Page 26 of The Sky Between Us

Aiden stared at me, with a puzzled look on his face, then shook his head and handed me a water bottle which was in his other hand. “Wow, this must have been the longest monologue you’d ever given me.”

I smirked and gulped down the water. As the cold drink entered my body, I felt it wake up every cell in there. “Thank you. I’m… sorry about last night.”

“No worries,” he offered a smile, while I took in his room. It was impersonal and too tidy for a college boy. The only clue to his personality were the posters of various European teams and a tiny wooden boat displayed, reminding me of his bracelet. “Wasn’t sure how you like your coffee, which is weird since we work at a coffee shop together.”

A laugh escaped me and I quickly clamped my hand on my lips. What was wrong with me? “I usually take it with coconut milk, cinnamon and no sugar. Or black. Depending on my mood.”

He and sat next to me. “I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”

Lifting a brow, I glanced at him. “Next time? There’s going to be a next time? I think this hangover taught me everything I needed to know.”

“You were throwing back vodka shots like a pro, so I don’t believe a word you are saying,” he teased with his light and playful voice. His blue eyes shone with mischief and for some reason his proximity made me shiver. Or maybe I was just cold.

I dropped my gaze to my coffee mug, noticing the Real Madrid jersey I was wearing. “Hah, I always wanted a Ronaldo jersey! Thanks.”

Aiden grinned in reply and played with his bracelet.

“Can I ask you about your bracelet?” I risked the question, making him look at me with a strange, unreadable expression. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?” he mocked me. “I just thought you would be back to cold Hazel.”

“I have a headache, I can’t be rude,” I chuckled before a yawn escaped me. “You didn’t answer me.”

“Maybe another time.”

With a nod, I accepted his reply. “So, on a scale of one to dying of embarrassment, how bad was I last night?”

Aiden stared at me for a long moment and when he opened his mouth instead of words, laughing came out.

Picking up the pillow, I hit him hard. “Stop it, I’m serious!”

“Are you worried about your non-existent popularity?” he teased, with tears in his eyes. He was having the time of his life, while I was dying of a headache.

“Well… I ended up in your room and we didn’t have sex. What happened to you?” I mocked him back, my defense mechanism clearly waking up.

A shadow fell over his handsome face and he shook his head. “You were drunk, I would never do that. Plus, you think I would reject you sober and fuck you smashed?”

I rolled my eyes. “Where did you sleep?”

“On the floor.”

His reply surprised me and I blinked at him. Memories of us in the laundry room slowly came back and I remembered how kind he was. God, I couldn’t be like a teenager around him.

“Thank you,” I softened up a bit to him, as I retrieved my coffee and took a big gulp from it. “You shouldn’t have been that nice to me as we aren’t really friends, right?”

Aiden ran his fingers through his messy hair and exhaled loudly. “The only reason why we can’t be friends is because I don’t want to be your friend.”

I dropped my gaze, embarrassed. My walls were strong, this statement shouldn’t have hurt me as much as it did. I grew to like him over time, he was attentive and kind. Even funny and flirty sometimes. And that one kiss… it still made my core melt into a puddle every time I thought of it.

“I want more from you,” he muttered, reaching out to cover my hand with his. “But I feel like… I don’t know. I feel like something isn’t right.”

“Like what?” I asked with a thin and shaky voice. Shyness wasn’t one of my traits, but Aiden made me weak. I should have known better to expect anything from him. Us being together, even for a night, would require him finding out about my biggest secret, and I wasn’t sure he could be trusted with it. It was too soon.

“I don’t know. I just have this feeling that you are hiding something behind that cold face of yours. I saw you yesterday, being careless and actually having fun. That was the Hazel I could see myself being with. I had more fun with you last night than any time during our regular interactions. You were different, almost weightless.”

The back of my throat burned from his words, because I remembered it too. Alcohol helped me forget about everything. I could just be me, the old me. Dance and laugh like there was nothing holding me back.

“Yeah, I know,” I looked up at him and shrugged. “I had some bad experiences and it’s hard for me to just let go. It’s always in the back of my mind, weighing me down.”

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