Playing Criminal

43- Traitor or Trustworthy?

“What are you doing?” I croaked as gazed up at Aiden through crusty, half-closed eyes while the scent of hot bagels filled my nostrils.

“Breakfast.” Aiden said with a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he dropped a brown paper bag right next to my head.

Sighing, I pushed myself off and rubbed at my eyes ferociously in an attempt to wake up. I was aching all over and sleep had stuck it’s tendrils into me, refusing to let go. By the light that flooded under the door of the shed, however, I was sure I’d been solidly knocked all night long.

However when I opened the brown paper bag that Aiden left for me, I couldn’t help but break out into a wide grin.

“Spinach Parmesan?” I turned to Aiden and he smiled back at me.

“What? You haven’t been gone that long.”

I rolled my eyes at him, thinking of all the morning bagel runs we’d gone through for the gang. During the weekends one of us would always go down to a bagel place a couple blocks away from our hideout called Bagelz World. Each and every time I’d get Spinach Parmesan – even he smell of the bagel in my hand brought back of host of memories that overwhelmed me with nostalgia for the gang.

Aiden said I hadn’t been gone that long, but the smell of the bagel had me disagreeing. I’d been gone way too long.

However, things had changed in the meantime. I accidently gulped down a mouthful of bagel that was way too big, thinking about Aiden last night.

I still couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea that he might actually be serious. That he could actually care about me, in a way that was more romantic than friendly.

And even more confusing was the way I felt about it.

True, I’d always thought Aiden was attractive. I always looked up to him as a strong, supportive figure in my life – true he was an unconventional authority figure, but still, aside from Caden he was the guy I was closest to in the gang.

Yet, could I imagine myself actually with him?

I bit my lip. And what about Jack? I couldn’t just forget about him. Even now my heart ached not knowing what he was doing or where he was. As I drifted to sleep last night in the sleeping bag Aiden had left me, my mind was swimming not only with thoughts of Aiden’s kiss, but also of Jack and how different I felt kissing him.

With Aiden, it was like the realization of some long-buried dream. It was familiar, yet oddly exciting and new. Fresh. Yet with Jack I felt like I was on fire, nerve endings burning with all the sensations.

What would Jack say if he knew about Aiden? I blanched at the thought, imagining him trying to beat Aiden to a pulp.

Now, that would be an interesting fight….

“You’re quiet.” Aiden placed a hand on my shoulder, making me jump.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled as my heart restarted.

“Are you okay?” Aiden frowned. “I didn’t want to put any pressure on you. I mean, you just got back.”

“No, it’s not that,” I protested, feeling myself blush, “It’s just that, Aiden, a lot of things have changed…”

“There’s someone else, isn’t there?” Aiden asked, his voice and eyes hard. Even in his sentimental frame of mind, Aiden could turn cold and discerning at a second’s notice.

I squirmed.

“Kind of…”

“I see,” Aiden frowned, clicking his tongue.