Aja was procrastinating getting out of bed and going downstairs. Sunday was the one day that everyone was home for an extended length of time. Any other day, she'd bound right up and get dressed, heading out for Arcasa or the yards, anywhere with anything to keep her busy.
Cause if she was busy, her and Tristan weren't left alone for too long. It's not that she didn't love her husband. She did., but him being back presented her with a lot of questions that she wasn't sure she really wanted answers to.
At the moment, things ran along as they always had. Her running the yards and the crew with no interference from him. And that suited Aja just fine. Change was not something she liked anymore. Not in Arcadia. While sailing the blue, she expected it. At home, she wanted things to run smoothly.
Tristan's reappearance to her world had been completely unexpected and threw her nicely ordered world into chaos for a while. It was getting back under control, but it was taking time for her to settle it in her own head. Something that wasn't getting done because she was dodging the entire situation for lack of clear answers on how to handle it.
She told him once, that she had been aware that she was holding back.
"I realized something earlier today." She said while getting on the bed and getting settled. "Which was?" He prompted watching her fluff the pillows before stretching to grab the tray and sliding it up to them. She got comfortable and smiled at him. "I've been holding my breath ever since you got back." She said it simply. "Like I'm waiting for the gods or whatever deity brought ya back ta me to change their mind and snatch ya away again." She took his hand and looked at him. "I keep fearing that one morning I'll wake up ta discover it was all a beautiful, bizarre"cruel dream and you never were here." "I'm here, Rabbit." He squeezed her hand. "I know." She smiled at him. "I do. Just chalk it up to my silly little head fearing that you would be gone again. And that pain would return.." her voice dropped a little. "I'd never survive it if I lost you again." She saw he was about to say something and quickly put her finger to his lips. "No. I don't need you to say anything. I just needed you to know...that I realize I haven't been fully here with you." She lightened the pressure of her finger to his lips and traced along them moving across his cheek. "This mess you came home to. The disaster that my life became without you. I'm so sorry." She sat up a little. "I'm so sorry you had to wait. I'm sorry you had to deal with it at all. You are.." she paused taking a breath. "The only one I have ever given everything I had to. And it's gonna take me a little while to move the walls I put up since you left. So, what I'm asking is that you just keep being you and know that I do want it all back. Everything we had and were. I want all of that back." She let her hand trail down one of his muscled arms back to his hand, he took hers in his and gave her a smile. "I'm not going anywhere without you."
Since that night, they hadn't discussed it further. That didn't mean that Aja wasn't thinking about it. This particular morning, she was lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, turning the problem over in her head. He was the man she married all those years ago, for the most part, but she wasn't the same woman he married. She had changed. Not her feelings for him, but who she was. The situation with Tristan went round and round. With a groan she turned over and buried her face into the pillow.
Tristan choice that moment to come into the bedroom.
"Not wanting to get up this morning, Rabbit?" he said amused and she lifted her head, a piece of her hair hung in her face making him chuckle. "That's adorable." "I'm glad I'm amusing to you." She said pushing her hair back out of her face. "You are very amusing." He took a seat on the edge of the bed and reached out to touch her face. "And beautiful." "Yer in a good mood." She smiled up at him. "I'm waking up next to my beautiful wife in the morning, I'm alive and healthy." Tristan leaned down and kissed her. "I'm a lucky man." Tristan moved to sit on the bed, he leaned against the headboard and smiled at her sweetly. "And yer sexy." Aja grinned at him, deciding that she'd give acting normally a try. "Don't forget that." "Sexy' Really?" he asked amused and just a touch shocked by the admission. They had been avoiding that line of conversation since he's been back. "Yeah." She smiled moving up the bed and laying her head on his chest. "I've always thought you were sexy." She felt him nod to that and he put his arms around her. "That's good." "I'm glad you think so." She said with a smile and then kissed his chest. "Ya think ya wanna go for a boat ride today?" "With you?" "No. With Captain Hook." She swatted his stomach lightly. "Of course with me." "I would love?" Tristan started and pulled her up to him and into his lap. "to take a boat ride with you, Rabbit." He kissed her then. When they came up for air, she smiled at him. "Yer trying ta to distract me, Larson." "Is it working?" "Yes." She gave him a mock pout before grinning at him and kissing his nose. "Maybe we sweet talk Maria into making up a picnic lunch?" "Sounds good." "Ya hear what the kids were planning for the day?" "Mara and Yuki were going to the park today. There's a festival going on." "Yeah. The wives of the crew set that up fer the kids." Aja smiled as she slipped off his lap and got out of bed. "Dunk tank and games. That sort of thing." "Sounds like fun." Tristan watched her pulling clothes out of the closet. "Usually the sort of thing you go to now, isn't it?"
