Confession: I had never attended a funeral before. My total knowledge of funerals came from sappy movies and TV shows, which is why when Aiden picked out my clothes for the funeral, I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable in them. Despite me reminding him that he needed to spend this time grieving with his closest people, he insisted that I come along with him till I couldn't say no anymore without raising my voice. Of course, manners indicated that I wouldn't raise my voice at someone grieving a very personal loss, and especially in such an immediate moment. I took all of ten minutes to slip into a plain blouse I found in the very back of my closet and jeans, carrying my shoes in my hands so I wouldn't waste any time. I tied my laces sitting in Aiden's car as we drove across the emptying city, even bumping a red light in the process. I thought of telling him to slow down, then figured it wouldn't help his already soured mood.

"Open the panel there and take out the shades," Aiden instructed as I assumed we neared his house. I obliged, holding them out for him.

"No, you wear them. You don't need those fuckers blinding you for this."

"You're the one driving." I pointed out, still holding them for him.

"For fucks sake Thea I don't want to argue and fight about everything. Just do as I say." I sunk in my seat, putting on the shades as he requested. It was nighttime, and wearing shades was ridiculous as it is, I didn't want to hear his scolding for something so small like this right now. Holy fuck I did need them. It wasn't hard to guess which house on the street belonged to the Steeles. The road leading up to it was filled with cars and news station wagons. Reporters were flooding the street, trying to get any insight that would push their channel ahead of the competition. God, this was brutal. Aiden's honk drew attention as he drove in the middle of the street, and like flies to sweets, the reporters, camerapersons and video recorders all flocked to his car, not allowing him to move.

I could hear the reporters outside screaming all sorts of questions, ranging from his business to his father to the woman on his side, and I wished I could punch that asshole and knock him out. A man's father had died and you cared about the woman on his side? Fuck you. Someone asked about the future of Steele Enterprises as if Aiden had not been holding it all together for the past four years on his own. Aiden honked again, revving his engine and attempting to clear his path again. In a controlled manoeuvre, he let the car inch forward ever so slightly, scaring some of the people off his car, giving him enough space to reach the front gates.

The guards opened the gates just enough for his car to pass through before shutting them again, against the current of the people standing outside.

"Pigs," I grumbled under my breath.

"Part of the job." Aiden shrugged, even though I could see this had shaken him up just as much. No one deserved to share their grief publicly. He was greeted inside by Mrs Steele, tall and regal and very obviously distraught. Her face showed very little signs of ageing, but the crying must have added nearly ten years to it. She hugged Aiden and they shared a brief moment before Aiden looked back at me, standing awkwardly at the doorway.

Shit. What the fuck was correct etiquette?

Mrs Steele's eyes were scanning me from head to toe and I wondered if I should have been more put together somehow to gain her approval. I don't know what she decided about me in those microseconds because a polite smile came on her face and she pressed a hand on my shoulder bringing me in.

"I'm very sorry for your loss," I mumbled, knowing that I was so ridiculously out of place in this Midas touched house. Internally, my mind was evaluating just how much I would have to pay in damages if I managed to be clumsy.

"Thank you, dear." She nodded, taking us down the hallway to what I assumed would be their living room. I recognized Penny Steele, his younger sister getting up and hugging him first. The two were obviously very close. She turned to me with a look of disdain, as if her eyes could make me evaporate.

"Penny, this is Thea." Aiden made the introductions and I simply repeated my line from before like a fucking parrot. My family had been luckier than most, having not experienced a death of a dear one in a long time. My grandparents from both sides of the family were healthy as their age allowed, living together in a care home for geriatrics in Georgia, flourishing for as long as life allowed them to. My parents were both only children, and when there were funerals in the distant family, usually only one parent left to attend while the other stayed back for me and my brother. The appropriate protocol should have been a priority to Google while Aiden had been driving, but I had been stupid enough to spend most of my time trying to piece together my breaking heart. I simply had to realize in the car that Aiden would never open up the way he did today and that once he had processed his grief, I'd never be this close to him again.

I sat down on the other sofa in the corner, twiddling my thumbs and cursing the skies for putting me in this position. Did I want to make myself useful, do something, but...how? Aiden solved my problem by finishing his conversation with his mother and coming back to sit next to me. Quietly, matching the atmosphere of the room, he whispered, "This is a strange situation I've put you in. I didn't think of it."

