Page 58 of When Our Stars Aligned

“Oh! You didnotjust smack my ass with that!”

I dive for her again, barely getting a grip on the hem of her shirt. She lets out a squeal and breaks off towards the hallway. I catch up to her easily. Thanks to my height, the length of my strides is double the size of hers.

“Gotcha!” I cage her in up against the guest room door. She lets out a small squeak but doesn’t try to break away. We lock eyes. The playful grin that was plastered on her face grows more serious by the second.

My hand cups the side of her face and I dip my head down closer to hers. “What are you doing to me?” The sound of my voice surprises me as it is lower than I intended. I lean in closer to her. There’s no way for her to move away from me, but it doesn’t look like she’s trying to escape. My lips ever so lightly brush against hers, but the sound of a smoke alarm and a scream kills the moment and has us both running for the door.

“What’s going on?” I huff as I run through the door of 312 and take in the scene. Carter is standing on a chair, trying to shut off the smoke alarm while Alex is kneeling on the kitchen counter, checking out the microwave above the stove. There’s no visible fire, but there is a bit of smoke and an awful smell of something that has clearly burned.

“Michelle, are you okay?” Aly asks from somewhere behind me.

“Yeah. I just freaked out a bit.” She nervously tugs on her hair. “I started heating up some leftovers in the microwave. I went into the bathroom to take off my makeup, but then I heard the smoke alarm. When I came out, I saw sparks and Alex on the counter.”

Everyone shifts their gaze to Alex. “Lucky timing.” He shrugs his shoulders. “I smelled food and decided to see if Peanut had any extra. I walked in and saw a small fire in the microwave. I unplugged it and it fizzled out on its own.”

“I-I-don’t know what happened. I didn’t put anything metal in it.” Michelle wraps her arms around herself.

“I think it was a faulty wire within the microwave itself. I don’t think you’re in any danger.” Carter comes up behind her and gives her a hug.

“But what if it’s not? What if it’s more than that? What if there’s a fire behind the microwave, within the walls or something?” Michelle is obviously distraught and I’m glad the guys were here to help her.

“Peanut, there’s no fire. The walls are cool to the touch. I do want to pull this thing out and get a better look at it, though.” Alex looks at me for help. The microwave over the stove is a two-man job given the sheer size of it. I give him a nod back.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’ll inspect the wiring in the rest of the place while Alex and Jax check out the microwave to make sure it was that and only that.” Carter’s suggestion seems to appease Michelle, though she still looks panicked.

“Do you want me to stay with you, Michelle? I can sleep on the couch if you don’t want to be alone tonight,” Aly suggests and I bite my tongue from yelling “No!”

I want her under my roof, not this one, I inwardly argue with myself. This is Aly’s home and technically, we all live under the same roof since we are all in the same complex.

“I’ll stay over,” Carter offers before Michelle has a chance to respond. I breathe a sigh of relief.

“Thanks, everyone. Carter, it would be great if you could stay. Aly, that’s really sweet of you, but you’ve already been put out of your room. I don’t want… Why are you holding a spatula?”

All eyes swing over to Aly. Her cheeks begin to blush as she looks down at the spatula still in her hand. “Oh yeah…umm…I was just putting it back next to the ladle—”

“Potato masher,” I cough.

“Potato masher, when I heard you scream. I guess if you don’t need me, I’ll just head back over to our place… I mean, Jax’s place.” Her cheeks redden and she quickly slinks out the door.

“Huh,” Alex looks at the abandoned doorway. “Never thought Legs had a kinky side.”

I smack Alex upside the head, but he gives me a grin, telling me his comment was worth it. “It wasn’t like that, asshole. Nothing happened.” But oh, how I wish something did, and I smile to myself thinking of how Aly referred to my condo as ours.

I look under the microwave to see what tools I’ll need to get this beast of an appliance out. After a lot of inspecting, the guys and I determine that a faulty wire within the microwave caused the sparks and mini fire. Even though we assured Michelle she was safe, she still wanted Carter to stay the night.

It’s late by the time I get back to my place. The door to Aly’s room is shut and I know she’s probably sleeping. We came so close to kissing; I wonder what would’ve happened if that alarm hadn’t gone off. I stop and look at her closed door. Something between us is changing. We’re growing closer and it feels like the most natural thing on Earth. For the first time in forever, I look forward to tomorrow and every day after.

32

Aly

I wake up in the morning with a heaviness in my heart. I know I should get up and get ready to swim, but almost kissing Jax last night triggered emotions in me. After Trent, I figured I would be on my own for the rest of my life, and now I’m falling for a guy who doesn’t do relationships. I swipe away a few tears from my eyes. Maybe I am as messed up as Trent said.

“Aly?” Jax’s voice sounds from the other side of my door. “Is everything okay? I know it’s the weekend, but you’re usually up by now.”

“I’m fine,” I say as I open the door.

Jax crosses his arms and leans against the doorframe. “It doesn’t look like you’re fine.”

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