"

He nods "my moms been asking when I'll take you"

I nod while genuinely smiling "I spoke to your mom and she said we should go but never mentioned when"

"Well we're going soon," he says against my lips

"Okay" I grin

Suddenly the door opens, I turn my head to see a women

She freezes as she sees me straddling Aaron with my lipgloss probably all off, looking thoroughly kissed

"What did I say about knocking?" Aaron spits out

She clears her throat "I am so sorry, there's a man down at the lobby demanding to see Vanessa" she says looking nervous

I look at Aaron with a confused look and he gives me one back,

"I went to your office but you didn't answer so that's why I came here" she explains clearing her throat as she stares at me

I nod "that's fine," I say standing up from Aaron's lap

"Did you get the man's name?" I ask

"yes he said his name is David" she nods

My stomach instantly sinks, the memories of him pinning me against a bed and putting a pillow on my face to shut me up, or choking me unconscious and waking up covered in blood realizing what he did without my consent, come crashing down and I begin to feel faint

I feel myself going down until a warm body stops me "hey are you okay?" Aaron asks voice full of concern, I'm sure at this moment he forgot there's someone else present in the office because he rarely shows the sweet side of him in front of others,

"You may leave, tell the man to wait," Aaron says to the women

She nods and leaves but not before giving me a once over making sure I'm okay

"Vanessa," Aaron says waving his hand over my face

I shake my head, snapping out of my thoughts "sorry" I whisper

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asks cupping my cheek

"I umm need to tell you something" I whisper as I keep my gaze on his cheek,

He picks me up and walks over to the couch, after he sits down with me on his lap straddling him he then speaks

"What's wrong?" He asks, his voice holding so much concern as he holds onto my body as if I'm going to fall off his lap

"The guy down in the lobby...I'm pretty sure it's my ex" I breathe out while my eyes fill with tears, and the fear hits full force

Why the hell do I always get myself in situations that end in me crying?

"Okay?" He says sounding confused, he stays quiet letting me speak further.

"He wasn't a good person when we were together" I whisper, clutching onto Aarons's tie

"What did he do?" He says while his jaw tightens with anger

"He-" I begin but stop as I begin to choke over my words

He cups my face with his hands "hey, you're okay I'm here" he whispers

"He raped me...over and over again, almost every time he saw me, he would make excuses for his actions, he manipulated me into thinking what he was doing was okay and normal" I whisper unable to talk very well due to the tears

I can see the minute Aarons's face falls in pure heartbreak and then gets turned to complete rage the next, he brings my body flush against his as he holds me even closer, his grip on me never leaves as I watch his eyes filled with hurt,

"I don't know why he would be here though, I dated him through my last year of high school and beginning of college" I whisper

I can see the rage seeping out of Aaron, along with his blood boiling,

Without letting me go he reaches over and grabs his computer that was on his side table,

He opens it and goes to his security cameras and goes to the lobby,

"Do you see him?" He says breathing hard

I look over the lobby on the security cameras and my heart stops as my eyes land on a brown-headed man and the face that's haunted me for too long

Aaron could tell by my face that I saw him, he points to him on the screen "is that him?" He asks with his jaw clenched

"Yes" I whisper and begin to sob

He immediately puts me down on the couch next to him and quickly jolts out of his seat "stay here" he says sternly gripping my chin as he places a soft kiss on my cheek

My eyes widen in shock "Aaron, no don't do anything stupid please" I plead reaching for him

He doesn't listen he just storms out of the office slamming the door, I hear him yelling on the way out, probably at someone in his way,

I'm barely able to breathe as I watch the cameras waiting for Aaron to appear, my eyes freeze over my ex's making sure he doesn't try getting on the elevators,

A few minutes later I see Aaron coming up to David, my heart hurts seeing them in the same room, a foot away from each other, a man I love and a man I fear standing in the lobby talking,

I can't hear anything they're saying but I can see Aaron trying to keep his cool as he talks to him, I see them both making their way outside and my stomach drops when I can't see them anymore,

"It's okay, it will be okay" I whisper to myself as I try keeping my thoughts off my ex, and trying to stay calm,

I sit on the couch with my knees pulled to my chest and hands in my face as I cry and worry, I can barely breathe as I try coming up with a happy memory to help with my panic,

The door suddenly opens after maybe 5 minutes, I'm too scared to lift my head so I just listen as the steps get closer and closer to me, my heart constricts and I'm sure here is where I die, where my heart gives out and I have a heart attack at the ripe age of twenty-four,

"You're okay" I hear a voice whisper crouching down in front of me, it takes all of two seconds for my body to relax at the sound of Aarons's voice,

I slowly lift my head and gasp as I see Aarons's bloodied knuckles, face, but mostly bloody nose "Aaron" I gasp gently touching his nose

