---- Chapter 22: What About Mine? Just as Clara was about to pay, Leo suddenly tugged her sleeve, his eyes sparkling as he pointed at the mannequin. "Mom, I want that one too!" It was a Doraemon T-shirt, bright and cute-right up his alley. The sales associate had been secretly watching this ridiculously good-looking family the entire time. But thanks to the man's intimidating, no-nonsense aura, she hadn't dared approach. Now that she saw the mom and kid showing interest, she rushed over, all smiles. "This is part of our fall collection! It's 100% cotton, super soft-perfect as a layering piece or even on its own. Kids love it! And it's actually a matching family design!" Clara's eyes lit up. "Great, I'll try one in the boy's size and one in a women's size." She'd wanted a matching set ever since she saw Sierra and Elsie wearing theirs. It was too cute to resist. "Right this way, ma'am-the fitting rooms are just over here." When Clara and Leo came out dressed in the matching tees, the associate's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Wow! You ---- two look amazing! It's like you just walked out of our brand campaign!" Clara was pretty satisfied with the look herself. She whipped out her phone, flashed a peace sign with Leo, and snapped a selfie. "Yay!" she said as she hit send, firing the photo off to Sierra on WhatsApp. She turned to the associate. "We'll wear them out. Let's go ahead and check out!" Just then, Aaron-who had been silently following the whole time like a tall, brooding statue-finally spoke up. "What about mine?" Clara froze. Wait, you want one too? Was he serious? Did he even realize how cartoonishly adorable that shirt was? She glanced at his cold, chiseled features and imagined him in the same cute tee. The contrast was so dramatic it was giving her whiplash. The associate lit up. "Oh, we do! Sir, would you like to try our largest size? Matching outfits look best when the whole family wears them!" When Aaron finally emerged from the fitting room, there was a tiny flicker of awkwardness in his eyes-but man, he looked stupidly good. ---- The crisp white Doraemon tee paired with his black joggers gave off a whole new vibe. His naturally wavy hair looked just the right amount of messy, and the way his tall, broad frame filled out the shirt? He looked like an off-duty celebrity caught by paparazzi. Clara panicked and immediately looked away. Her gaze dropped... only to land on Leo's little face-an exact mini version of Aaron's. Now that they were both in matching tees, the resemblance hit her like a freight train. Yup. Father and son. No denying it. "Picture," Aaron said, walking up behind Leo. "Huh?" Clara's brain short-circuited. Aaron pointed at her phone, then effortlessly scooped Leo up into one arm and moved behind Clara. Flustered, she quickly flipped to the front camera and extended her arm for a selfie. But the three of them were a little too spaced out, and only half her head made it into the frame. Then-heat. A sudden warmth pressed gently against her back. Aaron had leaned in, so close that their bodies were nearly touching. His other hand came to rest lightly on her shoulder. Clara froze like a deer in headlights. Her whole left side practically ---- short-circuited. In the three months they'd known each other, this was the first time they'd ever been this physically close. Aaron lowered his head slightly, and the faint scent of her perfume drifted to his nose. He didn't know what it was-just something subtle and soft-but it smelled so good it made him dizzy for a second. "Mom! Take the picture!" Leo's voice snapped her out of it. She fumbled with the phone and blindly tapped the screen a few times. "All done! Let's check out!" she blurted, trying to recover. Aaron calmly stepped forward, swiped his card before she could stop him, then grabbed the shopping bags with one hand and carried Leo with the other, heading out like it was no big deal. By the time they got to the car, it was almost 10 PM. Leo was out cold, his cheek smushed against Clara's chest as he slept. Clara let out a soft grunt. Dang, he was heavy. She hadn't carried him much ever since he passed the 15-kilo mark. Holding him for just a few minutes now left her chest feeling compressed. Clearly, she needed to hit the gym or something. ---- When they finally reached the parking garage, Aaron opened the back door and offered, "I'll carry him." He bent down and gently slipped his hands under Leo's arms. Clara leaned forward to pass Leo to him-but she miscalculated. She leaned too far. And her chest smacked right into Aaron's hand. Clara's face flushed so red, it was like her blood had been microwaved. Her mind exploded. It felt like she'd just thrown herself into his arms! What kind of social-death-level embarrassment was this?! But Aaron, as always, looked completely unfazed. Not a flicker of emotion crossed his face. It was like it hadn't even happened. Clara scrambled out of the car, and Aaron-cool as ever-locked it, then reached over to take her shopping bags and casually strode ahead. If Clara had been just a little more observant, she might have noticed something odd. Aaron's ears were a little pink. His steps were just a bit too fast. Almost like... he was running away. Leo was fast asleep when they got home. Aaron gave him a quick wipe-down before heading to his study on the first floor. ---- Later that night, freshly showered and lounging against the headboard, Aaron sat on the bed, slowly rubbing the fingers of his right hand. That soft, bouncy feeling from earlier... Yeah, that had almost made him lose control. And then there was Clara's bright red face... Man. I didn't do it on purpose, he muttered to himself. He opened WhatsApp and sent Clara a message: "Photos." Then two photos came through. It was Leo riding the little kiddie train at the mall. Aaron tapped to enlarge them. Hm. His son looked awesome. Aaron then texted: "The last one." About ten seconds later, the family selfie popped up. Aaron immediately saved it and zoomed in. The composition was beautiful. So peaceful and warm, it almost tricked him into believing this was a real, happy family. Clara's face in the photo had the faintest blush, her eyes shy and gentle. She looked like someone's beloved wife. Sweet. Soft. Warm. Aaron slowly stroked his thumb across her face on the screen, and felt his heartbeat pick up. ---- This was the first time he'd ever worn a family tee. Heck, he'd never even worn a couple's outfit before. He'd always thought those things were childish and shallow. Derek had joked once that Aaron gave off "middle-aged man energy" even when he was in kindergarten. Honestly, it wasn't wrong. Aaron had never been the playful type. While other kids were running around and goofing off, he just sat quietly, never causing trouble, always serious. His childhood didn't exactly help either. His mom had passed away early. His dad remarried. There hadn't been much love or attention in the house. He learned early to keep his distance from people. Over time, that distance just became second nature. By the time he reached high school, he was boarding full-time and throwing himself into academics. He was the star student in the teachers' eyes. The unattainable genius in his classmates' eyes. Tall, handsome, smart, athletic-he had no shortage of admirers. Aaron didn't care. Derek, though? He had the time of his life. Girls would fawn over Derek just to get him to pass notes to Aaron. He ate that up. ---- Even now, Derek still got nostalgic about it. "Man, back then I didn't have to lift a finger. Someone did my notes, bought my breakfast, brought me water when I was thirsty... those were the golden days!" Aaron had skimmed a few of those love letters out of curiosity. They were full of stuff like "I fell for you the moment I saw you" and "I miss you so much I can't sleep." He found them ridiculous. Formulas were more interesting. Once he got to college, his entire life became about his major. He barely had the energy to think about anything else. After graduation, the school referred him to a law firm. He started out as an intern, doing every little errand, soaking up knowledge like a sponge, grinding hard to prove himself and polish his skills.