Rise of the Billionaire actress

Layla stood by the opened door, shocked to see Aaron behind it.

“Erm, sorry about this but can I see Deloise?”

Aaron shuffled his clothes, uncomfortable with her stare.Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

“D-deloise?” She let out, still star struck at his presence.

Aaron was stung by regret. Of course she lives with someone! Who the fuck shows up with dinner without putting a call across to the said person? Now he looked stupid.

“I’ll just be on my way…” he managed to say and her eyes went wide.

“No! I mean- Deloise! She’s in, come on in.”

Layla opened the door and he entered the living area.

“Dee! You have a visitor!” She yelled and he almost cringed at her loudness.

Yeah, he was never doing this again.

“Who is that?”

Her voice told him she wasn’t in her best mood. What was it with him today?

“You?” Deloise was surprised at the sight of Aaron. Her countenance grew poor at the remembrance of their last interaction. “What do you want?”

Aaron wore a cringed smile as he raised his takeouts. “I brought dinner.” He stated, hoping she’d take it to mean his apology for his prior rudeness.

“Take it home.” Deloise opined, refusing to let him off easily.

“Okay, I’m just going to take a stroll in the gym.” Layla said, threw a wink at her friend, then exited the house.

They were left alone.

Aaron let out a breath he didn’t know he held, “I could, but then I’ll be eating alone.” He remarked playfully, “where’s the fun in that?”

“I want no part of your games if the end result is me getting insulted.” Aaron deflated at her words, but she didn’t stop. “If you aren’t going to apologize, then I don’t want to spend any more time with you.”

A moment of silence passed and Deloise let out a huff. “Goodnight.” She said and made her way back, silently discharging him.

” I’m sorry, okay? Are you going to sit?” He said and she turned around. She could tell he wasn’t the least comfortable.

“Maybe, depends if you are willing to do what it takes.” She said with a smile that eased Aaron’s uneasiness.

Returning to his boyish smirks, he played along. “Oh really? Pray tell, what do I do to get you to dinner with me?”

“Nothing much. Just admit to being a rude asshat and everything would be fine.” She said with a smile of her own.

“Now why would I do that?” His brows raised in an inquisitive arc, “you seem quite convinced.”

“My convictions aren’t the problem dearest, I just need the gratification of hearing you say it aloud.”

“Interesting. But I’d rather go on to have my oh so delicious dinner alone than marr my lips with such pronouncements.”

“So be it.” Deloise turned around, unable to hide her smile. This man never seemed to amaze her.

“I’m a rude asshat.”

Aaron’s words stopped her for the second time. She couldn’t say she hadn’t seen it coming, but again, everything about this man was different.

“Don’t look so pleased. Savor it because that’s the first and last you’ll hear of it.” He raised the takeouts, “I’ll need plates.”

Deloise laughs and heads over to the kitchen. In no time, they were eating in comfortable silence. After dinner, the duo lounged in the living room, counting the seconds before they spoke to each other.

“I think we made a mistake.” Aaron broke the silence with a faraway look. “Seeing we are supposed to be a couple, don’t you think the world needs to see our delightful dinner date?”

Deloise met his eyes, “You’re a bit too late, seeing the oh so delightful dinner is now in the abyss of our stomach. I doubt they’d want to see the empty table we now have.”

Aaron’s eyes perked. “Who says they needed to see the table before assuming we had a dinner date?”

“Except you are about to order a new set of takeout, I don’t see where this is going.” Deloise remarked, and he retained a calculative look.

“Watch and learn, baby.”

She couldn’t understand how one word could make her heart skip so fervently. Aaron drew close and her heart might have stopped beating entirely.

His enclosing scent infiltrated her senses, and left her a wobbly mess of silent pants. His proximity ridded her of the ability to make use of her senses. Before she could figure out what was going on, her eyes fluttered to a shut, expecting something from his proximity to her face.

