"Is he okay?" Sophie re-positioned her phone on her desk, so her face was actually within the screen.
She was currently trying to get through a busy day at work without collapsing yet had managed to shut herself away for a few minutes so she could speak to Aaron.
"Yeah he seems it. Why?"
Nodding her head, Sophie wasn't even sure if confronting Aaron over this was a good idea or not. She didn't want Kaden to think she was interfering but she also wanted to ensure Aaron was aware of their son's apprehensions.
"What, Soph? Why are you looking at me like that?" Aaron questioned when Sophie didn't say a word.
Her silence was making this whole thing feel ten times worse. He was already feeling on edge over this FaceTime call due to the text that came before it, insisting he call her rather than asking if he was free. He wasn't exactly surprised as she hadn't changed much over the years however, he had expected her to not make immediate assumptions that she'd still get what she wanted, regardless of their situation.
Aaron's relationship with Sophie had improved dramatically over the years, as they were now able to communicate and get on as friends like they used to. However, that still didn't stop the occasional mixed feelings he experienced when speaking to her, even when they were in completely different countries. Although he was pleased they were back on friendship terms for the sake of their children, he also felt a little safer when they rarely contacted one another. However, now he had the struggle of learning how to be her friend without falling into the trap of thinking he wanted her back, as he knew full well that was never going to happen.
"Sophie, just tell me what's going on!" Aaron persisted, as he watched Sophie run her hands through her hair.
"Okay, I just don't want to get too involved when this is Kaden's business. I don't know how much he wants me to say."
"What is going on?"
"He did tell me I could mention it, so it's okay if I do, right?" Sophie continued to stress, causing Aaron to roll her eyes. He had never seen her so conflicted in a decision before. She was usually the best person at making any kind of decision and just sticking to it.
"Yes Soph. Just tell me."
Aaron was completely lost to what was going on here. Kaden was currently living in Brighton with him yet he was still the one in the unknown. It seemed as though a trip home to visit his mum had changed everything and Aaron was now worried he was going to announce he wanted to move back to New York.
"Right, okay okay... well when he was home he told me something which he's been a bit unsure about telling you. It's really not a big deal at all but he doesn't know how you'll react." Sophie began and Aaron was watching Sophie on the screen with nerves running through his body over what was coming next. "I told him he had nothing to worry about because I know you but he's still scared."
"What is he scared about?" Aaron questioned, struggling to figure out Sophie's code way of talking about this. "What does he want to tell me?"
"You know he brought a friend with him when he came to visit me?" Sophie began and Aaron nodded his head. "He isn't just a friend."
"They're..." Aaron began before Sophie cut him up.
"Together, yeah. Asher is his boyfriend."
Sophie hadn't felt uneasy about telling Aaron and she had also persisted to tell Kaden that he had nothing to worry about either. She had always been certain that she knew Aaron well enough to know he wouldn't see this as something that had to be treated differently. However, their 17 year old son had still held his apprehensions.
Kaden hadn't feared that his dad would react badly however, he had been nervous about him treating him differently. Although he had always been brought up to view love as love, regardless of who it was, it had still been a journey for Kaden. Society still made it incredibly difficult to be who you were, regardless of what your own family thought, so none of this had been easy.
He had been battling the conflicting views in his mind for a couple of years. One influenced by his upbringing and the acceptance of who he was regardless of what anyone else thought. However, the other was the concerns of those around him in daily life, fear of what his friends would think, or how people who knew him would react. He didn't want to care but there had been a part of him that couldn't help but feel a little bit of fear because of it.
Speaking to his mum had been one of the first things he did and he was glad of it. Sophie had been aware well before Kaden had even spoken the words out loud however, still approached it at his speed, when he was ready. She'd confirmed his natural inner feelings, that he shouldn't care about what anyone else thought. It was his life and it didn't change who he was in the slightest.
He had been battling the conflicting views in his mind for a couple of years. One influenced by his upbringing and the acceptance of who he was regardless of what anyone else thought. However, the other was the concerns of those around him in daily life, fear of what his friends would think, or how people who knew him would react. He didn't want to care but there had been a part of him that couldn't help but feel a little bit of fear because of it.
