chapter-35: Confession

Zaiden Storm
I parked the car at a sideway near Aria's apartment and turned to face her.
��Thanks for dropping me, Zaiden. I had a lot of fun tonight with your family, �� Aria said with a cute smile.
��You still haven't told me,�� I spoke up.
��Tell you what?�� she let out while opening her seatbelt.
��What is your impression of me?�� I asked.
She gave me a flat look and said, ��That's the seventh time you have asked me.��
��Because you haven't told me yet.�� I couldn't get peace of mind until I knew what Aria actually thought about me. What if I still had the impression of a murderer in her eyes?
��Why are you so eager to know about it?�� She arched an eyebrow at me.
��Because it's important to me.��
Aria sighed and opened the car door. ��It's getting very late, Zaiden. You should go home,�� she said and pecked my cheek before stepping out.
��Damn it,�� I groaned and hit the steering wheel. ��She didn't answer the damn question.��
I got out of the car and saw her crossing the road. There were rarely any vehicles on the street. It was completely barren. Therefore, I ran after her and pulled her in a hug from behind, startling her.
��Zaiden, what are you doing? Someone will see us,�� she hissed, trying to unwrap my arms which were locked around her waist.
��There is no one around, Aria. Even if they were, guess what? I don't fucking care,�� I said and rested my chin on her shoulder. She tried to squirm a little more but melted in my arms eventually. ��Tell me, please,�� I whispered after placing a soft kiss on her neck.
I heard Aria breathing in and out rapidly before placing her hands over mine. I examined her nervous expressions, wondering what she was going to say. Would she really say that she thought of me as a murderer, even more so after meeting my family who ruled the Mafia Thunder?
My heartbeat increased rapidly. However, my heart almost came to a stop when I heard the words that rolled out of her tongue the next moment. ��You are the most precious to me. No one will ever leave an impression better than you in my life.�� She closed her eyes and breathed out after gathering enough courage, ��I love you, Zaiden Storm.��
For a few seconds, my mind went blank. I couldn't think of anything but those three magical words ringing in my head like a melody I would love to keep hearing my entire life.
I have waited so long to hear those words from her mouth. After all, I have been in love with her for such a long time.
��Say something, will you?�� Aria's voice dragged me out of my numb land.
��Oh,�� I blurted out.
��Oh?�� she repeated. ��Only ��oh��? I confess my feelings for you and you say oh?�� she fumed and I could feel the anger burning in her voice.
��No, no����
��Great. Now you're denying it.�� She shoved away my hands and freed herself from my hold. She turned around and glared right at me. ��You always do this. Last time when I said that I liked you, you remained quiet. God, Zaiden, at this rate, I will never confess anything to you.��
But I was in the same shock as now like last time. It wasn't my fault that my heart was too fragile for her sudden confessions. However, if I said that out loud, I could consider myself single again or at least have a broken nose.
��That's not what I was meaning to say,�� I said and looked into her eyes that were glaring at me but also that held love for me. ��Fuck it. I love you too.��
I took a huge step towards her and pulled her into a passionate kiss. She was caught off-guard at first but melted into the kiss soon enough while deepening the kiss.
All the waiting that I did until now was worth it.
As I held her in my arms and kissed her, it made me realize once again how much I love her and there was nothing I wouldn't give to protect this precious woman.
We both gasped for breath as we broke apart. I rested my forehead against her and said, ��Thank you for loving me back.��
��Just how long have you been in love with me that you are now thanking me for it?�� Aria had a mischievous look on her face.
��Quite a while,�� I answered simply.
��Come on, tell me the exact time,�� she nudged.
��Well, I told you I started liking you ever since you have joined the company, which was two years ago. After two months of you joining, I realized I was falling in love with you, so it��s 668 days.��
��You really have patience, Boss,�� she said with a giggle. I was about to move back since it was about time she would go back to her apartment building, but she placed her hand on my collar, her eyes trailing over my lips. ��But I don't think I'm as patient as you in this case.��
��I don't understand,�� I let out in confusion and shivered slightly as she ran her slender fingers over my neck. Is she trying to turn me on?
��Do you have anything scheduled for tomorrow?�� she inquired.
��It's Sunday. We are supposed to spend the whole day together,�� I responded casually, not wanting to have any wrong thoughts.
��You want to come in and spend the night with me too?�� she asked boldly, looking me in the eye, yet I could tell that she was feeling shy.
I gulped, understanding what she was hinting at. ��Are you sure about this, Aria?��
Aria nodded her head.
Even though I was always joking about it, I didn't want her to feel pressured about this and do it with me. Or worse, she was drunk. ��You are sober, right?��
��I'm as sober as a Zaiden on a Monday morning.��
I narrowed my eyes at her and said, ��Still, are you completely sure?��
She huffed and smashed her lips on mine. ��This is my answer, Zaiden.��
I was dumbfounded for a moment at her boldness. She really wasn't a normal woman. She did whatever she wanted at any time.
I didn't realize that she was walking away until she hollered, ��Are you coming or what?��
I snapped out of my trance and ran after her unless I wanted her to ban me from touching her ever again.
Well, this wasn't how I imagined my night to go. The last thing I was expecting was a confession from Aria.
Just until a few minutes ago, I was in my car, racking my brains trying to come up with a logical explanation for why she was not telling me about her impression of me, and now I was walking into her apartment to spend the night with her��to explore every inch of her body.