Page 12 of Crossing the Line

I take in the other passengers on the train, and even though none of them look any different from the daytime passengers, the fact that there are so few of them does give the train an eerie vibe. When we first walked on, there was a woman who smelled like cat pee sitting alone, and I was relieved when Aiden led us as far away from her as possible. Other than that, there are only a few other people. It seems like I would have fit in just fine if I had traveled solo, but despite his bad attitude, it’s mildly comforting having him here with me.

Taking a seat next to the window, I stare at the desolate station outside until I hear his voice close to my ear. “So, what are you running from, Claire?”

I turn to look at him and see that he’s following my gaze out the window...at nothing. Now that we’re facing each other, I let his accusation break my silence. “I’m not running from anything.”

He nods as he leans back in his seat. “Right. I must have misunderstood.”

“Misunderstood what?” I don’t bother trying to hide my annoyance. Aiden doesn’t know me. He doesn’t get to make snap judgments about me.

He shrugs and drums his hands on his lap without looking at me. “That you’re a runner.”

I blink, trying to understand.

His smile grows slightly as he leans toward me in the seat. “Claire, I’ve only been with you for...what? An hour?” His eyebrows drift upward to make sure I’m following, so I give a slight dip of my chin and wait for him to continue. “Well, in that one hour you ran away from me in the bar, the two guys in the alley, and now you’re running all the way to Florida. So my question is, what are you running from?”

“I didn’t—” I don’t finish my sentence because he’s right, and he just reminded me of the one thing I’d rather not think about. I abandon all thoughts of my breakup and instead think about Aiden’s comment that made me leave the bar. No one has ever said anything like that to me. “We should have rules.”

He responds with the lift of an eyebrow. “Rules?”

I nod. “No flirting.”

He sits back. “Uh, I wasn’t—”

I drop my voice to a whisper. “You said I look ‘too fuckable’ in this dress.” He opens his mouth, but I cut him off. “Which I hope is not how you flirt because that’s just sad, but either way, I don’t want you looking at me that way.”

Aiden stretches his back against the seat. “Okay, but fair warning, I’ve never been good at following rules.”

His tone is matter-of-fact, but I still give him a pointed stare. “Aiden,” I warn.

“I’ve never even looked at you that way,” he says in defense. Then something shifts in his eyes, and I know he’s remembering our brief encounter in high school.

“I just mean,” he starts, but I hold up my hand to stop him.

“It’s okay. We don’t have to talk about it.”

He swallows hard and nods, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “Okay.”

We’re both quiet for a long time. Neither one of us knowing how to navigate the conversation from here.

“Done.”

I look up at him. “Done?”

“Yeah, done.” He looks me up and down and adds, “Seriously, that dress is hideous. It doesn’t do a thing for you. And those boots? Who the hell let you go out looking like that? It’s embarrassing.”

I bite back a smile, grateful for the lightened mood, and try to refocus. “Okay, next rule.”

11

Aiden

More rules? One unnecessary rule is enough. I wasn’t even flirting with her when I said that. I was just stating a fact. I’ve never flirted with Claire—not even back then...not really.

Not even when I wanted to.

I stomp out that thought as soon as it creeps up on me.

“I’m making the second rule.” Her eyes widen in surprise, but I don’t give her time to protest. “No more running.”

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