"Sherlock." I pursed my lips, not knowing how the joke would bode on him. But he cracked some semblance of a smile on, relieving me.

"I wish you would have met Penny and Lance under better circumstances." He said.

"It's alright." I felt at a loss for words again. We sat like this for a while before Aiden leaned over, putting his head on my shoulder. I pressed his hand lightly and that was communication enough. I could work on Penny and Lance and Mrs Steele later. I had come here because Aiden had asked me to, and even when my cup was dangerously low, I was going to pour in every ounce of comfort I could give to him.

Arrangements were being made to hold a funeral the next morning itself, something about Sundays making things convenient for people who would want to pay respects. Aiden wailed as he saw his father's body being loaded in a hearse so they could prepare him for the funeral, and I didn't dare look for the fear that I wouldn't be able to take it. Mrs Steele was calmer now, having processed her grief enough to take care of her role as a mother. Instructing all of us to get some rest, she retreated to her wing as well, and I pitied the woman who would have to sleep in an empty bed tonight for the first time in years.

Aiden guided me to a guest room, leaving me at the doorstep before hurrying away somewhere. Maybe he needed space. My mind was irritating me. How was I worried about fucking being out of place when someone had literally fucking died? I had only ever met Mr Steele twice in my life. The first time was when I had pitched my proposal in front of seven investors, one of which had been him. He had driven a hard bargain, pressed me where my weaknesses were and encouraged me to spontaneously come up with answers I hadn't thought of before. But that wasn't what had made him a remarkable man. When the third investor had made a sexist remark about me handing the finances to a guy, Mr Steele had completely shut him down. I had never been good at finance, and Mr Steele hadn't known this. But he defended my potential, and for that, I could never not be grateful. The second time I had met him, he asked me how my brother had been doing, something that had completely thrown me off. I had only mentioned in the passing that my brother had a learning disability which prompted me to find a solution, which I expanded for my proposal. It had been one fleeting sentence. But he remembered, and he cared enough to ask.

And I'd never be in the same room as that man again.

I couldn't sleep for most of the night. When the knock came on my door, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu opening it for Aiden who wordlessly slid in and climbed in bed with me. We didn't kiss, we didn't even touch our pinkies, but we lay in silence- me mourning a man I didn't know enough of and him mourning someone he hadn't imagined life without.

Confession: I was freaked out by the dress options Mrs Steele had arranged for me, each coming with a separate shoe to pair the outfit with. "I can't take you home and Penny's size is..."

"Smaller." I supplied, noticing the hesitancy. I just happened to be more filled out than most women my size on my chest. My mum says it's because of the beetroot she craved during pregnancy. I don't know if that's true.

"Just wear this." He picked a black fit and flare dress from the rack that had been rolled in and I complied, washing my face in the bathroom and sliding the dress on. It was slightly loose at the waist, which had been a problem I experienced often, but I could make do with it. Looser clothes were always a better option as opposed to clothes that were uncomfortable to breathe in.

A woman in the mid-forties came into the room soon after to pin the dress in many places, "Just so we can keep it together till the end of the service."

Aiden had worn all black, his face devoid of any expression as we drove to the church, hounded by photographers one more time. This time I didn't have the shades on, so I kept my head down as we approached them, feeling sick to my stomach. You are on fucking holy ground. Show some compassion.

Confession: It had been years since I visited a church. I never grew up very religious and when I did religious activities as a child, it had usually been at a mosque. We only went to churches during weddings sometimes, and as a kid, I was always outside the ceremony either playing or sneaking away with Zara. Eventually, I had lost most of my faith, and going to church had never been as exciting as going to the mall or getting a paycheck for an extra night of work. Aiden's immediate family, all well known in the business world sat in the front, and I made myself sparse by blending in and taking a seat at the back. I wasn't family, and I wasn't welcome there. I knew my place. Much to my surprise, Jason spotted me first, grabbing the seat beside me. I was still not comfortable with our work relationship, but he was still a friend and I respected him sitting with me through it all. He even offered me his handkerchief when I teared up at the eulogies. Aiden was out in the front with his elder brother Harvey, who had arrived home in the morning with fiery red hair and shaved it all off in order to avoid bringing that mess to his father's funeral.

Jason and I stood outside, he leaned against the walls of the building and lit up a cigarette, offering me one. While I wasn't an active smoker, I did need relief so I took up the opportunity, seeming to surprise him. We were clouding up the air around us, and in the midst of this, Jason said, "I have a confession to make."

