Two Hearts

It was a bright, sunny Monday when Rhianna's life changed forever...

Rhianna was sitting in class, idly tapping her pencil on her notebook. The clock ticked down the seconds until the end of the day. Why did Mondays always take so loooong??? Finally..

brrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggg!!!!

The bell clanged noisily as the students quickly and loudly grabbed their bags and started heading out of school. Rhianna smiled quietly to herself, grabbing her bag and carefully putting her items in the bag that had the likeness of a dragon on it.

Walking out of the school, Rhianna smiled up at the blue sky, happily enjoying the beautiful day. As she walked home, her chest felt tight, and she was getting a little wheezy. Geez, I need to go to the gym she thought as she got to her family’s small game shop. Walking in, she bumped into one of the customers. The customer spun around, the box flying out of his hand.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Rhianna blushed furiously and went to grab the box. Standing up, she turned around and handed the box to...gulping, Rhianna's eyes got huge. The teen was the most perfect thing Rhianna had ever seen. Dark blue eyes looked down on Rhianna, a smile on his tan face. His hair looked similar to Rhianna's in color but it looked sexier on this god in a teen's body.

Smiling, the teen took the box. "It's okay. Accidents happen." The rich baritone voice slithered down Rhianna's arms like velvet. Blushing, Rhianna looked down at the box. Smiling as she recognized what was in the box, Rhianna looked back up.

"You like Ticket to Ride?" Rhianna asked, grinning.

The other teen smiled. "It looks like fun, but I've never played. That's why I'm buying a starter package."

Rhianna smiled big. "You’ll love it. It’s really great when you get to screw with the other players and block them.”

The other teen grinned. "Really? Is that so?" The chuckle made Rhianna blush and look down again, feeling silly for being so excited about a board game.

"Hey..." A finger slipped under Rhianna's chin, lifting her face up to face the teen. "Don't be embarrassed. I get excited about different games, too. Would you like to go out to dinner with me Friday?"

Rhianna gulped. Without thinking about it, she gulped again and nodded yes. "Great. I'm Aaron by the way. Pick you up here at seven?"

Rhianna smiled goofily and nodded. "I'm Rhianna."

Aaron grinned. "I like games." Winking, he headed out.

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The next few days drug by. Rhianna kept Aaron a secret from her friends...she wanted to tell, she really did, but what if it went badly, or if this was some joke and Aaron stood Rhianna up? Friday finally came and she swore all the clocks stopped while she was in school. Finally, the bell rang and she rushed out of school, wheezing by the time she got home. Yep, definitely got to go to the gym. Rushing in, she ran upstairs, stripping off clothes and rushing to take a shower. Getting out, she wasn't sure what to wear. Sighing, she spent the next hour trying to figure that out.

Finally, after deciding on nice jeans and a white crop top with daisies on it, she went in, fixing her hair. Frowning at anything her hair did, she finally let it go in a loose braid. Getting dressed, she then sat at her desk....and waited. At 6:56pm there was a knock on his door. Jumping up, she opened it...and it was her grandfather.

Solomon looked at his granddaughter and smiled. "I'm leaving to go out with friends. Be safe tonight, and have fun." Winking, her grandfather handed her something and walked off. Looking down at her hand, Rhianna blushed thirty shades of red...it was a condom! Just then the doorbell rang. Rhianna shoved the condom in her pocket and ran down the stairs. Rushing to the door, she opened it and smiled.

Aaron was standing there, in black shoes, slacks, and a black button up shirt. He managed to get his mane pulled back in a half ponytail. Smiling at Rhianna, Aaron's cheeks dusted red, so he cleared his throat. "You look really good, Rhianna."

Rhianna blushed as well and looked away. "Th..thanks...you do, too."

Aaron chuckled. "Are you hungry?" Rhianna looked up and nodded. "Well, let's go. I've got my car." Rhianna followed, locking the door behind her and went up to a beautiful black car. It looked like it cost twice as much as her family’s store was worth! Sliding into the front, she sat on exquisitely comfortable leather seats. Aaron slid in the driver's seat, buckling his seat belt as Rhianna did the same. Starting the engine, Aaron smiled. "Any place in particular you want to go?"

Rhianna shrugged. She felt very out of place in this beautiful car with this beautiful man. Aaron chuckled again. "Well, do you trust me?" Rhianna's eyes got huge, but she nodded.

Aaron pulled out, maneuvering traffic. "So, do you have any food allergies?"

"No. Do you?" Rhianna questioned, cocking her head to one side.

Aaron grinned. "Only to the fact that I eat too many potato chips."

Rhianna laughed. "I could say the same thing about chocolate for me."

