Falling Into Oblivion

Chapter 7

I wake up suddenly, jolted by Aiden's voice slicing through the stillness of the night. Who is he talking to? I groan internally, struggling to pry my eyes open. The darkness wraps around me like a heavy blanket, and I realize it's still the middle of the night. With a huff, I turn over, trying to shake off the grogginess.

"Aiden," I mumble, my voice thick with sleep, and as I strain to see him, I catch a glimpse of him on my phone, cradling it between his ear and shoulder.

"No, she's sleeping right next to me. I don't wanna wake her up," he says, his tone casual. My heart skips a beat. Who the fuck is he talking to at this hour?

"Aiden!" I sit up abruptly, fully alert now.

"Who is it?" I ask, squinting into the darkness. He just shakes it off, too engrossed in the conversation to give me a straight answer.

"Well, she's not free," he says, rolling his eyes. It's only then I realize he's talking on my phone. I fumble to take it from him, but he hangs up just before I can grab it.

"Who was that?" I demand, my irritation flaring.

"No one," he deadpans, dismissively laying back down.

"Aiden, get the fuck up! Who was that?" I press, my voice rising slightly. I scramble through my Recents and see a number I don't have saved.

"That Soren guy," he mumbles, sounding more asleep than awake.

I blink, confused. Why would he call me? Where does he even have my number from? "What did he want?" I ask, my curiosity piqued despite my annoyance.

"He asked if you're free tomorrow. I said no. Say thank you; you didn't have to deal with him." His nonchalance aggravates me further. Who does he think he is, speaking on my behalf?

"Fuck you, Aiden! Who told you to answer my phone?" I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks.

"Hey, I saved you from having to talk yourself out of it. Also, you really aren't free; we've got that wedding, remember?" he grunts, as if that settles everything.

"Okay, but that's not the point! You can't just do that!" I'm practically shouting now, frustration spilling over.

"What? Were you really gonna meet up with that addict?" he laughs sarcastically, his voice laced with disbelief.

"The fuck do you mean, addict? He's not an addict," I mumble the last part, but deep down, I can feel the doubt creeping in.

He bursts into laughter. "You're so fucking full of shit! Did you not see his eyes? Probably was rollin' on Percs or something like that." I can't believe this. Why is he being like this?

"You're an asshole, Aiden." I get up, my anger boiling over as I make my way to the door.

"Where are you going?" he asks, concern evident in his voice as he grabs my arm.

"Doesn't concern you." I snap back, pulling my arm away from his grip.

I leave the room, trying to sneak my way through the apartment, careful not to wake his parents. I can't deal with their questions right now. As I pass Kai's room, I hesitate. I could talk to him... he knows Aiden better than anyone else. But no, I never talk about serious stuff with him. That would be so awkward, waking him up because of a stupid fight we had.

I make my way to the balcony and light a cigarette. I rarely smoke cigs, but right now, it feels like the perfect thing to do. I grab my phone and stare at Soren's number, contemplating whether I should call him. No, why would I? He was being so weird the other day, and I really don't want to get involved with someone who works with or for Eddy. I love Eddy, but he lives a sketchy life. That's why I crashed at Aiden and Kai's place immediately after meeting them. Looking back at it, that wasn't the smartest decision; I didn't even know them, and they're both two years older than me. I was lucky, I guess.