"In church?"

"To you." He said.

"I don't have the emotional capacity to deal with anything big," I warned him.

"It won't matter." He insisted. I nodded, even though I had a feeling I would be left drained at the end of this conversation. I desperately needed time away so my brain and heart could rest, but it appeared as if I would be burning out today.

"Well, I wanted to say sorry for how I treated you last week. You didn't deserve any of it."

Well, that was one good thing.

"It was more of me taking my anger out at you, and that isn't fair to you at all. After Aiden called me from Marseille, and I just-" Jason fumbled for words, taking a drag off his cigarette, "Well, I suppose I should tell you now that I liked you. I thought that we had a chance, you know if I get to know you and whatever." He looked embarrassed to admit it, and my warning to him seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. "But Aiden called me, I think on your third day in Marseille," the day after we kissed, the day he sent me home because he clearly regretted it, "He called me to tell me something, I never thought I'd hear him say.

Aiden's really closed off to people. There's no reason to it, he just likes his head being a private place. Which is why I didn't see it coming. But when he told me that he was in love with you... it didn't make sense at first, but it does now."

WHAT THE FUCK.

"Aiden said what?" I choked on the smoke I had been inhaling, forgetting to relax my airway.

Jason blinked, "Fu- Did he not tell you yet?"

"Clearly not. I mean-" My world had tilted as I took in the full weight of Jason's words. What on earth was that supposed to mean? A fluttering hope bloomed in my chest, butterflies wreaking havoc in my heart.

"I-" I stopped Jason from talking more by raising a finger to request silence. Processing this news would have probably been easier coming from the right source, and perhaps at a better time.

"I'm not even going to process that right now." I threw the end of my cigarette on the floor, pressing the toes of my shoes against it to put it out.

"So, you were mad at me for not giving you a chance..." I focused on the other end of it, "when you hadn't even indicated that you had any interest in me?"

"I wasn't sure what I wanted."

"Jason you're 30." I deadpanned, "Why do you men have zero contact with your emotions? Figure your shit out before taking it out on poor women. I was exhausted and burnt out on the second fu-freaking day. We're not your punching bags, nor are we emotion processing centres for you to outsource your troubles."

Jason took all of my rantings with his head hung low. "I get that. I'm sorry we were affecting you like this; I didn't see it. But I understand now. I'll try to keep my personal life out of the work we do."

Not having the energy to say anything more, I leaned back against the wall again, waiting for the service to get over. People paid their respects and then started to filter out, leaving me awkward again. Mrs Steele had hugged Jason like her own, and Penny had been very nice to him in conversation. I did not belong here, and I was just looking for excuses to get out of there when I spotted Aiden standing in a corner alone.

Good. I could tell him that I was leaving and that he should take as much time with his family as possible. With a clear intent in my head, I walked over to him, noticing only up close that he had been crying again. "Hey," I said quietly, putting my hand on his arm, lightly squeezing it, "I'll be going home now, is that okay?"

Jes- Be assertive, Thea.

"Okay. I'll ask Jason to drop you home."

"No, I'll be fine," I responded rather hurriedly, a crease appearing on Aiden's brow that I smoothed out with my fingers.

"About work-"

"I'll get Josie to clean your house and have a word with Monica about you working remotely for the next few days." I was forming plans as I spoke, "Langley and Jason can do most of the work and send reports at the end of the day and Monica can share all the decisions you need to make at the end of the day. Sounds okay?"

Aiden stared at me before some sort of a watery smile came on his face, "Sounds more than okay."

In a moment of pure surprise, he pulled me closer by the neck, pressing his lips to my forehead. Lord have mercy on me. I was not good at keeping my emotions in, a sharp exhale falling out. When I stepped out of the embrace, Aiden looked like he really would need some affection too, and without thinking, I kissed his cheek, turning on my heel and walking out.

I had a lot of calls to make, and then I needed a mind-numbing nap.

No one really got the confessions right, so I'm guessing I'm doing sort of okay at this writing thing xD

What do you think about Jason's confession? Don't come at me, he's getting his own story one day - maybe after I finish writing Fine Print and the spin-off following one of the characters present in this chapter. That's too many hints, so I won't say anything more :)

And this chapter emotionally drained me when I wrote it, ensuing a 15 day block when I just couldn't write the next chapter at all. So y'all better appreciate this :(