Lie About Us
Disclaimer - Emmerdale & its characters do not belong to me, they belong to ITV
For two days Jackson lost himself in his work at Home Farm. He couldn't believe that he'd been dumped after he'd made such an effort to quit Aaron and what they had. Although, he knew deep down that what Frank had said was true. If they had been together and Aaron had come out he would have dumped him in favour of Aaron. There was just something about the younger man he was crazy about and he was pretty sure that wasn't going to change. He hadn't told anyone he and Frank were no longer together and he didn't plan on telling anyone, not for a while anyway. He didn't want to hear an 'I told you so' from Aaron. Aaron. There was another problem he was pretty sure the mechanic would hate him for what happened at the weekend and wouldn't want to see or speak to him. He hadn't seen or heard from him since Sunday which kinda proved his point and Jackson had been making an effort to stay out of the Woolpack.
Wednesday lunch time and Jackson found himself in the café for his lunch. Once again avoiding Aaron who could possibly be in the Woolpack having his own lunch. He had just sat down with his lunch when the door opened and in walked Victoria, she spotted him immediately, waved and Jackson waved back. He was relieved when she bypassed his table and went to order, only once she had ordered she sat back down beside him "What you doing here?"
"Fancied a change"
"We haven't seen you much" she comments "Frank been keeping you busy?"
"Something like that" Jackson says with a thin smile and Victoria notices his reaction "You and Frank OK?"
"Yeah, we're good. What are you doing here?" he asks trying to change the subject "day off" she shrugs "and I was hungry"
Bob brings her lunch over and they start chatting about nothing all that important to pass the time. Jackson likes to think he knows Victoria pretty well and she seems like she's upset over something but he has no idea what. He guessed it would probably be Aaron and told himself not to go there but eventually curiosity got the better of him and he found himself asking "Are you alright?"
She smiles at him and laughs "Yeah"
He gives her a look and she rolls her eyes "Not really" she finally admits "I've been wanting to see you"
"You should have called" Jackson says quickly
"I know" she replies "but… I didn't want to burden you with my problems whilst you're in the throes of a new relationship"
"You wouldn't be burdening me, what's up?"
"Aaron…"
Aaron. He knew it would be Aaron. Did he want to hear this? Probably not but he was too far gone to turn back now.
"What about him?"
"I think…I think…" she kept stuttering and looking away.
"What?"
"I think he's cheating on me"
Jackson tried to keep his reaction neutral and one of surprise at her words but it was hard. Licking his lips he widened his eyes and said "No! What makes you think that?"
"He went to pick up parts this past weekend"
"What's weird about that?"
"He booked himself in to some fancy hotel"
She was right about one thing, the hotel had been fancy. He had been expecting a travel inn or something but Aaron had gone all out.
"And?"
"And" Victoria says "I found his receipt. It was a double room, for two people"
"Maybe he just wanted a double room? He's too big for a single, right?"
Victoria nods her head, agreeing with that but she still had a feeling that he was cheating on him "You're his friend right? I can ask you cause Adam wouldn't tell me. They're too close but… If he was cheating on me you'd know and tell me, right?"
Jackson nods, agreeing with her because if he wasn't the one Aaron had been seeing he would have told her but he wasn't about to tell her that Aaron had been seeing him for going on a year or that he had been the one to spend the weekend with Aaron at the hotel.
"Do you think he's seeing another girl?"
Jackson could answer that question honestly. Because he did not think, in fact he knew that Aaron was not seeing another girl. "No" he says "I do not think he is seeing any other girls, I promise you. If he was I'd tell you"
Victoria takes a deep breath "So you think that room was just for him?"
"I do" Jackson says "I mean… He doesn't get out much to be seeing someone"
"That's true" Victoria admits "He's only ever out with me, you or Adam"
"Exactly" Jackson says with a small smile
"So!" Victoria says changing the subject "How are you and Frank?"
"Can you keep a secret?" Jackson asks, because he has to tell someone he just doesn't want the whole world to plus he should give the girl something seen as how he just lied and told her Aaron wasn't cheating on her.
"Of course"
"I mean you can't tell anyone, not Amy, Aaron, anyone"
"I promise" she nods quickly "What's happened?"
"We split up"
"What? Why?"
Jackson shrugs, trying to play it down "It just didn't work out… We're still friends though"
"I thought you two were good together" she reaches out and grabs his hand "I'm sorry, here's me telling you how I think Aaron is cheating and you've just broken up with your boyfriend"
"It's alright, it was a couple of days ago but… I just don't want people to know until I'm ready to tell them. Promise me you won't tell anyone?"
"I promise" she says and he knows that he can believe her, just like she knows she can trust him not to tell Aaron about her asking about him cheating.
