Run, Girl (If You Can)

Chapter 124: They're Going To Kill Me

Keeley fell asleep on the couch during her sixth episode of Dancing with the Stars around 9 PM and Aaron didn't have the heart to wake her. Her breathing was slow and even and he felt calmer just watching her from the other side of the gigantic couch.

It had been decades since he'd seen her look so peaceful and completely free of inhibitions. He had missed this. Aaron gently smoothed out the blanket that was bunching up so it didn't cover her feet and brushed her hair off her face.

"I love you," he whispered as he bent down to kiss her forehead.

Those three words had been tucked away inside his heart since the day he decided he had to protect her by keeping his distance all those years ago. He loved her so much. It was only a matter of time before she loved him back.

He carefully crept out of the room so he wouldn't wake her and got ready for bed before coming back and lying down on the opposite side of the couch.

It was so vast that they both fit horizontally without touching. Aaron knew he probably shouldn't be doing this but he wanted to be near her a while longer. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this happy.

===

Keeley woke up and rubbed her eyes sleepily, not recognizing where she was. She wasn't worried though because Aaron was right there; wearing the same pair of pajamas he kept at her place to stay over after they watched A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Why was he so far away? He was supposed to be holding her.

She crawled over and nudged her way into his arms before pulling the blanket back over both of them. There. That was better. She fell back asleep instantly.

When she woke up for real, something was off. Arms. There should not be other arms here!

Frantically whipping her head around, Keeley saw Aaron deeply asleep with a peaceful expression on his face. She nearly screamed before remembering that this was her fault.

She fell asleep on his couch watching TV and apparently he did too. In the middle of the night, she mistook the situation as back when they were dating and wanted to snuggle. She couldn't get mad at him when it was her own hallucination to blame.

The least awkward thing to do would be to disentangle herself before he woke up. She could totally pretend like nothing happened.

Attempting to inch her way out, Aaron's arms around her tightened and he pressed his face against the back of her neck and he mumbled something that sounded oddly like "go back to sleep, honey."

Who on earth was he dreaming about? Not that it was any of her business. In fact, she hoped Aaron found somebody else so he would leave her alone.

She shouldn't have caved to the allure of watching an enormous TV on a super comfy couch with all her favorite snacks. It was a moment of weakness. She meant to watch an episode or two like she agreed and then go home.

Home…what time was it?! She left her phone at home! Her roommates would be freaking out because she just vanished!

"Aaron!" she hollered.

His eyes flew open and when he realized what position they were in he backed away from her instantly with his hands up. "I didn't do this!"

He never panicked. If she wasn't so stressed, she would have laughed.

"I know; I was having a weird dream and thought you were…someone else. Sorry. Give me your phone," Keeley demanded.

He picked it up off the entertainment center and handed it to her. It was a little after 8 AM. She was screwed.

"They're going to kill me," she moaned, slapping a hand to her face.

"Who?"

"My roommates! You didn't let me grab my phone before we came and now they probably think I got abducted by a serial killer in the stairwell or something."

Aaron's face had settled back into its usual unflappable expression. "Do you know either of their numbers by heart?"

"No, they're saved in my contacts!" She hadn't memorized a phone number since getting a cellphone back in 2003.

"Why not call your phone?"

She could do that, except the contact name they would see would be 'Crazy Person' and she would have a ridiculous amount of explaining to do. That sounded like a fate worse than death.

"They won't answer it."

"I may have a solution," he admitted a minute later.

Keeley didn't see how he could possibly fix this. "What is it?"

He held out a hand to get his phone back and sent a string of text messages at top speed before looking up at her. "One of your neighbors works for me; I let him know to tell your roommates that he saw you rush off to take care of a family emergency and that you were fine."

Her heart rate slowed. At least they would stop worrying about her. Hang on though… "Is that how you knew which apartment was mine?"

"Yes. I knew he lived in your building and asked."

"It's Aiden, isn't it?" she asked flatly. That traitor! He worked in the IT department; how had he even met the son of the CEO?

"Good guess," he said, sounding faintly impressed.

A few minutes later, he got a message back indicating that Aiden had told them and they were both relieved and ready to strangle her. Great.

She slumped back down on the couch, exhausted from the rollercoaster of emotions that occurred in less than five minutes. It was highly tempting to not go home at all because she would get a horrible chewing out.

Her embarrassment at waking up in Aaron's arms battled with her desire not to be torn to shreds by her worried roommates. She was actually tempted to stay and hide here for a few more hours until they stopped being as mad.

She had humiliated herself enough in front of him in the past 24 hours that she was practically immune to the feeling. The instinct to hide won out.

"Aaron? Can I…stay here and finish the show I was watching? There were only three episodes left until I'm caught up."

Surprise flitted across his face before he nodded. "Of course. I'll go make breakfast."

Keeley focused on deep breathing to calm herself as the first episode began. She was okay. Everything was okay. She could deal with the repercussions of all of this later.