Page 10 of Never Have I Ever
Aiden Pierce. Why does that name sound familiar to me?
I look over my shoulder at the four guys sitting on the black leather couch still staring at me. One of them is holding a basketball, and that’s when it clicks.
“Oh,” I say, realization kicking in. I turn back to face him. “Aiden Pierce,” I repeat his name. “You’re the captain of the basketball team?”
“Yeah,” he says, nodding.
“I recognized your name. My friend watches your games,” I say. Leila is crazy about basketball. She used to attend every game at our high school and now tries to drag me to the basketball games, which I decline every time.
“She does?” A smirk forms on his face when I nod, and then he gestures towards the couch with a tilt of his head. “These are some of my teammates.”
I turn my head back and look at the guys. The whole group smiles at me, one of them lifting his hand in greeting. “Hey,” he says.
“Hey,” I reply, feeling my cheeks start to heat.
“You looking for Grayson?” another guy asks.
I nod. “Yeah.” I turn back to look at Aiden. “Is he here?”
He gestures towards the stairs. “Yeah. He’s upstairs. Is he expecting you?”
I shake my head. “No, he’s not. He doesn’t even know me.” I let out a nervous laugh. “I came to ask for his help with something.”
“Shit, I’ll help you,” one of the guys calls out, and a few of them laugh.
I feel another blush coming, so I focus on Aiden. “Can I go upstairs?”
He scratches the back of his neck again and nervously laughs. “Uh… he might be a little busy at the moment.”
I shrug. “That’s okay, it will only take a second.”
He regards me with a scrunch of his brows and then blows out a breath. “Can I ask what you need help with?” Aiden asks me.
I shake my head. “It’s… personal,” I say.
“How personal?” One of the guys mumbles, and they all laugh under their breath. I freeze in place. Do they know? I tried to keep it as vague as possible. If anyone finds out about this, it will be so embarrassing.
Aiden nods. “Okay, and none of us can help you with it?”
They could. Any one of these guys is probably as experienced as Grayson, and they sound interested, but my mind goes back to Grayson. I need him.
I shake my head. “No, I need to see Grayson,” I tell him and head for the stairs.
“He might be a little preoccupied right now,” he tells me.
I sigh and sit on the stairs. “I’ll wait then.”
Aiden bunches his eyebrows together. He looks confused and possibly thinks I’m crazy, and maybe I am, for proposing this idea, but I’ve been held back for too long. I want to be free for once and experience everything.
“Are you thirsty? I could get you a drink,” he asks me.
I shake my head. “No, thanks.”
“Hungry?”
I shake my head again.
“Okay then, I’ll be in here if you need anything,” he says, gesturing to the living room.
