With a slight hesitation that can only be described as pure unwillingness, I twist my body around to view the person in the flesh, not quite trusting my ears to provide me with the question I so desperately crave.

"Connor." I gasp, shock present in my breathless tone as the overbearing feeling of nausea rippling through my stomach at an unbearable pace proves almost too much.

I may actually puke.

His roguish smile reaches the ends of his mouth in a friendly curl and I almost play dumb in any knowledge of knowing him out of sheer panic. The last time I saw him I was sneaking out of his hotel room after spending the night with him at Kyle and Hayley's wedding and the thought of ever seeing him again certainly never crossed my mind. Yet here we are. Reuniting.

Suddenly from beside me, Jess mumbles a quick, "I'll leave you both to it." before doing just that, ever the traitor in her actions. I curse her multiple times under my breath before shifting, uncomfortably, in my stance but no matter how much I mentally protest to her leaving, I still find myself being left alone in the company of Connor-

Oh shit, I don't even know his last name!

"Conner, I-umm-gosh this is awkward." I sigh, hating how at ease he appears to be with our encounter.

He offers up a small laugh and takes a swig of his beer, simultaneously shaking his head in a somewhat disapproving manner.

"Well it is now." he chuckles, seeming unaffected by my declaration.

His confidence is unnerving and while I certainly found it attractive previously, it now just unsettles my insides, causing tonight's earlier consumption of Prosecco to churn, delightfully, in my stomach. With his arrogant smirk undeniably screaming 'I've seen you naked!' and his suggestive gaze baring into my very soul, I'm convinced the man is ready and raring to go for round two, which I am in no way condoning. I can only imagine what Aidan would do if he caught him looking at me like he is now.

Have his balls on a platter, no doubt.

"Sorry." I instantly reply, though for what, I'm still unsure. "Things were complicated then. Looking back, I probably shouldn't have spent the night with you. I was vulnerable and thought being with you would help." I continue, hoping not to hurt his feelings through my way of explaining things.

"Look, I get it Amelia, I really do. You're clearly not over this Aidan guy, whoever he may be, but a goodbye would've been nice." he replies, seeming serious all of a sudden as his eyes narrow into tiny slits.

I stare at him for a moment, totally dumbfounded by his insinuation and wrack my brains for any rational response. Obviously I come up short, having not recalled Conner and Aidan ever meeting and panic as he seemingly knows about him and our connection to one another.

"Excuse me?" I whisper, barely holding it together enough to utter out my question. "How do you know about Aidan?" I add, searching my mind for any moment I may have spoke about him throughout our shared evening together.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject." he apologises, genuine concern flashing across his tanned face. "I just assumed he was someone I was replacing for the night. You kept saying his name during, well, during our time together." he clarifies, stemming what I can only assume to be a deep blush to spread across my cheeks in a burning force.

I cowardly look down to the ground, too ashamed to meet his gaze in fear of being judged for my less than considerate actions. I feel awful for having left and even more so for chanting the wrong name the entire time. I can't exactly speak for Connor himself but I hardly think me repeatedly stating Aidan's name during sex is a confidence booster. I'm such a bitch.

"Amelia!" yells Aidan, making my heart contract in panic as I see him nearing us in a leisurely sprint, his expression hard as stone.

Recognition immediately settles within and I notice the rage flare in his eyes as he evaluates our close proximity, the warning glance he offers hinting towards his utmost disapproval. Being unable to touch me due to our public surroundings, Aidan settles for standing close to my side instead, the pulsing vein in his neck screaming how frustrated he is by his lack of being able to claim me.

"Hey I'm Connor, a family friend of Hayley's." introduces Conner, maintaining the peace I can sense slipping away.

He holds out a friendly hand, signalling for Aidan to take it in a way of accepting his introduction but being the arrogant jerk he sometimes is, Aidan rejects it.

"Likewise, I'm Aidan, Kyle's brother and a friend of Amelia's." he replies, stating his dominance as far as I'm concerned.

I shift awkwardly in my stance, instantly aware of Connors eyes on me as he clocks onto who Aidan is and I seriously suppress the urge to leave when his once friendly expression turns suddenly murderous.

"This is Aidan? Your Aidan?" he questions, stepping closer to me as a way of keeping our conversation somewhat private. "Were you with him when you slept with me?" he then spits, clearly outraged by the very prospect of his accusations being correct.

I quickly recoil in horror and shake my head in a desperate attempt to ease his mind, hating the idea of Connor thinking that of me.

"Don't talk to her like that." growls Aidan from beside me, taking a warning step forward.

Connor looks shocked by his manly display and even goes as far as to laugh at him, only succeeding in pissing him off even further.

"Oh, I'm sorry. She failed to tell me she had a boyfriend when she was begging me to make her forget." he mocks, triggering a reflex action to stem from Aidan in the form of a violent shove.

"I said don't fucking talk to her like that." repeats Aidan, spewing the words into Connor's face as he invades his personal space.

I quickly try to defuse the situation by wedging myself between both men, begging Aidan to drop it by silently willing him to do so with my eyes. My efforts, however, prove futile and both men continue to stare at each other with daring eyes, stopping only when a familiar voice interrupts.

"Is everything OK here?" asks my Dad, stepping in to intervene.

