Minute by Minute

Chapter 7

I wake up with my arm hugging a pillow, only this pillow doesnt feel right. Its not soft but still somehow comfortable. I open eyes and notice its not a pillow at all, but a body. Aidans body. The events of last night come rushing into my mind. Our banter, the questions, the butterflies in my stomach. The kiss. How I felt while I was kissing him. How I didnt want it to stop. How I desperately wanted it to go further. How he stopped us from going any further because of how good of a person he is.

I havent taken my eyes off him since I opened them. He looks so cute when he sleeps, peaceful, not a care in the world. His mouth slightly open and slightly smiling at the same time. His breathings heavy, almost a soft snore, making the scene in front of me all the more precious.

I manage to tear my eyes away and find the clock on Oscars wall. Eight oclock. Two hours until we leave. I turn back and look at Aidan one more time before getting out of bed. But when I try to get up, his arms go to my waist and pull me back, holding me tight and close, not wanting to let go. I feel a smile make its way to my face and I reach my hand out and place it on chest, shaking him awake. As much as I want to stay here, frozen in this moment, we just dont have time.

"Aidan," I whisper, still trying to coax him awake. "Aidan, wake up."

His hold on me just tightens, pulling me in even closer, if that were possible. With my hand still on his chest, I do the only thing I could think of to get him up. I lean in, slowly, and kiss his cheek. As I pull away, I see a smile appear on his face as his eyes begin to open, never letting me go.

His eyes, barley open, manage to find mine. A bigger smile shows on his face as he moves loose strands of hair from my face, just like last night.

"Hi beautiful," he says, making the butterflies come back.

"Good morning," I whisper, a smile appearing on my own face. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good. I liked this, falling asleep with you and waking up next to you in the morning. It's nice."

I feel heat rising to my cheeks. Well, I begin as I attempt getting out of bed again. We cant stay in bed all day; despite how much we want to. We leave in two hours. We have to get ready and make sure that everyones awake and clean up before we go.

Aidan sits up, resting his arms behind his head, looking at me as I put my shoes on.

"What?"

"Nothing," he says with a laugh. "Its just, youre not the type of person to do things on a whim."

"What do you mean?"

As he gets up from the bed and starts walking to me, he says, "Youre the type of person who plans everything and sticks to it even though its an inconvenience for yourself. You dont know how to live in the moment and leave things to chance. You used to but not anymore."

Four days. Hes been back in my life for four days and hes already started figuring me out. I havent even figured myself out. But its always been like that. He knew me better and before I knew myself. He really is the same person. But hes starting to learn that Im not. Im not the girl I was when he left. Somewhere in the in between of then and now, I lost my free spirit, I started caring more about the later than the now, I started playing it safe, trying to be perfect for no reason. I dont want that. I want the old me back. The me that was happier and less stressed about everything and less uptight. Thats the point of this whole trip. But it has to start now.

"Maybe Im not. But I want to go back to that. Thats why Im doing this." I take a step towards him. "This is the first time in a long time that I have no idea on how somethings gonna turn out. And that shit terrifies me. But Im willing to go through it if it brings the old me back. But Im gonna need your help."