Page 27 of Not in My Book

I groaned and threw a nearby pillow at her. “It’s not like that.”

“Suuuure,” she dragged out. “Your tits are basically hanging out of that shirt. The minute Aiden sees you his tongue is going to roll out of his mouth like a cartoon dog.”

Maybe thetiniestpart of me hoped Aiden thought I looked nice. It was probably just the delusional romantic in me, but I hid my smile at the idea.

At seven exactly, as I was finishing my makeup, there was a knock on our door. I jumped, nearly smearing my lipstick, and turned to Alexa still sitting on my bed.

“Did you buzz him up?”

“No. Ronny Jr. must’ve let him in.”

I sighed, trying to ignore the nerves as I opened the door to Aiden Huntington—looking mad as ever. His peacoat was buttoned up, a black scarf tied around his neck. His hair was usually perfectly tousled, but tonight he had combed it back neatly. The smell of his oaky cologne overpowered me from the second I opened the door. What did it say about me that he looked extra hot when he was mad?

“There’s a brick holding open the door to your building,” he said hotly. His words were harsh. His jaw was clenched, the muscle in his cheek jumping.

“Nice to see you, too, Aiden,” I said.

“Rosalinda,” he cut in. “Anyone can just walk in your building.”

“I’ll have you know that brick is named Ronny Jr. He helps Ronny Sr. get in the building when he forgets his keys,” I said lightly, hoping he would move on.

His eyes narrowed dangerously, a grim expression overtaking his face. “You know about this brick? And you haven’t done anything to stop it?”

“It’s not a big deal, I have a lock.” I pulled at the chain on my door frame to prove it to him. “Are you going to keep critiquing the safety of my building or are we going to dinner?”

“Rosalinda, this is ridiculous. Even for you.”

Aiden had a Rolex. He wore expensive, Italian cologne and probably only took the subway instead of an Uber because he got inspiration for his writing from it. It was obvious he didn’t have to worry about money, but I did. I’d learned to love the poorly built building that I called home, and I didn’t appreciate Aiden talking shit about it.

“Great, I’ll move out tomorrow now that I have your approval. Can we go?”

“That’s not what I—”

“Leaving,” I called out to Alexa. “I’ll be back later.”

“Hopefully not,” she sang back from her bedroom.

I rolled my eyes and all but pushed Aiden out the door. “Where to?”

He led me to an Italian restaurant a few blocks away called il Buco. I’d passed this place plenty of times, lingering in front of the building just to get a whiff of food that wasn’t coming from a ramen noodle package. It was a small restaurant, but there were plenty of people standing on the sidewalk, waiting for their tables. Once we entered, I immediately fell in love with the place. Nearly every inch of the interior was decorated. Pots and pans hung from the ceiling, glowing in the candlelight of the room. The bookcases along the walls held old cookbooks, vases, and bottles of wine. The restaurant felt more like a grandmother’s home than an upscale eatery in the Bowery. Soft Italian music blended with the conversation of all the customers. The smell of fresh basil and rosemary filled the air and my stomach growled in anticipation.

I frowned as I watched the hostess sympathetically shake her head at everyone in line before us. I had worked at the Hideout long enough to recognize that look. With how busy it was, there was no way Aiden and I would get a table in a timely manner.

“Are we going to be able to eat here?” I asked Aiden. “It looks busy.”

“I’ve made a reservation,” he said.

“How’d you do that so last minute?”

“I pulled a few strings.”

“But how—”

He sighed, resigned. “Are you going to keep asking questions or are we going to eat?” Nearly every table was full, couples huddled close together over the tables. I eyed him skeptically as he stepped up to thehostess stand. “I have a reservation for Huntington.” She nodded and grabbed two menus.

“Right this way.” She led us through the restaurant to a small table in front of a brick wall. Aiden motioned for me to sit on the booth side of the table and took the wooden seat.

Aiden and I sat uncomfortably across from each other. I crossed my ankles, forcing them as far away as much as possible because my knees were already grazing his. The last thing I needed was to be caught in a game of footsie with Aiden Huntington.

---