Ch. 17: Thanksgiving Surprise

CHLOE PRICE POV:

It sucked not having Aaron around all the time, but at least I had money to work on the boat. I even ordered a custom WINGED WOLF flag based on Max's drawing. Our salvaged boat was starting to look like a real pirate ship, not as badass as the ones Max and I imagined as kids but as close as a trio of broke teens could get. The weather was working against me, it was mid-November and it was already cold as a yeti's balls outside. At least the ship was in my backyard so I could run inside before I became a snow woman.

"Chloe," David called from the safety of inside, "I made some hot chocolate."

He was not the best cook in the Bay, but he made a damn good hot chocolate. I covered the boat and rushed inside. Before the sliding door fully closed, he already slipped the warm mug into my gloved hand.

"Thanks." I took a gulp, almost burning my tongue. "It's hella freezing out there."

"You might want to hold off on repairs for a while," he advised, sighing contently as he sipped on his own drink. "Besides, we're having Thanksgiving dinner tonight. You've got to help your mom with the cooking."

"As long as you and your mustache stay out of the kitchen, then we'll be happy."

David chuckled, taking no offence to the comment. "What about Aaron? He might be of some help."

I almost choked on my hot chocolate. "Shit, I almost forgot. This is his first Thanksgiving in this house."

"We should do something nice for him. He's got a job, he pays rent and he does work around the house."

One of my eyebrows raised at the suggestion. "Are you… thinking of a surprise Thanksgiving party?"

"I'm thinking of more than just a good turkey, at least."

Already, I was in scheme mode. By the time Aaron and mom came home, I had a plan: I would invite Max over to help while I drove him around town (and maybe have some fun with him, depending on how much time they had to fill), and then drive him back when everything was ready.

"I have a plan!"

I grabbed the keys from the bowl and ran to my truck. It took several attempts for the engine to turn but when it did, I sped off like a bat out of hell. Winter hit early in Arcadia Bay; I blamed Canada; but at least I still had my warm clothes from working on the boat.

When I reached the Two Whales Diner, I stopped to gazed through the nearest window. I could see Aaron hard at work, looking cute in an apron. With the voyeurism out of my system, I left the truck and headed inside. Immediately seeking out my mom, I rushed to her side before he could spot me.

"Didn't expect to see you today," Joyce said, sounding slightly suspicious. "You want the usual?"

I shook my head, leaning in so I could whisper, "I need to distract Aaron while you, David and Max prepare for Thanksgiving."

"I still have to finish my shift, but you can take Aaron." Joyce nodded, glancing over at him. "His shift ends at three."

I grinned wickedly, practically rubbing my hands with glee. "The plan is going according to plan."

As soon as his shift ended, I grabbed him and dragged him to my truck.

"Why do I feel like you're dragging me to my death?"

"Aaron, we had sex." I smiled, playfully gnashing my teeth. "I'm not going to bite your head off."

His face was cherry red as I shoved him in the passenger seat. I patted myself on the back as I slid into the driver's side.

"So…" he mumbled, still flustered, "wh-where are you taking me."

"To my special place."

"The junkyard? The lighthouse? An abandoned shack on the railroad tracks?"

"You'll see," I squeezed his thigh, offering a coy grin. "It'll be a fucking blast."

I drove in circles a few times, just to keep up the suspense, eventually parking in front of Mighty Joe's Tattoo Parlor. Aaron frowned, yet unaware of my kickass plan.

"You're… getting a new tattoo?"

"No. You are."

"What?" All the color drained from his face. "A tattoo?"

"Uh, yeah." I started to drag him through the driver's side door. "Joe owes me a favor."

"Listen, I…"

As soon as Aaron tried to protest, I was quick to shoot him down. "You are about to get a fucking rad tattoo. And if you bitch about it, then I'll do it myself… and I might not be as gentle as Joe."

He sighed softly. "I'm not getting out of this, am I?"

"Nope, so quit resisting and get your cute ass in there already. No chickening out now."

