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Aiden’s cold eyes turn to Mason, his sharp gaze making it seem like he’s looking right through Mason’s soul. “Then?”
“I don’t know. I found her a while later all bloody, and she was going off about how someone jumped her but she wouldn’t tell me who! I’m so sorry, Amelia.”
“It’s not your fault, Mason. And it wasn’t my blood! I’m fine, everyone. Seriously, let’s just drop it.”
Aiden’s usually impassive gaze holds a thinly veiled expression of fury. “Like hell we’ll drop it. Who was it?”
“It doesn’t matter—”
“Who?” Aiden repeats, something in his tone stressing that there’s no room for argument.
I sigh in defeat and look down at the table. “Dave.”
There are some gasps that go around the table and some muttered curses. I didn’t think I wanted to see Aiden’s reaction, but suddenly it’s the only thing I can think about. I look up expecting him to be looking at me, but instead he’s studying something in the distance out the window, his brooding face seeming to be calculating something.
“Tell us exactly what happened,” Noah commands, staring at me intensely.
I resist the urge to sigh again. I might as well just tell them now.
“After I used the bathroom, I was looking for Mason when Dave grabbed me and dragged me behind the building. His friend held me while he drove his fist into my stomach.”
“That fucking coward,” Annalisa proclaims.
“Did Ryan send Dave to hurt you?” Julian asks.
“No, it was all Dave. He was mad at Aiden—”
At the mention of his name Aiden turns his gaze back to me, but it doesn’t look like he’s actually seeing me. His mind is somewhere miles away.
“Mad at Aiden?” Noah tries to connect the dots.
Charlotte gasps, realization dawning on her. “At the Halloween party. Dave was all over Amelia and Aiden basically knocked him out.”
“But what does hitting you have to do with Aiden?” Chase asks, and Charlotte and Annalisa exchange a glance like they already know the answer.
“He said something along the lines of ‘Aiden almost dislocated my jaw, so let’s break something he’s fond of,’ or something like that.”
“He hurt you to get to me,” Aiden whispers.
“I’m fine, really. It’s no one’s fault. Let’s not do anything stupid and start more fights and kick the drama up all over again, please.”
My words fall on deaf ears as Aiden slides out of the booth without a word and storms to the door of the ice-cream parlor, not once looking back when we call out to him. He takes off out of the parking lot into the dark night, leaving us all staring after him.
After reassuring everyone I’m okay, I go home and proceed to pace around my room, thinking about Aiden. He doesn’t have a phone, so no one can call him, even though he probably would’ve just ignored our calls anyway.
It’s around twelve thirty when I hear a loud engine pull into my driveway. My mom isn’t supposed to be home for another couple of hours, so I peek through my blinds and immediately recognize Aiden’s black Challenger. Pressing pause on the movie I wasn’t watching anyway, I scramble to fix my hair before opening the front door. I catch Aiden walking up the steps and he pauses when he sees me, his face giving nothing away.
“Hey,” I say timidly, opening the door for him.
He doesn’t say anything as he brushes past me, but waits until I’ve closed the door. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks, cutting through all the niceties.
We head into the family room, where we sit on the couch.
“I didn’t want you to know,” I tell him straight out.
He looks hurt, and this time doesn’t bother concealing it from me. “Why? Do you not trust me?”
“Of course I trust you! To tell you the truth, I trust you more than anyone I’ve ever trusted in my entire life.”