"I'm fine, I had to rile him up so he would hit me first, so in case the police showed up he would get in trouble for hitting me first" he shrugs but anger is still clearly present in the tightness of his shoulders and clench of his jaw,

I immediately jump in his arms wrapping my arms around his neck and hiding my face in the crook of his neck as I cry,

"You're so stupid Aaron, that was stupid" I whisper

His grip on me tightens "what is stupid is that piece of shit laying a finger on you and not understanding the damn word no"

I cup his cheeks "I know, but look at your nose" I sigh looking at the blood dripping down on his clothes

"It's nothing," he says staring at me with concern as he wipes my tears with a finger not covered in blood

"It isn't nothing Aaron I need to clean you up" I whisper

"later" he mumbles as I get out of his grasp and stand in front of him

"What did he even want, and how does he know where I work? I haven't seen him in years" I swallow looking down

"Some bullshit about wanting to apologize and maybe be friends again" he shakes his head, his jaw tightens, and his hand's fist at his sides causing blood to drip onto his pants

"He wants to be friends after what he did to me?" I scoff

"Yeah some bullshit" I mutter as I walk over to a drawer and get a first aid kit

"Sit," I say as I wipe my tears trying to control my breathing

"Vanessa" he warns

"Aaron can you please shut up for one minute and let me help you" I snap, the bitterness I feel at the thought of David wanting to be friends comes out full force,

His eyes widen for a second before he shuts his mouth, obeying me as he sits on his couch,

"I'm sorry, I'm just mad that he came here thinking I would want to be friends" I take a deep breath and start cleaning his knuckles

I can feel his gaze on me, he pulls me closer so I'm in between his legs, I continue cleaning his hands, I then wrap them and move on to his nose

"Do you think he broke it?" I ask looking over his nose and gently touching it

"I don't think so that waste of air knows how to throw a good punch," he says

I nod and gently start wiping blood off his face and nose, all that I'm focusing on at the moment is his uneven rough breathing from clear anger and the blood all over his face

I can feel his eyes on me as I clean his nose, and I'm right when I look up slightly to see him looking right at me

"What?" I ask tilting my head

"Nothing" he shakes his head as he looks over my face

"It's clearly something" I whisper

He takes a deep breath "you don't think I would force you to do anything you don't want to do right?" he talks with clear pain in his eyes

My heart breaks a little at the thought of him thinking that I would think such a thing about him

I cup his cheeks "God no" I whisper

He nods a little, lost in thought

"Hey," I say sternly "I promise you I don't think you're at all like him, I know you would never touch me if I don't want you to," I say very seriously

"We play around sometimes and I've loved every second of it, and I will always tell you if I'm uncomfortable, I love your surprise kisses and random touches because I trust you, Aaron, I love you and you being close to me" I breathe out speaking softly

"You make me feel safe, happy, loved, and anything but terrified and mistreated, so stop putting stupid thoughts in your head about me not trusting you" I whispered

I slowly get back to wiping his nose knowing full well he's still staring at me, but I ignore it as I continue,

"Okay, there I'm done," I say giving his nose a soft peck

"I love you" he declares quietly, watching me with softness in his eyes,

I straddle his lap and lean into his touch "I know, and I love you" I whisper back

I gradually move my lips to his and the moment our lips meet, I sigh in pure contentment, he's being slow and sweet, but at this moment I want anything but,

I tease his lower lip with my tongue asking for access, he gives me it, and our mouths meet in a slow dance, I feel his hands go around my waist pulling me closer

"I know any words I say won't do anything to ease the fear of what you went through, but I will do everything to ensure that never happens again, and you never have to worry with me, if you don't want to do something we won't do it," he says against my lips when we slowly part

"I believe you," I confess with complete certainty

"You probably need to go home and change that suit" I whisper against his lips

"I don't have any meetings today I'll be fine," he says

I sigh "Aaron"

"What is it sunshine?" he teases

"You need to change," I tell him

"do I now?" He says with amusement covering his face

"Yes, you're covered in blood you big dummy" i shake my head getting up

"Where are you going?" He asks his brows knit with confusion

"work" I shrug with a smile

He shakes his head "I'll have someone bring your computer here, you're doing work here today especially after him being here" he says sternly as he stands up

A slow smile creeps its way onto my face "well I won't say no to spending more time with you"

He sits in his office chair loosening his tie as he makes eye contact with me,

Oh Goodness, gracious...why is that so attractive?

