Page 75 of It's Complicated

I cross my arms on my chest. “And what for?”

Aiden mocks my gesture and crosses his own arms over his chest. “Oh, let’s see,” he says with a hardly contained smirk.

Does he think this is funny? The two of them playing with my feelings for years? I’m about to go ballistic when he adds, “How about I forgive you for lying to me every day for the past month? For making up an entire relationship with Jace just to make me jealous. And for not coming clean with me, not even when I point-blank asked you how you felt in college, or after I confessed about the pact?”

I’m floored. I have no words.

Aiden watches me intently, his eyes twinkling in the light from the living room lamp. The guilt about all the lies I’ve been telling him resurfaces with a vengeance.

“Jace told you?” I ask at last, softly. That vindictive prick. I can’t believe Jace ratted on me out of spite. That piece of poo on a stick!

Aiden’s cross-armed stance drops. “Before you go on a mental rant about what a jerk Jace is for selling you out, he didn’t tell me in a malicious way.”

“No? How then?”

“Jace only wanted to explain why it’d take you more time to forgive him over me, and I guess he was also tired of lying to me.”

That shuts me up all right. I’ve been a horrible friend to Aiden these past few weeks.

Aiden walks up to me, eyes still twinkling with a sort of amused mischief. I expect him to give me a pat on the back and forgive me, but he doesn’t. Instead, he smiles, drops his arms, and takes both my hands in his.

“Lori, can we have an honest talk, heart to heart, no more lies?” he asks.

I nod and let him pull me to the couch. Aiden drops his coat on the backrest and we both sit.

“How about I go first?” he suggests.

I nod again, I couldn’t speak if I wanted to.

“That morning I saw you at Jace’s house. Iwasjealous.”

I frown.

Aiden shrugs. “I guess I’ve always been a little possessive of you with no right to be at all. I’m not perfect. And, yeah, the thought of us getting together crossed my mind over the years”—he lowers his gaze—“more than once if I have to be honest.” Our eyes meet again. “But I don’t think we were ever meant to be, Lori. I’ve found my person, and it’s Kirsten.”

A month ago, a frank speech like this would’ve gutted me. Destroyed me to smithereens. Now, it brushes off me, not even bruising my ego too much. I tend to agree with him instead.

“And finding Kirsten,” he continues, “is the reason why I have no regrets, why I wouldn’t change a single thing about my past because it all led me to being with her.”

I smile despite myself. “Oh my gosh, you’re cheesier than a Labrador puppy.”

Aiden smirks.

“What are you smirking at?”

“Jace told me something along the same lines when I explained my feelings to him.”

At the mention of The Unmentionable Number One, the smile gets wiped from my face and my cheeks flush.

“Don’t be mad at him, Lori,” Aiden pleads. “Love makes you do crazy things, stupid things… you should know.” He pointedly raises an eyebrow at me.

“I know, but I never intentionally hurt you. My fake relationship was just a moment of insanity and didn’t cause anyone any harm. But Jace saw firsthand what consequenceshis choices brought. How hard I had it for you and what misery those unrequited feelings caused me.”

Aiden grins despite himself. “And I’m flattered to have inspired such awe. But, Lori, what you felt for me, was it ever real? Or was it all in your head? A fantasy?”

“What do you mean?”

“How does it compare to what you feel in here”—he bumps a fist over his chest—“now, for Jace?”

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