Eight Weeks (Unfrozen Four Book 2)

“and I’m ready if you’re ready to go / just say the word, just say the word”—Vibes by Chase Atlantic

My parents didn’t tell me Lukas was coming for dinner, but fuck am I glad he’s here.

I probably missed my older brother the most, and with two siblings and two parents, there are a lot of people to miss when you’re an ocean apart from them.

Unlike my parents, Lukas doesn’t immediately recognize Aaron, but why would he? Not even I did, and I have my bets on my parents only being able to because they were already grown-ups with better memories and abilities to recognize faces when we moved. Well, or they secretly followed up on him, which I doubt.

The first thing Lukas does when he enters the house is stand himself in front of Aaron, eyes narrowed with his chest puffed out as if he’s about to show who’s the boss. He definitely isn’t.

“So, you’re the boyfriend?” Lukas asks, being fully aware that it’s bullshit. After all, he was the one suggesting me bringing a fake date. “I’m Lukas, Sofia’s older brother.”

One corner of Aaron’s mouth tips up, but he is quick to press his lips together to keep himself from smiling too widely. “I know, Lukas. We’ve met before. Quite often, actually.”

My brother is a bit startled for a second, keeping his eyes narrowed at Aaron like he’s trying to match any other face to the one in front of him. And then, his head snaps toward me, eyes widen with shock. “You found him!” He claps his hands once, letting out one loud “HA!”

“He found me… sort of?” It’s true. Given the way we met at the grocery store, him paying for my tampons and chocolate, smiling at me like he’s some knight in a shining armor… yes, he found me.

Lukas turns back toward Aaron, tapping his hand on my fake-boyfriend’s shoulder. “Well, then I don’t need to pretend that I hate you. I know Sofia is in good hands with you. You wouldn’t do stupid things to her like a certain other guy”—his eyes wander over to Leon, glaring at him—“did.”

Aaron brings his hand up to his chest—the one that still has my ribbon wrapped around his wrist as his bracelet—drawing a cross with his finger right over his heart. “Cross my heart, I’d never hurt my Icicle.”

With a sneaky look toward Leon, I notice his jaw clenching like he’s about to jump over the table and slap the living hell out of my brother and Aaron for… for what? Getting along?

Lukas never liked Leon. Not even when he didn’t go and cheat on me yet. And any other guy I got close to; Lukas immediately disliked. Leon knows that.

“You still call her that? Damn, you must have some nerves.”

After another short chatter, we finally sit down at the table, ready to eat.

If there’s one thing I missed more than Lukas, it’s definitely the food. Well, the bread. Real bread. Not the white bread from America, the same that Germans would laugh at when they hear it being referred to as “bread”. When we first moved here, I was confused as to why people laughed at me for calling it bread, but the longer I lived here, the more I understood.

Conversations over dinner are surprisingly less awkward than I thought they would be. My parents mainly focus on Aaron, asking God knows how many questions about him and how he’s been, if he’s still aiming to go pro like he always wanted to and more. The good thing is, the more questions they ask, the less I have to find out myself in some strange ways.

Plus, Julia seems to hate the attention he is getting. Usually, she’s the one being the center of attention. Well, tough luck.

Leon tries to calm her down whenever she speaks, and my parents brush her off because they’re too invested in conversation with my boyfr—fake boyfriend.

“How’s Lily?” my mother eventually asks, earning a bit of a wince from Aaron in response. Ever since Lily kind of, somehow really casually, let it slip out, I do finally understand his reaction whenever someone asks about her.

Aaron inhales deeply before plastering on a charming smile. “She’s adapting. Starting new and, you know, figuring life out. But it’s not my story to tell.”

His response is monotonous, like he spent hours in front of a mirror practicing how to say these three sentences with sounding as convincing as possible.

My mother shrugs it off, probably noticing that Lily is a topic Aaron does not like to discuss for whatever reasons he may have.

I know they’re close, so it’s not that he had a big fall out with his sister, and I’m sure my parents don’t think it’s that. But it’s none of their business asking about a topic he doesn’t feel comfortable talking about.

“Are you seriously going to eat that too?” Julia scrunches her face up in disgust, motioning a hand toward my extra slice of bread.

Leon chuckles, leaning back in his chair to comfortably watch the anticipated fight to start. Yes, anticipated because it happens every single time we sit at this table for any meal.

My sister always has to comment on how much I eat because God forbid, I have a stomach to fill. I do sports like five times a week. Not recently as I’m study abroad and don’t really have the chance to skate daily and practice jumps etcetera.

Julia, however, she does nothing all day. Her best work-out consists of walking down the street to go buy some new clothes at the only local clothing store. And I guess going to work.

That wouldn’t even be a problem. So then I eat more than she does, big deal. You don’t see me commenting on her habits, on the little she eats or how badly she pisses me off. Not out loud, at least. It is a problem though, because my sister thinks she’s the best person in the universe and everyone has to live life how she wants it.

Breaking News, Julia, the world doesn’t revolve around you.

I don’t bother responding, instead, I shove a fork full of potatoes right into my mouth.

“How can you even still move on your skates? No wonder you’re the slowest of all of them.”

Leon licks his lips, marinating the fucking stupid words that are about to leave his mouth. He leans over to my sister, whispering, “You see why sex with her was the worst? There was never any spice in it. Always the same boring positions because she’s just too…” loud enough for everyone at the table to hear.

Always the same lame words, especially when I’m far from what he makes me out to be. Sure, I have some curves, like any fucking body does. It’s like he has nothing else to call me.

Worst is, Leon wanted Aaron to hear it. If he didn’t, he would have said it in German since I’m sure he’s aware that Aaron doesn’t understand a single word.

Aaron snorts a laugh, his hand finding to my thigh to hold on to. “Or maybe you’re just not good enough in bed.”

My parents quickly flee the room like they would every single time Leon and Julia start this discussion. Instead of, I don’t know, tell them to stop. They tried before but it only ended with me getting insulted even more, so I can’t blame them for letting us handle this on our own.

“How does it feel knowing you weren’t her first?” Leon puts on a smug smile.

With a quick glance toward Lukas, I find him suppressing a horrific laughter from slipping out. He knows very well that although Leon might have been my first, my mind wasn’t with him at all.

Aaron shrugs. “Don’t think you were either. Not mentally, at least. You sure Sofia’s head was with you and not me?”

What the fuck. I said this to him in confidence.

Leon’s eyes zoom in on the necklace around my neck then move over to Aaron’s. He’s known of the necklace, asked me to get rid of it because he felt uncomfortable knowing I still held on to someone else while dating him. Seeing now both halves of the necklace must help him connect the dots. “Du verdammte Schlampe.”

Maybe I would be a little more furious if Aaron wasn’t stroking his thumb over my thigh, having my body react in ways I’m not sure it ever has.

It’s calming, even when my ex has just called me a bitch.

“I have no idea what you said, but I’m certain it’s an insult. A lame one if you have to go about insulting my girlfriend in a language I don’t understand. That’s pretty low, don’t you think? Only cowards would even go as far as using insults to feel better about themselves.” He gets up from his seat, holding his hand out for me to take. And I do. I take it not only to appear like we’re an actual couple, but because as it seems, I enjoy holding his hand.

The slip-up at the airport earlier was me panicking, desperate to make us seem like a couple. But fuck, the tingles rushing through my blood at the contact had me wonder if it’s always going to be like this when Aaron’s skin is on mine.

It’s a good kind of rush that speeds up my heart rate, makes my breath hitch and long for him… maybe not so good after all.