Soon they were laughing and talking about their favorite anything...food, television, anime, games...nothing seemed to be off limits as they were very comfortable rather quickly with each other, like they had known one another forever, instead of forty minutes. Pulling in front of a restaurant, Rhianna looked up and gulped. This was a really expensive French restaurant! Swallowing hard, she gnawed his lip. Aaron noticed and turned in his seat, looking at Rhianna. "What's wrong?"

Rhianna looked up. "I..uh, I just don't know that I can afford this place, Aaron."

Aaron smiled. "Don't worry about it. I asked you out. I'm paying."

Rhianna sighed nervously, but nodded, getting out. Walking into the restaurant, Aaron went up to the maître d. "Do you have a reservation, sir?" The maître d asked kindly.

Aaron smiled. "No."

"Well, sir, I am sorry, but we are quite full tonight. If you'd like to wait to see if we have an open..."

About then, a man walked up in a nice suit, addressing the maître d. "Tatki, we have a table for Mr. Sennen."

"Sir, our tables are full…I checked and we haven't had any cancellations." Tatki responded, looking confused.

"We always have a table available for any of the Sennens." The other man said warningly.

Rhianna's jaw dropped. Aaron...Sennen? Aaron was a Sennen? The Sennens were one of the wealthiest families in this town...rivaling the Rialtos. Rhianna was interrupted from her thoughts as Aaron touched Rhianna's arm, nodding his head towards the tables. Rhianna followed quietly.

After setting down at a table, Rhianna looked at the menu given to her. Sighing, she looked at the menu...and realized she couldn't read it. Looking up at Aaron, eyes wide, she gulped. Aaron looked up. "What is it Rhianna?"

"Uh..I...I can't read this!" Rhianna whispered. "I studied Spanish and Latin!"

Aaron smiled. "Do you want me to translate or would you rather I order for you?"

Rhianna smiled. "Please order. I really like chicken, seafood, and pancakes, but I don't think I have to worry about that here." Rhianna grinned.

Aaron smiled. The waiter appeared and Aaron ordered, speaking perfect French. Rhianna was amazed.

The night progressed with the teens laughing and talking and eating. The food was amazing, but the company was better than that. After dinner, Aaron took Rhianna home. Getting out and walking her to the door, Aaron blushed. Rhianna looked up. "I had a really good time tonight Aaron."

Aaron smiled. Leaning down, he cupped Rhianna's cheek in one hand and gently brushed his lips against Rhianna's. Rhianna's eyes slid closed at the feeling of velvet on her lips. Smiling, Rhianna brushed hers lips against Aaron's. Looking up, her face flushed, she grinned goofily.

"Can I call you?" Aaron asked.

Rhianna grinned and nodded. Taking Aaron's phone that he had just pulled out, Rhianna typed in her number and saved it under Rhianna. Grinning, she went into the shop, leaving Aaron to smile and head back to his car.

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Over the next few months, Aaron and Rhianna became inseparable. It seemed that every weekend they were together, playing games, watching movies, just hanging out together, sometimes with friends, sometimes alone. Rhianna had introduced Aaron to her friends, who accepted him willingly as one of their own.

Rhianna had never been so happy, and neither had Aaron. Rhianna's grandfather was pleased that Rhianna was with someone who was polite and pleasant and treated his granddaughter with such respect. Aaron's parents were happy that Aaron was happy and that Rhianna wasn't using Aaron for his name or money, as Rhianna often suggested they do things that were free and demanded to pay sometimes.

It was a bright, sunny Saturday that changed Aaron's life...forever...

Rhianna and Aaron had made plans to go to the carnival with their friends. They were all running around, having a great time, riding rides and eating junk food. Suddenly, Rhianna's eyes got huge. "Oooh, look!" Aaron looked over to where Rhianna was pointing and there was a golden horseshoe hanging by a leather cord as one of the prizes at a game. Rhianna walked up, her face in awe. Aaron followed. Rhianna hadn't asked for one thing, and in fact had demanded she pay for their tickets and food here. “I love horses. Horseshoes are supposed to be good luck.”

Aaron looked at the game, determining how to win. There were four tiers of bottles. The bottom tier had four mason jars in a row. The level above it, slightly higher and recessed back, had three water glasses in a row. The level above that, slightly higher and recessed farther back still, had two shot glasses in a row. The top level, slightly higher still and recessed even farther back, had a single beer bottle. The object of the game, Aaron deduced, was to flip a coin into one of the openings. If the coin fell in the mason jars, the prize was a candy bar. If the coin fell in the glasses, it was a small toy. If the coin managed to make it's way into the shot glass, there were larger stuffed animals and some mirrored pictures as the prize. Finally, if someone was lucky enough to flip the coin into the beer bottle, they got the prize of all prizes...that horseshoe. However, each coin toss cost the same.