I feel my face burn as I watch, he picks his phone up and tells someone to bring my computer over to his office all the while keeping eye contact with me,

He gestures me over to him, and I walk over immediately wanting his warmth,

I sit on his lap and lean my back to his chest, I feel a light feather-like kiss, on the top of my head, and his hands go around my waist pulling me closer

"He doesn't know where you live right?" He asks as he plays with the buttons on my blouse in a clear nervous manor

I shake my head "when we were together I was moving to a college dorm, then I broke up with him and I never talked to him, so there's no way he can know"

"Okay, I just want to make sure you're going to be safe," he says

I smile "well you make me feel safe"

"Yeah?" He whispers in my ear

"Yeah, definitely" I nod

"Spend the night with me...to ensure your safety 100%," he says

I laugh "alright"

"What no arguments of not having anything to wear to work the next morning?" He says and I can feel the smirk on my skin

I turn my head and give him a peck on the lips and smile

"No" I whisper

He smiles down at me and holds me closely

________________

We're now at Aaron's place after a long day at work, we're still not sure how David found out where I work, but I'm trying not to freak out too much,

I start thinking that maybe he's behind the texts? I mean I can see why he would want me to not be with Aaron since he's insane...

I'm not sure but I'm allowing myself to ignore all of that for tonight, I want to pretend that everything is okay,

I ended up looking back at the footage and saw David walking away from the building soaked in blood, his face was thoroughly punched, he had bruises on his face and arms, and I'm sure many more places that clothing was covering, Aaron did a number on him, and I'm thankful I have him in my life to make me feel safe,

"You okay?" I hear Aarons's voice from beside me on his couch

I've been just staring out of his floor-to-ceiling window across from his couch for a solid hour,

the New York view looks beautiful at night and I've been trying to focus on that instead of today's events,

"I think so" I whisper as I take his hand in mine and lean on his shoulder

I feel the gentle kiss he places on the side of my head, and I smile as I close my eyes

"Come here" he whispers as he gently pulls my hand

I move myself to straddle his lap and lay my head in the crook of his neck as he tugs me close by the waist

I feel him stroking my hair, I cling to him and breathe in the wood, spice, and vanilla scent he wears by Tom ford.

"Can we go to your balcony?" I whisper to him

I feel him picking me up and I wrap my legs around his waist, I feel the cool breeze crawl around my skin as he sits down on the chair on his balcony

"Better?" He asks

I nod in acknowledgment and muzzle myself closer to him

We sit in peaceful silence for a while until I start feeling guilty "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about David sooner" I whisper

I feel him cupping my cheeks and his fingers wiping my tears "hey look at me" he says quietly

I slowly look at him through blurry eyes to see him looking over my face and then sighing

"I can't even begin to imagine how traumatic and horrifying that must have been to go through, so I understand why you didn't tell me...it's probably a hard thing to talk about and have to relive through memories so don't be sorry," he says quietly but sternly

I don't say anything as he continues to wipe my tears, I look at his beautifully sculpted face, and I run my fingers gently over his bruised nose and carefully place a kiss over the top of it.

"Stop crying sunshine, I'm here and he's not going to hurt you with me in your life now," he says in a whisper

I look at his piercing blue eyes to see them already on me

"I wish there was a word more powerful than I love you because I feel like that isn't even enough to describe what I feel" I whisper against his lips as I move closer

A smile creeps its way over his face and it makes my heart fill with pure happiness

"I love your smile" I whisper looking at his mouth

"You're right" he chuckles looking at me

"About what, I'm right about many things" I grin

"About there not being a word more powerful than I love you..." he begins

"I honestly don't think anything I tell you will make you understand how big my feelings are for you," he says caressing my face

"Maybe we should create a new phrase" I smile

He laughs "okay, what should it be? Because when I say nothing could describe how big my feelings are for you I meant it"

I sigh " yeah I don't know, I can't think of anything" I frown

"How about I love you more than sandwiches" I grin

He throws his head back in laughter and it fills me with so many feelings that I can't comprehend them, his presence alone helps my body relax and bad memories subside for the time being,

"Glad to know I'm more loved than sandwiches" he chuckles

"A lot more" I nod with a smile

"Yeah well I would give you any organ in my body if you needed it, that would be my version of loving you more than sandwiches" he grins

I hum "yeah? What even your heart?" I tease

"I told you it beats for you, and its already yours, I don't want you ever giving it back to me, so to answer your question yes..." he kisses my lips gently

"I would give you my heart too but I know that women giving organs to men don't last very long..." I frown

"Well no matter how long your heart lasts in my hold I will treasure and keep it forever," he says quietly

I grin "I love you, Aaron, very very much" I sigh against his lips

He has a gentle smile on his face "and I love you, Vanessa, a lot "

"I guess we will just have to stick to the words I love you and just know that it means much more than it would normally" I sigh

"Alright" he laughs and lays a kiss on my lips

Between the cool wind outside, and the warm body under mine, I focus on the soft lips dancing along with mine, making me feel safe, loved, and more than I can even imagine

----notes----

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'm not a fan of it but I'm very busy at the moment and have a lot going on,

Vote and comment!

Word count: 3576