"Jackson, you haven't seen our Aaron have you?" Chas asked Jackson, when she spotted him walk past her table in the pub.
"Oh no. Not since this morning. Why?" Jackson asked, taking a seat at the bar, close by.
Chas left her seat, next to Charity and Debbie at the table they occupied, and took a seat beside Jackson.
"Well it's nothing really." Chas started, Jackson could tell she had something to say but was holding back, unsure. "It's about Aaron . . ."
"Chas . . ." Jackson begun, she had something on mind. "You can tell me."
"Aaron's dad, he contacted me yesterday evening, wanting to speak to Aaron." Chas told Jackson, trusting him but still hesitating all the same.
"Well are you going to tell him? Aaron, I mean." Jackson said.
"I'm not sure. Not now anyway, not until I know why all of a sudden he's interested."
"Chas, he needs to know."
"He doesn't. What he doesn't know won't hurt him."
"You can't keep this from him. I can't lie to him."
"You won't be. You just won't mention it. I've told his dad to keep away for now."
"You can't do that Chas. You can't keep a son and father apart." Jackson told her, knowing how much he missed his dad.
"Yes I can. Especially when it's Aaron and Gordon, he only causes trouble for our Aaron." Chas commented, before she got up. "Don't mention a word to him or anybody else. I trust you."
Chas took her seat with Charity and Debbie at their table and continued to sip her drink which she had left behind, like she hadn't had the conversation with Jackson at all. Jackson was the only one she had mentioned Gordon contacting her, she hadn't even told Charity.
Just as Diane went over to Jackson to take his order, Aaron walked through the door. Still dressed in his oily navy overalls and covered in black grease, he took a seat next Jackson at the bar and yawned.
"Make those two beers please." Jackson told Diane, handing her the money to pay for them.
"Right you are," Diane answered, going away to get them both a beer.
"How're you sleepy?" Jackson asked, looking at his boyfriend who looked shattered.
"Great." Aaron answered sarcastically, rubbing his hands over his hair which he did when he was stressed or tired.
"Cain's been working you too hard. What time did you have to get into work this morning? You were gone when I woke." Jackson said, accepting the beers off of Diane who placed them down on the bar with a smile before attending to another customer.
"Seven. I think." Aaron answered, before taking a long sip from his beer. "Thanks."
"You can't keep going in that early. What's he got you doing for all this time?"
"Fixing cars?"
"Yeah, I get that. You're doing too much. Seven till seven at night is a bit extreme, sometimes till nine at night."
"Yeah I get it. `Doing too much, need to slow down.'" Aaron mimicked, smiling. "What did my mum want?"
"Nothing really, saw me on my own and came over to have a chat." Jackson lied.
"Oh okay." Aaron brought.
They didn't stay long in the WoolPack Aaron couldn't keep his eyes open during the last beers they had. Cain had been working him too hard recently, making him turn up early for work and working longer hours. They had a massive rise in the amount of cars handed over to them to fix and with Ryan off work and Cain disappearing every few hours, it was up to Aaron, and sometimes Debbie, to make sure the cars met their deadlines.
Jackson watched Aaron, as he drunk the last few sips of his beer, struggle to keep his eyes open. He found it quite amusing, but worried him a bit, he shouldn't be so tired. Although, he did find Aaron quite cute and innocent fighting the tiredness.
"Come on then sleeping beauty, let's get going." Jackson boomed making Aaron jump, placing his empty glass on to the table they had grabbed earlier.
"W-what? I'm coming." Aaron innocently murmured, standing up and rubbing his eyes.
"Let's get you into bed." At this Jackson received a dirty look off of Aaron. "- No. To sleep, nothing else."
It didn't take them long to get back to Smithy Cottage, they headed straight upstairs to sleep. When Jackson got back from putting his clothes in the dirty laundry bin, in the bathroom, Aaron was asleep on top of the bed still fully clothed.
"Aaron!" Jackson prodded, trying to wake Aaron up so he could get him changed and into bed, he would be more comfortable. Instead he only got a moan from Aaron, as he carried on sleeping in his overalls. "Aaron! Come on. Wake up!"
"Leave me alone." Aaron mumbled, swatting Jackson away and snuggling deeper into the duvet.
"No Aaron, you need to wake up." Jackson told him, grabbing hold of Aarons shoulder and turning him over on to his back. "Come on. You're still dressed in your overalls."
