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Sinking into his hold, she sighed. “I’m okay now.” It felt weird. The unpleasant feeling that made her want to vomit and curl into a ball had subsided so remarkably that she could almost argue it all had been a dream.
An older woman with hair coiled on top of her head in a retro style, wearing the same poodle skirt uniform as several other servers, approached the table. “Hi there. Welcome to the Sizzlin’ Griddle. Our special today is the Rock Steady Burger. A half-pound patty with all the fixin’s and sauteed mushrooms. Comes with fries smothered in cheese and mushrooms. What can I start y’all with?”
Noah looked between Charlotte and Aiden in question. She wondered if he thought their meet-up was over now that Aiden had arrived. She didn’t like that.
She looked down at her menu and then at Noah, smiling. “What do you think you’ll have? I couldn’t eat that much burger if I tried.”
Noah’s shoulders relaxed. “Yeah, me either. I like food, but not a lot of mushrooms. I think I’ll get a club sandwich with plain fries and water.”
“You got it. And for you darlin’?”
“I’ll have the Disco Fries and one of those cherry cokes with the syrup and maraschino cherries.”
“What are Disco Fries?” Aiden asked.
She handed her menu to the server. “Fries with mozzarella cheese and brown gravy.”
“Sounds like the thing Dom called poutine.”
“That’s with cheese curds,” Noah said, drawing Aiden’s sharp gaze. “Poutine, I mean. I tried it when I visited Toronto last summer. Same thing almost though, yeah.”
“Huh.” He looked up at the server, dismissing Noah. “I’ll take a regular cheeseburger and an order of Disco Fries. I also want a Cherry Coke, but not like hers. The actual flavored soda.”
“Sounds good.” The server bundled the remaining menus and smiled. “I’ll grab your drinks now. Bear with us, we’re a little packed this evenin’.”
“So you two are a thing now?” Noah asked, tilting his head.
Aiden’s fingertips trailed over her upper arm, causing the skin to pebble. “We are. That a problem?”
“Nope. No problem.” Noah’s gaze flicked to her and back to Aiden. “I’m happy for you both.”
She felt a twinge of guilt in her chest. She told Noah she wasn’t ready to date anyone, and here Aiden was, openly claiming her. She swallowed down the feeling. “Yeah, with not having to be in school, I didn’t have the added stress.”
It was true. One reason she avoided dating was school took too much of her time. Also, she couldn’t involve anyone in the mess with the stalker. Aiden understood that.
“That’s cool. So you’re not going back to school then?”
“Why wouldn’t I go back to school?”
“I mean, since you’re dating, and you weren’t because of school stress… If you go back—”
“If she goes back, we’ll make it work,” Aiden said, voice sharp.
She didn’t know why he despised Noah so much. This seemed stronger than simple jealousy.
Noah pushed out of the booth. “Bathroom.” He thumbed over his shoulder when she looked up at him in question.
She sat up when the server brought their drinks, taking a sip. Looking over at Aiden, she studied him now that they were alone.
He looked handsome in his medium-wash jeans and navy T-shirt, but something about him seemed off, and it wasn’t the angry looks he kept sending Noah. His hair appeared flatter, his eyes were bloodshot, and around his eyes seemed darker than usual. When he caught her staring at him and raised his brows in question, she blushed.
“Are you feeling okay?” she asked.
Aiden’s lips turned down at the sides, and he set his drink down. “Why?”
She looked him over once more, noticing the sweat dotting his brow. He looked like she had all week long. And while sitting in the cool diner seemed to help, it still weighed on her.
“You look like you’re sick,” she said, her hand coming to rest on his.
