Page 5 of Awakened
I kissed Emily’s cheek. “Thank you, you sweet, beautiful angel.”
Emily laughed. “You’re welcome. It’s the least I can do for your last night in town. See you in the morning.”
Walking away from Emily, I went right on Pierce and passed by a dying house party. Red solo cups littered the front yard, and heavy bass shook the walls. A shirtless guy hollered, “Hey, you need a drink?”
I called back, “No thanks. Be safe, man.”
He stumbled, landing face-first in a bush.
When he didn’t pop back up, I stepped toward him. “You okay?”
A hand holding a red solo cup raised from the bush. “I didn’t spill!”
Chuckling to myself, I started toward my house, occasionally stopping to lament my choice not to wear shorts under my dress. The humidity and thigh rub created a painful sting that was super uncomfortable. Regrets were certainly piling up.
Stepping on the weeds growing out of the sidewalk cracks, I swung my arms into the bushes, knocking rainwater off the leaves. Truthfully, I was doing everything in my power to stay present and keep my mind from wandering. Too bad I couldn’t stop thinking about our house, all boxed up and empty. Or that I would be sleeping alone in that big bed. But it wasn’t so much being alone as it was being withouthim.
With that last thought, the tears I had held back all night poured onto my hot cheeks. If I was going to sob and be a fool, it was nice that no one was around to see. Tilting my head back, I took a shaky breath. The air was thick and muggy, but a cool breeze offered some relief. Well, that is until my hair swirled around my face, eventually getting stuck in the tears.
I roughly wiped the strands away and checked my phone for the first time that night. The screen lit with a rashof missed texts and calls. The texts were mostly from Sarah telling me how excited she was about tomorrow and warning me to get ready “to live the life.”
The calls were almost exclusively fromhim.
I should block his ass.
As I rounded the corner, an all too familiar scent stopped me dead in my tracks. There on the small front porch sat a large figure. The light had gone out months ago, but I didn’t need it to know who it was.
It washim.
TWO
“Aiden.”
My stomach dropped, and the taste of bile sat on my tongue. As much as I wanted to run away, my drunkenness kept me stuck there, just staring down at my ex sitting at my door.
He ran a hand through his greasy blond hair, leaving it stuck up all over. “Celeste, where have you been?” His wrinkled black t-shirt caught on a loose nail as he struggled to stand. The nearly empty bottle of Jack slipped from his fingers, smashing against the worn porch. “Fuck.”
He was a whole mess.
When he got closer, his nose scrunched up, and his dull green eyes narrowed. “Why do you smell like another guy?”
His words shook something inside me loose, and I snorted. “Why do you smell like a distillery?” Pushing past him to open the door, broken glass crunched under my foot, and I growled.
Another fucking thing for me to clean up. Add it to the list.
As I turned to slam the door, he forced his way in.
“No! Get the fuck out! Go home! Go back to Whitney!”
Her name was like razor blades on my tongue, shoving me right over the edge. Only this time, it wouldn’t be tears. No, I was going to rip his ass apart.
I shoved him toward the door, but he grabbed me by the waist, turning and pinning me against it.
Leaning in, he opened his mouth to speak, but a look of uncertainty crossed his face. Something wasn’t clicking in his liquor-soaked brain. I braced myself for whatever fresh emotional damage he was about to inflict on me.
Stumbling, Aiden fell back onto the hand-me-down couch. His enormous body took up most of it as he threw his arms along the back and spread his legs wide. He had the audacity to sit there like he had every right, making it clear that he wasn’t going anywhere until he was damn good and ready.
The memory of the last time he’d sat on that couch hit me, and I began to shake. With sadness? With rage? I didn’t know. What I did know was that I needed coffee and water if I was going to deal with him.
