Page 28 of Vain
He leads me inside and heads for the reception to find out where Kellen is. The receptionist huffs and puffs before telling Aiden to head up to the ICU but be prepared to be sent away. He nods before dragging me to the nearest bank of elevators and pressing the button for the fifth floor.
The hospital is packed, like most hospitals. I expected it, but still, it’s a shock to the system after isolating myself for so long. I tug the hat a little lower.
He nudges me inside when the elevator door slides open before herding us into the corner as people behind us push and jostle to get on. I feel panic start to claw at me. I try to focus on the black cotton of Aiden’s chest, but I feel like the space is getting smaller and smaller. I don’t know if he can sense something is wrong or if he just felt me tense, but he presses in closer, blocking my view of anyone else as he slides his fingers under my jaw and tips my head back.
“It’s just you and me.” He dips his head and grazes his lips over mine. The panic recedes a little under his touch, so I fist his T-shirt and tug him back to me. He grins against my mouth before licking at the seam of my lips. I open for him and manage to hold back a moan as fear is replaced with need.
I don’t realize the elevator stopped until he pulls away with a chuckle and tugs me out.
“Your kisses are dangerous.”
He looks back at me and grins before sobering when he sees how busy the waiting room is up ahead.
With the hat and glasses on, nobody gives me a second look. I take my time gazing around. I can’t say I’m a big fan of hospitals, mostly because of how much time I’ve spent in them. I don’t fear them, though, as I know some people do. I’m one of the fortunate ones, after all. If it weren’t for the hospital I stayed in and the care I received, I wouldn’t be here now.
We pause at the nurse’s station and wait for the people in front of us to finish. Once they walk away, the nurse looks up, her eyes softening in recognition when they land on Aiden.
“Hey, Aiden. You come to see Kellen?”
“Yeah. How’s he doing?”
She looks around to make sure nobody is listening before answering. “Better than we first thought. I don’t know all the details, but I’ll see what I can find out for you. Failing that, Cora’s on duty. She can fill you in.”
Aiden clenches his teeth. “Room?”
“Five. It’s one of the ones at the far end of the corridor.”
“Thanks.”
He tightens his grip on my hand as the nurse eyes us curiously, but he doesn’t introduce us. As we move away from the waiting area, it quiets down dramatically.
“Who’s Cora?”
He looks down at me, his jaw tight. “My ex.”
“Oh.” I don’t know why I’m surprised. The guy is gorgeous. Of course, there’s an ex. “Wait. Is this the same ex you mentioned before?”
“One and the same,” he grunts.
“How long has she been your ex?” I don’t remember asking that before. I’m not sure it’s any of my business either, but I can’t stop myself from wondering.
“Not long and yet not long enough.”
I pause and wait for him to explain. “We were dating casually for six months, then exclusively for another six, or at least that’s what I thought. When the lease was up on her apartment, we rented a place together. We discussed buying a house, but something always held me back. And when I came home early one day to find her getting railed by someone who wasn’t me, I figured my subconscious had caught on before the rest of me had. I let her get away with a lot of shit and stuck with her even though none of my friends particularly liked her, but I don’t share. Ever. My friends helped me pack up my shit, which I put in storage and crashed on a sofa or two while I figured out my next step.”
I bite my lip, unsure what to say. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m not. I wish that had been the end of it, but she’s been relentlessly hounding me ever since.”
“That’s why you took the job. You needed an escape.”
“It was one of the factors in why I volunteered, and thank fuck I did.” He kisses the tip of my nose before leading me the rest of the way to his friend’s room.
I ponder his words, wondering if he still has feelings for her. I get that cheating is a deal breaker for him, and I have zero doubts that he would take her back. Trust is important to him, and once it is broken, you can’t get it back. But feelings aren’t quite so easy to turn off. You can both love and hate a person at the same time. It’s how I feel about my mother, after all.
When we reach the room, Aiden taps the door before opening it. He sucks in a sharp breath as he takes in his friend’s too-still form.
“Aiden? Oh, thank goodness. I was wondering when you’d get here.” A tall, leggy redhead dressed in blue scrubs hurries over. The scrubs should make her look frumpy, but instead, she looks like she could double as a runway model. Her arms lift fora hug but then freeze in place when she sees me. A scowl slips over her features as she folds her arms over her chest. “Who’s this?”
