Chapter III ۞ Aaron ۞ Part II

TAKING HER TIME, WITH A BIG CONDESCENDING GRIN on her lips, she sat down on the chair near the front door. "Running from your mother again?" What?

I gasped, "How do you know that?"

"Criatura dos infernos, everybody in the building knows that you run from your mother. As well as everyone also knows about your problematic ex, and your chaotic siblings. Os fofoqueiros de plantão in here don't let anything escape their eyes. Especially not when it comes to the owner of the building!"

"You know I'm the owner?"

She seemed offended, "Of course, I do. It's been 4 years since I live here, maldito. How wouldn't I know? Besides you are a Vaughn-Solomon living in the penthouse, it doesn't take much time to put the pieces together, especially when it's not a secret that the building owner is a Vaughn-Solomon!"

I blinked, "Okay. I don't have time for that. It makes things easier. So, yes. I am trying to run away from my mother, but things got… way too complicated."

"How so?" Thays asked and proceeded to eat a spoonful of Nutella, dirtying the sides of her mouth, making me cringe.

Oh, dear God, this is going to be hard. "Long story cut short, she's been tormenting me to go on our annual winter week tradition, where our family spends the Christmas week together somewhere of our choice, and every member of the family and the family of the in laws, also come with us. But I don't want to go, and she thinks it's because I'm still into my ex. Which isn't the case. And to make her back off, I may have lied that…" I gulped, "I'm dating a girl from the building."

Thays froze, "Choose someone else. Not me. Absolutely not! Mas que inferno. There's no way in hell."

"Thays, I don't have another choice. Besides, my mom is arriving here in less than 7 minutes by now."

She gasped and got up, "Are you insane, filho da puta? Why the hell would I help you on that? I pretty much hate your guts, so I don't se how that would be beneficial for me. Besides, the idea of pretending to be your girlfriend sounds disgusting to me," she always plays dirty.

And disgusting is a word I should be saying. Not her. "Believe me, if I had a better idea, I would use it. But I do not. So, just, help me out on this. It's a life or death situation."

She glared at me for what seemed like an eternity, then clicked her tongue, "Then pay me. You are filthy rich, you can pay me."

Well, that's progress. "Name your price."

A wide grin took over her lips, "Anything?" A nod. "Five books per day. I want five books, of my choice, per day, for each day I have to spend lying to be your girlfriend."

"Is that it?"

"Books can be expensive, and it's a good deal. I already wanted to buy some more anyways. It's good that I won't need to spend my money on it. I'll make sure to chose the most expensive ones I can find," of course. Now it sounds more like her.

"Fine. Five books per day it is," and right when I said that, my phone rang and my mom's name showed up. "Fuck. It's her."

"I won't get changed!" She exclaimed.

"Ugh, do as you wish. Just help me out." Taking a deep breath, I answered the call. "Mother?"

"Which apartment does she lives in?" Oh, God. I can't believe I'm actually doing this.

"24th floor."

She hang up again, and for the first time since I met Thays, she seemed slightly anxious.

"I need to know the basic about you."

"There's no time for that. Just… ugh, follow me. I'll create a storyline at the spot, and you stick to it, got it? And do not speak at the same time as I do, that's a recipe for chaos. In the books and movies where shit like this happens, the lying point is crucial and we have to be in the same page for this to work!" Oh, wow, is she like this just because of the books? "Take off your shirt!"

"What?" I gasped.

"Take off the damn shirt!" She growled and in a second, she put her Nutella aside, and undid her bun, letting her long hair lose down her shoulders. Then she took off her baggy shirt, staying with the pajamas pants and a gym dark pink top that matched the pants better, and showed her big her breasts are.

I tried to look away, and took off my shirt. She took it from my hand and threw it aside together with hers. "If she asks what we were doing, say we were making out!" Then she styled her hair in a messy way. "Don't stand there like that, babaca. Pretend to feel comfortable in here," she abruptly took me by my wrist and pulled me inside her apartment, pushing me in the big wine-colored couch in the side of her spacious living room.

"Thays," I took her by her hand and brought her to me, making her fall on my lap, and she gasped, turning crimson red right away.

"Cachorro desgraçado, what do you think you are doing? This is too much. She isn't here yet!" Oh, is she frustrated?

I cleaned the sides of her lips that were full of Nutella with my thumb and licked it, "You are a mess."

Growling, she jumped away from me and the doorbell ringed right away, "Asshole," she muttered before going there and I felt grateful for my quick thinking of coming here before mom's arrival.

"Oh, my, you are beautiful!" I heard mom's voice and got up anxiously. "What's your name, darling?"

"Thays. Thays Emmanuelle Rossetti!" Wait- what? Rossetti? Like the Rossetti hotels all over the world? It must be a coincidence, no? I would have known before if it was really her.

"Italian?" Mom asked while coming to where I was, with a hand around Thays's waist. And when she saw me shirtless, a wide grin took over her lips.

"Brazilian-Italian. My maternal family is Brazilian, while my paternal is Italian," she said calmly and glared at me when my mother's gaze was on me. "I've heard wonders about you, Mrs. Vaughn-Solomon," oh God.

Mother's smile grew wider. "Oh, really? Did my boy talked good things about me?"

"Yes. Of course, he did. I could tell he loves you a lot and you are a crucial part of his life," well, she's a good liar. She could be an actress. "And I could also tell what an amazing mother you were to him, Mrs. Vaughn-Solomon."

"Dear, call me Amber, it's better. The formality annoys me," she said and sat down on Thays's right, while the girl sat on my lap and I tried my best not to look surprised.

Her body was warm on my skin, and her skin was also very soft. I circled my arms around her tiny waist, bringing her closer to me, and I felt as goosebumps spread all around her body, but she kept a stoic face. "Then Amber it is. You can call me Thays."

"How old are you, dear?"