It took a while, but Aaron woke up, got changed and climbed straight back into bed to sleep. He had to be up in a few hours to go back to work again, he needed all the sleep he could get. Jackson laid beside him in the dark, thinking over the conversation he had had with Chas wondering whether he should continue to keep it a secret from Aaron. In many ways he thought it was best not to tell Aaron, things at the moment were going so well, everyone was happy. They didn't need someone from the past raking up forgotten feelings and causing trouble. But at the end of the day, Aaron had a right to know, and Jackson would want to know if his dad contacted him.
- - - - - - - - - -
Aaron was the first one awake the next morning, again. He left Jackson asleep in the double bed they both shared, as he didn't need to get up in another hour or so. Downstairs he made himself a cup of coffee, to wake him self up, before he went back up to get a quick shower. He wasn't in the best of moods that morning; he was too tired which made him moody. He wasn't looking forward to going outside to work in the freezing November weather, it just made him want to crawl back into bed with Jackson even more.
At the garage Cain was already there, sitting on of the chairs inside with his feet up on the side holding a cup of warm drink. When he noticed Aaron getting closer, he picked up a pair of keys from the side and threw them at Aaron expecting to him to catch them. Instead he fumbled with the catch and dropped them on the stoned floor.
"Think fast." Cain laughed.
"Shut up." Aaron responded, unlocking the car who's keys he had received.
"Some ones in a mood this morning." Cain winded him up from inside the garage.
"Have you got one of them for me?" Aaron asked, noticing the cup of coffee he was drinking.
"You know where the kettle is." Cain answered, putting his finished cup down and heading back over to the car he was fixing.
"Nice one, Cain. First you drag me into work too early in the morning and then you don't even get me a coffee." Aaron complained, dragging a tool box out the garage.
"Quit complaining, you know where the kettle is." Cain answered, before he changed the subject. "I've got to pop out later, I wont be long, behave while I'm out."
"Again. You went out yesterday." Aaron moaned.
"Yeah, well it's up to me when I do and don't go out."
"And it's me who has to cover."
"Look who's getting mouthy."
Just as Cain said he would, he left Aaron around lunch time, leaving him to fix the wires in the dashboard of a Vauxhall Corsa. Debbie was no where to be seen all morning, so Aaron was on his own to man the phones and to make sure the cars were fixed by their deadlines, apparently she was taking Sarah somewhere today. Aaron didn't mind that much, at least being on his own he could have the radio on his favourite station and as loud as he wanted, Debbie wasn't there to annoy him and Cain wasn't winding him up.
"That was quick!" Aaron shouted to he thought was Cain walking up the gravel drive. When there was no answer, Aaron looked up from trying to connect two tricky wires together to see who it was.
It was his dad, standing bold as brass with his hands in his pockets just a metre away from him. He hadn't changed much over the past few years Aaron hadn't seen him. He was still the same man, who chucked him out, abandoned him, and gave up, in Aaron's eyes.
"What do you want?" Aaron demanded.
"You alright?" Gordon asked, ignoring his son's aggressive, blunt tones.
"What are you doing here?" Aaron continued, not able to figure out why this man was back in his life.
"Aaron, I'm here to talk." He said.
"To talk?" Aaron spat, looking down at him. "You turn up after all these years, just to talk?"
"No- yes, no. To apologise as well." Aaron's father said, realising it wasn't going to be as easy as he thought it would be.
"Well . . . which is it? No? Yes?" Aaron seethed, anger swelling as all the horrid memories of his father came flooding back.
Aaron stepped out of the car and chucked the pliers he had in his hand at that moment, into the car. He wasn't happy, he couldn't work out after all these years, his father just magically appears wanting to talk and apologise. Things weren't as easy as that, things never where . . .not when he was concerned.
"Aaron, I know things have been hard for you. And I haven't exactly been there for you through any of it-." Gordon began, before he was interrupted.
"-Exactly, you weren't there, through any of it. You kicked me out remember. What makes you think I want anything to do with you?" Aaron began to shout, losing his temper. "Just leave me alone!"
"I should have listened to your mother, when she said I should have stayed away." Gordon said, not realising he had let the cat out of the bag. "But I couldn't. I regret every wrong thing I done to you. But I was there when your mother wasn't, do you remember?"
Gordon was right; he had been there for him when his mother didn't want him around anymore. He'd spent most of his childhood, living with his father, when his mother was off partying and forgetting who he was. She had visited him a few times a year, make sure he knew she was and that he didn't forget about her. But she hadn't turned her back on him completely, not like his dad did, yeah she'd kicked him out a few times, told him off, given up hope, but she'd always came round in the end.
