Love's Delusion || ✓

Chapter Thirteen

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The next few days went painfully slow.

I had neglected to go back to work, people who want to book paintings have had their calls declined by myself as the will to paint and spending my time staring at strangers as they try not to move was no longer there. 

 Aaron has chosen to ignore me ever since the incident where Gage had taken me to the hospital with his acknowledgment. 

I've continued to cook and clean for him, he'll just eat and leave the dishes for me to collect. And half the day he'll be off to work only for him to leave the house after dinner and not return until after midnight. 

He doesn't know that I know what time he comes back home, he doesn't know that I stay up all night until he gets home and when he does I jump into bed, pretending to sleep when he falls in bed-- the smell of alcohol and sweat radiating from his body. 

Despite his actions getting on my nerves, I couldn't ask him-- I was too worried about the outcome. 

As for Gage, he seems oblivious to what is going on between Aaron and I. He continues to talk to me and personally, I know no longer mind. Aaron is barely home, so when Gage speaks to me I no longer cringe away in fear of Aaron popping up and seeing a sight that he doesn't want to see.

It wasn't my fault that I speak to Gage on a daily basis, Gage is always the one that comes up to me-- the one that always starts a conversation that I have no energy to stop. 

For the first time, something wasn't my fault.

It wasn't like talking to Gage was bad, he was a gentleman or so it seems. He seems like he enjoys my company and likes to know about my life, which is something new for a change. 

Thinking about it makes me warm however the feeling dies when I realize Gage is only being so kind and warm because I'm Aaron's girlfriend.

Also, he's currently living in my house-- so hating me would be out of the question I suppose.

Aaron told me to stay away from his brother for obvious reasons,  but how can I stay away from when Gage is the one coming up to me-- if anything, he should be talking to his brother, not me. 

But I wasn't complaining. Gage seems... nice. 

"What's up  V." Gage called out as he bounced on the couch that I was currently sitting on, his arm laying lazily behind my shoulders. "How are you feeling today?"

He asks me this question every day, every day since he found me in my bed bruised and cut up. It's like he is waiting for me to break down-- little does he know I've already done so. 

"I'm good, G." He raised an eyebrow at me. 

"G?" 

"You call me V, so I call you G?" He shook his head at me, setting his body towards me while keeping his arm securing behind my shoulder. 

"Nope, that's not how it works." This time, I raised my eyebrow at him.

"What do you mean?" 

"You can't just steal my nickname idea." He scoffed. "Be original V." Gage sent me his signature boyish grin as he let out a small chuckle and my brows furrowed at his words. 

"That's stupid."  I scoffed at him this time, moving my body away from his as I tried giving the television my full attention-- however, Gage's voice kept interrupting my focus. 

"Sorry, I'm more creative." From the corner of my eye, I could see Gage shrug his shoulders as he spoke, moving his body in a similar manner as I did mine, his body towards the television. From behind me, I felt his arm fidget slightly as his fingers accidentally brush on my bare shoulders.

We were silent for a moment, both of us fully focusing on what was playing on the television.

What was playing on the television? 

I have no idea, all I was thinking of was how close Gage and I seemed to be. Somehow, the distance that was once between us when we spoke was now gone. Our thighs were touching, they weren't squished together but they were touching, and I felt as if his arm inching closer to my shoulders. It was almost resting on my shoulder instead of the couch. 

Not only was I thinking of how close Gage and I were physically, but I was also thinking of how close Gage and I have gotten within the span of a few days. 

Since the 'incident' I haven't been leaving the house, work is nonexistent in mind and I spend most of my days simply chilling at home. Aaron is hardly ever around anymore and the other person that is around me is Gage. 

I don't have friends to talk to-- Aaron told me that they all believed that I wasn't worth his time and they were simply using me to get closer to him, I asked them about it and obviously, they denied the accusations but after that day, none of them ever reached out again. 

I would sometimes see them while I was on my way to my studio and they would do anything to pretend they didn't notice me. 

I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt, but it did. It was clear then that they were all lying to me and they got caught. I suppose it was for the best, Aaron never really liked my friends. 

Having someone to talk to was new to me, talking to Gage make me feel less lonely. I know Aaron told me to stay away, but Gage was the only reason why I wasn't dying of loneliness-- especially now that Aaron seems to be ignoring me. 

"V?" I was shaken from my thoughts by Gage's voice. I hadn't noticed that while I was in my trance that Gage had been calling to me for a few minutes now. 

"Sorry, yeah?" I looked towards Gage, a worried expression written on his face in the form of wrinkles above his furrowed eyebrows and a frown plastered on his face. 

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, resting his hand on my knee which I couldn't help but subconsciously shiver at. 

"I already said yes, I'm okay." I sighed, leaning my head back on the couch and unconsciously resting my head on his stretched arm behind me. I stiffened for a moment at the touch, however slowly getting comfortable in my head with no intention to move. 

"I know, I'm just worried." Gage sighed, the worried expression that was once on his face had faded but there were still traces on it. 

I furrowed my eyes, glancing at him from the corner of my eye. "Why?" Gage moved his arm from behind my head, keeping his elbow resting on the couch as he held up his head with his fist. 

"I can't worry about my friends?" I bit my lip to resist smiling, he considered us friends? 

"We're friends?" Instead of Gage's seemingly natural boyish grin, his lips twitched to a small smirk as his eyes focused their attentions on mine. Oh, how jealous I am of his vibrant eyes. 

"I'd go as far to say best friends." He let out a little laugh after sending me a wink. I raised both my eyebrows as he turned his head back towards the television. My vision now of just the side of his face. 

We're best friends? 

Aaron won't like to hear that.