and it was perfect

Chapter 5

I woke up with the sun tickling my nose. I slowly opened my eyes. My head hurt. I blinked several times but couldn't see my new lamp above me. Where the hell was I? Then a loud breath right next to my ear brought it all back. Owen. Aiden. Owen. I closed my eyes and pressed two fingers against my temples. My head was killing me. I must've fallen asleep here last night, but I definitely wasn't planning on staying. Last night had been great, but none of us would be interested in awkward small talk now. I got up as quietly as possible and started looking for my dress and underwear. I dressed quickly, combed through my hair, and tried to wipe away any excess mascara. Then I grabbed my purse and shoes and slowly unlocked the door. Owen groaned but thankfully didn't wake up.

I quietly walked down the stairs. Of course, some of the guys were up already. Kyle, a guy I played beer pong against last night, and another guy I hadn't seen before, sat on the couch. They gave me a knowing grin, and I quickly left. The sun burned in my eyes, and my headache worsened, but I immediately started walking in the direction we had come from last night. It was a thirty-minute walk, and soon, I recognized a few streets from my runs and turned off my GPS. Then I finally opened my unread messages. Zoe had texted me a few times asking if I was okay and letting me know she'd be home in the morning. "Can't wait to hear everythinggg." was her last message, and it made me smile. Nate had called me twice this morning; it was nearly 10 am. Alice wanted to know if I got home okay and wanted to meet up later tonight. I quickly texted her back that I'd love to.

Finally, I reached my house and unlocked the door.
I expected my roommates to be fast asleep, but Zoe, Josh, and Zack were sitting around the table with a cup of coffee in front of them, and I heard someone rumbling in the kitchen. Probably Clara; I didn't expect Aiden to be home after barging in on him and that girl last night. "The walk of shammmeeee." Zoe laughed as soon as she saw me. "Shut up; it's way too loud and early." I groaned and sat down. Zack and Josh laughed as well, and one of them gave me a tap on the back. "Well done, Jen, losing your southern virginity so quickly." I just rolled my eyes but couldn't stop a grin appearing on my face. "I can't believe I fell asleep. Was it really that far? I walked for like half an hour." Zoe immediately shook her head. "No, no, no. We're not changing the subject. How was it?"

Once again, I rolled my eyes, but I'd grown comfortable enough around the guys and heard some of their bed stories myself, so I gave a short answer. "It was actually pretty-" Then I saw Aiden walk in. I should've known it wasn't Clara, she never got up that early, but my brain still didn't seem to function properly. "Good." I secluded after a second while looking him straight in the eyes. I didn't know if it was once again my brain just blacking out for a minute, but I couldn't help but think he looked mad. Considering I caught him in the middle of the act, I shouldn't be surprised, though. I quickly looked away. I definitely didn't want to talk about my sex life in front of him. I got up and took a sip out of Zack's coffee mug. "Thanks." I said, giving him a sweet smile, running my hand through his messy hair before he could protest, and getting up. "I need a shower and some rest. Come over in a few hours, Zoe." I let her know and walked upstairs without looking back.

The shower felt amazing. I washed my hair twice and slowly started to relax. Then I took a scan through the products in the shower caddy. Some pink and pastel shampoo and conditioner bottles from me and the girls stood next to the black bottles with stereotypical names like "Active Energy". I couldn't help but grab them one after another and take in their scent. Finally, I found Aiden's. "You're so stupid." I whispered to myself but allowed myself to take in a hint of his scent for a few seconds. It made me dizzy. I quickly put it back where it belonged and hopped out of the shower.

A few hours later, I felt much better. I texted Zoe that I was awake now, and she walked in a few seconds later. "Sooo I wanna know everything." She came straight to the point with a huge grin. I laughed. "It was good. He knows he's hot, which was annoying, but he was good." Zoe laughed. "Please tell me he didn't have a mirror above his bed or something." That thought also made me laugh, but I shook my head. "No mirrors. Just a 'you got yourself a quarterback tonight'" I tried to imitate his voice, and she laughed even louder. "That's so accurate; I can't. I was surprised you stayed that long, though." I shrugged my shoulders. "He told me it's cool if I stayed a little, and I must've fallen asleep. I haven't drunk that much in quite a while."

She nodded. "I thought so. And I know a few girls he's slept with, and nothing ever happened, plus I knew where he lived. But if you decide to jump any other guy that I don't happen to know, make sure to send me your location." I took her hand and squeezed it a little. "Thanks for looking after me, Z." She smiled. Then she started laughing again. "You should've heard the guys when I told them this morning. They were way more worried than me." I couldn't help but smile. My roommates were the cutest. "Aiden was the worst." My smile froze a little. "Aiden?" I couldn't hide my surprise, and my heart started beating faster.

"Yeah, he saw you dancing with Owen and then leaving with him and came over asking what the hell you were doing ... they have history; he's not his biggest fan." Was Aiden upset about me leaving last night? It took a few seconds to process that thought. "Oh, well, I didn't know." I finally answered. She shrugged. "How could you? He's just protective anyways. He doesn't look like it, but he gave Matt a hard time at first." I nodded and swallowed hard. Aiden had been worried about me? But he barely seemed to notice I was there most of the time. I didn't know what to do with that information, but his angry look this morning that I was sure of now made even more sense now. Great, now I gave him two reasons to be mad at me. I had to apologize to him for just barging in on them last night, although it would be incredibly awkward.

I looked at Zoe, who had pulled out her phone and texted Matt. Within a few weeks, she had become such a good friend, but I wouldn't tell her about the incident or my feelings toward Aiden. I wasn't sure she'd understand or simply remind me of the unspoken roommate rule. We spent the rest of the day hanging out on my bed. Alice came over for a few hours, and we told each other about our nights. Apparently, she was texting with one of the frat guys now.

After she left and Zoe remembered she had an assignment due, I went downstairs and saw Aiden and Josh sitting on the couch playing Fortnite once again. I didn't ask to join them, but I opened my laptop and started working on an assignment as well. I had spent all day in my room, I had to get out, and I hoped to talk to Aiden and apologize. He was only wearing his grey sweats and a muscle shirt. The kind that showed your more of his body than actually covering it. It made my toes curl. After working for half an hour, Zack finally got up to use the bathroom. That was my chance.

"Hey." I quietly said. Aiden continued playing on his own. I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for barging in on you guys like that ... I was looking for a bathroom." He didn't look up, but his jaw tensed a little. "You spent an awful lot of time barging in on me." Ouch. I winced. "You know it wasn't on purpose, so please stop giving me an attitude. It wasn't locked." He continued staring at the screen. Now I got mad as well. "Plus, I didn't ask you to worry about me. I didn't know Owen and you had some sort of fight going on." That caught his attention. He looked at me, and I saw a surprised look in his beautiful eyes. He nearly looked hurt for a second. Then the moment was over, and he stared back at his screen, his jaw clenching once more. "Won't happen again." I closed my laptop and got up. It was useless. Unfortunately, my grand plan of forgetting about him didn't work. I spent half of the night wide awake, tossing myself from one side to the other.

I opened my eyes and looked straight into a pair of blue ones. Aiden. He gave me a seducing smile and started kissing my neck. I gasped. His lips touching my hot skin ... it was perfect. Then he slowly kissed his way down my bare stomach. I bit the inside of my cheek. Fuck. He continued his way down ... then my alarm went off. I sighed and pressed my hand against my face.