I offer him a thankful look and take advantage of Aidan's slight distraction, pushing on his chest until he's forced to take a step back.

"Everything is fine, just a slight misunderstanding." I ensure, not convincing my Dad in the slightest.

He shares an unspoken moment with Aidan before allowing his gaze to travel to Conner, offering up a neutral smile.

"I think it's best you keep your distance for the rest of the evening. We wouldn't want to ruin this night for Kyle and Hayley, would we?" he calmly states, earning himself a head nod from a seemingly agreeing Connor.

"Of course not, I'll be heading off soon, anyway. I'm sorry for causing a scene, Amelia, it was lovely to see you again." he expresses, shooting a far from friendly expression in Aidan's direction before turning on his heel and walking away.

I sigh a breath of relief and allow my shoulders to sag as I watch his lean figure disappear into into the crowd of people, who all thankfully appear oblivious to our heated encounter. I then send a silent 'thank you' to my Dad and cautiously glance to Aidan who is sporting a rather sour expression, his intense, hazel eyes bearing into mine.

"I hope you know what you're doing." states my Dad, aiming his serious statement towards Aidan, who suddenly comes to life by nodding his head in a violent motion.

I have no idea what the pair just spoke about but I feel now is not the right time to ask. Whatever it was, I know it wouldn't have been pleasant for Aidan and while I'm sure my Dad is only doing what he thinks is best for me, I wish he'd trust my choices and stop treating me like the fragile little girl I know he sees me as. I'm no longer that person anymore thanks to Aidan making damn sure of that it and I couldn't me more grateful.

He's teaching me how to love myself again and it's working.

~~~~

Two hours later, I collapse my sweat covered body onto Aidan's and patiently wait for my frantic breathing to return to its normal, steady pace. His chest heaves in rising motions and I soon find its relaxing rhythm sends me off to sleep, the ever tightening grip of his arms around my naked shoulders only confirming my rightful place in this world.

Aidan's arms.

"How many have there been since me?" his voice, still husky from our love making, shakes as his question spills out into the thick air of my bedroom.

After our little display at the party, Aidan all but demanded he take me home and within the hour, we'd left the celebrations and fell straight into bed with one another where his animalistic moves marked me in ways no one ever has. Uttered words of 'you're mine' and 'so beautiful' added a sense of belonging to his already firm 'you belong to me, always', which only made my willingness to agree that much more easier.

"Aidan." I breathe, still not quite catching my breath as I come down from my miraculous high.

His query somewhat takes me by surprise and I'm unsure getting into this topic now is beneficial for the both of us.

"Please darling, I just want to know how many." he states, rubbing his callous hands up and down my naked side, the fact that we're still joined certainly not going amiss.

"Connor. That's it. Until the wedding there was no one." I admit, slightly ashamed I allowed my emotional vulnerability get the better of me that night.

Aidan is shocked by my revelation and halts his gentle caress on my body as he narrows his eyes onto me, the undeniable amount of question swimming around in them making me nervous.

"Why did you do it? Why did you go with him that night?" he asks, as if he doesn't already know the answer to his question.

"You know why, Aidan." I reply, rubbing my fingertips along his rough jaw. "I needed to forget, I needed to feel loved."

He mulls over my response for a brief moment before nodding his head in understanding, seemingly accepting my reasoning.

"I drove you to him. I hurt you that night, didn't I? I'm sorry." he whispers, slamming his eyes shut as if to block out the world and the pain he is currently experiencing.

I quickly tighten my grip around his face and force it at an angle that guarantees me access to his every feature.

"Look at me, Aidan. The situation hurt me, not you." I inform, hoping my voice comes across as strong to emphasise my seriousness. "In the four years we've known each other you've done nothing but love me. Even when you left, you did so out of love because you thought that's what I wanted." I continue, his eyes now open and staring into mine. "You could never hurt me, only the universe can because it seems so hell bent on stopping us from being together." I finalise, landing a soft kiss on his cheek, rubbing my swollen lips along his gravel-like stubble.

"Amelia, we can be-"

"And I'm proud of everything you've achieved, Aidan. I'm so, so happy that you've found your place in life and I know us being together is helping me. I already respect myself so much more and while I admit I don't want this to ever end, I'm realistic in knowing that it has to and I'm rest assured that I'll be fine once you leave. I have to be because I want you to be proud of me like I am, you. I want you to be happy for me and I want you to know that none of that would've been possible without your love. None of it."

I lean back in my position to view his face, noticing straight away the overwhelming amount of love emulating off of his entire body. The way he grips at my hips a little harder and stares at me with more intensity; it all points towards his adoration of me and the feeling is very much mutual. I love this man with all my heart and no amount of time spent apart will change that.

"I already am proud of you, darling. Every damn second of every damn day I'm proud of you and I love you, Amelia." he states, flipping us around so that he lazily rests over my, still, naked form. "Always."

With his reassuring words out in the open, his slow thrusts begin, tormenting me in ways I've never before known as he makes love to me for the second time this evening, joining us both in more ways than one. Body and soul. His forehead comes to rest on mine and as a bead of sweat drops onto my skin from his, I relish in the feeling of us becoming one, never wanting it to end.

"Always."

~~~~