Six Months Later
Emily fiddled with the hem of her dress wondering once again what kind of woman she'd become. The structured skirts and blazers she'd once worn had been hastily exchanged for flowy dresses with light floral prints and happy colors. She was supposed to be pretty, but not intimidatingly pretty. Besides the implication that she could be intimidatingly pretty, something she'd never considered that she found tantalizing, like there was a whole different Emily out there should could become, she wasn't sure what to make of her whole makeover.
Perhaps it was vapid to obsess over her wardrobe when nothing in her life was the same, but it was just so surreal. Surreal, being told that she could no longer wear heels higher than two inches so Aaron would always appear tall. Surreal, being given a list of approved nail polish colors. And most surreal of all, seeing herself on the cover of People magazine being compared to Jackie Kennedy.
Or perhaps what was truly the most surreal was how easily she'd gone along with it. This was certainly not the life she'd ever imagined for herself. But she tried to be logical. And she couldn't argue with the logic that the Darby/ Shore ticket was all sharp edges. No one could question that Darby was an accomplished politician, even Emily had to admit she had done an admirable job stepping into Kirkman's shoes. But the only thing that made her seem slightly relatable was comparing her with just how badly Aaron clammed up anytime mention of his personal life came up.
So Emily was the charm offensive. She toured the country, reading books to kindergartners, serving dinner in homeless shelters, speaking at fundraisers, thanking the troops, and petting dogs in animal shelters. She appeared on morning shows, daytime TV, and late night; happily extolling the virtues of the Darby administration and perfecting her blush and light laugh when the host inevitably asked if wedding bells were in the air.
She didn't exactly dislike it, but being honest with herself she wasn't sure she could say she liked it either. It was all just so bland. She was pretty sure you could replace her with some other thirtysomething brunette and nobody would notice. Sometimes she thought that was by design, maybe someone had a list of inoffensive partners for Aaron in case things didn't work out between them.
She was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of applause. She'd missed the entirety of the principal's speech, but she figured it was no great loss. She had been greeted with open arms and almost a bit too much enthusiasm back at her old high school. The tired looking principal, who had been a tired looking math teacher fifteen years ago, had excitedly introduced her to the remaining teachers from her day, a paltry seven people, only two of whom she could really recall with any detail. But she smiled anyway at the history teacher she'd never had excited recollection of her striking debate performance in his class. It wasn't their fault she'd been quiet as a mouse and a bit scared of her own shadow back in school. Or that she'd graduated with three other Emily's, all more interesting then she was. So she did her best to give each teacher a personal greeting with some kind of anecdote, figuring that teaching in Akron Public Schools had to be even more thankless then her current job, so they deserved at least that.
The principal's speech had lost her somewhere around an extended metaphor about gardening and the students' futures, sending her down her spiral of obsession. She was actually starting to feel a little disappointed, she'd thought this might be a fun campaign stop. But just when she was thinking it was going to be a total bust, the students started asking her questions. And while she wasn't all that interested in telling them what Kobe Bryant was really like, or about the time she met Olivia Rodrigo she couldn't suppress the smile at the consternation on the teacher's faces. Clearly then been hoping for somewhat more substantial questions, and she laughed a little as she heard one of them mutter, 'I told George we should have screened the questions.' And there was something nice about being reminded that despite everything wrong in the country teenagers were still teenagers. And when she got one question from a fearless looking girl who point blank asked why they hadn't done anything about homelessness yet, she actually felt a surge of hope for the next generation. And a thought that not everything she did needed to be quite as meaningless as she made it out to be. Thinking she would get the girl's email address, she started to imagine herself as a kind of mentor, leading the next generation of women in politics, and she actually started to feel a little bit good about her new role.
Back at the hotel that night Emily was lying on the couch watching Law and Order. That she supposed was another benefit to not really having a job anymore. Her time was much more her own, and she was now almost caught up on her mom's TV shows for their visits. Which she'd been able to make more of in the last six months then she had in the prior two years. Her mom was looking almost healthy enough that Emily could almost convince herself that everything was going to be okay. Some nights she let herself indulge in fantasies of ten years from now, where she, Aaron, their two kids and her mom would celebrate the holidays together. Other nights she let herself be drawn into a pit of worry, that her mom only had a few months left, Aaron would leave her, or she'd end up with cancer too.
The last thought had her glance guiltily at the coffee table, despite the fact that the envelope she was thinking off was sitting 300 miles away in their living room in DC. When she'd ordered the genetic screening for the BRCA gene she'd thought she would open the results the day they came in, and continue carefully planning her life with that added information. But day after day passed and if anything she became more nervous about opening it. How was she supposed to think about starting a family, starting a life with Aaron when there might be a ticking time bomb in their midst.
