Consume my broken heart

Chapter 19

In horror, I grab the helmet out of his hands. "I hate you." I murmur through gritted teeth while seating myself behind him.I push the helmet over my freshly done hair, hoping to God I will not look like a drown fish when this ride ends.

Aiden looks at me with his helmet already on. Because of the helmet I couldn't see his expression, only his eyes narrowed. I'm guessing he's just smiling at my clumsiness."Ready?" He asks.

"Hmm," I murmur in irritation. Why am I even doing this? This has nothing to do with the plan. He wants me to be fierce and bold. I know my confidence is terrible, but it's not like it will grow by doing this. But I need to see the evidence. I don't have another choice to obey for now.

Aiden yanks his arms to the side and takes mine to settle them around his waist. "Hold on," he yells before letting the engine come to life. When I feel the motor move from under me, a small squeal left me, making me embrace him even more.

The ride went smoothly. Aiden was very careful, and I relaxed a bit more. When I finally let all the stress and negativity stream out of my body, we already arrived at his place. I swing my leg over the motorcycle and push the helmet from my head with force. I thought it would have gotten stuck over my head by now.

"Are you okay?" Aiden asks while undoing himself from his helmet and taking my helmet out of my hand.

"Yeah," I answer breathy. I felt sweaty from all the nerves and might faint from hunger. It was way past lunch, and I hadn't eaten breakfast this morning.

"Your hair," Aiden joked, trying his best to cover a smile.

"That's your fault. I just had my hair done." I whine while combing my hair with my fingers. "Besides, how much did you pay for my hair?" I ask him, almost forgot he paid for me.

"See it as a gift." He spoke calmly, flashing me a dazzling smile. God, how can I stay angry at him? His smile is so contagious. I narrow my eyes at his response when I finally woke up from the sight of his too handsome face.

"Why do I feel you've got a hidden agenda?" I ask him boldly while entering his house.

"Why do you always think I'm up to something?" Aiden turns on his heel to face me. He eyes me suspiciously for a few seconds, making me regret I assumed he just can't be nice without asking for a favor.

"I, uh," I stammer, not knowing how I can talk a way out of this. Why do I always have to say stupid things?

"It's not like I'm hitting on you, Grace." Aiden chuckles at my horrified expression. "I ordered you to go to the hairdresser, so it's my duty to pay for it as well." He adds, and then he leaves me dumbfounded in his hallway.

I never thought he would hit on me, but his answer hurt, and I'm not sure why. Is the possibility to have me as a girlfriend so horrible? Am I so ugly and bad company to be around with? My lower lip trembles, and I feel like a little girl again. Naive, small Grace getting rejected when I didn't even make a move whatsoever.

"Are you coming or are you going to admire my hallway a little longer?" Aiden asks with a coy smile.

"Just let me see the damn tape." I say coldly and storm passed him. Aiden eyes me for a second, but brushes off my sudden change of posture as though what he had said a few seconds ago wouldn't be rude. Doesn't he have feelings like a normal person?

"Here," Aiden says when he shoves his laptop in front of me. "That's one of his employees who has a very long criminal record full of thefts." He continues and I see a man clearly in sight, showing off a new motorcycle. "You can see very clear how Anthony pays him in cash." Aiden adds while I glued my eyes to the screen."That's number one down. Another two to go." Aiden says softly, closing the laptop in front of me.

"What are you going to do with the video?" I ask him curiously.

"That's up to you. I wanted to blackmail him to nail his friends, but that's all up to you." Aiden explains me and I stop his way of thinking by grabbing his arm firmly.

"I don't want you to talk with them about what has happened, about the bullying I mean." I correct myself and quickly remove my hand. Why did I have to touch him? Was I being so desperate? I can feel his eyes bore into my flesh. This isn't good...

"Grace, I know there's more to your story." Aiden says calmly.

"With one click I can find everything about you, but I want to hear it from you. If you aren't honest with me, I can't help you anymore." He adds with his eyes averted from mine.

A cold shiver ran down my spine. How can he do this to me? Why can't he stick to the plan. The plan I would pay him for. This should have been a bussines agreement and nothing else. Why does he ruin everything for me? I need to forget what has happened that evening. And now he wants to rip that bandage open when I feel finally felt better. I can't tell him. The words feel like acid on my tongue. It burns inside of me like they are crawling under my skin once again. I feel a drop of sweat dripping from my nose, my cheeks flushing from heat.

"Grace?" Aiden asks with concern.

"I,uhu, don't feel good." I whisper and yank my chair backwards. With wobbly legs I stand up, wishing this feeling will go away soon. Maybe if I get a fresh air I will feel better. Despite my effort I didn't get past the table when an overwhelming darkness consumes me fully. The last thing I hear is a melody with his voice in my head.