Page 19 of Not in My Book

He cleared his throat, shifting in his seat. “Max’s delusions of grandeur would always hold her back. Her naivety holds her back from witnessing reality.”

I cringed.

“She trusts freely, laughs easily, even when it’s obvious she shouldn’t.”

He must’ve felt my eyes burning holes into his head because he glanced up between paragraphs. The side of his mouth quirked up and he barreled on.

“But she’s not fooling anyone with her act. I see right through it—and her.”

I closed my eyes, trying to control my breathing. He was just trying to get a rise out of me. Hadn’t I written,His stoic exterior is the perfect complement to his even colder heart?

There was a difference in the way we read our chapters. I was on shaky ground, nervous with each word, building up confidence. But Aiden’s steady voice carried his every word.

Once he finished, Ida said to the class, “Well, who wants to start?”

Every hand shot up.

“I loved it.” Logan leaned forward in his seat, smiling. “It was by far my favorite submission this week, no offense everyone. If Aiden and Rosie don’t keep writing together, I think I’lldie.”

Jess kicked his chair and muttered, “Tone it down.”

“I liked the dynamic,” Tyler said on a more serious note as Logan quietly snickered. “I think the dual point of view is an interesting aspect, and it’ll be fun to see the romance play out with that.”

Each of our peers offered up comments, but when it was Aiden’s turn Ida held her hand up.

“I’m sure Aiden and Rosie have spoken at length about the chapters. I won’t make them repeat it for the class.” She smiled at the both of us, as if she hadn’t given us the dressing down of the century a week ago. “As for my comments, I’ll say this for now—I’m impressed with you two. I’m looking forward to the next chapters.”

For the first time since The Incident ™, I relaxed. Although I was relieved, I narrowed my eyes at Aiden trying to say,This conversation isn’t over.

When class ended, I filed out of the classroom silently. I could feel Aiden’s brooding, stalker presence behind me. I usually liked to view the world in a rose-colored light, but I was seeing red. I didn’t so much as look at him until we were outside on Fifth, in the New York autumn chill and outside of Ida’s sight.

I turned around and stabbed Aiden right in the chest with my finger.

“Whoa.” He held his hands up, taking a step back with each step I took forward until his back was against the traffic. New Yorkers paidno attention to us, used to ignoring every character on the street. Aiden was a thorn in my side that just wouldn’t go away.

My jaw was tight. “How could you change my character’s name toMax?”

Amusement danced in his eyes. “I got attached to the name, what can I say?”

“What you wrote about me was way worse than what I wrote about you!” I exploded.

He stepped forward, looming over me. I looked up at him through my lashes, my chest rising and falling quickly in anger.

“Who said I was writing about you?” His face was so close to mine I could feel his breath fanning against my skin. I couldn’t stop my eyes from briefly flickering down to his lips. “I’m writing about Maxine. An optimist—”

“A romantic, you mean,” I said flatly.

“An optimist,” he corrected. “Who sees the best in everyone when they don’t deserve it. Who lives in a fantasy world. Who finds a way to make every inch of my fucking skin itch.” His voice quiet, but sharp. My mind betrayed me as, the closer he got, the more I wondered how his lips would feel on mine. I hated how he made my mind stray from anger to lust so quickly. I prayed he didn’t notice as a shiver ran up my spine at his soft, low voice. “Doesn’t sound like you, does it?”

No. It didn’t. I was an optimist, and I saw the best in everyone because theydiddeserve it. I didn’t live in a fantasy world, I just tried to make mine better. And I didn’t make every inch of his skin itch, I made itburn.

“Just like I wasn’t writing about you. I was writing about Hunter, who’s desperate to make everyone sad so he can feel just a little bit better about himself. Who goes home to an empty apartment and jerks himself off to fantasies from years ago to make himself fall asleep because it’s been too long since he’s had the real thing and it shows. Who’d rather see the worst in people than admit there’s some goodness left in the world.”

His gaze was intense. We dared the other to back down, but neither one of us would. His jaw ticked. “Perfect. So, we’re not writing about each other.”

“I guess not.”

“No reason to read in between the lines then, huh?”

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