Aja glanced at him, pausing in tugging a shirt off a hanger. She figured he'd been trying to fill himself in on her life over the past twenty years. The time Padriq spent in his head had filled in some of the blanks, but not all.
"Yeah, I usually attempt to make an appearance at those things." She shut the closet. "But I kinda thought that we could spend a little time alone together." "So you can seduce me?" "I need to get you in a boat to do that?" she grinned and set the clothes on the chair by the vanity, then starting to unbutton the shirt she had snagged from Tristan's closet the night before to sleep in. "No." he said watching her with a smile. "I mean, if I wanted to seduce you, Tris, I'd invite you into the shower or...maybe.." she crawled up the bed and stopped, her lips just inches from his. "Maybe I should seduce you right here." Tristan grinned, grabbed her and turned quickly, pinning her to the bed making her laugh. "Anytime you want to seduce me, Rabbit, you know I'm game for it." He grinned down at her then kissed her forehead. "But you know I'm not going to do a thing you aren't ready to do." "I know." She said looking up at him. "So, a boat ride?" "Yeah." She smiled at his change of subject and ran her fingers along his arm lightly. "It's a nice day, water's calm and sky's clear." "Perfect day for a sail." He said with a smile. "Absolutely.?
They spent the day out on the water. Talking and laughing, well on their way to returning to being the couple they were before the fates had stepped in and made the walls come down.
Cause if she was busy, her and Tristan weren't left alone for too long. It's not that she didn't love her husband. She did., but him being back presented her with a lot of questions that she wasn't sure she really wanted answers to.
At the moment, things ran along as they always had. Her running the yards and the crew with no interference from him. And that suited Aja just fine. Change was not something she liked anymore. Not in Arcadia. While sailing the blue, she expected it. At home, she wanted things to run smoothly.
Tristan's reappearance to her world had been completely unexpected and threw her nicely ordered world into chaos for a while. It was getting back under control, but it was taking time for her to settle it in her own head. Something that wasn't getting done because she was dodging the entire situation for lack of clear answers on how to handle it.
She told him once, that she had been aware that she was holding back.
"I realized something earlier today." She said while getting on the bed and getting settled. "Which was?" He prompted watching her fluff the pillows before stretching to grab the tray and sliding it up to them. She got comfortable and smiled at him. "I've been holding my breath ever since you got back." She said it simply. "Like I'm waiting for the gods or whatever deity brought ya back ta me to change their mind and snatch ya away again." She took his hand and looked at him. "I keep fearing that one morning I'll wake up ta discover it was all a beautiful, bizarre"cruel dream and you never were here." "I'm here, Rabbit." He squeezed her hand. "I know." She smiled at him. "I do. Just chalk it up to my silly little head fearing that you would be gone again. And that pain would return.." her voice dropped a little. "I'd never survive it if I lost you again." She saw he was about to say something and quickly put her finger to his lips. "No. I don't need you to say anything. I just needed you to know...that I realize I haven't been fully here with you." She lightened the pressure of her finger to his lips and traced along them moving across his cheek. "This mess you came home to. The disaster that my life became without you. I'm so sorry." She sat up a little. "I'm so sorry you had to wait. I'm sorry you had to deal with it at all. You are.." she paused taking a breath. "The only one I have ever given everything I had to. And it's gonna take me a little while to move the walls I put up since you left. So, what I'm asking is that you just keep being you and know that I do want it all back. Everything we had and were. I want all of that back." She let her hand trail down one of his muscled arms back to his hand, he took hers in his and gave her a smile. "I'm not going anywhere without you."
