Temptation (BWWM)

Chapter 20

The party was officially over.
Everything had gone smoothly and Lauren's son seemed to be over the moon about all the presents and attention he had gotten.
No one mentioned Keith's disappearance.

I wasn't sure if no one cared to point his absence out or if no  one noticed.

Tony had spent the rest of the party playing with the kids. They eventually ended up playing a friendly game of soccer with all the kids and the dads but that  soon ended when the dads got a bit too competitive.

Tony had calmed down but purposefully kept his distance from Lauren.

Lauren and I were washing dishes in the kitchen. She couldn't not talking about how amazing the party had been.
She was happy.

A part of me didn't want to tell her what I knew. I wanted her to stay this happy , ignorance was truly bliss.

We were finally alone in the kitchen with most of the guests gone when I decided to tell her.
It was now or never.

"Lauren?" I said

"Yeah what's up?" She looked up from the dishes with the biggest smile on her face.

"I need to talk to you about something."

"Okay" she said with a confused giggle as she rinsed her hands. We sat down at the kitchen table. I felt my heart pounding against my chest. I was not looking forward to the conversation.

"When Tony went to find Keith earlier today , he heard Keith on the phone." I said , she still had that big smile on her face.
She was on cloud nine and I had to the one to pull her down.
"He was talking to a woman , telling her that he was at work and that he loved her and would see her later." I said.
Her smile slightly dropped but she still kept beaming.

"I'm really sorry Lauren."I said grabbing her hand "you don't deserve this."

"Aubrey it's okay." She said

"It's not okay." I said "he's cheating on you." I whispered yelled at her. Taken back by her calmness.  She took a deep breathe and let out a breathy sigh.

"Aubrey, it's okay because I know about the other woman." She said.

I was frozen with shock.
She knew he was cheating on her.

"What?" I asked.

"I know he's cheating." She said "it's complicated."

"No it's not. You shouldn't be with someone that doesn't love you enough to not cheat."

"Aubrey I have a son. A son that deserves to be raised by both parents , in one household.  It isn't just about me." she said. She pulled her hands out of mine and stared down at them. Avoiding eye contact.

"You're right it isn't just about you. You can't let him grow up thinking that's how a woman should be treated. Or thinking that all dads are that distant and cold."

"I love you both too much to watch you say in a toxic relationship. But it's your decision. And as much as I want you to walk away from him and his bullshit, I'll support whatever decision you make." I said.
I saw the tears gather in her eyes. I knew she'd make the right decision when she was ready.

I reached across and hugged her tightly.
All she needed was for me to be a good friend.

***
Tony and I were driving back to his place. It was now late at night and I was exhausted.
Tony abruptly reached over and switch on the radio before announcing he was falling asleep.

The music was loud and I immediately recognized the song.
"Oh my gosh, this song!" I said
"Tell me what you want , what you really really want." I sang loudly.
I heard tony laughing and turned to see him shaking his head.

I rolled down my window and turned up the volume.
"Sing with me !" I said

"I don't know the words." He said
He had the slightest guilty look on his face , that I almost missed. He grew up in a house full of girls I knew he knew this song.

"Liar." I said laughing.
Soon we were both singing loudly, driving through the city with our windows rolled down.

I had only dreamed of moments like this. Where the world was silent and it was me and him being stupid , happily , blissfully stupid.

"My sisters once dragged me to a spice girls concert. And I hate to admit how much I enjoyed it." He said smiling fondly at the memory.

"You're so lucky ! By the time I discovered them they had broken up."

"Woah , I just realized how young you are." he said with a playful expression on his face.

I Couldn't help but laugh at his face. We barely focused on the age gap between us.

"I sometimes forget that you're an old man." I said teasingly.
Tony let out a loud laugh , "how rude." He said as he pulled up into the parking lot of his apartment complex.

Holding hands, we entered the building and took the elevator up to his floor and got to his place.

"I know what you need." He said as he pulled me towards the bathroom.
He closed the toilet and made me sit on it and then started to run a bath.

"You're running me a bath?" I asked
He looked back at me with a smile on his face ,
"You've had a long day, of course I'm running you a bath."

My stomach was filled with butterflies as I watched him fill the tub , occasionally checking the temperature.

He filled it to the brim and soon the bathroom was filled with steam.
He quickly took off his clothes before pulling me off the toilet and tenderly helping me undress.

He lead me to the bath and then got in first before pulling me in and sitting me down so my back was against his chest and I was sat between his legs.
The hot water immediately  relaxed me , causing me to somewhat melt into Tony. I laid back against him as he ran his hands up and down my body in a relaxing manner.
We sat in silence , as I slowly began falling asleep.
It had been a long day but Tony had made it bearable.

"Thank you." I said
"For what?" He asked with a chuckle.

"For everything. You've been beyond amazing and it was nice feeling like a team today." I muttered sleepily.

"You don't have to thank me." He said " and we'll always be a team. Team work makes the dream work baby." He said, I felt his chest slight vibrate as he laughed.
"Team work makes the dream work." I repeated before closing my eyes and leaning further into Tony.

**AN**
This was a short chapter but I hope you enjoyed !
More of a filler chapter.

I'm back at uni which is VERY demanding so updates will be a bit slow so please be patient with me

Thank you for reading and have a good day
Xxx