Page 60 of Just a Footnote

“Funny,” Aiden says through a forced laugh. Miles pulls away from him with a too tender smile, a smile that says more than Aiden wants it to say. So, naturally, he shoves a fist into Miles' shoulder, pushing him away.

They spend the rest of Christmas like they usually do, no exchanging of presents. Bad Christmas movies on the television, wrapped up in blankets on the couch, eating too much food food that’ll undoubtedly give Aiden a stomach ache that evening. The day is nice, lovely, and Aiden tries not to think about how he spent his last Christmas. Tries not to think about Liam and how he’s spending his day.

He tries and tries andtries.

But he fails.

Because when he falls asleep that night, head against his cold pillow, he wonders if Liam is curled up in his bed alone. He conjures up the smell of spice and oranges, wishing it was on his skin.

Aiden takes an odd sort of comfort in drowning himself in school. The late nights studying, group projects, and filling his brain without so much stimuli that he can’t think of anything else but school.

One of the girls from a group project, Anna, catches him by surprise when she asks him out. Anna is pretty, in that sweet sort of way, pale skin with sun freckles and dark brown hair that falls past her shoulder in waves. Her dark brown eyes are a very different shade from the hunter green that haunts Aiden’s dreams. But Aiden isn’t an asshole, not that kind at least. Dating is pointless for him at the best of times, but with a gaping hole in the shape of Liam Walsh inside him, it would just be cruel to even attempt it.

“I don’t date,” Aiden replies.

Snow crunches beneath their feet as they walk around campus. Aiden hates to admit it but Skye was kind of right. New York City is beautiful but the cold is hell. Maybe it’s because he refuses to abandon his aesthetically pleasing leather jacket for something that’s actually warm.

“Really?” Anna asks in disbelief. “You’ve never dated someone?”

“No,” Aiden responds reflexively. He hitches his messenger higher onto his shoulder when they hit an icy patch of sidewalk. “Actually…maybe once. I think we did. But that’s the only time. I don’t…feel that way about people.”

“You don’t get romantic feelings about people?” Anna almost slips on the ice, but steadies herself with a hand on Aiden’s arm. They both laugh at the same time.

“Not usually. Only once.”

“Huh. I read a book with a character like that once.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

She shakes her head, letting out a little tinkly laugh. Aiden likes the sound of her laugh. “Trust me, you don’t want to fall down that hole. I’m saving you. Anyway, let's be friends then.”

Aiden tries not to gawk at her. She’s so…blunt. But it’s kind of nice. She reminds him of Miles a little bit. Having a friend in New York might not be so bad.

“Yeah, friends. I can do that. Forewarning, I can be kind of a dick.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Anna eyes him, raking her eyes over his leather jacket. “I know there’s no way that’s warm.”

Aiden rolls his eyes. “I don’t need any more friends actually. I’m full up.”

“Come on,” Anna says with a warm grin. “Let’s grab coffee and compare notes from class.”

After that, Anna easily works her way into his life. They study together, she drags him to bars, and she even meets Archer. In a rare moment of stupidity, he allowed them to meet, not realizing that they’d gang up on him because Aiden is an easy target when he lets himself be. Anna is fun. She plays video games with him, joins them for pizza nights sometimes, she even passes the Miles tests when Miles joins them for a rare weekend off in New York.

“Miles is kind of hot with his bright red hair and blue eyes,” Anna tells him one day while they study.

Aiden stares her dead in the eyes and very slowly says, “I willkill myself in front of you, forever altering the trajectory of your life.”

Anna laughs so loudly that they get kicked out of the library. He learns that Anna is an only child. Her parents are from some small town in Florida and they own a small citrus farm. She worked summers there growing up. She got a full ride to NYU medical school after graduating with honors from the University of Florida. Wild how close they were during undergrad without even realizing it.

His meandering thoughts are broken by the shadow of Archer standing just outside his bedroom door. Looming kind of, as he is wont to do.

“Don’t forget the Olympics,” Archer reminds him. He kicks his shoe a little before lifting his gaze to Aiden. “You’re coming with us no matter how hard you try to weasel your way out.”

“Fuck you,” Aiden snaps.

“I’m just saying!” Archer yells defensively as only a sibling can do.

“You think I’m going to try to get out of going to the Olympics to see my twin brother play for a medal? No, fuck off.”

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