Speaking to his mum had been one of the first things he did and he was glad of it. Sophie had been aware well before Kaden had even spoken the words out loud however, still approached it at his speed, when he was ready. She'd confirmed his natural inner feelings, that he shouldn't care about what anyone else thought. It was his life and it didn't change who he was in the slightest.
However, he still couldn't help but feel a little nervous about bringing it up to his dad. It didn't matter how much reassurance Sophie gave him, he was worried that he would no longer see him the same way. He was worried that he would view him as a new human being and not the same son that he was.
"I guessed they were together." Aaron chuckled, finally speaking after those two seconds which felt more like minutes to Sophie. "I was going to say something but I didn't want to take that away from him. I thought he'd want to tell us himself."
Letting a smile spread across her lips, Sophie was glad to hear a response she had been expecting.
"He's going to speak to you at some point, I think he was just waiting for the right time."
"Why was he nervous to tell me?" Aaron asked and Sophie could hear the slight drop in his tone. "He didn't think I was going to judge him, did he?"
"I don't think it was that." Sophie explained. "I think he just worried it would change your relationship."
"So he thought I was going to treat him differently?"
"Possibly, but I really think that is something you should speak to him about. I don't want to speak for him."
Kaden had asked Sophie to mention this all to Aaron but she also felt like this should be a conversation the pair shared. There was no need for her to be the messenger as it was only causing more uncertainty between them both.
"Alright, that's fine. I'll speak to him when he gets home." Aaron replied as he leaned back against the car, that he had previously been working on.
Sophie sat back in her own chair watching him for a minute and also darting her eyes to everything behind him. Seeing the garage caused her to suddenly feel a longing to be there. She missed it and it had been so long since she had last visited. With most of her family now living in France instead, she spent any spare time she got with them, rather than returning to Brighton. That had been incredibly hard to adapt to.
"What are you thinking?" Aaron asked and Sophie immediately began shaking her head.
"Oh nothing."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Although Aaron didn't believe her in the slightest, he could tell she wasn't willing to talk about it so he moved the conversation along.
"How's Tiger doing now then? Is he alright?"
"He's.... yeah, okay." Sophie began, feeling that guilt return. "I just don't know what to do. This is my job but he hates everything that comes along with it."
"He hates the attention?" Aaron tried to clarify and Sophie nodded her head.
"I feel like such a bad mum because I've put him in this situation, but I don't know how I can fix it. I can't just give it all up and I can't just stop people from being interested either... my whole career relies on that now."
"Do you wish you could go back?"
"Go back?" Sophie asked, confused as to what he meant.
"To when you had a normal job. You know, when we were seeing each other and you'd just got that job in London. No one knew who you were then."
Aaron's words caused Sophie to freeze for a moment. The fact that he mentioned 'when we were seeing each other' instantly made her feel slightly on edge. He didn't need to bring that up to explain what he had meant, yet he had chosen to, and she was almost certain she knew why.
"Er... not exactly, no because I love what I do now. I wouldn't change it for the world. That was just a good stepping stone." Sophie replied, feeling the need to quickly deflect the conversation.
She didn't want Aaron taking this conversation elsewhere, nor did she want him thinking it meant anything. She was trying to be his friend again yet she didn't know if he was managing this whole thing quite so well.
Luckily for her, as her eyes darted up ahead, she noticed Todd walking towards her office with a bunch of papers in his hand. Today was a busy day and she knew that whatever he wanted, would definitely be in need of her immediate attention.
"Babe, I need you to approve of a few things for the website." Todd said the moment he came charging through the door, not even noticing the phone in front of her.
"Yeah, give me one second. I'm just talking to Aaron." She pointed to the screen, and as Todd made his way around the desk he noticed it sat there.
"Oh shit, sorry, didn't realise. You alright?"
"Yeah, man. I'm good." Aaron replied while watching Sophie glimpse up at Todd before back to him.
"I really need to go but let me know how it goes with Kaden, okay? Call me or text me or something."
