Page 221 of Plaything

Jamie and Vincent were in fits of laughter, clutching each other as they tried to catch their breath.

Aiden’s chuckles died down, and he gave me a comforting smile. “You’re not going to float away, I promise. You can let go.”

Mister know-it-all clearly didn’t know everything. I scoffed. “I actually will.”

“Try it,” he suggested.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Slowly, I hesitantly let go of my anchor. My body felt like it was lifting again, but Wyatt held my hand before I could grab my seat. I widened my eyes, shocked that I wasn’t moving, let alone floating. I felt like I was, though. “I feel really bizarre.”

“Quick break?” Aiden announced as he got up from his seat and walked towards me.

“Good, I need to pee,” Reesia said as she stood and beelined for the bathroom.

Aiden held his hands out for me, “Come sit outside with me?” He gestured to the back door.

My transfer from Wyatt’s hand to his was quick—so I wouldn’t float away. “Just don’t let go, or I’ll be in the sky,” I whispered.

“Why are you whispering?” He whispered back with a smile.

As we walked to the back door, each step felt like I was on the moon. “I don’t know,” I giggled.

“The first time Aiden ever had to trip sit me, he told me my teeth were falling out...” I heard Jamie deadpan. “Look at that big ‘ol softie now.”

I smirked as we got further from the house. Well, she wasn’t me. Aiden would never intentionally freak me out like that.

“What’s that look for?” He squeezed my hand.

I widened my eyes. “Why? Do I look stupid?” I rushed out.

“Impossible,” he shook his head. “You look incredibly smug. Why?”

I hugged his arm as we walked. “Because you’re nice to me,” I blinked up at him.

He lifted his brows at my answer before pulling me down to the pool’s edge with him. “Sit,” he ordered. He grabbed my ankles and put them in his lap while taking my heels off. “Put your feet in the water,” he said before dangling his over the edge, too.

Listening, I lowered my feet into the cool water, wiggled my toes, and swayed my legs. The resistance of the water reminded me that I had bones—it felt amazing.

“Better?” He asked.

“Mhm,” I nodded absentmindedly. Not caring if the ground was a bit dirty, I laid on my back, looking up at the sky as I continued gently kicking my feet. “This isn’t what I imagined what being high would feel like,” I admitted.

“Tell me how you feel,” he insisted, lying beside me.

Giggling to myself once, I tried to think of the words to describe how my body felt without sounding crazy. “Really warm, specifically like Dominic’s bed before the sun comes up—you know how his hugs feel—”

“No,” Aiden chuffed.

Tilting my head, I watched him out of the corner of my eye. “You’ve been friends for over a decade and never hugged?”

He shook his head. “Definitely not. Dominic doesn’t like it when people touch him. Haven’t you noticed?”

Come to think of it, besides brief handshakes, the only other people I’d ever seen touch Dominic were Wyatt’s nieces and nephews—little kids who were using him to climb on and roughhouse with. He was incredibly careful with them. Maybe Aiden was halfway wrong. Maybe Dominic didn’t like to be touched by other adults—with the exception of me.

The corner of my mouth lifted into a grin before I turned to face him fully. “He loves it when I touch him,” I said.

Aiden looked at me pointedly. “Don’t we all?” He looked back up at the sky. “Behave, Doll.”

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