Dirty Little Secret

Chapter nine - you wanted to spend time with me?

ARDEN INES

He leads me to his car. Once he's in his own seat he puts the car in reverse and backs out of his driveway.

He doesn't say anything as we just drive. 

"Are you hungry?" he asks. 

I glance at him then say, "yeah but I didn't bring money with me." 

He looks at me and raises his brows. "I got it. Call it an apology meal." 

I smile at that, and he takes me to some burger dinner. 

We walk in together and sit in a booth across from each other. 

It feels like a date even though it's not. 

I wish it was.

After we place our orders, I get the courage to ask him a question. 

"Is she always like that? Your mother I mean?"

He meets my eyes before blowing out a breath. 

"Yeah. You learn to live with it though. I realized it's easier to let her think she got her way then to argue with her. She didn't used to be that bad, but my...uh...older brother was killed in a car crash a couple years ago and she hasn't been the same since. It recked her but me and Caty are still here you know?" he says but doesn't meet me gaze he just stares at his clasped hands.

I don't think before I reach my hand out and squeeze his with a small smile.  He looks up at me in shock then glances at our hands and then looks back up at me. 

I almost regret what I did. Almost. 

"I'm sorry that happened to you and your family but I don't think that's a reason to treat your family like that. She's not the only one who lost him, you guys did too." I say, hoping I didn't overstep.

He holds my gaze for a few long moments before nodding his head and smiling slightly. 

"We lost him too. I lost him too." he says so quietly that it seems like he's saying it to himself.

The waitress brings our drops our food off and I use this opportunity to change the subject.

"But I do want to know one thing..." I say narrowing my eyes with a grin.

He picks up a couple fries and shoves them in his mouth and giving a "mhm." telling me to go on with my question.

"What did your mom mean when she said that your grades were 'perfection'?"

He coughs and his cheeks turn a light shade of pink. 

I just made Colton Lancaster blush. 

"I don't know." he mumbles not meeting my eyes.

I tilt my head to the side with a grin. "You don't actually need my help in math, do you?"

"...no." he says quietly still avoiding eye contact.

"Then why would you ask me to help you? I could have been doing literally anything else." I say joking with him. 

Finally, he locks his eyes on mine and my stomach does summersaults at his intense gaze.

"Is it really so hard to believe that I wanted to spend time with you?" he doesn't look away.

I reluctantly hold his eyes and reply, "You wanted to spend time with me?"

"It's pretty obvious I don't hate your company, Arden. I walk with you to lunch and talk to you all the time." I swallow.

"I just thought you were being nice!" I say to him with a laugh. 

He looks at me and smiles and suddenly my heart stops.

Why is he looking at me like that?

"But in all honesty, there had to be something you wanted? Something?" I ask him.

He visibly recoils at my words, and I wish I can take back every word that just came out of my stupid mouth.

"Why is it so hard to believe that I like being around you? That I want to be around you?" he asks me and I'm taken aback by his words. 

"Because I'm me, Colton! I'm just me!"

He blinks several times like he doesn't understand. 

"Well, you certainly haven't seen yourself if you think that being just you is a bad thing."

Then he eats more of his food like the words that came out of his mouth didn't just kill me.

I'm drowning and I never want to come up for oxygen. 

It takes me more than I'd care to admit getting my racing heart to calm.

"Why didn't you just ask me to hang out? Why go through the effort to ask for tutoring when you clearly don't need it." 

He gives me that same look he did before. 

"You don't know the effect you have on people, do you?"

I give him a confused look and he sighs. 

"The table directly beside us hasn't been able to keep their eyes off you since we walked in this damn diner. When we walk into the lunchroom heads turn in your direction. I've had people ask me how I was so lucky to have caught your eye. Your beautiful. I just don't know how you don't see it."

There's an anchor pulling me further underwater, but I don't dare struggle.

I reluctantly glance to the table beside us and sure enough it's a bunch of teenage boys whispering and glancing at me. When one sees he has my attention he winks, and I quickly turn my head back to Colton to find him smirking at me as if to say I told you so.

What does this mean?

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AUTHOR NOTE 

Chapter nine!!! Hope you loved it!!

How do you feel about Colton? 

See you in Chapter Ten!!