The Flat

8

I woke up surprisingly well rested. As I rolled out of my bed, I threw on an old t-shirt and and shorts. But the second I began to open the door, my stomach turned. Last night began to creep back into my head and I realised I had no idea what to expect on the other side of that door. Was Harry pissed? Amused? Aroused? What about Aaron? Poor Aaron. The cradle of sleep had let me forget the mess that I had made but now my anxiety was starting to spike.

Carefully I opened my door and glanced down the hall to Harry's room. The door was shut. He was either still asleep or at work. Either way, I hoped I was alone. I carefully shut my door and tiptoed to the kitchen.

On my way there I saw my dress in a pile on the living room floor. I quickly gathered it up and tucked it under my arm. When I finally got to the kitchen, I put my dress on the table and started to make tea. This was the true test, if tea didn't pull Harry out of his room he wasn't home. As the kettle began to bubble I heard the buzzer ring. I froze. I didn't hear any movement in the flat. The buzzer rang again.

I scurried to the intercom, "What?"

"Delivery!" the guy shouted back at me. I buzzed him in.

As I waited by the door, I scanned the flat for Harry. Nothing. I relaxed. The delivery man knocked at the door. Opened it only to be greeted by a bouquet of red roses. I gripped flower with both hands and carried it into the flat, staring at how pretty they were. I loved flowers. I carefully searched through the flowers and found a card perched in the middle. It read,

Vivian,

I am so sorry about last night. Please let me make it up to you tonight.

—Aaron

On the back was a time and an address. My mind began to frantically race around. My thoughts wound back on themselves over and over again. What was I going to do? I pushed my head into my hands and took a few slow, deep, breaths. I decided to take one thing at a time. Harry seemed to be gone for the time being so I was going to deal with Aaron first.

I got dressed for work and packed a simple black dress and heels in my office bag. I still wasn't sure if I was going to take Aaron up on his offer, but I wasn't ready to completely eliminate the possibility.

•••

After a day full of meetings and distressed artists, I needed to alleviate my personal stresses more than ever. I decided to see Aaron. As I got changed in the office bathroom, I felt silly. How could I hope to save this relationship, especially after all I had done. I hopped into a cab and gave the address. We stopped in front of a beautiful hotel in town and I instantly I felt underdressed. I carefully approached the concierge and gave my name.

"Oh yes, Miss Vivian Phillips. We've been expecting you."

He lead me through the lobby to a restaurant. It looked even more beautiful than the hotel. I really felt out of place. Thankfully we kept walking. He opened a large door that lead to the kitchen and beckoned me through. He lead me through the kitchen around the busily working cooks until I saw a chef's table set for two in the back. There was Aaron with a single purple flower. His face lit up when he saw me. I gave him an icy stare.

"I didn't know if you would come." He smiled and rose from his seat to kiss me on the cheek. Then he gave me the flower and I melted.

"Aaron, you didn't have to–" I started.

"Yes, I did," he replied, "I was terrible to you. Please sit." I did and soon the chef came out and greeted us. Aaron was all smiles as he talked with the chef as they discussed the meal to come. I smiled, despite myself. He was incredibly charming. As the first course came out, he was so sweet that I began to feel terrible. I slouched in my chair and buried myself in my meal. He quickly picked up on my mood. "I guess we should talk about last night."