"What do you mean, `should have listened to your mother'?" Aaron fumed, catching every word his father had told him.
"Like I said." Gordon now said smiling.
That was all Aaron had to hear before he turned on his heels and headed down towards Katie's house, in search of his mother. Why had she not told him? He thought as stormed down the street, leaving his father at the garage who was shouting after him.
As soon as Aaron reached Katie's front door, he begun to bang his knuckles on the solid painted green wood. "Mum!" Aaron shouted, hoping his mother would answer quicker if he shouted.
Chas got to her feet and opened the front door, as soon as she heard the banging. At first she did wonder who it was, until she herd "Mum" being shouted by Aaron. Thoughts raced, through her brain as she tried to work out what may have happened to make him so angry.
"What's the matter love?" Chas asked, stepping to the side to allow him to storm into the lounge.
"You lied!" Aaron shouted, pacing around the lounge shooting her a filthy look.
"Aaron, what are you talking about?" Chas asked, her heart pounding, hoping that he knew nothing about his father talking to her. Jackson wouldn't have gone against her?She thought, No he wouldn't of, she'd told him not to.
"You know what I'm talking about! You spoke to him!" Aaron seethed, his temper flaring the more she played innocent.
"Aaron, I only did it to protect you." Chas said, hoping it would calm him down.
"To protect me! You lied to me."
"Let's just sit down and talk about it." These words were like a red flag to bull. Aaron aimlessly he hit out with his left fist and punched a dent in one of Katie's lounge walls. "Aaron!" Chas cried out, shocked at his loss of temper.
Aaron just looked at her, before disappearing out of the house. He didn't want to listen to her any longer, for all he knew she was lying to him. Chas followed him outside and chased after him down the road, she was determined to make him see where she coming from.
"Aaron! Wait, just listen to me." Chas begged, now walking quickly beside him to keep up with his quick pace. "Have you hurt yourself?" He just ignored her and continued walking, he wasn't sure where he was going, and he just needed to calm down, he couldn't deal with her fussing. "Don't ignore me!"
"Why can't you see I don't want to talk to you?" Aaron shouted at
Nobody was home when Aaron reached Smithy Cottage. He'd managed to get back without anybody seeing what state he was in. He wasn't in the mood for the likes of Betty to ask 20 nosy questions. Who the hell did his father think he was? Aaron thought as he went upstairs to the bathroom. His hand looked a mess, there was no way he could hide this from Jackson. He would be mad at him for fighting and Aaron didn't want Jackson in a mood with him as well as his father showing up today.
Cuts and bruises already adorned Aarons right hand he hissed as the wash cloth he was using to wipe away the blood made a cut sting.
"Aaron?" He herd Jackson call from downstairs. "Aaron, you home?"
"I'll be down in a minute." Aaron shouted back, panicking about how Jackson would react to how he had been fighting. He didn't want Jackson to be disappointed in him. He had tried so hard lately to not lose his temper, but his dad turned up and spoilt it.
"You alright?" Jackson shouted back, still downstairs most probably making him self of a cup of tea.
"Yeah I'm fine."
Aaron quickly washed away the rest of the blood on his hand as he well as he could, biting his lip when the cuts stung. He was soon descending the stairs and walking into the kitchen, his head staring down at the floor prolonging the time when Jackson would get a good look at his face. Luckily, Jackson was facing away as he sat down at the kitchen table, pouring hot water into the cups.
"How come your home?" Jackson asked, still with his back to him.
"Cain sent me back for a while." Aaron answered, almost telling the truth.
"Oh did he? That was nice of him." Jackson said, picking up the cups of tea and handing Aaron a cup of Coffee. "Aaron . . ."
Forgetting, Aaron took the Cup with his right hand, showing Jackson his bruised and grazed right hand.
"Aaron, what did you?" Jackson fumed, forgetting to get the facts and just assume.
"Jackson . . .It's not what it looks like." Aaron breathed, pleading in his eyes.
"Did you get in a fight?"
"Yeah-."
"Then it's exactly what it looks like. You lost your temper, AGAIN. You just can't control your self can you?" Jackson shouted. "What did I tell you last time? I can't be with you if you keep thinking with your fists!"
"Yeah, I'm sorry okay. But-" Aaron tried to explain but was only shouted down by Jackson.
"But what? You can't help yourself can you? Always, always got to lose your temper, be the 'ardman." Jackson fumed. "I told you if you went after Mickey, we're over. And it still applies now."
"It's not Mickey. It's my DAD!" Aaron shouted, trying to make Jackson listen.
