An age gap love story.
A brokenhearted billionaire.
A college girl.
*****
"Nevaeh," Aiden whispers, "can I rest my head on your shoulder?"
I nod, letting him rest his head on my shoulder. He closes his eyes.
"Thank you." He sighs in contentment. "...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
My emotions are still all over the place as I storm into my bedroom with Aiden following suit.
I've given him silent treatment during the ride home because I don't know what to say. I don't know what to feel.
What Aiden did today makes me confused to the point that my mind is a huge mess.
I turn around, startling him. He stops, staring at me with a mixture of anger and pain. But there's also fear in his expression. That look makes me want to scream in frustration.
Why does he have to look at me that way? It makes me angry at myself.
But I'm also angry at him.
What happened between him and Kai in the coffee shop was unnecessary.
I understand that he might be worried about me. After all, he's Max's future brother-in-law. He might feel responsible to look after me because I have no family here in Seattle.
In fact, the reason why he helped me to stay here in the first place was that I'm Max's cousin -- he said it when he offered me his help.
What he did for me was what he would have done for his sister, Luna.
But saying that Kai looked like a creep and preventing me from studying with him in a coffee shop? That's crazy.
Aiden stares at me, and I notice how hard he's breathing from the way his chest moves. Maybe he has indeed realized his mistake. He looks like he's trying to figure out what I'm feeling too. It's like we're trying to read each other's minds.
There's something else that makes my heart restless, but I don't want to think about it now.
"I'm sorry," he apologizes again. "I didn't mean to make you upset. We need to talk."
The sight of him begging me like this makes my chest hurt. My gaze darts on the drops of water on his face -- there's one on his eyelash. His hair is wet, and his clothes are drenched. We're both soaked, but his state is worse than mine because he still managed to protect me from the rain with his suit jacket.
Maybe we shouldn't have this argument now. Maybe we should clean up and calm down first. I don't want him to get sick.
Maybe I'll feel better once I have a cup of hot tea.
"I don't think we should talk now," I say.
For a split second, I see the hurt in his expression. I swallow a lump in my throat and walk toward my bathroom. That's when I feel his footsteps behind me.
"Aiden," I warn, stopping in my track. I turn around and give him a serious look. "I'm going to take a bath. I need you to leave."
Those words make him taken aback. He freezes on the spot, as though something terrifying suddenly crosses his mind. Guilt skates all over his face before he nods in understanding.
