Sleeping Arrangements

[Jody]

Loved the beginning with Aden and Belle. Thats certainly a great way to start of a chapter. Also the part about his teammates thinking he was gay and Joey joining in on the teasing made me laugh.

Jenny was cute with all her questions and excitement over Aden. It's sweet how often he used to e-mail her. Loved her message to him.

Great Joey and Aden scene. You write them extremely well as friends. He wants to learn how to cook so he can do something nice for her, so sweet of him.

When I read about Joey having a crush on someone my first thought was to wonder who it was then I realised who one of the options was. Oh Joey, please don't follow in Liams lead and drop your standards like that. Desperately hoping it's Matilda she has the crush on.

[gillyh]

Loved that chapter.

I'd love to see Jenny face, when she finds out the Belle's dating Aden

[littlemiss]

Louise! That was soooo good I loved it!

I honestly think you are an amazing writer! I could read your stories all day, especially this one since it's sooooo cute! Sadly I have a horrible feeling you are lulling us all into a false sense of security and something horrible is going to happen rather soon

But really, you write it all so well and it's so readable and believable! You write the characters just as I would imagine them acting in the situations you create, and I love the way you can really empathise with them and how you explain their emotions and actions.

In short - I loved it, thank you for the update

[xknomex]

absolutely fantastic!!! loved the beginning, i'm so glad they're so happy :D

loved the Joey/Aden convo.. AOL that he wants to make her dinner i wonder who Joey has a crush on..

cant wait for more

xxx

[Louise_2983]

When I read about Joey having a crush on someone my first thought was to wonder who it was then I realised who one of the options was. Oh Joey, please don't follow in Liams lead and drop your standards like that. Desperately hoping it's Matilda she has the crush on.

Technically she wouldn't be lowering her standards if it was Nicole given that she did actually ask her out on the actual show!

[Jody]

Thats true. But Joey had just been raped only about a week before and hadn't dealt with it yet at the time so I don't think her actions around that time speak for much about whats shes like in general. Now if she had asked Nicole out when she was in the right frame of mind then I might have been able to buy it. Although theres the fact that she did let herself become desperate and clingy over Charlie, of all people, so maybe her standards weren't all that high to begin with .

[Zetti]

Well I have finally caught up, oh how I have missed this fic! :D

Mattie and Ric were cute but how sad it was that they had a misscarriage

Update soon/

[Louise_2983]

Chapter 10

“Well dinner was gorgeous” she announced as she followed him into the kitchen and began to load their dirty plates and cutlery into the dishwasher.

“But now I need to know which restaurant or takeaway you used so I can remember to order from them in future!”

“Oh very funny” he stuck his tongue out playfully at her.

“Seriously Aden, I want to know!”

“I told you, I made it”

“Aden, it wasn’t pasta!” she objected with a chuckle.

“Honestly” he sighed dramatically.

“You try and do something nice for a girl after her first day at work and she accuses you of being a liar”

“Aww it was very sweet of you” she crept around him, kissing his neck softly.

“But I still don’t believe you made it”

“So I might have had a little help” he confessed finally.

“I knew it!” she exclaimed triumphantly, abandoning him to stack the dishwasher once more.

“But only a little, Joey gave me a cookery lesson this afternoon”

“Joey huh?” she smiled cheekily.

“Honestly, if I didn’t know better I would think that I had competition there”

“Well, you’re lucky that you don’t” he grinned coming up behind her.

“They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and her cooking skills are way superior to yours” he informed her bluntly before grasping hold of the plates she was clutching and pulling them

from her grip.

“Now will you stop clearing up! I forgot how much of a Monica you were!”

“I just like things clean and tidy!” she protested as he span her around to face him.

“I did all this so you could have a nice relaxing evening babe” he murmured kissing her softly.

“I will clean up later, now go back to the table. There’s dessert to go yet”

“Well” she smiled happily, looping her arms around his neck and leaving a trail of warm kisses over his collarbone.

“I was thinking we could have dessert in the lounge...we can’t snuggle at the table”

“Forget my stomach” he grinned, lifting her chin with his fingertips so he could press his full lips to hers.

“Snuggling on the sofa is the way to my heart”

“Then I hope Joey stayed in the kitchen this afternoon!” she teased as she grabbed two spoons and he carried the chocolate dessert into the lounge.

