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67
Aiden
Squinting my eyes against the glare of the morning sun, I try to see which asshole is in the kitchen this early, slamming cabinets and clanking who knows what like a fucking ape.
I only feel a little bad when it turns out to be Em.
Groaning, I shield my eyes from the incoming light. “Go back to bed, you’re worse than a damn rooster.”
“I’m going to assume that’s a yes for coffee, then?” she asks, unphased.
I give another groan in response.
“Yeah, I thought so,” I hear her mutter under her breath.
I lie awake on the couch, glaring at the ceiling as I listen to her move around the kitchen like it’s the middle of the fucking day. I don’t know what left me feeling more hungover, the whisky I drank last night or my fight with Claire.
Or the kiss with Sam.
Sitting up, I let my face fall into my hands as I’m forced to relive glimpses of the night before. Thank god I shut it down before it went any further, but I should have never let it get that far. Being comforted by her felt wrong, and we both knew it. She took advantage of the situation because it was in her favor. That’s what Sam does. I was drunk, and she saw it as a way to crack open the door I had nailed shut. She must be lonely and bored—why else would she want me back in her life? Sam may do things that I don’t expect, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that she’ll always do whatever’s best for Sam.
For some reason, guilt weighs heavily on my chest when I think about the fact that I kissed her back. Dread boils in my stomach at the thought of telling Claire until I remember that I don’t have to tell Claire anything because Claire and I aren’t speaking.
Em sets a hot cup of coffee on the counter. “Coffee’s up.” She steps back and leans against the cabinet as she sips her own.
Her eyes stay glued to me as I get up from the couch and sit at one of the kitchen barstools. Taking a sip, I sigh. “Thanks.” Bringing the cup to my lips again, I notice she’s still watching me. “What do you want?”
Raising an eyebrow at me, she lies, “I don’t want anything.”
I give her a pointed stare. “Em, you’re in the kitchen at the ass-crack of dawn, making enough noise to wake the entire apartment, all to offer me hot coffee. So either you want something from me that I need to be awake for, or you want me gone. Either way, you want something.”
She seems to consider this for a moment, before saying, “Okay, fine. Walking over, she sets her cup down next to mine as she stands across from me. “First of all, kissing Sam last night was stupid.”
“She kissed me,” I answer without looking at her even though I know she’s right. Her judging eyes narrow, and I raise a hand. “I’m not trying to defend myself. It was stupid.”
This seems to make her feel better. Her shoulders drop as she says, “Will you please tell me what happened with Claire?”
Hearing Em say her name makes my fist clench under the countertop. “She lied to me.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “She did?”
“She might as well have.” I shrug. “Turns out she’s been talking to her ex again, and it sounds like they’re getting back together.”
A frown pulls at the corner of Em’s mouth as she considers what I’ve said. I don’t know what there is to think about. It all seems straightforward, but when she finally locks her gaze on mine, it’s with a furrowed brow. “Are you sure? That doesn’t seem right.”
“Yeah,” I mutter as I bring my palm to my forehead like I can buff out this fucking headache. “I saw the texts.” At the mention of those messages, a fresh wave of heat runs through me. Claire put up a good act—I’ll give her that much.
She gapes at me. “You did not go through her phone!”
By her reaction, you’d think I just said I dumped her on the side of the road and kept driving. “No.” Crossing my arms on the kitchen counter in front of me, I say, “She was asleep, and her phone kept going off. I could only see the beginning of his messages, but that was enough.”
She gasps like any good audience member. “What did she say?”
“What do you mean?”
Em stares at me expectantly. “When you asked her about it!”
Taking a sip of my coffee, I shrug. “I didn’t.”