"What?" Jackson stopped in his tracks. He was fully aware of Aaron's dad being back on the scene so he had no reason not to believe him. But did his dad really do this to him? He just wanted to talk didn't he? Jackson dad had hit him once, maybe twice, but never made this much of an impact on him, like Gordon had to Aaron. "I thought he just wanted to talk?" Jackson slipped.
"Talk? What do you mean you thought he just wanted to talk?" Aaron caught, "Did you know as well!"
"Aaron . . . I swore not to say anything. It was for the best." Jackson stumbled, realising Aaron was now becoming angry.
"For the best?" Aaron seethed, hanging on each word. "What part of my dad turning up at the garage and getting into fight with me, was for the best?"
"We didn't think he would actually turn up." Jackson said. "We thought he would get the message when you didn't call him and never bother you again."
"Well you thought wrong!" Aaron spat glaring at Jackson.
"Aaron, I'm so sorry." Jackson apologized, taking steps towards Aaron and placing a hand on his arm.
Aaron just snatched his arm back, like it had been burnt by something hot, before getting up and storming upstairs. "Aaron!" Jackson called after him, knowing it was a wasted breath.
Aaron slammed his bedroom door behind him, hoping it gave Jackson an inkling of how angry he was feeling right now, after finding out his mother and boyfriend had kept his father trying to contact him a secret between them. Today was only getting worse, as it went on. Aaron breathed deeply through his nose, trying to calm his temper before he hurt his fists anymore.
He herd the front door close, as Jackson left, he wasn't surprised. He wouldn't want to be left in Smithy Cottage with himself when he was this angry. He let out a deep sigh and switched his radio on, before going over to his bed and lying down. He was in no hurry to get back to work, Cain would most probably be on his back about it later, but at the moment he didn't care, why should he?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Aaron, you coming down for Dinner?" Paddy called up the stairs, hoping Aaron would answer. Jackson had already warned him about what kind of mood Aaron would be in, when he walked through the door. They'd both been home an hour and hadn't herd a word from Aaron. "Aaron?" Paddy called again.
For a moment Jackson had thought Aaron had gone out and hadn't bothered to send them text telling them he wouldn't be home for Dinner, but then he herd heavy footsteps descending the stairs.
"You alright?" Paddy asked him, as he took a seat opposite Jackson, glaring at him. Obviously he was still fuming about what Jackson had done.
When Aaron didn't answer Jackson stepped in "Hey, you going to answer Paddy. He was talking to you, just because you're in a mood with me doesn't mean you can take it out on him."
"Don't even start." Aaron spat at Jackson, as Paddy began to place the plates with their dinner on them, onto the round kitchen table.
"Woah." Jackson said calmly, holding his palms up at chest level in surrender. "I'm only saying."
"Pity you couldn't only say earlier, about my dad." Aaron continued, ignoring Jackson's hints about not wanting to get into a fight.
"Aaron, don't, not now, while we're having dinner." Jackson breathed.
"No! I wanna know why you didn't tell me!" Aaron fumed, glaring at Jackson, while Paddy just sat between them trying to ignore them both eating his dinner.
"Like I said earlier, your mother told me in confidence."
"And. . . Still doesn't mean you couldn't tell me! How would you like it if I didn't tell you your dad called me the other day!" Aaron shouted, losing his temper completely.
Aaron had got him there. He would want to know if his dad had tried to contact him. Yeah, he would be angry with his dad at first but after a time, hopefully, they would get on how they used to years ago. But then Chas has told him Gordon caused trouble for Aaron and at the moment everything was going okay, as okay as they could be. She was right though, he'd only been back less than a day in Aarons life, and he'd already managed to cause an argument between Jackson and Aaron. How much more trouble could he cause if he stayed longer.
"Aaron, just calm down." Paddy told him, having had a enough of the teens outburst.
"Calm down? He lied to me!" Aaron shouted, Paddy having no effect on him.
"No. I just didn't tell you." Jackson shot back.
"Same thing, You kept a secret from me, a secret I should know about."
"Oh, and you don't."
"No. I don't." Aaron answered truthfully he always tried to tell Jackson everything, no matter how hard it was. He was hurt that Jackson had kept this from him, kept a secret from him. "Where as you accuse me of fighting! Don't you have any belief in my at all!"
"Aaron, of course I do-"
"You can't have that much belief, if you don't even listen to me when I tell you otherwise!" Aaron shouted, tears brimming in his eyes threatening to fall. He swore to himself he wasn't going to cry, no matter how hurt he was from Jackson's actions.
