Page 26 of His Cabin Obsession

As I come closer, they break off talking and Aaron calls over to me, “How was your walk?”

“Good,” I say, warily. I don’t know who this is or how to deal with it. Should I turn and go back, do another circuit?

“My assistant’s just dropping off a delivery for later,” Aaron tells me with a wolfish grin.

“What is it?” I ask. I feel curiosity bubbling up inside me. This is the big surprise – the thing he said he would ‘show’ me what he wanted to say. What does it all mean?

“You’ll find out soon enough.” Aaron winks at me and gestures towards the cabin. “Why don’t you go into the bedroom and shut the door, so we can set up your surprise without spoiling it?”

I want to object, though I’m not sure to what. Maybe the fact that Aaron keeps telling me what to do. Not that I’m actually complaining, because I quite like it when he takes charge. Still, it’s the principle of the thing.

But I shut my mouth, partially because I feel strangely uneasy around Aaron’s assistant, and head inside to do as I’m told. I guess I’ve really grown used to it just being the two of us over the past few days. The presence of someone else here feels like an intrusion.

I shut the bedroom door and grab my notebook from beside the bed. At least if I have to be shut away for a little while, I can do some of the work that I actually planned to do while I’m here.

It’s not until over an hour later that I hear a knock at the door. For all this time I’ve been able to hear quiet noises out there, shuffling sounds and the movement of furniture and footsteps, but no speech. I guess Aaron imposed a vow of silence on his assistant so that I wouldn’t be able to guess what they’re up to. I’ve barely been able to concentrate on my work, and the sound of the knock on the door has me springing to my feet and flying over to it.

I open it in a rush and see Aaron standing there, leaning against the door frame with an easy smile. He’s changed into a black shirt that seems almost to ripple against his skin, the fine fabric cut exactly to his figure. It looks expensive. “Are you ready?” he asks.

“I don’t know what for,” I protest.

“Here,” Aaron says, shifting to reveal a large box behind him. He lifts it easily and passes it to me, then rests his hand on the side of the door again. “I got you something for tonight. Open it.”

I take the package – surprisingly light, given its size – over to the bed and lay it down, prying open the folded cardboard to reveal an interior swathed in tissue paper. Pulling it all aside, I find the most unexpected thing, a delicate dress in a pale blue fabric, folded perfectly to avoid creases. I glance at Aaron in surprise.

“Try it on,” he says, stepping away from the door. “It’s just us now. You don’t have to worry about privacy.”

I stare after him into the now-empty doorway, unsure of what to do. But what is there, except to follow his instructions? Everything is so strange, and I still don’t have any idea of what he has planned. But I slip out of my clothes and into the dress. I see the label as I lift it out of the box and cover my mouth for a second, worried about even touching it – I know of the designer, and I know this is probably worth more than everything I’ve earned in the last couple of years. I would never be able to afford it myself.

But looking at myself in the bathroom mirror, I can see why the price tag is justified. It fits me like a dream, a blue waterfall of silk moving over my body, emphasizing all of the best parts and minimizing those I don’t like. How did Aaron manage to get it so right, and find something that would fit me perfectly? It’s incredible.

Like this, I can’t help but feel that going out without my hair and makeup done would be a sin, so I grab my bag and start putting on a simple look. After a moment’s thought, I finish it with a dash of blue eyeshadow to match both the dress and my eyes. That feels much more fitting. Done at last, I step out into the main room of the cabin.

I have to gasp. Not only is Aaron incredibly handsome in his fancy clothes, but he’s also leaning against the table, set once again with some elegant silver covered dishes. More scatter the countertop in the kitchen, and candles burn in the center of the table filling the room with a soft floral scent.

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