“Beautiful.” Aaron spoke to her ears instead and a click sound followed.

Deloise’ eyes flew open, wondering what the hell happened, while he put some much needed space between them.

He took a picture of her. Of them!

“Let me see it.” She demanded after a moment of silence. She couldn’t meet his eyes, knowing he saw through her. The fact she lost her senses at his presence was pretty much in the open now.

“No.”

That forced her to meet his eyes. “Why? Did it turn out bad?”

She held the actual question she had at the tip of her tongue. If the picture was bad, she was probably a foundational reason. She didn’t even pose.

“To be fair, I think it’s perfect. You’re perfect.” He spoke and her heart skipped again. Typical.

“Don’t try to be sweet. It doesn’t suit you.” She said with red cheeks.

“You’re welcome.”

The heat in her cheeks rose at his words. Leave it to Aaron to take a supposed insult for appreciation.

He wasn’t wrong though. The picture came out superb. Stunning!

Her eyes fluttered close but not entirely. His buff arm made an appearance and it was glaring that they had been close. Painstakingly close that it left a lot to the imagination on exactly what went on during the picture.

It was an open secret between them. But to the others, the affirmation of a rumor. This picture was enough to get tongues wagging on the stats of their relationship.

Exactly what they needed. Exactly what he went for. Nothing more, nothing less.

She was stupid to have thought more.

“You don’t like it?” His voice held a twinge of surprise. He couldn’t believe she didn’t like it. How could she not?

“Of course not! It’s perfect.” She threw his initial word back at him and he smiled.

It wasn’t intentional, but who cares? There wasn’t a better adjective in describing its beauty.

“You might need to try your hands at photography.” She shrugged, “Who knows, you might find it a fulfilling experience.”

“I’m fine without it.” He shut it down immediately, and that surprises her. “I enjoy acting way too much to consider it.” He supplied a reason but she was far from convinced.

She wasn’t going to drag it further though. At least not yet.

“Whatever, up for a game?” She proposed, hoping to lighten their interaction.

“Of course.”

The duo engaged in a game of ‘guess-the- scene’. Of course Aaron found a way to make their game worthwhile to their ongoing project!

At some point, Deloise believed it was an attempt to flex his muscles on how much he’s learned, interpreted and memorized the lines of the script.

She didn’t complain though. Towards the end of their game, she realized something different. In retrospect, she figured it’d been there since he walked through her doors but she was too distracted to pick on it.

“What’s up with you?” She asked, and Aaron felt caught.

“Nothing.” He replied without meeting her eyes.

“I’m all ears if you ever want to talk.” She said, keeping the door open just in case.

With the prolonged silence, she was starting to wane in the belief he’d eventually share what sagged his mind.

“Today’s mother’s day…”

Deloise wasn’t expecting that. At the implication of his words, she found herself needing to be close to him. But fought the urge nonetheless.

“And somehow, instead of celebrating mine, I resent her the most.” He caught her gaze. “Does that make me an awful person?”

Deloise shook her head and he laughed. A far from genuine laugh. She knew it so well because she’d seen his real one.

“The fact that you think it makes you awful tells me you are far from one.” She supplied. “There are many reasons why we celebrate our mothers. Many reasons why they are to be celebrated. And if you find yourself in the other direction, then maybe you need to revisit the foundational reason.”

“And if I don’t? What if I don’t feel like meeting the one who made such a grave mistake as bringing me into this world?” His tone was sharp and cutting.

Despite the claw in his words, Deloise only saw one thing. His pain. It was so palpable she didn’t realize when she enveloped him in a hug.

Aaron stilled, unsure of how to react to that. Of everything he expected, he never imagined this. As time went by, his tensed muscles softened and he leaned into her embrace. Enjoying the warmth of her arms around him.

“Thank you.” He breathed into her hair, and in that moment, a striking thought came to him.

Not just a thought, but a realization that she might be his undoing.