"I'm sorry okay." Jackson said simply before leaving the room. He knew he had hurt Aaron. Aaron was only pushing him away, like he always did when he feared things were going to go wrong.
A week later and things were still icy between Jackson and Aaron. Aaron barely spoke to him most of the time, only speaking when Jackson tried to get him to talk, to hold a conversation. Aaron was still angry, gradually pushing Jackson away. He'd trusted him, which didn't come easy to him, and he'd held a secret back from him, he was hurt.
Gordon turned up again to the garage, when Aaron was on his lunch break. Knowing nothing about who Gordon was, when he asked where Aaron was, Ryan pointed him in the direction of the pub innocently. He'd found him hunched over a pint at the back of the Woolpack, with Cain beside him, who looked up when he approached.
"Hello Aaron." He said simply, hoping to catch his attention.
"What gives us the pleasure of your company?" Cain drooled, dripping with sarcasm.
"I'm here to talk with my son." Gordon answered, trying not to rise to Cain's manner.
"Yeah well, I don't want to talk." Aaron said, before downing the rest of his pint and heading out.
"Wait. You don't have to talk, just listen to me." Gordon rushed.
"I think you misunderstood my nephew." Cain began, standing up in front of Gordon. "He obviously doesn't want anything to do with you. So just leave him be."
"It's alright Cain. Just ignore him. I'm sure I'm capable of that, I mean you ignored me for years, so it must be in the genes, right?" Aaron said, nearly out the door.
"Aaron please, just give me a chance. I know we didn't sort things out the other day." Gordon asked. "I'm hoping we can now."
"Why?"
"Because I want to able to know my son, I need to make up all the years I wasn't there for you."
"Aaron, you don't need to lis-" Cain started, before Aaron cut him off. "I'll be at work in five minutes."
"Thank you." Gordon smiled, taking a seat at one of the tables, waiting for Aaron to join him.
"You've got less than five minutes, then I'm out of here." Aaron told him sternly, folding his arms.
"Look, I know we didn't see eye to eye the other day. But I am sorry that I wasn't there for you when you needed me most." Gordon told him. "I just hope that maybe now, I can start trying to make up all those years I wasn't there for you. Can you forgive me? I really want my Son back."
Aaron didn't answer him for a while, just let him grow even more anxious in front of him. "I don't know. What's with the sudden interest?"
"Can't a dad just want to see his son?"
"No."
". . . Truth is. Sandra left me, she took Charlie with her. And I was hoping we could build bridges together."
"Exactly what I thought!" Aaron fumed, forgetting he was in a pub. "I knew there was a reason! Sandra leaves you and takes your precious baby with her and you come crawling back to me! You creep!"
"Aaron!" Chas cried when she walked into the Woolpack, hearing Aaron's dulcet tones. "I should of none." Chas sneered when she saw that Gordon was with him. "Knew you would be the one winding him up. Come on Aaron, go back to work. Cain's waiting for you."
"No! I want to tell him exactly what I think of him." Aaron growled, ignoring his mother's attempts to get him out of the pub.
"Aaron! Out. Now, before Diane throws you out for scaring away her customers. Leave your father to me." Chas smiled fakery.
"He's not my father. Paddy is." Aaron shot at Gordon, hoping it hurt him like a knife to the gut.
"That's my son." Chas laughed, as she saw the expression of hurt flash across Gordon's face. As soon as Aaron was through the doors she began. "Now Gordon, I hope you don't mind me saying, but Aaron doesn't want anything to do with you. Like I said earlier I would find it best, if you kept well away. You know what us Dingles get like when are tempers get the better can off us."
"But he's not a dingle. He's a livsey. I noticed he hasn't changed his last name."
"Well to be honest with you Gordon, we haven't had a chance to think about last names and changing them the past few years. We've had so much to deal with, Aaron attempting suicide, his granddad and dog dying, that and his court appearance. Which I'm sure you herd about." Chas told him. "And where were you through all of this? Playing happy family's with Sandra and your new baby."
"I have a right to know my own son." Gordon shot at her, losing his temper.
"No, you don't. Not when you haven't been there for him. He's eighteen now, he's grown up, he's can think for himself now. He doesn't want you anywhere near him." Chas told him. "Now leave him alone, that's a warning." Chas flashed him one fake smile, before heading over to Carl and Jimmy, who sat at the other side of the Woolpack.
"What did the creep want?" Cain asked Aaron, when he saw him walk up the gravel.
"Nothing." Aaron snapped, finding it hard to keep his temper in check. Gordon made him so angry.
