FlyAway *22*

-22-

    Chris hurried up to the hotel room and knocked on the door, the harsh rapping sound echoing down the hall. Zach stood beside and slightly behind her, smiling up at the ceiling with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his dress pants. He’d really cleaned up nicely for the dinner with her parents.
    Aaron opened the door, his lips curved in a tired smile, and he drew them both inside with a simple beckoning gesture. Zach grinned and shook his hand before coming in all the way. Chris simply threw her arms around his neck, kissed him passionately, and hugged him tightly, resting her head against his chest to hear his heartbeat.
    “Hey, Crystal. Nice to see that you’re enthusiastic today.”
    “I’m just glad I got out of there. How’s Kye?”
    “She’s sleeping in the other room.” He pushed her back slightly and held her at arm’s length. His dark blue eyes narrowed and he cocked his head to the side. “Why were you so eager to get away from your parents, anyway? I thought you were just having a  nice dinner. Why did Zach go with you, anyway?”
    Chris took a deep breath and glanced at Zach, who began to whistle and back toward the door. “My… my parents think that… Zach and I are, uh… together.”
    “Huh. Why’s that?” Aaron smiled softly and sat on the bed, pulling her down to sit beside him.
    “Because I, ah… I told them so.”
    He furrowed his brow. “Why would you tell them that?”
    She sighed and took his hands in hers. “Promise you won’t be angry and do something stupid. Please.”
    “Uh… Okay… I promise that I won’t do something I’ll regret later. How’s that?” He smirked and threw his arm around her shoulders. “Crystal, why would I get mad at you?”
    “It’s not me that I’m worried about. I don’t want you to… to try to kill anyone or anything.”
    “That’s funny,” Zach called, cheekily, “-I thought you were close to doing just that a bit earlier! How hypocritical of you, darling!”
    “Shut up, Zach.” Chris squeezed her eyes shut.
    Aaron began to look annoyed and a little concerned. “What’s going on, Crystal?”
    “My parents… brought someone with them.” She stared down at her hands, twiddling her thumbs uncomfortably.
    “Who?” he growled, gritting his teeth.
    “…Matt…” she whispered, almost inaudibly.
---
    Rage. That was the only emotion he felt, and it coursed through his body like a poison. It sang in his veins, pumping through him and giving him a rush of adrenaline unlike anything he’d ever experienced. His fists clenched; his knuckles were white. He ground his teeth together. Before he knew it, he was reaching for the door handle. He was going to go after Matt Kaplan and make him pay for hurting Crystal and ruining their lives. He’d kill the little creep.
    “Aaron, no!” Chris barred the door with her body, leaning against it with her arms spread wide. “You can’t! I don’t want to lose you again! I couldn’t! He’s not worth it!”
    “Crystal, that fucker destroyed everything we could have ever had together!”
    “I know, Aaron! I know! But he’s just… he’s just not worth it!” She pressed her palm against his shoulder and pushed backward gently.
    “I’m only going to say this once. Get out of my way.” His eyes blazed; he felt heat all over, and saw sadness in her eyes.
    “Don’t go,” she pleaded, her bright teal eyes searching his for some sign of assent.
    “I’m going to go teach that son of a-”
    “Alright, alright! Enough already!” Zach snapped, almost whispering. “You’re going to wake the little girl if you keep going on with this stupidity!” He walked over to Aaron and grabbed his arm. “Whatever it is you’re planning, you need to get that idea out of your head right now, pal. Doing something stupid won’t help you stay with Chris. Now, I don’t know what happened, but so help me God, if you go kill that Matt kid and leave Chris and the little girl in there all alone, I will personally make sure you become someone’s prison bitch.”
    Aaron was shocked, and stared at Zach with an open, flapping mouth. The fierce-eyed man nodded at him and then broke out in a brilliant grin, facing Chris and taking a small bow. He mumbled something under his breath and sat heavily on the flower print couch, stretching his arms above his head. The anger drained from Aaron as swiftly as it had come. Zach’s outrageous behavior and easygoing nature were too fascinating to him to allow focus to be on anything else.
    “Thank you, Zach,” Chris said, quietly.
    “You know what I want as payment for that?” He sat forward and suddenly became very serious again. “I think it’s time you tell me why you two hate Matthew so much. I don’t think he’s a very nice character myself, but whatever it is that he did to you guys…” Zach shook his head. “It must have been awful. I don’t mean to stir up bad memories, but I want to know. I’m your best friend, Chris. I think it’s about time.”
    She took a deep breath and sat beside Zach on the couch. “I’ll just put it simple and say it quickly, before it gets too tough to say.” Her eyes found Aaron’s, and her hand found his as well. “When I was sixteen, when Aaron and I were first together… He had a criminal record. My parents hated him, and so did just about everyone else in the town. We met… accidentally. Matt was my boyfriend before Aaron. I broke up with him because I fell in love with this blue-eyed devil here.” She smiled softly and squeezed Aaron’s hand. “Unfortunately, Matt found out and ruined everything. He told my parents and the cops that Aaron raped me.”
    “That’s horrid!” Zach cried, aghast.
    Crystal laughed darkly. “That’s not the worst of it. He convinced himself that if the evidence was all there, the police would believe that it had been Aaron and put him out of the picture forever.”
    Zach’s mouth dropped open. “No.”
    “Yes. Matt made sure the evidence was there. He raped me and the cops arrested Aaron for it. I thought we’d never see each other again.”
    Zach shook his head in horror, disbelief etched across his face. Suddenly, his face hardened into anger and his eyes snapped up, blazing with fury. He leapt to his feet and his hands balled into fists.
    “Your plan was better, Lieutenant Dawson. Let’s teach that son of a bitch a lesson.” His voice was shaking, and so were his hands. Aaron grinned and stood, and the two of them started for the door together.
    “No! What about Kye!?” Chris cried, desperately.
    Both men stopped in place and turned. They had the exact same look in their faces; it was tightly controlled insanity. Their mouths were twisted into identical, sardonic grins. Their eyes were dark and haunted with anger. Aaron’s flicked up to the door to the room where his seven year old daughter slept, and softened slightly. Zach did not switch the direction of his gaze; his eyes were locked with Chris’, and his chest heaved from his heavy, hyperventilating breaths.
    “Please,” she choked, “-don’t do this. Not this way. He’s an ass, but he’s not worth going to jail. Aaron, you have Kye to think about. And Zach… Zach, I couldn’t live with myself if you went to prison on my account. It would hurt me so much.”
    Zach’s face fell. His mouth went slack and the fire died in his eyes. He shook himself and then smiled at her, weakly. “Sorry, dear. I’ll think before I act next time. Dawson?”
    “I’d rather stay out of prison. My daughter… and Chris…” Aaron ran a hand through his hair. “But I really want to kick that kid’s ass.”
    “Matt Kaplan will get his some day,” Chris muttered. “Until then… let him rot with the knowledge of what he’s done. He’s not worth our time or our anger.”
    “I beg to differ,” Zach spat, “-but I’ll respect your wishes.”
    Crystal’s phone chimed. She flipped it open and almost dropped it again on the floor.
    “What? What’s wrong, Chris?”
    She pointed, her face pale.
    Aaron bent down, picked up her cell phone, and glanced at it. His mouth dropped open. It was from an unknown number, but he figured that all of them knew who it was from. It was a picture of a window of Aaron’s hotel room, in which he and Crystal were visible, locked at the lips. A small text message at the bottom sent chills up and down his spine.
    ‘Looks like someone’s got a dirty little secret. Want it kept? Be my Valentine.’