Page 78 of Fame & Chaos

“No! Nothing like that.” He shakes his head quickly. “The kiss was incredible, but then things went downhill afterward.”

Now he’s got my full attention. “What happened?”

Aston rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. “I was kinda… on top of Annie, making out with her when Colt walked in.”

I completely lose it.

A full belly laugh bursts out of me while Aston rolls his eyes like he’s personally offended by my amusement.

“Stop fucking laughing,” he mutters. “It’s not funny.”

I try to calm myself down enough to breathe properly while wiping at my eyes. “Mate… that is fucking hilarious.”

“It was traumatizing.”

I chuckle again and grip his shoulder sympathetically. “Jesus Christ, I bet that exploded fast. How do you not have a black eye?”

Aston blinks at me. “You think Colt would actually hit me?”

“No,” I admit with another laugh. “He wouldn’t ruin his friendship with your parents like that, but I guarantee he wanted to.”

Aston groans quietly while hanging his head.

“So what did Annie do?” I ask curiously.

“I’m not really sure,” he admits. “There was a lot of yelling after I left, and I’m pretty sure Annie was crying. I didn’t wanna leave her there, but Colt is fucking terrifying when he’s angry.”

That’s true.

“I’m just worried she’s gonna freak out and call everything off again,” he says quietly. “I finally got somewhere with her after waiting all these years for her to want me back, and then Colt walks in at the worst possible moment.”

I nod slowly because… yeah, I get it.

“You know Hux walked in on me making out with someone once,” I tell him. “He was way calmer than Colt, though, probably because he was my dad, not Indi’s. Still embarrassing as hell.”

Aston winces. “Exactly.”

“Still…” I add with a grin, “… the whole thing is fucking hilarious from my point of view.”

He rolls his eyes before punching my arm again, this time much harder.

“Ow, fuck!” I rub my bicep dramatically. “Jesus Christ, kid. You hit almost as hard as I do.”

“That’s what happens when you work out.”

I laugh and sling an arm around his shoulders as we start heading toward the front door. “So I guess I don’t need to give you the whole ‘hurt my cousin and I’ll kill you’ speech then?”

Aston shakes his head instantly. “I’d never hurt Annie. I love her way too much for that.”

The sincerity in his voice tells me everything. Not because I doubt him, but because hearing someone talk about loving a girl like that instantly drags my thoughts back to Indi. To the kind of love that settles into your bones and never really leaves, no matter how many years pass.

And yeah… I think that’s exactly what Aston feels for Annie.

We reach the front door, and Aston rings the bell while I pull my arm back from around his shoulders.

“So you really love her?” I ask more quietly this time.

“With everything I’ve got.”