He, of course, didn't seem to understand her reluctance at all. At first he'd ignored the envelope, but after a month he was starting to gently prod her about it. Not outright telling her to just open it already, but asking her what exactly it was she was planning on doing with a not so subtle implication that he knew best. She wished she had some kind of answer for him but instead of trying to put into words her worries she just shrugged him off saying she wasn't ready yet. At least on the road the envelope wasn't sitting there staring at them, making it much easier to avoid the conversation altogether.
Aaron got back to the hotel with a few minutes left in the show lifting her legs and setting them across him as he sat down. "Was it the husband again?" Aaron always guessed it was the husband, and was usually right.
"Brother this time."
He shook his head and pulled out his phone, tapping away rapidly until the credits started rolling. "So how was the great return to North High?"
"It was actually pretty good, what did you think of Akron? Blown away?"
"Mhmm. Who knew there was a town in America that could make Eagle Pass look exciting?"
"You're just jealous you're not from Ohio."
"Sure." He said leaning over her and kissing her lips. It was then that she registered just how exhausted he looked.
Sitting up next to him she asked, "Everything okay?"
He sighed and instead of answering passed her his phone, open to a video of an interview he did that morning. She watched half amused, half pitying as he tried to answer the host's question about their relationship with a wooden "I think the American people have better things to worry about." She'd tried in the past to tell him he came off pretentious, unfriendly, and quite frankly like an asshole. At first she thought he took it as some point of pride, that he was above the silly tabloid obsessions of mere mortals, but the longer it went on and the more he floundered the more she realized he was really just bad, really bad in fact, at showing any vulnerability.
She was taking a different tact these days. Rather than repeatedly telling him, with no success, to act more like a human she was rehearsing stories with him. Last week was his favorite food his mother made. She'd been hoping that he'd come up with some Mexican dish, so they could address the other glaring topic he couldn't touch in interviews but apparently his willingness to bend the truth and at times outright lie to get ahead had its limits. So his favorite food was chocolate cake. At least she'd managed to drag out a cute story about his eighth birthday to go along with it.
"When did you know you loved me?" She smiled. At least this exercise gave her a legitimate reason to interrogate her boyfriend about their relationship.
"Michigan." He said without even needing to stop and think.
"Wait, like Governor Royce Michigan?" She was surprised, if it was true somewhere around when she was finally deciding Aaron was actually human, he'd been falling in love with her.
"Yeah. You surprised me." He said surprised with the air of a great compliment. "What, you didn't think I was capable of feelings?"
Back then she had certainly considered it debatable. "No, it's just sooner than I would have thought." She hadn't fallen for him, really truly fallen, until the plane ride home from Florida, the steady presence of his hand covering hers with no pressure to talk about anything had done it.
Himself again, full of confidence shrugging at her with a devil may care smile on his face he replied, "I know what I like."
Sometimes she forgot just how attractive he could be. Pushing aside for the moment all thoughts of interviews and cute stories she straddled him, kissing him deeply, pushing her tongue past his lips and tasting him. His hands tightened against the small of her back as he pulled her closer. The kiss became more frantic, more needy.
When he pulled his lips from hers and started kissing her neck, she let her hands wander down to his pants, rubbing. He groaned, "Fuck that feels good." He paused for a moment, his breath hot on her neck, he moved lower, and she gasped as he sucked on her collarbone. And then he flipped her onto her back hovering over her, easily pinning her arms over her head with one hand. Sex with Aaron was like this sometimes, either a battle between the two of them for domination or one of them would let the other take control for the night. So much was out of their control lately, she knew she was looking for anywhere she could exercise some power, and thought he was needed the same. Tonight she decided to let him drive, sensing the day had left him more off kilter then he was ready to admit.
Letting herself relax under his touch she felt his other hand find its way under her shirt, caressing her breast before moving downward to her stomach, teasing her through her leggings until he reached her pussy. "I like this outfit." He said, hand wandering further to cup her ass. His smile grew and she moaned and started thrusting against his hand. "Tell me what you want."
She blushed despite their power plays; she really wasn't good at dirty talk. "You."
"You have me right here. Tell me what you want."
"Touch me."
"You need to tell me where."
She realized that he was not going to do anything without her saying it. And with her arms still pinioned above her head she couldn't exactly take matters into her own hands. "My clit." She finally gasped.
Slowly he moved his free hand inside her leggings and panties and slowly, frustratingly slowly circled her clit. "Like this?"
"No, more. Harder." She felt like she was practically begging, but she was far too turned on to worry about that now.
"So like this?" He said applying more pressure, moving faster.
She moaned.
"Mmm, you like that don't you."
"Yes."
He continued to circle her clit, moving ever harder. "What else do you want?"
