Veiled Echoes

C H A P T E R 6

HANA

"You're telling me that Aiden pretended to be your boyfriend for the night?!"

"Perhaps I shall provide you with a microphone to spread the news to the locals as well," I muttered as I continued to plait my hair.

Rae opened the lid of her iced coffee and chewed on one of the ice. I wrinkled my nose, cringing at the sound.

"This is not the time, babes," she hissed. "I can't believe you actually did that."

I shrugged, not wanting to think about the dinner. Particularly considering how things had unfolded, and to make it worse, Aiden was there to see it all.

Maybe he would now see me as some cold-hearted bitch who had failed to prioritise her boyfriend, leading him to console himself with another woman. Maybe he would finally realise the stupidity of having a crush on me and let it go.

I pulled the hair tie from between my lips and tied it at the end of my braid before pulling out two strands of hair to frame my face. Taking off my glasses, I placed them back in the case and sighed. "I'm just a girl, and I have limited patience to deal with a dick like Justin."

Sipping the piping hot cup of coffee, I cracked my neck and turned my gaze to my laptop screen. After a solid two hours of staring at the blank document, I had managed to come up with four words thus far, with the title of my case study being the only concrete achievement.

My eyes darted past my laptop and at the girl who had suddenly decided to step outside today considering the beautiful, gloomy weather. If only I was successful in making excuses, I would've been snuggled in my blanket and mauling over the curse of my week. However, her invitation pushed me to get outside of my room and bring my brother outside of the house after a week.

It had been a week since the unfortunate dinner, and I had no time, apart from Sunday, to dwell on how the events had unfolded. This meant that Johan had also been cosying up in the house, either hanging out with Rae or Ethan, while I conducted my field investigation for my case study.

Rae stirred her iced latte, mixing the whipped cream with the rest in glee. However, her expression quickly changed from tranquil to alarmed as she leaned down to cover her face. Intrigued by her abrupt behaviour, I raised my eyebrows and turned around to see what had caught her attention.

Instantly, I followed Rae's suit, ducked my head, and pulled my arm over my head.

"Did you see them?" She whispered, peeking above her arm.

I nodded against my elbows, hoping we weren't seen. "Yes. Bitch, you could've at least warned me." Then I frowned and sat up. "Wait, why are you hiding from them?"

Rae's shoulders tensed up as she quickly sat upright and cleared her throat. She took a mouthful of the coffee while consciously avoiding eye contact with me. I couldn't help but narrow my eyes in curiosity, watching as she fiddled with her hair and her gaze kept darting furtively behind me.

"Babes," I hissed. "You have something to tell me?"

That made her meet my gaze as a reluctant smile strained her face. "It's a long story." Before I had time to inquire further, Rae stood up, her thigh hitting the edge of the table. "I love you a lot, but I don't think you want to hold my funeral just when you're about to graduate."

I wasn't able to get a word out before she scurried to the bathroom, leaving me staring at her empty seat in surprise. A moment later, Aiden appeared and settled into her spot, placing his bag beside him. I raised my eyebrows and tilted my head in puzzlement, silently questioning his unexpected entrance.