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Chad’s voice is low in my ear. “Hey there, beautiful.”
I beam at him and try to hide the fact that I was just checking out Aiden—sort of.
Is that what I was doing?
Lord, help me.
“Hey! I was wondering where you ran off to.”
“I bumped into some old friends and saw you were talking to Aiden.” Squeezing my shoulder, he says, “I knew you were in good hands.”
“You know Aiden well, then?”
Chad seems to consider his answer before speaking. “I mean, I guess so? He lived with us for a while before he went back to New York. He’s a pretty private guy, though.”
“Why did he move back?” Maybe Chad can give me insight into why Aiden hates Florida so much.
Unfortunately, he just shrugs. “Not really sure. He and Sam split, and he left right after that.”
“Sam?”
“Yeah.” He takes another swig of his beer before adding, “His ex. They were crazy about each other for a while.”
“He just dumped her and left?”
Chad thinks for a moment before saying, “I don’t know who broke up with who. It was weird because he had talked about wanting to move in with her and stuff. Then he just up and leaves, and if anyone asks him about her, he looks like he wants to bite their head off.”
“Sounds like a serious relationship,” I mutter as I try to picture Aiden and Sam—whoever she is. In my head, she’s a beautiful blonde like the girl working at the bar where I found Aiden on Thursday night.
“Oh, it was,” Chad confirms with a nod. “It was the only time I’ve seen Aiden almost look happy. It was amazing.”
A laugh escapes me, and I can’t help taking a quick glance around the bar to see if I can spot Aiden and Lauren, but they’re nowhere to be found. If anything, I have more questions now, but I know I can’t stand here and ask Chad about Aiden all night, so when he changes the subject, I drop my lingering thoughts.
“Now,” Chad says as he gives my shoulders another squeeze, “What do you say? Another drink?”
I’m already buzzed, but thinking about Aiden has sobered me up a little. I don’t know why I’m so interested in his past, but I want to know what happened between him and Sam. I want to know where he went with Lauren. I want to know what they’re doing and if he likes her.
I shouldn’t be thinking about Aiden, though. I should be thinking about Chad because I have fun with Chad.
Right?
Yes, I like Chad.
“Thanks, I’d love that,” I say and try to convince us both that I mean it.
41
Aiden
Turns out Lauren did shots with her shitty roommate, and now she’s wasted.
Oh, and her roommate? Nowhere to be fucking found.
Now I’m stuck sitting with her on the patio of the tiki bar. There’s an outdoor couch in the corner, and I’m practically force-feeding her water and trying to keep her hands off me. How did I end up getting stuck as this random girl’s babysitter? It’s bullshit.
“Just take me back to your place,” she slurs, and I fight the urge to roll my eyes.
“I told you, I don’t have a place,” I mutter as I move her hand off my thigh. I scan the bar for someone I know. Where the hell did Ethan and Em go? They’d know what to do.
