Chapter 3

"Of course, I do." Aaron's lips formed a little smirk. "At first glance, I assumed you didn’t." Her smile disappeared. "Why?" Ivy narrowed my eyes and questioned. "I won’t tell you," he stated plainly. "But why?" Ivy complained. He gave a shrug. "My wish." Ivy pouted, grabbing his sleeve. "No, tell me!" He only shook his head. "No." "Hey—" Ivy started to argue when her dad walked into the room. "Aaron," Mr. Franklin said. Ivy turned to look at her dad, then back at the boy. Aaron turned to look at Franklin. "Brother," he murmured quietly. Mr. Franklin smiled. "How are you doing?" Aaron nodded and smiled slightly. Dad hugged him. "Please have a seat, Aaron. Dad called me and told me everything. Please feel at home and don't be afraid to ask for anything." Mr. Franklin spoke heartily. Then he looked at Ivy. "Ivy, honey, come here." Ivy smiled and ran over to him. "Dad!" He touched her shoulder. "Sweetheart, meet your uncle." "Uncle?" "But he's still young, Dad! He can't be my uncle." Aaron glanced down to escape her eyes as Franklin giggled. "So what, baby?" Franklin made fun of it. Ivy's arms were folded. "Not at all. I am not calling him uncle." Ivy turned back to Aaron and gave him a teasing smile. "I’ll call you by your name instead." Aaron scowled, obviously not impressed. Franklin shook his head and chuckled. "All right, give him any name you choose. Now, get him to his room." Ivy sat up. "Which one, Dad?" "It’s up to you, my princess." Ivy put her hands together in a clap. "Then I’ll take him upstairs, near my room!" He gave a nod of approval. Ivy smiled and took Aaron's hand. "Come with me!" He narrowed his brows, irritated, but Ivy ignored it and dragged him into his room. "Aaron, come," Ivy murmured, drawing his hand gently. **** Now, in the present, old memories rushed back to me. You were always so cranky, Uncle. And you haven't changed at all. Do you recall when we first met? Probably not. I've made an effort to ignore how much I've changed. My affection for you only intensified. I used to wait for you to be with you all the time. You shared my happiness and my grief with me at all times. I would read with you for hours on end, occasionally dozing off next to you. I laughed, realizing how dumb I had been. I didn't even realize I fell in love with you. My first kiss. I gave it to you. However, you've always rejected it, stating that you're my uncle, and I'm only a child. But I am not a child anymore. So how could you possibly reject me? I will not give up. I will make you fall for me. But then, a nagging thought crept into my mind—does he have a girlfriend? I don't think so. If he does, nothing will change. After getting out of bed, I went to my balcony. My eyes strayed to Aaron's balcony. As I expected, he was still awake. He may be reading or working. I looked around. Should I go there? There was only a little gap between Aaron's and my balconies. I could have easily crossed the tiny gap between the two balconies. I ascended the railing cautiously and slid onto his balcony without thinking. Although the entrance to his balcony was shut, I could see through the glass. He was sitting there without a shirt, typing on his laptop. His physique—strong and defined—was too much for me to bear. I bit my bottom lip, unable to keep my gaze away. My head whirled with the idea as my body responded to his appearance. I knew sleeping would be tough tonight. Aaron abruptly got up and moved in the direction of the bed. I have to go immediately. If he spotted me here, he might assume I was snooping on him. I was about to slip away when I unintentionally ran into something. "Oh!" Aaron's gaze instantly turned to the balcony entrance. Just as he was ready to leave, his phone rang. I clambered up the railing and headed toward my room. It came really close. I heard his door creak open at that very moment. When I looked back, I noticed Aaron entering the balcony bare-chested. His muscular chest was mesmerizing in the moonlight. How could somebody be that attractive? He would make a model. After looking up at the sky for a while, he turned to face my balcony. I took a step back and froze. The lights in my room were turned off, so he couldn't see my shadow. After staring out of my balcony for a while, Aaron finally broke into a smile. I let out a gasp. Is he able to have such a flawless smile? Aaron finally stepped inside. With a beating heart, I sat on my bed. Aaron, I can't let go of you. I'm not going to ruin this second opportunity. I thought you'd never return, but you did. I'll put all I've got into it. The next morning, I groggily opened my eyes to the annoying sound of my alarm going off. It had taken me out of my fantasy with Aaron. I pressed the snooze button in an attempt to go back to sleep. But suddenly I sprang up in bed, swearing beneath my breath. "Damn!" I leaped from my bed and ran to the bathroom. Five minutes later, I looked in the mirror as I changed into a pair of sexy shorts and a workout bra. I smirked, thinking, "I look pretty damn hot." I was aware that Aaron would be getting up early to go for a walk or to the gym. I had set the alarm the night before just for this purpose. I went out onto the balcony to see whether he had left already. He was in the garden when I saw him. He must have been completing his exercise. As I walked down, I noticed Aaron performing push-ups in the yard, his body moving precisely. Hearing my approach, he halted mid-rep and turned to look at me. My mouth almost fell open when I saw him. I couldn't take my eyes off of his well-defined, sweat-stained physique. I took a deep breath. "Good morning, Ivy," Aaron said, his voice calm, though I was too fascinated by his body to answer right away. "Hey," I said, turning to look at Aaron.