This morning Aaron was determined to fix (Y/n)'s poor opinion of him.

Of course he knew it'd probably take more than one morning to make amends for his past behaviour towards her, but he wouldn't give up until she forgave him and decided to give him a chance.

So the moment he stepped in the studio, he immediately made his way in (Y/n)'s direction.

He was glad to see that no one else was here and that the two of them had these short moments in the morning to be alone. That made his task easier, for if there had been anyone else in the room he doubted (Y/n) would have spared him a word.

With a determined sigh, he took a step towards her, putting his bag down by the spot near hers at the barre.

She observed him from the side, scrutinising his every move as if to decipher his intentions. His heart broke as he met her inquisitive gaze, but even more so when he caught sight of the bags under her eyes and the unusually pale colour of her skin.

She looked tired. Even more so than during their last conversation.

All the more reason for Aaron to mend things between the two of them so that he could know what was wrong and deal with it as soon as possible. The thought of (Y/n) neglecting her health made him sick.

He flashed her a small smile, doing his best to conceal his apprehension as (Y/n) removed her earbuds and turned fully to him.

This was his call.

"Hi." He greeted, his heart beating loudly in his ears as he waited for her answer. She observed him silently, seconds that passed by like hours for Aaron.

"Hi." She finally said, and Aaron swore he saw the hints of a smile curving her lips.

He wasn't going to stop at that, though. Aaron wanted so much more than a simple greeting from (Y/n).

His eyes fell to the tip of his toes, fiddling with his fingers as he took it upon himself to break the ice between the two of them. For things to work out, he had to apologise for his behaviour, and let (Y/n) know that he had heard her loud and clear and taken her words into account.

Which he had.

"About what you said the other day," He started, hesitantly looking up into (Y/n)'s eyes where, to Aaron's surprise, no trace of animosity lingered.

So he continued, a bit more at ease this time.

"You were right, I've been an ass to you and I'm sorry about that. Truth is I'm not the most socially gifted" He continued, trying his best to word his thoughts right for once, "And I assure you, I didn't mean to be rude last time. I was-... genuinely worried about you, even if my wording was off."

He hoped this would be enough for (Y/n) to forgive him and talk to him again. Though if it wasn't, Aaron wasn't beyond getting on his knees and begging, as pitiful as it sounded.

That's just how desperate he was.

A tired smile curved (Y/n)'s lips and she let out a soft sigh, meeting Aaron's grey eyes. She never thought he'd take her words so at heart and actually apologise to her. For (Y/n) didn't really see Aaron as someone to care for people's opinion of him.

And to an extent, she was right. Aaron could care less about what the public thought of him, he knew most people saw him as an arrogant and cold hearted prick.

What (Y/n) didn't know though, was that to Aaron she wasn't just anyone.

"It's alright, really. You're not the first asshole I've met and certainly not the worst." She said with a teasing grin, and to Aaron this was the prettiest sight. "I was a bit irritable that day and shouldn't have lashed out at you anyways."

For a moment Aaron debated on whether he should take his chance at asking her what was wrong and what had made her so upset in the first place. But considering this was their first conversation in a while, he decided against it.

(Y/n) would talk to him about it at some point, when she felt comfortable enough.

"No, it's fine. I needed to hear it to be honest." He said, "So thank you for that. Most people aren't usually that confrontational with me."

It was true. No one ever really confronted Aaron on his bad attitude, both because of his father's reputation and his own intimidating aura.

(Y/n) couldn't believe what she was hearing. Not only had Aaron apologised to her but he had also... thanked her for putting him back in his place? Hell, if she had known this would be his reaction, she would have lashed out at him the very first time he had been a prick to her.

She managed a chuckle through her bewilderment, "Guess I did everyone a favour then." She said with a grin, a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. Her conversation with Aaron had almost obliterated any thoughts of Simon from her mind.

Almost.

Aaron scratched the back of his head, a nervous chuckle escaping him, "I-I guess you did."

He didn't know if he should tell her that his resolution to change was strictly for her and that he could still care less about what others thought of him. Aaron didn't really see the point in fixing his behaviour when it came to others, simply because they didn't mean anything to him.

He probably shouldn't tell (Y/n) this, she wouldn't like it and Aaron didn't want her to be angry at him again.

(Y/n) heaved a sigh, turning away from him and back to the barre.

"Anyways, thanks for the apology, but I gotta work now." She said, a prick of guilt needling at her heart as she gazed at Aaron's face.

He looked like a kicked out puppy. Not in a mocking way, rather in a genuinely disheartened way, that had (Y/n) reconsidering whether Aaron really was an emotionless prick after all.

If she was bold enough, she'd even assume that he was sad she had cut their conversation short.

Aaron was quick to collect himself though, he couldn't have (Y/n) thinking he was too attached just yet. That would make no sense to her, much less than it did to him. He was determined to take it slow.

"Okay." He said, "Do you mind if I take that spot? My usual spot at the barre feels off..."

He knew this was a poor excuse, but that was the only one he could think of and he doubted (Y/n) would pay it much mind anyways considering she had already turned herself away from him.

Now that he was close enough, Aaron could see what Adam had been talking about when he mentioned (Y/n)'s scent. She smelled of sweet flowers and clean laundry. And her skin... Aaron couldn't seem to drag his eyes away from the smooth slope of her nape.