Realizing that there was no escape, Aaron soon gave up and entered the parlor with me. It was a small place, the walls covered in drawings and pictures of tattoos. I ran my hand along the top of a worn leather chair, which was probably as old as me.

"Chloe Price. I was wondering when you'd show up again."

Turning towards the voice, I came face to face with a heavily tattooed woman. Her hair was short and dark, face decorated with various piercings.

"Well, you do owe me a favor, Joe. Remember?"

"So that's why you're here. Should've known." The woman's eyes drifted towards Aaron, eyebrow raising with curiosity. "And who's your newest victim?"

I dragged Aaron closer, throwing my arm around him. "This is Aaron. He wants a tat."

"Is that right?" She held out a hand to him. "Name's Joe, short for Josephine."

Aaron glanced at me before answering, then took her hand. "Nice to meet you, ma'am."

"You really found a shy one here, Chloe. Polite too. Didn't think that was your style."

"I attract shy nerds," I said with a shrug, then pushed Aaron into the nearest chair. "Anyway, about this tattoo…"

"So long as it's not too big or difficult, I'm happy to do it as favor payback." Joe moved towards Aaron, leaning against the wall. "So, what do you want, Aaron?"

"Well, Chloe and I talked about it a little already…"

Joe shook her head. "Listen, take it from someone who made a lot of shitty tattoo choices early on: don't get a tattoo to please someone else."

"Come on," I huffed, rolling my eyes. "I wouldn't force him to have something he didn't want… and I'm insulted that you'd even imply that my choice in tattoos is shitty."

"Not shitty, just… extreme. And you do have a way of wearing people down, Price."

"You make it sound like I wanted him to get a full fucking sleeve with skulls and fire and shit… which I would look badass… but it's his decision."

Both of us looked at Aaron, who seemed deep in thought. "Well, Joe, what would you recommend then?"

"Something the makes you happy, of course. Could be anything. You'll have it for the rest of your life, so be sure it's a tat that you like."

Aaron was quiet for several seconds then he nodded, a smile slowly tugging at his lips. "Then, I know what I want."

"Great, what is it?" I asked, hoping that he'd decided on something close to the design we talked about with Max… or hella cool.

"You'll find out when I'm done." Joe shoed me away to the other side of the room. "No peaking now."

"Ugh, fine." I stomped across the shop, grabbing a tattoo magazine and sitting in one of the waiting chairs. "If you start screaming like a little bitch, I'm coming over there, though."

To my surprise, Aaron barely made a sound as he was getting the tattoo. He did way better than some of the 'macho' guys I'd seen in here before, who acted like they were dying the whole way through. It took several hours, and I fell asleep in the chair… until someone kicked my foot.

"Your boy toy is all done," Joe said with a sly grin as my eyes shot open.

"He's not my boy toy!" I yelled loud enough for Aaron to hear, knowing that it'd make him turn red.

When I went over to his chair, he held out his arms. On his left wrist was a blue heart enveloped in a white ribbon with the words "true love never dies" inscribed on it. A three-leaf clover had been tattooed on his other arm with his, mine and Max's initials on the leaves.

"Shit, didn't expect you to get two. Hardcore! When're you coming in for the next one?"

Aaron shook his head. "I… think I'll stop at two. More than enough for now. Maybe for the rest of my life."

"You did good, kid," Joe said with a smile, satisfied with her work. "I wish all my clients were as well behaved as you. If you change your mind, then you can definitely come back."

All the while, I kept staring at Aaron's tattoos. I really wanted to touch them, but I wasn't that cruel. Even if he never stepped foot in this place again, he'd endured the pain… and showed that he really did care about me and Max.

Enough to forever mark his body with our initials.

I took several pictures and sent them to Max. By the time Joe applied the ointment and bandages to his wrists, the sun had begun to set over the Pacific. I had not gotten any texts from Max, mom, or David, but I had to take the risk. I had to bring him back. She gave him a pamphlet of aftercare instructions, and sent us on our merry way.