He hadn't been touching her for that long but she was already so wet, already needed so much more. "You. Fuck me."
He laughed, "Patient is a virtue."
"Aaron, I need you inside me."
"Like this?" He said, thrusting a finger inside her.
"No. You."
He leaned his head closer to hers and whispered this time in her ear, "I need you to say it."
"I want your cock."
Apparently that was the magic word because he finally let go of her hands and pulled her leggings down and kicked his own pants off, before thrusting into her. "God you feel so fucking good Emily."
She blushed, but also realized it turned her on hearing it.
He bent closer to her ear again, biting and licking at her earlobe, "I'm going to fuck you so hard you can't sit right tomorrow." He half growled, moving his lips back to her neck then down to her breasts, sucking hard.
Before long she was losing herself, unable to catch her breath or murmur a word beyond, "Aaron, fuck." And then she came apart. He thrust into her harder and faster through her climax until he finally collapsed on top of her moaning, "Oh God, Emily."
For a while all she could feel was his hot breath at her ear and his sweat mingling with hers.
"You know I take it back. I actually like Akron quite a bit. Very welcoming city."
She pushed against him to sit up and balled up her leggings lobbing them at his head, "Ass."
"And yet you love me anyway." He said, wrapping an arm around her kissing the top of her head.
"No idea why."
"Why is it that I have to play twenty questions about us, and yet you get off scot-free?"
"Maybe because I'm capable of going on TV without turning into the tin man?"
"Right." He said, the dejection in his voice clear.
She'd only meant to tease him. "Sorry."
"All good." He said, getting up. To her surprise after washing up he grabbed the remote and pulled up the next episode of Law and Order, Aaron was usually dead asleep within five minutes of sex, and not really a TV watcher outside of sports. By the time he'd ignored her few weak stabs at a joke about how clearly creepy the music teacher was she'd decided that something must be pretty profoundly bothering him. "Seriously Aaron, what's up with you?"
He cracked his knuckles a few times before answering, looking down at his hands the whole time. "Darby doesn't want me on the ticket anymore."
"What? She said that? When?" Her mind was spinning.
"Well it was pretty clearly Lorraine's idea, but they need someone who can appeal to voters. So unless my poll numbers make a 180 they'll be announcing someone else at the convention." Emily already was no great fan of Darby's campaign manager, but she thought this was low, even for her.
"Voters like you!" She almost yelled at him.
"Em. Come-on."
"No, you come-on. I can't believe you're going along with this without putting up a fight."
"I'm just being realistic. Someone else would balance the ticket better anyway. No chance the Democrats are winning Texas is there?"
"Screw that."
"Honestly, I appreciate the support, but I'm just tired."
"So you don't want to be Vice President anymore?" This was easier to deal with, really everything would honestly be a lot easier if Aaron didn't want this.
"I do, but let's be honest, it would take a miracle to make me personable."
"You've been getting better. And we can at least try." She hated to see him just giving in, it wasn't like him at all. And she was sure he would end up regretting it if he let someone force him off the ticket.
"Is that really what you want? I'd have thought you'd be jumping with joy to get out of all this second lady bullshit."
Folding her arms over her chest and ignoring the fact that she probably used the phrase 'second lady bullshit' ten times in the last week she declared, "I decided I like it."
"Did you?" He said eyebrows raised, disbelieving.
"Yes, I decided I am going to mentor young women going into politics. Help the next generation get a foothold."
For a second he looked at her like she was insane, and to be fair since this idea had only occurred to her this morning, it was the first he was hearing of it. But then, almost laughing, he asked, "You're going to create an army of mini Emily Rhodes?"
"Yes."
"God, maybe getting out of politics will be a blessing."
"Aaron seriously, if you really do want out I won't fight you, but if you want this we can make it happen. I can't just sit here and let you watch your dream drift away."
He looked at her for a moment, as if really sizing her up, before saying, "I want it."
"Good. So it's decided."
"I guess it is." He said not sounding quite as enthusiastic as she was, but certainly less dejected then he had earlier as well.
Deciding there was no time like the present she launched into her plans. Really they were no different from what they'd already been working on, but they just needed to compress the timeline, get things rolling quicker.
"Can this wait until tomorrow?" He said, and she remembered just how tired he'd seemed before.
"Sure."
"Thanks." Aaron said, holding her hand in his. "Seriously, thank you. I needed that."
"Anytime. We're a team." She said smiling, feeling more confident that there was some point to her presence.
Still holding her hand and looking very serious he added, "You're it for me Emily. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
It practically felt like a proposal, but deciding she wasn't quite ready to cross that bridge tonight, she kissed him. "If we've done talking you off the ledge tonight, I think I'm ready for bed."
"Good idea." He said, kissing her cheek.
