Aiden Harper

Too late to hide

Aiden

After scheduling an appointment with Conner Wilson, I headed to the cafe to speak to Diego. Some chick dressed in skimpy clothes stormed past me. Why do girls feel the need to dress in clothes that barely cover their asses? Unlike most guys, I don't dig a girl flaunting what only I should see. My ma would blow a nut if I brought home a girl who lacks self-respect. My dad would throw a blanket at her so Ma didn't whip a wrench at him.

Needless to say, my dad doesn't look at other women like they're a meal. He prefers not to visit the emergency room after Ma smacks him with a tool.

I walked into the cafe to find Diego standing beside Eden, whispering. They stopped when they noticed me standing at the counter.

"Oh, hey, Aiden. What brings you to our neck of the woods?" Diego asked.

"It's a cafe that serves food. What do you think?" I scrunched my face in irritation.

"You never know since you never talk to people." Diego grinned.

"I don't have a reason to talk to people except you. I need to talk to you alone."

Diego and I glanced at Eden.

Eden rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Don't mind me. I'll just be in the kitchen area restocking the meat, cheese, and veggies." She walked away and headed into the kitchen.

Diego gave me an annoyed look. "Was it really necessary to be rude to Eden?"

"I wasn't being rude. I needed to talk to you without a third party listening to our conversation."

"Aiden, I hate to break it to you. But you were rude to Eden. All you had to do was say I need to speak to Diego privately. She would have left without any issue. But you're being your sweet, charming self as usual."

I raised my brow.

"Now, spit it out before we get customers."

"Fine. Grandpa is ordering me to see a shrink if I want to continue working at the auto shop."

"That's not a bad idea if you think about it. It might help you move on from what happened."

"You're asking me to forget about Clair."

Diego shook his head. "Not at all. But it would help if you dealt with what happened that night. It's not healthy for you to walk around with this guilt. Hell, my folks talk to Jayden with all the shit they endured. If anyone understands what you're experiencing, it's my ma."

"Aunt Daria never caused anyone's death."

"No, but Ma survived a monster and has warrior scars to prove it."

I looked at Diego, knowing what he meant. "Fine. I'll talk to your ma."

"Stay right there, and don't leave." Diego walked away from the counter and left through the restaurant's conjoining doors.

While I waited, I glanced into the kitchen to see Eden restocking the bins. She didn't even glance in my direction. Why did that bother me?

Diego returned with his ma. She ordered him to make her a sandwich before grabbing two drinks and finding a table for us. It's not like we had to search for an open one since no one was here. Diego brought Daria a plate with a sandwich before heading into the kitchen.

"So, Diego said you wanted to talk," Daria said.

"No, Diego said I should talk to you," I said.

"Let me guess. You're carrying around a chip on your shoulder because of an incident you couldn't prevent."