As we drove, I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel. Aaron was quiet, which wasn't unusual for him, but it still felt out of character. He kept staring at his wrists, satisfied with the tattoo… but also, pained.

"I gotta ask: why on your wrists? That's usually one of the more painful spots to have a tattoo."

He curled into a ball and said, "I wanted to… cover my scars."

My eyes widened, and I mentally slapped myself for forgetting about his scars, and again for bringing it up. "I'm sorry, I-"

"It's alright," he forced a smile, "the wristbands you gave me… I almost never took them off."

That one sentence made me feel both happy and sad; happy that I'd helped him, but sad that he needed those bands in the first place to feel more comfortable. I knew what it was like to be trapped in the dark shadows of the past. Aaron didn't deserve to suffer that way, but at least he wasn't alone anymore. He had me and Max.

"Anything else you want to do before we go home?"

"No," he smiled, "home sounds nice."

As we drove home, the radio quietly filling the air with sweet songs. When we pulled into the driveway, anticipation welled within me. I stayed behind and watched him walk in. Then, I quickly chased him and jumped on his back.

"Surprise!"

However, I was a little premature. Max and Mom were still cooking when we barged in.

After a moment of awkward silence, Aaron started laughing. He turned around and carefully hugged me, not wanting to mess up his new tattoos.

"You didn't have to do all of this for me."

"Good," David stood up from his chair, "because it's not for you, it's for us."

Joyce rolled her eyes at his attempt at humor, "You've been more than a decent houseguest. I can't speak for everyone, but I already consider you a part of the family."

"It may be a cliché," Max spoke up, "but I'm thankful for you."

"I wonder how you'll feel when I show you his tats?" I said, drawing my phone from my pocket.

David pinched the bridge of his nose and lightly chuckled, "Not another one."

David sat back down, Aaron hovered around Joyce like a puppy, and, in the privacy of the far end of the house, I showed Max the pictures of his tattoos.

"He really loves us," Max stated as she held back tears.

"Damn right. We're probably the best thing that happened to him in a long time."

"You probably shouldn't boast so loudly."

I whispered, "Am I wrong though?"

"I don't think so," she admitted.

"By the way, I plan on giving him a Thanksgiving surprise."

"Oh?"

I smirked wickedly, and Max blushed so adorably.

"You're welcome to join us, three's not a crowd in my bed."

"Shhhhhhhh!"

Max scrambled to cover my mouth, which made me want to tease her even more. I playfully licked her hand, and she withdrew immediately.

"Ew, you're so gross!"

"Max, we've practically shared a toothbrush our entire lives. If you haven't caught anything from me by now, you never will," I grinned at her cheekily, "especially since that's not the only thing we're sharing these days…"

Aaron peeked around the corner. "What are you two talking about?"

"Um…" Max swallowed, a blush forming on her cheeks.

"After dinner plans," I surprised myself with how quickly I reacted.

He smiled sweetly, "I'll look forward to it."

Within minutes dinner was ready, and we all sat around the table eager to devour the meal that Joyce and Max had made for us. We gave thanks, and carved the turkey. David usually did that kind of thing, as the "man of the house", but he let Aaron do the honors. That didn't stop him from giving pointers, though. It was kind of cute, in a weird way, especially since Aaron seemed to be enjoying himself. For all of my stepdad's flaws, and he had a lot, he did genuinely care.

Before Aaron could take a bite of his turkey, though, three violent knocks came at the door. After a quick headcount, I realized that everyone that was supposed to be here was here.

"Who is that?"

"I'll go." David stood and walked to the door. For the first time all evening, we were quiet.

David barely had the knob turned before a large man barged in. All of our hearts were filled with terror as this stranger with dark hair and darker eyes stood before us. None more so than Aaron, who stood and retreated from the man as far as he could.

He only uttered one word:

"Dad?"

I'm so sorry for the delay, and thank you very much for your patience. Thank you to all those who helped make this chapter possible.