Since that night, they hadn't discussed it further. That didn't mean that Aja wasn't thinking about it. This particular morning, she was lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, turning the problem over in her head. He was the man she married all those years ago, for the most part, but she wasn't the same woman he married. She had changed. Not her feelings for him, but who she was. The situation with Tristan went round and round. With a groan she turned over and buried her face into the pillow.
Tristan choice that moment to come into the bedroom.
"Not wanting to get up this morning, Rabbit?" he said amused and she lifted her head, a piece of her hair hung in her face making him chuckle. "That's adorable." "I'm glad I'm amusing to you." She said pushing her hair back out of her face. "You are very amusing." He took a seat on the edge of the bed and reached out to touch her face. "And beautiful." "Yer in a good mood." She smiled up at him. "I'm waking up next to my beautiful wife in the morning, I'm alive and healthy." Tristan leaned down and kissed her. "I'm a lucky man." Tristan moved to sit on the bed, he leaned against the headboard and smiled at her sweetly. "And yer sexy." Aja grinned at him, deciding that she'd give acting normally a try. "Don't forget that." "Sexy' Really?" he asked amused and just a touch shocked by the admission. They had been avoiding that line of conversation since he's been back. "Yeah." She smiled moving up the bed and laying her head on his chest. "I've always thought you were sexy." She felt him nod to that and he put his arms around her. "That's good." "I'm glad you think so." She said with a smile and then kissed his chest. "Ya think ya wanna go for a boat ride today?" "With you?" "No. With Captain Hook." She swatted his stomach lightly. "Of course with me." "I would love?" Tristan started and pulled her up to him and into his lap. "to take a boat ride with you, Rabbit." He kissed her then. When they came up for air, she smiled at him. "Yer trying ta to distract me, Larson." "Is it working?" "Yes." She gave him a mock pout before grinning at him and kissing his nose. "Maybe we sweet talk Maria into making up a picnic lunch?" "Sounds good." "Ya hear what the kids were planning for the day?" "Mara and Yuki were going to the park today. There's a festival going on." "Yeah. The wives of the crew set that up fer the kids." Aja smiled as she slipped off his lap and got out of bed. "Dunk tank and games. That sort of thing." "Sounds like fun." Tristan watched her pulling clothes out of the closet. "Usually the sort of thing you go to now, isn't it?"
Aja glanced at him, pausing in tugging a shirt off a hanger. She figured he'd been trying to fill himself in on her life over the past twenty years. The time Padriq spent in his head had filled in some of the blanks, but not all.
"Yeah, I usually attempt to make an appearance at those things." She shut the closet. "But I kinda thought that we could spend a little time alone together." "So you can seduce me?" "I need to get you in a boat to do that?" she grinned and set the clothes on the chair by the vanity, then starting to unbutton the shirt she had snagged from Tristan's closet the night before to sleep in. "No." he said watching her with a smile. "I mean, if I wanted to seduce you, Tris, I'd invite you into the shower or...maybe.." she crawled up the bed and stopped, her lips just inches from his. "Maybe I should seduce you right here." Tristan grinned, grabbed her and turned quickly, pinning her to the bed making her laugh. "Anytime you want to seduce me, Rabbit, you know I'm game for it." He grinned down at her then kissed her forehead. "But you know I'm not going to do a thing you aren't ready to do." "I know." She said looking up at him. "So, a boat ride?" "Yeah." She smiled at his change of subject and ran her fingers along his arm lightly. "It's a nice day, water's calm and sky's clear." "Perfect day for a sail." He said with a smile. "Absolutely.?
They spent the day out on the water. Talking and laughing, well on their way to returning to being the couple they were before the fates had stepped in and made the walls come down.