He Came Through the Window

Part 17

[I know it's short, but I just wanted to keep this scene in its own chapter. Enjoy, comment, vote :) Please, I like when you tell me what you think!]

(Ayden's Perspective for the Remainder of the Book)

He met me at the fire escape, where I was already standing in the chill, looking out over the city. His teeth glowed in the darkness as he reached the top of the fire escape, kissing me on the cheek.

"Hey," He greeted, rubbing my bare hands in his. "is everything okay? You sounded worried."

My head shook, but my mouth stayed closed. I lead him through the bedroom window, tensing at the feeling of his warm breath on the back of my neck. Shutting the window behind us, I gestured for Holland to take a seat next to me on the bed.

"What's up?" He asked, leaning back on the pillow and rubbing his thumb over my hand.

My eyes, still burning a bit from an afternoon of tears, averted to the way my hand was cradled in his. His touch was warm, which just made my heart ache even more. His eyes were dull and almost emotionless, but they stared at me intently until I swallowed the lump in my throat and spoke. "I got marked truant at school today."

Holland's dark eyebrows shot up and his drained eyes widened. "What?" He demanded.

I tasted something like glue in my mouth. "They marked me-"

"I heard you!" He interrupted, rising hastily from the bed, which made it squeak underneath me. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his sweat pants, which he had changed into hours before while we drank coffee. He didn't ask at his house before undressing himself and slipping into something more comfortable, and he wouldn't turn to look at me as the dress pants fell at his ankles. I shook the thought from my mind. "You said you didn't have school today."

I gulped, watching him pace across the room from the bed. "I lied."

He let out a low groan that was accompanied by an imploring expression. "Why the hell did you do that?"

I shrugged, feeling my hands dampening a bit as I grabbed at the sheets under me. "I didn't think it was a big deal. You said you wanted me to come to the funeral, so I did."

"I didn't want you to come if it meant getting in trouble," He argued, waving his hands in the air as he spoke. "You didn't go to school at all today?"

My head shook in response as my stomach did backflips. "I hung out at Starbuck's before meeting you."

Holland cursed under his breath, crossing his arms over his chest. "Ayden," He groaned, stretching out my name in a way that made me feel like a little kid being lectured. I sat on the bed, an uneasy feeling brewing in my stomach, while he paced over me like my father had earlier.

"The actual truancy isn't the issue," I spoke up, touching my thin socks to the cold floor and shivering a bit. I stood a few feet away from him, hands in my pockets as Holland stared at me quizzically.

"Then what is?"

I gulped again, rubbing the inside pockets of my soft, pink pajama pants. "I had to tell my dad why I wasn't at school," I hesitated, meeting Holland's gaze. He raised his eyebrows in a way that begged me to get on with the whole thing. "I said that I was with you at India's funeral."

Holland's fingers rubbed at his temples, head lowering to meet the floor as he groaned. "Fuck," He mumbled, running a hand through his hair.

Nodding my head slowly, I bit down on my lower lip and fidgeted in place. "He asked if we were still seeing each other. I didn't know what to say, so I said no, but-"