As soon as Aaron walked in the door, Eliza was there, blocking his way. "How did it go?" she asked, a look of concern on her face. He noted it looked forced.
"Wonderful," he said sarcastically. She was standing between him and everyone else, notably Cadence, and it seemed evident this was on purpose. While she appeared to want to ask him something else, he had no patience left and simply stepped around her.
"Hey!" Cadence said cheerfully, scooting toward Christian so that he could sit down if he wanted to.
Aaron sat on the armrest instead. "How long have you been here?" he asked, only a bit surprised to see her.
"Well, I got here during the episode with the high-speed chase, right, Elliott?" she asked, pretending to think.
"That's right," Elliott chimed in. Then, looking at Aaron, he said, "You know, the one where the cops are chasing the erratic drunk driver? And then he gets out and runs? With no shirt on, of course."
"Of course!" Cadence agreed. "And now, we're watching the one where the cops chase down the erratic drunk driver, who's speeding off away from them..."
"With no shirt on," Elliott concluded.
"So, it's been, what, maybe twenty, thirty minutes?"
"Or eleven days. Really, who can tell?" Elliott agreed nodding.
Christian didn't add to their little joke, but he did snicker along. He seemed quite content to watch whatever was on so long as Cadence was sitting so close to him.
Aaron knew they were attempting to lighten the mood, but nothing seemed very humorous after the conversation he had just had with Laura. Shaking his head, he asked Cadence, "Are you about ready to go home?"
She sighed. "I guess," she said in a deep exhale. "But if anything out of the ordinary happens...," she continued.
"Like a guy with his shirt on running from the cops?" Christian asked, finally joining their bit.
"Precisely," she agreed, slamming her hand down on his knee. "Please, find a way to record it for me, all right?"
"All right," Christian nodded. "I am the king of recording, so I'll get right on that."
Cadence wasn't quite sure if that meant something, or if he was just being sarcastic, but she didn't bother to ask for clarification. "Okay, great!" she exclaimed, patting his leg innocently. "Okay, I guess I'm out of here! See you tomorrow, Christian," she said as she bounced off of the couch.
"See you tomorrow," Christian said, watching her intently. He glanced at Aaron who was looking at him questioningly. Christian refocused his attention on the television.
Elliott stood and wrapped his burly arms around her. "Have a good night, kid," he said squeezing her tightly, but not tight enough to crush her, a thin line for him.
"Thanks for everything," she said quietly. Then releasing him, she turned to say goodbye to the other ladies in the room. "Bye Hannah! It was nice to meet you, Laney! See you tomorrow, Eliza," she said, putting her arms around the slight girl who was standing near the door again.
"Do you want me to drive her home?" Eliza asked, patting Cadence but not really returning the hug.
Again, Aaron had a questioning look on his face. "No," he said sounding a bit more like an inquiry than it needed to. "I'll do it."
Cadence glanced behind her, catching his eye, wondering why in the world Eliza would volunteer to take her home. He looked just as bewildered as she felt. "Thanks for asking though, Eliza," Cadence said, stepping over toward the door, grabbing her coat, and sliding into it.
Aaron was right behind her, keys in hand. When they were in the hallway, he said, "What was that all about?"
"I know, right? Weird!" Cadence said, shaking her head.
"I meant Christian," Aaron clarified. "I know why Eliza wanted to take you home. She didn't want me to."
As they made their way to the elevator, Cadence asked, "Christian? What do you mean? We were just watching a show together."
"You didn't see the way he was looking at you?" Aaron inquired. He pressed the button to take them down, and the doors came open. He was glad there was no one else in the elevator so they could continue their conversation in private.
"No," she replied. "What do you mean?"
Aaron shrugged. Maybe there was no point in pressing the issue. Maybe he was imagining things. "I don't know. He just seemed...odd. Even for Christian."
Cadence narrowed her eyes slightly in contemplation but then changed the subject. "How was your discussion with Laura?" she asked, feeling as if she already knew the answer.
The elevator doors opened, and they stepped out, making their way through the empty lobby toward the parking lot. "It was about what I expected," he admitted.
The cool air felt good against Cadence's flushed face. Whether it was the seriousness of the conversation or the man beside her making her feel overheated, she couldn’t say. Aaron took her hand, counteracting the coolness of the air a bit, and led her toward the Lamborghini, which was parked just a few spots away. "I'm sorry the conversation didn’t go better," she said quietly, watching her footing on the ice.
He pulled the car door open for her, saying nothing in response, and walked around to the driver's side, climbing in, and starting the engine. He shifted the car into gear and backed out of the spot, shifted into drive, and then took her hand, which she had waiting, palm up, on the console. Even though he didn’t want to talk about Laura, Cadence took it as a sign that he wasn’t shutting her out entirely.
Cadence was content to sit in silence the entire, short trip home. Both of them had experienced an incredibly difficult day, one full of arguments and disagreements. It seemed like the silence was safe. There was no chance of ruining everything by saying something stupid so long as she said nothing at all.