"Yeah, alright. I will. Good luck with whatever you're doing."
"Thank you." Sophie flashed Aaron a genuine smile, one that he couldn't help but mirror.
He was glad to see her happy.
Regardless of everything they had been through, he knew she would always be happier out there. New York was her home now, no matter how many times he tried to create scenarios in his head that consisted of them working out. He knew it wasn't possible.
Aaron knew things could have been different but they were young and selfish to their own needs back then, and rightly so. Even if he was certain they could have eventually worked things out, he also knew that was never going to happen. Sophie had been reunited with the man who had always played such a huge part in her life. He was the man who had managed to hold her heart for all of these years, and he was the only person who had ever truly accepted her for who she was. He had never tried to change her, or wish she was different. He had loved her for the bossy, work obsessed and powerful woman she was. Aaron could never compete with that.
Sophie sat back in her own chair watching him for a minute and also darting her eyes to everything behind him. Seeing the garage caused her to suddenly feel a longing to be there. She missed it and it had been so long since she had last visited. With most of her family now living in France instead, she spent any spare time she got with them, rather than returning to Brighton. That had been incredibly hard to adapt to.
"What are you thinking?" Aaron asked and Sophie immediately began shaking her head.
"Oh nothing."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Although Aaron didn't believe her in the slightest, he could tell she wasn't willing to talk about it so he moved the conversation along.
"How's Tiger doing now then? Is he alright?"
"He's.... yeah, okay." Sophie began, feeling that guilt return. "I just don't know what to do. This is my job but he hates everything that comes along with it."
"He hates the attention?" Aaron tried to clarify and Sophie nodded her head.
"I feel like such a bad mum because I've put him in this situation, but I don't know how I can fix it. I can't just give it all up and I can't just stop people from being interested either... my whole career relies on that now."
"Do you wish you could go back?"
"Go back?" Sophie asked, confused as to what he meant.
"To when you had a normal job. You know, when we were seeing each other and you'd just got that job in London. No one knew who you were then."
Aaron's words caused Sophie to freeze for a moment. The fact that he mentioned 'when we were seeing each other' instantly made her feel slightly on edge. He didn't need to bring that up to explain what he had meant, yet he had chosen to, and she was almost certain she knew why.
"Er... not exactly, no because I love what I do now. I wouldn't change it for the world. That was just a good stepping stone." Sophie replied, feeling the need to quickly deflect the conversation.
She didn't want Aaron taking this conversation elsewhere, nor did she want him thinking it meant anything. She was trying to be his friend again yet she didn't know if he was managing this whole thing quite so well.
Luckily for her, as her eyes darted up ahead, she noticed Todd walking towards her office with a bunch of papers in his hand. Today was a busy day and she knew that whatever he wanted, would definitely be in need of her immediate attention.
"Babe, I need you to approve of a few things for the website." Todd said the moment he came charging through the door, not even noticing the phone in front of her.
"Yeah, give me one second. I'm just talking to Aaron." She pointed to the screen, and as Todd made his way around the desk he noticed it sat there.
"Oh shit, sorry, didn't realise. You alright?"
"Yeah, man. I'm good." Aaron replied while watching Sophie glimpse up at Todd before back to him.
"I really need to go but let me know how it goes with Kaden, okay? Call me or text me or something."
"Yeah, alright. I will. Good luck with whatever you're doing."
"Thank you." Sophie flashed Aaron a genuine smile, one that he couldn't help but mirror.
He was glad to see her happy.
Regardless of everything they had been through, he knew she would always be happier out there. New York was her home now, no matter how many times he tried to create scenarios in his head that consisted of them working out. He knew it wasn't possible.
Aaron knew things could have been different but they were young and selfish to their own needs back then, and rightly so. Even if he was certain they could have eventually worked things out, he also knew that was never going to happen. Sophie had been reunited with the man who had always played such a huge part in her life. He was the man who had managed to hold her heart for all of these years, and he was the only person who had ever truly accepted her for who she was. He had never tried to change her, or wish she was different. He had loved her for the bossy, work obsessed and powerful woman she was. Aaron could never compete with that.
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