Page 73 of Fractured Fate

She closed the door with a yawn. Even without classes, the day had exhausted her. The police at her home twice. A suspected break-in, and then an actual break-in. Pissy officers—or at least one in particular. Now friends who didn’t seem to know when to say when.

The bathroom door opened, and Aiden stepped out, meeting her eyes with frustration marring his handsome face.

“So, a date, huh?”

Her expression pinched. “What? No?”

“Sounded like it to me,” he said in a conversational tone, but there was a lingering bite to the sound she didn’t understand.

“He asked.” She crossed the kitchen to her room, where she had placed the shopping bags with his clothes and her new underwear. “I turned him down,” she said as she passed him.

Aiden leaned against the corner of the wall where it ended and created an entrance to the space she used as a bedroom. “So, he is interested in you?”

“I don’t know. I guess.”

“How do you not know? He asked you out. Trust me, he’s interested.”

She shrugged, folding the delicate pieces she bought, her body blocking his view of them. “I mean, he’s made it clear, so I guess I know now. But I didn’t before recently.” She carried the folded underwear across the room and began putting them away. “I’ve never really been able to tell when someone is interested unless they are being vulgar at the diner or flat out tell me. I didn’t realize it for sure until he kissed me, even when Rachel thought he asked me on a date before.” She shut the drawer and turned to find a very irritated-looking Aiden staring at her. “What’s wrong?”

“He kissed you? When?” The deep timbre of his voice as he spoke the last word through gritted teeth made her shiver.

“Friday after our group meeting.”

“You mean the same night you looked scared out of your mind when we talked on Discord?” He straightened and looked ready to turn and head for her door—presumably to chase after Noah.

“Whoa, wait. Wait a minute.” She moved over to stand in front of him. “He didn’t upset me.”

Aiden ran his hand over the length of his hair and scratched the crown of his head. “Then you were okay with the kiss?”

“No.” She grabbed his forearm when he tensed. “I mean, I didn’t care for him kissing me. I let him know I wasn’t looking for anything. He respected that.”

Some of the tension drained from Aiden’s body at those words. “Then why’s he asking you out now?”

“I guess trying his luck? I don’t get it much either.” She turned and walked over to the closet, opening it and pushing her clothes to the side. “You can hang your new clothes in here. What are you gonna do about your mom’s car?” She pulled down several hangers and brought them over to her computer chair, sitting them on it before moving to her bed to sit down next to the bags of his clothing.

“I called her while you were in the lingerie store,” he said, rubbing a hand over the side of his neck and glancing to the side. “She told me to keep it while I’m here. She’ll use the other car.”

She moved the bags out of the way as he moved to take a seat next to her. “You told her about all this?”

“No. That’s your business. I told her I was staying with a friend for the summer.”

“And she didn’t question it?”

That made no sense. From what Riley told her, Annie Easton helicopter parented with the best of them. Maybe she didn’t do that with her sons, or either Riley being the youngest made her mother act differently.

“Oh, she questioned it, alright. But it’s fine. She gave me the green light in the end.” He sighed. “I can’t believe you can’t tell,” he mumbled.

“Can’t tell what?”

“If someone is into you.”

She laughed. “It’s not a foreign concept. Do you know every single person who is attracted to you?”

“Well, no.” He at least looked somewhat chagrined by the realization. “But when we were at the beach, you kept up with that stupid drinking game just fine.”

When they went to Tybee Island during spring break, they indulged in some silly high school games. During Never Have I Ever, she got tipsy, and she guessed Aiden was paying attention.

“Just because I have experience, doesn’t mean I knew the guy was interested before I was in a relationship with him.” She shrugged. “Like I said, I didn’t even know Noah was interested until recently. Usually, Blaire was the one to point out if a guy was genuinely flirting with me and not being a lecherous creep.”