He Chose Her, I Chose My Career

Aaron's first love landed herself in the hospital again. For her sake, Aaron had deleted every last file on my computer — all the material I'd put together for the promotion. He took my hand and said, "Rena, I don't want to watch you and Vicky fight over the same position. It's bad for us. Just sit this one out, okay?" I stared at him, not believing my ears. That material had taken me the better part of a week to pull together, and I hadn't even backed it up before Aaron wiped it clean. "Rena, you know how hard Vicky's had it. She's finally got a shot at moving up. Don't take it from her." His precious first love had had it hard? And what about me? Had any of this been handed to me on a plate? I'd given that job everything I had, year after year. Why should I step aside for someone else just because he said so? I slapped his hand away, hugged my laptop to my chest, and started to get up and leave. But he grabbed my wrist again, like he wouldn't let go until he squeezed a promise out of me. "Rena, don't waste your energy. I put a virus on your computer, and that data's gone for good. Just promise me you won't go to the bid tomorrow, and I'll cook you dinner tomorrow night. Deal? "Don't worry, I'll take care of you. Just let Vicky have this one." I pulled in a slow breath. Looking at the man standing in front of me, so thoroughly devoted to someone else's interests, I swallowed down the disgust rising in my throat. "Fine." He finally let go. I carried my laptop into the bedroom. The second the door clicked shut, I heard Aaron — already on the phone with his precious Vicky, like he couldn't dial fast enough. "Vicky, relax. Serena already agreed. You're a lock for tomorrow…" "Aaron, helping me like this won't cause problems between you and Serena, will it?" Aaron brushed it off. "Don't worry about it. She only took the finance job for me anyway. Besides, if she's actually got the chops, she'll get her shot next year." He said it with total confidence — partly to put Vicky at ease, partly to convince himself. "And anyway, her parents are both gone. I'm all she's got. She can't manage without me." "I really do envy Serena, having you there for her all the time. Not like me. I've had to fight for everything on my own." Aaron's voice went soft and low again, dripping with a tenderness he never ran out of. "Don't worry. With everything you've got going for you, there's no way you'll fall short. I'll be right behind you the whole way." ***** I sat in the bedroom listening to the two of them, and a cold went straight through me. The tears came before I could stop them. So that was it. To Aaron, the agony of losing both my parents was just proof that I'd never be able to leave him. My future, my career — those were things to be handed off to make room for someone else. Seven years together, all the way back to college, and none of them could hold a candle to the pull of his first love.