He wondered if it was as soft to the touch as it looked. And a sour pang of envy hit him as he thought about whether or not Adam had had the chance of touching her skin during their rehearsals.

After all they had a pas de deux together, and Aaron knew these were often very intimate.

His jaw tightened as images of them dancing together flashed through his mind.

For a second Aaron even found himself resenting their teacher for giving him the solo instead of pairing him up with (Y/n). As everything would have been so much easier if he had been with her from the beginning.

Maybe he would have realised his feelings for her quicker, and maybe Adam wouldn't have developed this futile crush of his on (Y/n) either.

Aaron had to deal with the current situation though, and although this made things more complicated for him, he wasn't one to give up on what he wanted.

So, who cared if Adam and (Y/n) had a pas de deux together? Aaron would just have to show her that she could have been much better with him. That the two of them made a much better pair than she and Adam could ever make.

"Is something wrong?" (Y/n)'s angelic voice stirred Aaron from his thoughts. He blinked at her, heat rising to his cheeks as he met her quizzical gaze. He must have been starring again.

He cleared his throat.

"No, I was just-" He started, trying to come up with an excuse, "I was just thinking of your duo with Adam. You're doing a fish dive at some point, right?"

"Yeah, we are. Why?" She said with a raised eyebrow, trying to read his mind.

"Well, can I make a suggestion?" He said, "Or maybe I could show you?"

Aaron waited nervously for (Y/n)'s answer as she gauged him, probably trying to decipher his intentions. If only she knew Aaron's sole motive was to dance with her.

"Okay" She said, stepping over to the centre of the room, "You better not drop me though. Because if you do, I will kill you."

The showcase was in two months after all, and (Y/n) couldn't be careful enough about injuries of any kind. And whilst her and Aaron had made up to an extent, (Y/n) was still dubious of his intentions.

To her surprise though, Aaron's only answer to her threat was a chuckle that rang clear in her ears and hung over the both of them. His features relaxed in a boyish smile, cheeks creasing with two dimples that reminded (Y/n) of Adam.

She didn't know he had it in him to be so carefree, considering he always seemed to have a broom stuck up his ass whenever she found herself in his presence.

Smiling suited him though. It was warm and so unlike the Aaron she knew. It made her feel... Light.

"I promise I won't drop you." He said, putting his hands on her waist as the two of them faced the mirror. "Trust me?"

(Y/n) knew this was probably not a good idea, but she nodded anyway, letting him guide her through the motion. Grace and innate elegance, much less passionate and fiery than Adam but more balanced and precise.

While (Y/n) was concentrating on the step and the difference between Aaron's and Adam's dancing, Aaron couldn't take his mind off the way his chest swelled with warmth as he guided her through his vision.

He handled her like glass, hoisting her like a feather and holding her like the most important treasure this world had to offer. And to him, she was.

The fish dive only lasted so long though, and to Aaron's greatest disappointment, his moment with her was over a few seconds after it had started. He had managed to add in a few changes to the fish dive (Y/n) was doing with Adam, to try and make his poor excuse for dancing with her more believable.

"I think it'd add... Depth to the message of your choreography." He said, taking a step away from her. He didn't want to invade her personal space too much in case this would make her uncomfortable.

(Y/n) pondered over his suggestion, slowly nodding her head.

"Yeah, I'll see what Adam thinks of it but I think it's a good idea." She said, "Thanks for that."

A faint blush dusted Aaron's cheeks as he smiled at (Y/n), happy she'd thank her for anything. He didn't hear the door of the studio opening and the steps of Esme entering the room.

"Oh it's nothing, really-"

"Aaron?" Esme's voice cut him off.

Esme didn't know what surprised her the most upon entering, the fact Aaron wasn't at his usual barre spot or the fact he had opted for the spot just beside (Y/n)'s. Either way, the sight of them together left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Aaron's eyes met hers, no traces left of the warmth that had softened his features. (Y/n)'s heart twisted in her chest at the coldness in his gaze.

Poor Esme didn't deserve such a sore welcome.

Aaron knew that Esme hadn't meant anything wrong by coming into the studio at this time, it was her usual time for coming in, but he couldn't help the blade of resentment that sliced through his gaze as he looked at her.

He had been making progress with (Y/n) and she just interrupted them.

Esme frowned.

"You're switching?" She said, pointing to his usual barre spot with her chin.

Not only was this very unlike him, as Aaron was a man of habits, but it was also especially surprising to Esme that he'd chosen to go beside (Y/n) of all people when he had seemed less than pleased with her company a few days prior.

Her eyes met (Y/n)'s.

Esme couldn't help the ugly jealousy that blossomed in her chest. What, so first (Y/n) had taken Adam from her and now she was also stealing her best friend? And although Esme knew (Y/n) probably hadn't done anything for this to happen but be herself, she couldn't help but blame her.

"Esme?" Aaron called, "You're starring."

And judging by (Y/n)'s uncomfortable expression, Esme could only guess her stare had been more of a glare.

"Sorry." She said curtly and went to her spot at the barre, wordlessly letting her bag fall at her feet. Unable to rub at the uncomfortable prick of awareness Aaron's gaze left at the back of her neck.

She had never seen Aaron like this. He could be cold, yes. But never had he looked at her like this, with so much venom.

Unfortunately for Esme, this was only the beginning.