A different take on Aaron confiding in Paddy, about the affair with Robert, so I'm going back in time a bit! (Blame youtube.) Also Katie's still alive at this point in time.
Aaron walked through to Paddy's kitchen and sat at the table before Paddy could say so much as hello. Paddy sat opposite him quickly. "Hello to you to."
"Paddy, I need to know… that I can trust you."
"Of course you can," he said, almost insulted that he'd even had to ask.
"No, I mean…" Aaron shook his head. "I need to talk but you can't tell anyone. Not even my mum. I mean it. No one can know."
"You're scaring me now," Paddy said. "Are you in trouble with the police? Have you…?"
"No," Aaron said, interrupting shaking his head. "Course not, I'm not stupid. Well, not that stupid anyway." Aaron bowed his head, almost hiding behind his clasped hands. "God, I've made such a mess of things," he said. "I…" he tailed off, unable to think where to begin.
"Is it about this bloke you're seeing?" Paddy asked softly as Aaron gave no indication of carrying on. Aaron gave a short nod. "What is it? I can't give you my stellar advice if you don't talk to me."
"He's got someone else," Aaron said.
"Right," Paddy said. "Did you know?"
"Yeah," he replied. "I knew from the beginning and I went after him anyway." Aaron looked at the wood grain of the kitchen table as he carried on. He really didn't want to look Paddy in the eye right now. "It was only meant to be a bit of fun. A distraction. And it was. At first."
"There's more, isn't there?" Paddy asked.
Aaron bit his lip, looking at him, debating how much to reveal. He really felt the need to talk, but he shouldn't be letting the affair out of the bag. But then again, he trusted Paddy. "Aaron, it won't go any further. You know that."
He nodded and spoke. "He's married."
"You what?!" Paddy sighed and Aaron couldn't bear the criticism in the look he gave him.
"You don't have to give me the lecture, Paddy I already know I've been such a…" Aaron didn't finish his sentence, which left Paddy to fill the silence.
"Is it… someone I know?" Ah. More perceptive than Aaron had expected.
"Yes," Aaron admitted.
"Who is it?"
Aaron paused before divulging it. "No one can know, Paddy. I mean it. It's… important."
"I won't say anything," he said. Paddy stayed quiet, knowing that sometimes with Aaron, silence was the best method to get him to talk.
"It's Robert."
A pause where no one moved and nothing was said as Paddy absorbed that information. "Sugden?" Paddy said, eyes wide. "You are having a laugh?"
"Don't," Aaron said, unable to take the condemnation in his voice.
"Oh, come on, Aaron, you can't be serious."
"I wish I wasn't," he replied.
Paddy spluttered a little, before regaining his composure. Nothing about his reaction really mattered to Aaron, because he knew how shocked Paddy would be right now
"You need to leave him alone."
"I can't do that."
"Aaron, this is a nightmare!"
"I know." Aaron shook his head. "That's why I'm here talking to you."
"Look, you need to stay away from him."
"I can't," he repeated, staying calm.
"Why?"
"It's complicated, Paddy."
"Why?" Aaron kept his mouth shut, not wanting to admit it to himself, let alone anyone else. "Oh my God," Paddy said under his breath. "A.. are you in love with him?"
"Just… leave it," Aaron said, shaking his head again. There was a quiet in the room in which Aaron could almost hear Paddy's brain ticking over.
"He's marrying Chrissie next week."
"I know that," he said.
"He's just using you."
"I know that!" Aaron shouted, banging his fist on the table, momentarily losing his temper. Paddy half jumped back from the table and he felt instantly guilty. He took several deep breaths, trying to calm down. "Sorry. I…" He swallowed and tried again. "Knowing Robert's using me doesn't change how I feel. God, I wish it did."
"What're you going to do?" Paddy asked as they lapsed into silence.
"I don't know," Aaron said, almost through gritted teeth. "You know, I don't care what he's done. I really don't. I still want him. And I hate myself for wanting him when I can't have him."
"He's lying to himself about who he is," Paddy said. "You really want to be involved in that?"
"It's too late, Paddy," he said simply. "Far too late for that."
"Maybe you should tell your mum."
"Oh, I'm sure that'll go over great, what with Katie and her vendetta over Robert and everything," he said. "She can't know. No one can know."
"If that's what you want," he said, not liking it, but preferring that to the possibility of letting Aaron down. Aaron's phone buzzed with a text. He read it and sighed, ignoring it. "Is that him?"
"Yes," Aaron said reluctantly. "I have to go," he said getting up.
"Aaron, you don't want to do this. Leave him."
"Apparently I can't help myself," he said, to himself or Paddy, he wasn't sure.
"Hiya, pint?" Chas said from behind the bar as Paddy walked in.
"Yeah, okay," he said. "Listen, is Aaron in?"
"No," he said. "The scrap yard."
"Good," Paddy said.
"Why?" she asked carefully. "Have you…?"
"He wanted a chat today," Paddy admitted.
"About…?" she asked warily.
"I can't," he said. "I'd love to tell you, Chas but I can't. He doesn't want anyone to know."
"Oh, now that worries me. Is it illegal?"
"No! It's nothing like that."
"Well, it better not be," she said. "I don't want him going back to prison. Come on, Paddy," she pleaded.
"I have to keep his trust, Chas," he said. "If I don't next time, and with him you know as well as I do that there will be a next time, he won't talk to either of us."
"Yeah, I suppose so," she said reluctantly. "I just wish he'd talk to me. He's been moping around for weeks. And he's getting worse."
"He's always a bit… sullen."
"This is different," Chas said. "Isn't it?"
"I think he's behaving differently because he might be seeing someone," Paddy said, knowing that Chas needed something to reassure her that he wasn't in trouble. At least not of the illegal kind.
"Isn't that good?" she suggested.
Paddy shrugged and shook his head. "I can't say anything else, Chas."
"Yeah," she said, seeming to accept that. "No, on the house," she added as Paddy tried to pay.
"Thanks."