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His eyes lock on mine like he might be thinking the same thing. Clearing his throat, he asks, “What did you go up on the roof to think about?”
The way he’s looking at me with his full attention is enough to make my entire body hot and cold at the same time. Like my skin is suddenly overly sensitive to the air circulating around us and my boiling blood beneath its surface.
With a dismissive wave of my hand, I say, “Oh, I don’t know. Life, I guess?”
For a moment, I think my answer may disappoint him, but then he says, “Okay, my turn.”
I’m relieved by the change of topic. “Shoot.”
The side of his mouth quirks. “Have you heard that I almost burned down the school senior year?”
My brain searches for any memory of hearing about this back in the day, but I come up empty. “The school didn’t catch fire our senior year.”
“Emphasis on almost.”
“Nope, not true.” I shake my head.
Giving me a crooked smile, he says, “You seem sure of yourself.”
“Because I am.”
Tilting his head, his eyes narrow as he scrutinizes me closer. “And why’s that?”
I can’t help letting out a laugh. “Because we’ve been playing this game for a while, and you haven’t said a single truth. You’ve become quite predictable.”
He blinks. “Shit, I guess you’re right.”
I laugh harder, and Aiden eyes me like I’m the funny one.
17
Aiden
Since when am I predictable? Claire should be the predictable one, not me.
She’s starting to look at me like Jasmine does, thinking she has me figured out. When Jasmine does it, it just pisses me off, but when Claire looks at me this way, it makes me squirm. I glance around the train but most of the scattered passengers are passed out now—even the cat piss lady.
“I get it,” Claire says, pulling my attention back to her. She tilts her chin up, looking pleased with herself. “You don’t want me to know the real you.”
“I don’t give a shit what you know. Ask me anything.” I go back to surveying the train as I say it, but there isn’t much else to look at. When I reluctantly bring my eyes back to her, she’s looking at me like I just gave her a cheat code to bypass all the hardest levels.
Great.
“Anything?”
There’s no backing down now. “That’s what I said.”
“So, we’re ditching the game, and I can flat out ask you anything?”
I reluctantly nod and try my best not to look as panicked as I feel.
Her fingers tap her chin. “Hmm.” She’s having way too much fun with this. After thinking for what feels like forever, she says, “What makes you happy?”
I blank. What the hell? I expected her to ask me if I ever cheated on a test in school or something—something she could judge me for. I hate the nervous laugh I hear come out of my mouth. “What makes me happy?” When she says nothing and patiently waits for my miraculous answer, I mutter, “Happiness is a delusion.”
I guess that disappoints her because the corners of her mouth fall. “No, it’s not.”
Letting out a sigh, I level with her. “Sure it is. You feel it when you’re distracted by something, but when you’re left alone with your thoughts, you’re just as miserable as everyone else.”