“Don’t worry, definitely not her type!” he laughed softly.

“It was nice of her to help you though” she smiled as she curled up on the sofa and he joined her, propping the dessert on his knee as he wound his arm around her shoulders and she snuggled into him.

“Did you tell her?” she asked suspiciously.

“No” he shook his head but avoided her gaze tellingly.

“Liar!” she smirked as she plunged her dessert spoon into the chocolate creation balanced before her.

“Well she won’t tell anyone” he gave in, knowing he wouldn’t be able to lie to her.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yes, I’ve got too much on her for that”

“Oooh like what?” Belle moved her head closer, her eyes full of intrigue.

“I can’t say, but it got her to help with dinner so be grateful!”

“Oh come on! You can’t say that and then not tell me!” she protested, her spoon hovering before her mouth in mid air, a clump of chocolate syrup sliding slowly down the long spoon.

“She’s just got a crush on someone that’s all” he shrugged.

“No one anything’s ever going to happen with so it’s not gossip really, I just like to tease her about it”

“Oh that!” Belle laughed.

“I know about that! Even Matilda knows about that!”

“She does?” Aden gulped in shock.

“It wasn’t anything I accidentally said was it? Because Jo will seriously kill me”

“Well according to Ric, Joey’s not very subtle about it”

“Ric knows too?!” Aden choked on a mouthful of dessert.

“Yeah” Belle giggled in amusement.

“He was teasing Mattie about it just the other day but you know...secretly I think he quite likes the idea!”

“I’m sure he does” Aden chuckled .

“But Joey will hate everyone knowing”

“I don’t think either of them would ever say anything to her about it, so she doesn’t really need to know that we know I guess”

“And Matilda isn’t freaked out at all?”

“Aden” Belle sighed in disappointment.

“Have you actually looked at Matilda? Ever? She’s gorgeous! She has guys fawning over her all the time. Joey’s just another admirer to add to the long list, makes no difference that she’s a girl. Mattie’s

cool with it...as long as she doesn’t try anything”

“I don’t think there’s any danger of that” Aden smiled, brushing a few stray tendrils of dark hair from her face and gazing intently into her deep chocolate brown eyes.

“And no, I don’t think I ever have really looked at Mattie babe, because I’m always too busy looking at you...I love you”

“Aww, dinner and declarations of love!” she grinned, kissing him softly.

“I think you might be by favourite person today”

“Just today?”

“Yeah, you have to do more soppy stuff to earn the title of my favourite person tomorrow!” she smirked kissing him once more.

“Although, after this dessert I think Joey may have toppled you from top position! In fact...” she grinned cheekily.

“You know that lodger you were considering earlier? She’d be a prime candidate. I’ll pay rent in the currency of kisses and she can pay with chocolate heaven!”

“Might be a little too cosy snuggling on the sofa don’t you think though?” he whispered, his lips grazing her cheek.

“Scratch that whole idea!” she announced dramatically.

“I would gladly live off pasta for the rest of my life if it stays just me and you on this sofa”

“Me, you and maybe a little Tinkerbelle or little Aden one day?” he smiled happily.

“Nah, the kid would die of malnutrition!” she shrugged off the comment but couldn’t help but mirror his grin. For the first time that she could remember the thought of settling down and having kids didn’t

freak her out as much as it used to.

“Aunty Joey could send over food parcels” he laughed, his lips nudging her neck.

“But then the kid would probably be fat” she chuckled nudging him back.

“It’s kinder all round if we don’t procreate you know”

“Oh but think of all the fun we could have doing it” he smirked kissing her passionately, his spoon clattering back into the almost empty bowl as his hands wandered over her body greedily.

“Slow remember?” she teased as they broke apart, breathless and grinning from ear to ear.

“Yeah, I know” he sighed, hugging her close.

“So how was your first day at work really? You were a bit quiet when I asked earlier”

“It was good” she assured him, resting her head against his broad chest and draping an arm around his waist.

“But I was a little flustered given I arrived very late due to your kisses!”

“Look babe” he smirked.

“I can’t help it if you find me irresistible!”

“Do not!” she objected forcefully.

“Do so!”

“Do n-...well ok maybe just a little bit” she giggled softly.

