A Veneer

Chapter 10: The Morning Ever After

I had set my phone alarm to go off at exactly 6:00am, which in my head and body, was really 4:00am. I was still jet lagged but I had immature teens to cook for. I walked out to the kitchen in my red plaid pajama pants and a black tank top. By the time I reached the kitchen I heard the soft singing of Aiden’s voice.

“Why are you up so early?” I yawned.

“I’m making breakfast, go back to bed.” he explained.

“I see that, but I expected you to be sleeping.”

“I always make breakfast. I didn’t know you were planning to today, especially because you don’t get up until about ten.” I rolled my eyes when he smirked, but he wasn’t wrong. “Go back to bed. It’s like four o’clock your time.”

“I don’t think I can sleep now. Do you need help with anything?”

“Nope, I am almost done. Maybe we can take a walk after we eat?”

“Yeah, maybe.” I grabbed a pancake he put on the plate and ate it plain walking back to the room I was staying in. I began to get ready. I had just finished when my phone began to ring, a blocked number.

“Hello?” I said

Silence.

“Hello?” I repeated. Again the other line was quiet. Pulling the phone away from my ear, I hung up.

“Ready?” Aiden said as I passed the kitchen heading towards the back door.

I nodded as he looked over my body. I was wearing black skinny jeans and a white tank along with a pair of green converse. I looked straight into his eyes and he had no shame for what he just did. He was wearing a pair of skinny blue jeans and a light grey tee shirt. I pushed my his shoulder and went outside.

“What?” He asked, laughing as he followed me.

The air was still cool and it felt good on my skin. I walked on a wide dirt path, the trees seemed to arch toward me and they still had vibrant green leaves that would be gone in a few months. All I could think was that I would love to ride Bayard down this path. I could feel eyes on me, so I turned to look at Aiden; he was looking at the ground. I could feel a cold chill go down my spine. I let Aiden catch up with me and we walked side by side in silence.

“So I’ve been thinking..”

“Oh yeah? That’s not a common occurrence.” I smirked and he bumped me with his hip then waited a while.

“We were great together, weren’t we?” he looked at me.

“Well yeah I guess we were.”

“Do you ever miss it? Us? Do you ever ask yourself what if?”

“Aiden it was forever ago.”

“Four years isn’t forever ago.”

“It’s almost five now, and we’ve changed.”

“But our taste in people haven't.” I looked back at the ground, silent. “I know I can make you happy.”

“You have Hadley,” I pointed out watching a caterpillar crawl on a fallen branch, onto his next leaf.

“Dammit Caelynn!” he bombed and I jumped. My attention snapped away from the bug and back to him. “I’m not with Hadley! We were going to get together but...she’s not my type. I don’t want her.”

“Anymore.”

“What?”

“You don’t want her...anymore.”

“Because of you.”

“Oh well I’m sorry! Didn’t mean to ruin your plans!”

“You know it’s a good thing you came back. I looked away. The trees seemed to be reaching for me wanting me to climb them, promising me they wouldn’t let me fall. “Give me a chance.”

“For what?”

“A chance to make you happy, because we both know I can. We both know we’re supposed to be together.” He was right.

“Okay,” was all I said and turned back to the house. He ran up beside me and put an arm around me, I shrugged it off. “This doesn’t mean we’re together.”

“I know that.” He winked.

“You are exactly like Cam and Jeb combined.” I rolled my eyes.

“No they’re like me split apart.”

“True.”