A Matter of Trust - Chapter 1
-O-
DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Emmerdale and its characters, which belong to ITV
-O-
Aaron reckoned that the beginning of December was always a strange time. Far enough away from summer so that holidays were a memory, but not quite close enough to Christmas and the New Year to capture the sense of excitement that the festive season always brought with it. However, he was trying to decide on a Christmas present for his husband and he was struggling as Robert was not an easy person to buy for.
As he walked down the main street in Emmerdale, Aaron bumped into Moira outside the cafe.
"Hi Aaron!" Moira greeted him cheerfully, "how are things at the scrap yard?"
"Yeah, we're doing okay thanks," Aaron replied, but a pained look on his face contradicted the upbeat tone of his words, "we miss Adam, but I bet you do too."
Moira expression changed to a more sombre one as she thought about her son, "Yes, you can say that again. He's being looked after in the hospital: but he's very depressed though. I know he's struggling with it all, losing his sight like that."
"Yes, it was a stupid accident. Who could have predicted that gas canister going off, or the shrapnel hitting him in the face like that? If only I'd told him to wear his goggles."
Moira knew that Aaron had a tendency to blame himself for everything, "It wasn't your fault. Anyway, you were on site when it happened and got him to the hospital straight away, there wasn't any more you could have done."
"I don't know how I'd cope with losing my sight, to be honest," Aaron, like everyone else in the village, had been shocked by the freak accident which had resulted in Adam's blindness, "how are you managing at the farm? I expect you could have done with Adam's part-time help with Christmas around the corner."
"Oh, its okay," Moira replied, "Pete's doing his bit and I've taken on a new lad: Luke. Well, I say lad, he's in his early thirties but looks younger. But he knows what he's doing and is a godsend."
"Luke?" Aaron looked quizzical, "I don't think I've seen him around."
"He only started last week and he commutes from Hotten, although I've suggested he lodges at the farm as I've got a spare room. He said that he'd need to give a month's notice to his landlord to give up his flat, so you might see more of him after that if he moves here. Anyway, I'm on a meat delivery run so I'd better crack on."
"Okay, Moira, see you later."
Aaron continued on his walk to the scrap yard. He clumped up the steps to enter the portacabin and, on arrival at his desk, his mobile phone beeped and he looked at it to see a text message from Robert:
"Hi gorgeous, got to go into Hotten on business. Meet me at the Hotten Park Hotel around seven tonight and we'll have a meal there. Love you xx."
Aaron smiled to himself as he typed his reply: Robert always took charge of things and expected Aaron to go along with his plans without any consultation. But this was the man that he had fallen in love with and the man that he had married. Robert would never change and Aaron knew that despite his shortcomings, he loved him with all his heart, "Okay, I'll be there. Love you too xx."
The phone beeped again and a simple heart emoji from Robert appeared on the screen. Aaron chuckled and tears formed in his eyes.
"Soppy git!" he muttered, meaning his husband, but he knew deep down that he was referring to himself.
That evening, Aaron dressed himself in a smart suit as he knew the hotel that Robert had booked was quite up-market. On arrival at the Hotten Park Hotel he couldn't find Robert at first. He wandered into the hotel restaurant and was greeted by the head waiter: a tall, slim man with dark hair and a clean-shaven face, "Good evening sir, do you have a reservation?"
"I think so: do you have a table booked in the name of Robert Dingle-Sugden?" Aaron asked.
The head waiter consulted the book on the desk in front of him. "Ah!" he exclaimed, as if he had just solved a riddle, "Are you Mister Aaron Dingle-Sugden?"
Aaron was surprised that the head waiter knew his identity, "Yes."
"Please could you go to the main reception, they will direct you to Mister Dingle-Sugden's suite."
"Suite?" Aaron looked confused.
The head waiter smiled but did not elaborate, "Amanda on reception will take care of you, sir."
Aaron quickly made his way to the reception desk. He did not know what Robert had planned but thought it would be interesting to find out.
Amanda, a pretty girl with long auburn hair and blue eyes, directed him to a suite on the top floor. As Aaron stood in the lift, he had to smile. Robert never ceased to amaze him with the things he did and today was no exception. The lift doors opened and Aaron stepped out and walked along the corridor, looking for room number 902. He found it and knocked on the door. The door opened and there stood his husband, the top half of his blue shirt unbuttoned and on his face the biggest grin that Aaron had ever seen. Robert quickly pulled Aaron into the room and closed the door behind them. He surprised Aaron by grabbing him and pushing him back against the now closed door, kissing him hard and taking his breath away.
When Robert finally broke the kiss he smiled at a slightly shaken Aaron, "Happy anniversary babe."
Aaron was even more perplexed now, "We've only been married a month, how can it be our anniversary?"
"Not our wedding anniversary, you idiot!"
Aaron was used to Robert calling him an idiot, but there was never any malice in the remark and Aaron always shrugged it off: it was almost a term of endearment, "Robert, I don't have a clue what you are on about."
Robert loved Aaron's incomprehension and the way he seemed like a little boy lost in these situations. He felt like prolonging the agony for his own amusement, but knew his boundaries with his husband and did not want to push him too far, "Don't you remember our first time? I called you out to my broken down car: except it wasn't broken down."