They sit for a few more minutes talking, about Jackson's work, the pub and little about Aaron until Victoria's phone rang "It's Aaron" she says "I better go anyway, thanks for the chat" she says pulling him into a hug "You're welcome"
Jackson watches her go and can't help but feel a little bit guilty for the lies he had just told her. Although, strictly it wasn't a lie Aaron because Aaron wasn't seeing other women, he was seeing him. He had just neglected to tell her that part. It was half past one and his lunch was over, he had to get back to work.
Xxx
Aaron was a mess. He couldn't believe that it was over. He needed Jackson like… Like he needed air some days but he had only spent the weekend with him to say goodbye. If he had known that he wouldn't have spent the entire weekend with him. Although, he probably would have because any time he could spend with the builder he would take. There was just something about the builder that had him coming back for more. Now what was he do? Play it straight for the rest of his life? With Victoria? He liked the girl, really he did but he wanted Jackson more than anything. Only Jackson didn't want him anymore, not as much as he once did anyway and it was all because of this Frank. Aaron hated him. He was dreading bumping into Jackson because he was sure he wouldn't be able to be nice to the builder. He was too hurt to be nice to him.
It was inevitable though; the mechanic knew that he would see him sooner or later, more than likely sooner. It was half past one before he took his lunch, trying to avoid Jackson but he was just walking into the café as Jackson was walking out. They stopped, stared at one another and the silence between them was tense.
"Alright?" Jackson asks, happy to see him.
"Like you give a crap"
"Of course I do"
"Yeah, right" Aaron scoffs "Shouldn't you be with Frank?"
"I'm working; we're not joined at the hip you know"
Aaron pulls a face and shrugs his shoulders "I don't really want to hear about you and that idiot's kinky sex life"
"Real mature that"
"Get out of my way"
"You're in my way" Jackson points out and Aaron scowls at him. Jackson thinks about telling him what Victoria had said to him, just to talk to him for a little bit longer but he can't betray her trust and he won't.
Aaron steps aside and allows the builder past, adding "Now I'm not" and Jackson looks at him, slightly surprised that he moved. Aaron was clearly taking this breakup worse than the others. Presumably the mechanic thought this was it and that was the reason he was taking it so bad. Jackson wanted to say 'I'm not with Frank' but he didn't want to give Aaron the satisfaction of saying 'I told you so' or thinking that he was only coming back to him because he himself had been dumped. No, he wouldn't tell him that he Frank were over, at least not for a while.
Jackson's eyes meet Aaron's, they lock and Jackson smiles a little, a sad smile then walks past the mechanic and heads towards his van. Each step he takes away from the mechanic breaks his heart a little more and he wants to turn around and look, see if Aaron is watching him or not but he forces himself not to.
Xxx
Ten o'clock Wednesday night saw Aaron pacing up and down his bedroom. He was sure he was going to go insane, positive of that fact. He couldn't stop thinking about Jackson, about Jackson and Frank. He missed him. He needed him like he needed air but… What was he doing to do? He had to try, he had to try one last time to get Jackson to see sense and take him back.
He knew Amy wasn't in because she had said something about going out, Victoria too but at that very moment, as he was banging on the door of Jackson's apartment he couldn't have cared who else was inside and part of him hoped Frank was there, he wanted some excuse to punch the guy and maybe he would give it to him.
"Aaron? What are you doing here?" Jackson asks upon opening the front door but Aaron doesn't answer instead he pushes past him and walks into the living room, leaving Jackson to follow him.
"I asked you a question" Jackson says as he follows Aaron through.
"I still want you" the mechanic says as Jackson enters the living room "I don't care what you said at the weekend Jackson, you can change your mind"
Jackson can't believe what he's hearing but… Nothing's changed for him, not at the moment anyway and he still doesn't want to be Aaron's dirty little secret. He'd thought about it all day and he'd decided that he wanted some space from Aaron, for a little while anyway and for that reason and that reason alone he couldn't tell the mechanic he wanted him back, he couldn't let them get back together.
"I can't Aaron"
Aaron shakes his head, almost violently as he demands "What's he got that I haven't?"
"Me" Jackson says simply, it was the only thing he could think of to say and anger flashed through Aaron's eyes "You mean it? You don't want me?"
As hard as it was, Jackson forced himself to nod.
"If I walk out of here… I'm never coming back" Aaron says "And I'm not coming out"
Jackson nods
"You want that?"
"What you do is up to you" Jackson points out and biting back tears Aaron nods, making his way towards the door again. He has more to say, lots more in fact but he just can't find the words to say it. His heart feels as if it's breaking into small irreparable pieces and he doesn't know what to do about it, he just has to get away from Jackson.
Outside Aaron takes a deep breath and makes a decision. He knows what he has to do but… It was too late to do it now. He'd have to wait until the morning but as soon as morning came he would set his plan into motion. There was nothing else for it now, he had to it. His mind was made up.
Xxx
A/N - Reviews make me happy and when I'm happy I write.
