My Hart

Chapter 31

I was the first one up the next morning.  I took a shower and got dressed.  I checked in on Ayden before going downstairs.  I got a trash bag and started cleaning up all the plastic cups and glass bottles that were scattered throughout the living room and kitchen.  Cleaning was the best way to help me clear my head, and this mess was perfect for what was burdening my brain.  I got a bucket of water and wiped the stickiness from all the tabletops.  I swept the hardwood floor, then got down on my hands and knees with a rag, cleaning up the sticky spots off of the floor.

"Damn, girl.  You didn't have to clean.  We would have got it."  Aubree said as she stepped off of the stairs in the living room.

"I got bored waiting for Ayden to wake up and I love cleaning."  I shrugged.

"Well, I'm glad you got to do what you loved."  Aubree joked.

"I was going to cook Ayden his hang over cure, but I didn't know where anything was."

"Come on, I'll help you."  She said leading the way into the kitchen.  "He's going to need it."

"I have never seen him that drunk before."  I said breaking open eggs.

"He usually doesn't get like that.  Jesse said he drank a lot."  Aubree said frying some bacon.

"He just made me so mad yesterday.  I didn't mean to be that harsh.  I told him I needed time to cool off, but he wouldn't stop.  He pushed me until I snapped.  Now, I feel guilty."  I said mixing the pancake batter.

"Why don't you take his plate on up."  Aubree said sliding a plate of food across the counter.

"Thank you."  I said pour him a glass of orange juice.

"I'm just glad you're the one dealing with him this morning."  She said tossing me a bottle of aspirin.  

I opened the door to Ayden's bedroom.  He moaned before turning over to see who was coming in his room.

"Makenzie?  What are you doing here?"  Ayden asked.

"I stayed here with you last night."  I said sitting down on the edge of his bed.  "If we stay here much more, you're going to have to get a bigger bed, or you get the floor."  I joked.

"You brought me here?"  He asked sitting up, leaning against the headboard.  

"Yeah, we all did."  I said handing his orange juice and the aspirin.  

"I'm so sorry about..."  Ayden started.

"Eat your breakfast first, then we'll talk." I said handing him his plate.  I felt his stare as he ate his breakfast.  My brain was on overload.

"Do you feel better?"  I asked, knowing what I was going to say.  Ayden nodded waiting on me to speak.  "I'm going to start by saying, that forgive you."  Ayden looked relieved.

"I'm sorry.  I just can't stand the thought of anyone else touching you."  He said looking into my eyes.

"I understand that I really do.  I feel the same way.  I know you have been with a lot of girls.  It would drive myself crazy if I let it, but I made a decision to let it go.  It's in the past and that's where I choose to leave it.  If I couldn't leave it in the past then, I couldn't be with you.  The number doesn't matter.  If there is one, then the number might as well be fifty.  You need to decide if you can leave it in the past.  If you can't, then you shouldn't be with me."

"That's the same thing the guy's told me.  My only regret is I didn't think about that before I was a total dick to you.  It's in the past for me, I promise."  Ayden said holding my hands.

"Do you really promise?"  I asked as my heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest.

"Yes.  Baby, what's wrong?"  Ayden asked, looking concerned.

"I have to tell you something, it's only right."  I said looking down at our entwined fingers.  "I don't want to tell you because I'm afraid of how you are going to react."

"What happened?"  He said sitting up.  

"Brayden was drunk last night and tried to kiss me!"  I blurted out before I lost my nerve.  

"He fucking did what?"  He asked through gritted teeth. "I'm trying to be very calm about this, baby.  I need you to tell me exactly what happened."  His body stiffened as he tried to remain calm.

"I had come up here for the night.  I was sitting in the floor by the bed when he came in.  He said that you told him you had lost me for good.  I was really shocked that you would tell him anything about us.  That's when I knew just how drunk you had to be.  He brought me a drink, but I sat it on the nightstand and grabbed the one that Jesse had made me instead.  I took a drink of it, he made me drink it all.  Then he told me I was beautiful.  I turned my head just in time, and he kissed my hair."  I explained worried he was going to say something mean.

 "What did you say to him after he tried to kiss you?"  He asked.

"I asked him what the hell he thought he was doing."  I said getting ready to defend myself.

"What happened next?"  Ayden said stroked the back of my hand with his thumb.

"Brayden said that he was sorry, and he thought we were broken up. Then he admitted that he must have had too much to drink. He got up and walked out.  I got up and locked the door after he left."  I answered.

"I'm going to fuck him up."  Ayden said still gritting his teeth.

"Ayden, between being afraid you would do something to him to get yourself in trouble, and afraid you would blame me, I tried to talk myself into not telling you."

"Is that really how you feel?"  Ayden asked with hurt in his eyes.  I nodded, looking away.

"Yeah, I'm sorry but, it is."  I said looking him straight in the eye.

"I would love to wrap my hands around his neck, but I'm not going to for you.  I am going to tell him to keep his lips off my girl, but I'm not going to search him out.  I'll just tell him when I bump into him."  Ayden said trying to let go of his anger peacefully.

"I fucking love you."  I said crawling up on the bed.  I put my knees on each side of his outstretched legs and leaned over to give him a kiss.

"I fucking love you."  He said wrapping his arms around me, deepening the kiss.