"Oh!" Aaron exclaimed as he recalled the incident, "so today is the..."
"Fourth of December," Robert interjected, "the day my life changed forever...for the better, I might add."
"Why didn't you tell me you were planning all this? Why all the 'cloak and dagger' stuff?"
"I didn't want to spoil the surprise."
"And what's with the idea of the hotel suite?"
"Don't you like it?" Robert teased.
Aaron looked around the plush room. There was a comfortable chaise-longue on the left, a four-poster bed on the right and a door at the end of the room was open, revealing an en-suite bathroom. There was also a small table and two dining chairs in one corner of the room, set out with plates and cutlery and a candle in the centre in a silver candlestick. "It's very nice, but why have you booked it?"
"Do you remember when I used to book us a room, when we needed to hide away from Chrissie? I thought this day in particular would be the perfect day to recreate our secret assignations."
Aaron chuckled, "So, instead of your husband, you want me to be your dirty little grease monkey again tonight?"
"If you're into role-play, then I'm game," Robert had a naughty smirk on his face, he adored the sparkle in Aaron's eyes. He had lit the flame of seduction and his husband was obviously willing to play along with it. As if in confirmation of that fact, Aaron's lips crashed into Robert's again.
They were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Who's that?" Aaron asked as he suddenly jumped back with a shocked expression on his handsome face.
"No need get worried and carry the 'secret liaison act' too far," Robert laughed at Aaron's apprehensive look, "it's only room service with our meal."
Robert opened the door and the waiter brought in a trolley with their meal and a bottle of champagne. He set everything out on the table and then Robert gave him a tip and he left them alone.
They sat opposite each other at the table to enjoy their meal.
"Well, things have improved a lot in three years," Aaron said as he tucked into his prawn cocktail starter.
"How do you mean?" Robert asked.
"Back when we were having an affair, I was lucky to get a bottle of Tizer and a packet of pork scratchings!"
"Cheeky git!" Robert chortled.
"It's true," Aaron defended his statement, "on one occasion I even had to scarper before we were discovered by your wife."
"That's all in the past," Robert replied, "we're together now: properly. I want to treat you the way you deserve to be treated."
Aaron could see the look of love in Robert's eyes. He knew, in that instant, that Robert was being sincere, "Must be costing you a fortune, this."
Robert reached across the table and took Aaron's hands in his own, "You're worth it!"
"You're getting soppy in your old age," Aaron always felt uncomfortable with romantic gestures but that was one of the things Robert adored about him. He was always careful not to go too far over the top on these occasions but he knew, underneath Aaron's sometimes sullen exterior, there was a tender heart beating in his big chest.
That tender heart manifested itself later in the evening when they were lying in their four-poster bed. Having just made love, they were both naked and basking in the afterglow of their intimate union.
"Aaron," Robert turned his head to look into his husband's perfect blue eyes, "you do know that I love you more than life itself, don't you?"
"I love you too: so much" Aaron replied as he ran his fingers through Robert's blond locks.
"I'll never want anyone else but you. Like I told you a long time ago, I chose you and you're it for me," Robert was always mindful of the one occasion he had cheated on Aaron with Rebecca and constantly tried to reassure his husband that it would never happen again and that he was the only one for him.
"I know," Aaron replied, before leaning in for another kiss.
They cuddled up together and both quickly fell into a blissful sleep.
The overnight stay in the hotel was over far too quickly for both of them and they returned to their home at Mill Cottage in the village. The place was empty as Aaron's sister Liv had stayed at a sleepover with Victoria at her place. Since Vic had discovered that Rebecca had lied about the father of her baby and it was not Robert's after all and that Ross Barton was really the father, Vic had told Rebecca White that she would never forgive her for claiming that the baby was Robert's. She was still upset about both Rebecca's betrayal and Adam's accident, so she was glad of Liv's company and they had become good friends.
Later that day, Aaron went to the scrapyard as usual and Robert headed off to talk to Jimmy King about a haulage run. Aaron received a text from Robert at lunchtime, telling him that he was in the Woolpack if Aaron wanted to join him, so he hurried to meet his husband. Chas was behind the bar and Victoria served their lunch at their table, just as a new face appeared in the pub, delivering one of Moira's meat orders.
The new man introduced himself to Chas as Luke and that he was working for Moira at the farm. Robert saw him as soon as he walked in and let out a little gasp of surprise.
"What's up?" Aaron asked.
"You see that guy delivering the meat order? I know him."
"What about him? Who is he anyway?" Aaron was intrigued.
"His name is Luke," Robert looked uncertain about how much he should tell Aaron, knowing about Aaron's trust issues, but he continued, "you remember I told you about the farm hand I met when I was fifteen? Well, that's him!"
Aaron was taken aback. He had literally forgotten about Robert pouring his heart out about his first time same-sex experience. He looked over to the bar while Luke was handing the box over to Chas. He was a good-looking man and had a muscular build similar to Aaron's, not to mention the same hair and eye colour. He even had similar stubble on his face.
"I'd better go across and say hello," Robert said as he rose from his chair, "it will seem rude if I ignore him."
Aaron was none too happy about Robert's apparent eagerness to meet an old flame. His insecurities were still never far from the surface.