and it was perfect

Chapter 32

The following week everything slowly went back to normal. I sneaked over to Aiden's room every other night, and the seriousness between the two of us slowly vanished again. The incident with Gene never came up again, and I was glad it didn't. The guilt still consumed me. We went back to our running and gym routine, and he even let me help change his car's brakes in the driveway. Not that I was much of a help anyway, but I appreciated the gesture. He looked tired. For two nights in a row, he had left in the middle of the night and came back early in the morning. It was burning on the tip of my tongue, but I never asked him where he went. He had told me he'd figured out that insurance issue. So what was it now?

Work and classes kept me busy as well. Bella was sick. Therefore, I had to cover some extra shifts, and the Waltons asked me to also look after Isobel for some extra hours. It was pretty stressful, but I knew my bank account would thank me. I was taking off my apron on Friday afternoon when my phone vibrated in my locker. It was Aiden. My heart beat faster, as always, when he texted me.

Aiden: Remember your wish?
Me: yeah?
Aiden: you're going to that pre-exam thing tonight?
Me: I think so; I just got off work
Aiden: I'll be out with the guys from the shop. Might text you the address later

I squeaked excitedly. He'd actually do it.

Me: ok, cool!
Aiden: wear something hot
Me: did I ever disappoint you?
Aiden: :)

I couldn't stop smiling all the way out of the coffee shop. Sarah raised a brow when she saw my happy face while saying goodbye, but she didn't ask any questions. Back in my car, I texted Zoe. "Clothing emergency. I'm sick of my stuff; I need your help tonight." The answer came immediately. Of course, she'd help me pick out something from her closet. Having a fashion guru as a cousin could be incredibly handy. Three hours later and freshly out of the shower, I stood in front of her clothing racks, trying on everything she tossed at me. It wasn't easy. I didn't want to look like I put too much effort into my looks.

Meanwhile, it would be the first and probably the only time I'd ever go out with Aiden. "Are we dressing up to impress any guy here?" Zoe teased me. I tried not to turn red. "Well yeah, guys in general. I think it's time to put myself out there again." At least I admitted that this outfit wasn't just for me. I still felt awful lying to my best friend tough. In the end, we decided on a tight silky two-piece. The black skirt hugged my hips and made my legs look surprisingly long. I knew he'd like it.

Assuming he wouldn't text me for a few hours, I joined the others at pre-drinks, and we walked over to the frat house. I tried not to think about my phone too much and joined Zoe and Alice on the dance floor. The music was pretty good, and combined with the gin running through my blood, I closed my eyes and contently smiled. Life was good tonight. After the girls were joined by their other halves and I was third wheeling, I decided to take a break.

I'd seen Lynn on the couch earlier; luckily, she was still sitting there with some friends of hers I didn't know. I hesitated for a second, but then I gathered myself. I'd sworn myself to be more outgoing, so what if there were new people. I made my way over, and she gave me a huge smile and got up to hug me. "Well, hi there! My food buddy. Guys, that's Jen." She introduced me to the others and pulled me down with her. I didn't regret my decision. Her friends were kind, and I stayed there for the next hour, drinking some more and trying to focus on anything but my phone.

Around midnight it finally vibrated while I was back dancing with them. It was a simple "Come over.", followed by the address. My heart beat faster. I typed it into the Uber app. It was a club downtown I'd never heard of before. Perfect. My roommates and basically every student I knew were here; we wouldn't have to be careful. I didn't want to tell Zoe in person I was leaving and her recognizing something was up. Instead, I called an Uber after fixing myself in the bathroom and quietly left, only texting her I had a headache and would see her tomorrow. She didn't answer; I knew she was busy with Matt anyways.