Rhianna looked over the game too, and her face fell. She knew there was no way that anyone could win that horseshoe. Seeing Rhianna's downcast face, Aaron winked and walked up, pulling out his wallet. Paying for a coin flip, he tossed the coin. It bounced off the shot glass, falling in the mason jar. Rhianna smiled gratefully for Aaron's attempt and picked out a candy bar after Aaron motioned for her to. The rest of the group of friends had stopped and milled around to see what was happening. Aaron pulled out more money and tried again, missing completely. Rhianna smiled up at Aaron. "It's okay, Aaron. You tried, that's enough." Aaron gave Rhianna a pout, pulling out more money. Three small toys, one candy bar, one mirrored picture, and two misses later, Aaron was beyond aggravated...and the group was growing, watching Aaron's determination. Pulling out more money on his eighth attempt, he closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath. Opening his eyes and turning to Rhianna, he smiled. "Give me a kiss for luck." Rhianna blushed, but leaned up, putting a gentle peck on Aaron's lips.

Aaron smiled and turned back, giving a determined flip to the coin ... which went in the beer bottle. The crowd erupted into screams of joy as the horseshoe was taken down and put around Rhianna's neck by a very surprised carny. Rhianna smiled so huge, Aaron would have given all the money he had to see that smile. Kissing Rhianna again, to a chorus of "ooooos", the group wandered off to do other things.

That night, Aaron dropped Rhianna off. "Did you have a good day, Rhi?" Aaron whispered, standing outside the door of the shop.

"Yes...I...it was wonderful." Rhianna was breathing heavy. She had been short of breath and dizzy all day, and it really reminded her she needed to go to the gym.

"Rhy...are you okay?" That was the last thing Rhianna heard before darkness enveloped her.

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Rhianna sat in the hospital bed, running her fingers over the horseshoe that hung around her neck. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. That's what she had. That's what she had inherited. That's what was making her dizzy, weak, and short of breath. That's what was going to kill her unless she found a heart donor.

Rhianna had taken the news better than anyone else. She woke up in the hospital and was quickly filled in on what happened. She had passed out in Aaron's arms. Aaron had called an ambulance and then gotten Solomon up. After getting to the hospital, several tests had been run, both before Rhianna woke up and after. Then that evil phrase was uttered. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Basically, her heart muscle was thickening...and was going to kill her if she didn't get a heart transplant.

Aaron never left Rhianna's side. Rhianna suspected that Aaron was not taking it as well as he was acting, but he didn't show that to Rhianna. Aaron just kept talking about when they get the heart transplant for Rhianna. Rhianna suspected that Aaron was probably doing something illegal with his money to secure a transplant, but Rhianna couldn't confirm that. Running her fingers over the horseshoe, she looked up and smiled as Aaron came in.

"Hey, Rhy." The bags under Aaron's eyes were dark. Aaron wasn't sleeping well at the hospital, but he refused to go home. Rhianna frowned, pouting at Aaron. "What?" Aaron asked.

"You need sleep, Aaron. Please, go home, get a shower, rest and then come back. I love that you are here with me, but I worry about you, too." Rhianna took Aaron's hand. Aaron looked at Rhianna, then sighed, nodding.

"Okay, but first..." Getting down on one knee, Aaron slipped a band on Rhianna's ring finger. "Rhianna, I love you. You are the light to my dark, my reason for smiling and breathing. You are the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing I think of when I go to sleep. I don't want to be with anyone else but you...Will you marry me?"

Rhianna gasped, looking at the simple band with diamonds in it. Looking up into Aaron's worried eyes, Rhianna grinned, pulling him into a kiss. "Yes, yes, yes!" Rhianna whispered.

Aaron smiled a huge, beaming smile. Standing up, he kissed Rhianna tenderly again. "I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?" Kissing Rhianna's forehead, Aaron looked down. "Rhianna...I love you."

Rhianna's face lit up like the sun. "I love you, too Aaron." Smiling, she sat up and kissed Aaron on the mouth. Aaron smiled, then chuckling, he headed out of the room.

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Solomon didn't know if Rhianna could take the news he had to give. He had just closed up the shop when he got the news from the Organ Donation Center. There were no hearts available with Rhianna's rare blood type. They would keep looking, but it did not look promising...especially since Rhianna was touch and go on a day to day basis. Rhianna didn't know that information...Solomon didn't think it would help Rhianna to know that she was on borrowed time and that the doctors were amazed that she had lived to be seventeen, seeing as she should have been dead by ten.

Going into Rhianna's room, he looked around. Funny, Aaron wasn't there. Aaron was always there. Sitting in a chair by Rhianna's bed, he took Rhianna's hand. Rhianna was worried...Solomon looked very bad. "What is it Grampa?" Rhianna asked quietly.

"Rhianna, sweetheart..." Solomon sighed, when suddenly a nurse came in. "Mr. Slidell?"

Solomon and Rhianna looked up, as Solomon said "Yes?"

