Uncontrollable

➳ chapter fourteen

The sound of the door opening shocked Astrid out of the first peaceful sleep she'd had in a while. It took her a second for her eyes to adjust to the light that had crept in and another second to reacquaint herself with the unfamiliar bedroom. The second she caught a glimpse of a photograph of a younger Vincent squished between his parents on the wall, she dropped her head back against the pillow.

She'd slept with Vincent. And stayed overnight.

Astrid let out a deep sigh before shifting her gaze to her side. Vincent's head rested against her shoulder, his arm slung over her stomach. He used to do this all the time. He had the habit of sleeping like a teddy bear, often resting on top of her until she complained that his weight was too much to hold. His chest rose and fell in even breaths, his eyelids fluttered shut as soft snores escaped him every so often. Despite everything, Astrid smiled at the sight.

That shame and regret she'd expected to feel this morning was nowhere to be found. How could she be angry with herself when last night was one of the first nights in a while she hadn't felt upset or frustrated? Even though it brought up dozens of unanswered questions that she didn't look forward to discussing, Vincent's company had been what she wanted last night. She wanted him around.

Another soft bang sounded from outside, and although all she wanted was to stay buried beneath the covers, the rational part of her brain urged her to get out and investigate—though she had a strong feeling who the intruder was. Astrid eased Vincent's arm off her shoulder, leaving it to rest on the pillow, then slid out from beneath him. He fell back against the pillow that was originally hers, and with another huff, he became quiet once more.

She'd pulled on some of Vincent's sweatpants last night and even sifted through his drawers for a shirt she could use. All she had to do was gather her hair into a messy bun before exiting the bedroom.

Just as she'd expected, Aaron stood in the living room, pulling off his sweatshirt as she entered.

"Hey," he greeted, then did a double take. His innocent expression turned into a knowing look, and Astrid instinctively reached up to cover her neck. She hadn't inspected whatever marks might've been left behind, but judging by Aaron's expression, they were noticeable. "Huh." His gaze ducked to her appearance, and a smirk formed on his lips. "Fun night, then?"

"Don't say anything," Astrid ordered, dropping her arms.

"I leave for a few nights, and this happens?" His grin turned cheeky as he flashed her his full set of teeth, and the longer she spent in his presence, the more her cheeks burned. "Wow."

Vincent's bedroom door reopened, and this time, Vincent emerged, rubbing at his eyes with closed fists. His eyebrows lifted at the sight of Aaron. "You're back already?"

"I can go back to my apartment if you two are that eager," he started.

Astrid huffed.

Vincent amused Aaron with an eye-roll before murmuring, "Aaron, I love you, but please shut up. Can you give Astrid and I a second?"

"Oh! Sure." He grabbed his sweatshirt from where he'd left it on the couch and headed for the front door. "See you two later. Don't have too much fun."

The door swung shut after him, and Astrid was aware that it was again just the two of them. Her mind worked a mile a minute, pulling every self-doubt that she'd buried back to the surface. Yes, she hadn't regretted last night. But had Vincent?

"Coffee?" he offered.

"Um, no, thank you," Astrid said, then cursed herself for her awkwardness. "I'll just have water."