“And so does the girl at the desk next to me! Quite the little groupie she is, she’s got your photo pinned up on her notice board and everything! She nearly had a heart attack when I told her I was from

Summer Bay”

“How did she take the news that I’m taken?” he asked with a slightly embarrassed chuckle.

“Oh I just pretended that I don’t know you” Belle shrugged nonchalantly.

“Probably for the best”

“Yeah I thought so”

“No really” he told her seriously.

“They don’t like us having girlfriends. Or at least ones we don’t keep hidden away anyway”

“Who are they?” she asked intrigued.

“The owners of the team. Apparently when players flout their relationships in the press women stop buying tickets to games and the ad campaigns we get offered are less lucrative too”

“Right so you’d hide me away so you could earn more money?” she asked unimpressed, moving away from him slightly.

“No” he told her honestly, pulling her back against his body.

“Belle, I would take an ad out in the national press if you’d let me. Nothing means as much to me as you do”

“Glad to hear it” her lips curved into a smile against his fitted t-shirt.

“But please don’t...not yet anyway”

“Ok” he grinned.

“I’ll tell them not to hold the front page this week then”

“Yeah because I don’t want half of my work colleagues to hate me!” she giggled.

“Did it make you jealous?” he asked almost happy at the idea.

“Seeing another girl lusting over my picture”

“No” she replied honestly without missing a beat as she rested her chin against his chest and looked up at him.

“No it didn’t. Because she can look all she wants, to her you’re just a fantasy. But to me you’re real. I know you and I know that you love me. So Jenny and all your other groupies can lust over you as

much as they want. I’m the only one who’s got the real thing”

“You know” he whispered, framing her face with his hands and pressing his lips to hers.

“You know that you can be one hundred percent sure of everything you just said don’t you?” he asked , gazing into her eyes concerned that she realised just how true his words were.

“It’s only ever been you Belle”

“I love you” she whispered softly, kissing him gently.

“Even if you are keeping secrets from me”

“Secrets?” he asked confused as she smirked up at him, her eyebrows arched.

“Yes secrets!” she laughed heartily.

“Matilda sent me a very interesting link today...to the list of 50 hot guys nominated for Cleo Bachelor of the Year!”

“Oh that” he sighed, cringing.

“Yes that” she teased.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Well you know” he shrugged with mock affront.

“I don’t like to brag”

“ No of course not” she giggled.

“And it’s not like you stand any chance of winning anyway, not when you’re up against Liam!”

“Watch it you!” he teased, tickling her softly.

“I’m joking of course, he’s got nothing on you babe” she smiled at the same time as she let out a loud yawn.

“But does he bore you as much as I do?” he laughed.

“Sorry” she sighed sheepishly.

“It’s just been a long day. I think I’ll turn in...alone!” she announced, rising to her feet, as he looked at her hopefully.

“Sweet dreams” he smiled, not wanting to push it. He could wait. He would wait forever if he had to.

“You too baby” she whispered, taking his face in her hands and kissing him slowly and tenderly before disappearing up the stairs and into the guest room.

It was only after she has got ready for bed and began to pull back the cover when she noticed the laminate folder sat on top of her pillow. Curiously, she flipped it open to find a note in Aden’s familiar

script.

”Couldn’t have my girl starting to think that I don’t love her could I?” it simply read Here’s some bedtime reading to keep you warm when you won’t let me x

A broad, happy smile spread over her pretty features as she flicked through the pages and realised it contained print outs of every single email Aden had sent her when she had been in London. She

climbed into bed, snuggling into the stack of fluffy pillows and settling down to read, pausing only momentarily to type a text she heard arrive in the room below her just seconds after she hit send.

Aden Jefferies, I think I just might love you xxx

[bradyell]

*sigh* i want an Aden! Gonna write my letter to Santa now, reckon 5 months is long enough for him to sort me one out!!

That was soooooooo good as usual!

Aden and chocolate dessert - what more could a girl want! *off to the gutter goes my mind*

Belle has got to have the most amazing will powerer in the universe!!

LOVED IT and can't wait for more

off to dream sweeet chocolatey Adeny dreams *sigh*

[~Zoe~]

Loved it as usual Louise, it was a brilliant update.

One of my favourite fictions on here

Cant wait for more

xx