The nurse came in. "We will be prepping Rhianna for surgery. We just got a heart in from a car crash. The heart is a match and was designated specifically for this patient."

Solomon and Rhianna both looked at the nurse. Solomon blinked slowly. "Do we know who the donor was or anything about them?" Solomon asked gravely. He was happy that his Rhianna had a better chance at life, but this also had to have cost someone a life.

"The donor was Aaron Sennen."

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Rhianna was sitting in her room, the horseshoe around her neck, the ring around her left ring finger. It had been six months. She had the surgery, recovered from it, went to the funeral (which they had kindly held off for her since Aaron wanted to donate other organs and then be cremated), and then she just...survived. Rhianna laid in her bed. She slept. She ate minimally. She looked at her phone's pictures of her and Aaron. She looked at Aaron's phone at the pictures he had of the two of them together. She would listen to the voicemail messages of Aaron so that she could hear Aaron's voice.

Her friends came over. She tried to engage with them, but she couldn't concentrate and she didn't want to be around people. She just wanted to be alone. She wanted Aaron back, but that was impossible. Solomon tried to point out that Aaron was still living through her, since Aaron donated his heart...Rhianna had shut out her grandfather then as the tears flowed down her cheeks, splashing on the puzzle and her clothes. She just wanted Aaron back…she wanted Aaron...not Aaron's heart, not memories, not photos...AARON! Getting up, Rhianna went into the bathroom, used the toilet, then washed her hands and face. When finished, he went back out to his bed...and there, sitting on the bed, was...Aaron?

Rhianna rubbed her eyes. She was going insane. Looking at her bed, Aaron was still there. "A...Aaron?" Rhianna whispered.

Aaron looked up, his eyes lighting up at seeing Rhianna. "Rhy."

His voice still sent shivers down Rhianna's spine. Rhianna looked at Aaron. "H...how? You...you're dead...your heart is in me..." Rhianna whispered, sitting on the bed. She reached out to grab Aaron's hand, and her hand went right through Aaron. Frowning, she looked up at Aaron.

Aaron smiled regretfully. "I'm here, but with a cost, Rhianna. I don't have a body anymore. I can't touch you. I’m a ghost."

Rhianna sat back, swallowing hard. Smiling, she looked at Aaron. "But…I still get to see you...I still get to talk to you...I'll take what I can get."

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The next few days felt like Heaven to Rhianna. She had her Aaron, she could talk to him, she could hear his voice. She wished she could feel him, but she would take what she could get. Rhianna actually got up, took a shower and went down to breakfast after Aaron noted that Solomon was worried about Rhianna. Rhianna never took the ring off, and she only took the horseshoe off to shower. It made her feel close to Aaron even when Aaron wasn't physically there.

The next couple of weeks went by quickly, and suddenly, Rhianna realized it was her birthday. Her eighteenth birthday. Aaron came to tell her happy birthday in the morning, but then disappeared stating that he was trying to "plan" something for Rhianna.

Rhianna went about her business, going downstairs and getting her birthday pancakes from her grandfather, along with a digital picture frame that had pictures of Aaron in it. Rhianna hugged her grandfather, hugging the picture frame to her chest. She spent the day with friends at the arcade. Hey, she might be eighteen, but she still loved her games!

Arriving home around six, faking tiredness, she went up to her room. She wanted to spend time with Aaron. Upon getting to the room, she put on some music and called out quietly, "Aaron?" She had started putting on music or the tv so that it covered her talking to Aaron...otherwise a very concerned Solomon would appear at Rhianna's door, asking if she felt okay...

"Rhianna..." The voice was Aaron's. "Please...lay on the bed and relax. I have a surprise for you."

Rhianna smiled and laid down, closing her eyes after he kicked off his shoes. "Rhianna...I want you to trust me. Can you do that?"

Rhianna nodded, whispering, "Yes, I trust you."

Suddenly she felt fingers gently running down her face. Sitting up as she scooted back, she looked towards where the fingers were coming from...and saw Aaron standing beside the bed in black pants and a black tank top. Rhianna smiled. "Hi." She whispered quietly.

Aaron walked up to Rhianna. "Hi." He whispered back, putting his hands on Rhianna's cheeks, cupping her face, and pulling Rhianna into a kiss. The smooth velvet lips felt so very warm on Rhianna's. Rhianna's eyes flew open as she pulled back.

"H...how?" Rhianna whispered.

Aaron looked at her. "I pulled some strings in the afterlife. I'm very charming when I want to be. In any event...one night a year, I can be corporeal. Happy birthday."

Rhianna's eyes teared up. "Aaron...this is the most wonderful present." Pulling Aaron into a hug, Rhianna whispered, "Thank you."

Aaron smiled, pulling her tight. They may only be able to touch once a year, but that was better than nothing. Aaron realized then that Rhianna always had his heart, from that first moment they met. It was at that moment that their two hearts had become one.