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“Yeah, okay.” I rattle off directions to my building and jog to my car. I look around for Aiden, but he’s nowhere to be found. I jump into my car and drive the short distance to our apartment complex, only to find his parking spot empty, and my sister’s car parked in the visitor space.
She climbs out of her car when she sees me. “I’m glad you’re home. We need to talk.”
“Now isn’t a good time, Emily.”
She scurries after me when I walk to the front of the building and follows me inside. “Make it a good time. You’re my sister, and I need you.”
I finally take a second to look at her. Her cheeks are flushed, eyes glossy, and her normally perfect hair is a mess. “Are you okay?”
“I think so.” She shrugs.
I’m unlocking my front door when I hear Aiden’s car pull up. The door to the building flings open, and he bounds up the stairs, not bothering to look at me.
“Aiden?”
“What?” The hard edge to his voice catches me off guard.
“We need to talk.”
He unlocks his door and pushes it open. “So, come talk.”
I look at Emily, then at Aiden, and back to my sister. I don’t want to leave my twin hanging when she obviously needs me, but I also need to get things fixed with Aiden.
“Okay, I see what this is. You two are having one of your we’re not married, but we fight like we are fights. I’ll sit in the corner until it’s over,” Emily says, nudging me toward Aiden’s apartment. She walks into the kitchen and props herself on a barstool, leaving Aiden and I lingering by the front door.
“Are you coming in or not?” Aiden asks.
This isn’t a conversation I want to have in front of Emily. I haven’t told her what’s been going on with Aiden. I mull it over for a second and then think, screw it. She’s going to find out soon enough.
Once inside, Aiden shuts the front door and turns to look at me, his arms crossed over his chest. “You wanted to talk, talk.”
“What the hell was that back there?”
His arms drop at his sides. “Seriously? Christ, Liz, I’ve told you how I feel. You know that I want more with you, but for whatever reason, you’ve put me in the Friend Zone.”
“For whatever reason? Don’t pretend like you don’t know why.”
“That’s the thing, I don’t know why.” Aiden tosses his arms up at his sides. “I know I wasn’t an angel in college, that I dated a lot of girls and haven’t always been relationship material, but I’ve changed, and I thought you could see that. Hell, I haven’t dated a woman in over a year—not since I realized that my feelings for you had changed.”
Emily’s head snaps up.
“That’s convenient for you, isn’t it?” I shout. “But what about me? Do you honestly think I can give you a chance after what happened in college?”
“What happened in college?” Aiden’s brow furrows. “Wait, does this have to do with—damnit.” He links his fingers behind his neck and steps in front of me, some of the anger gone from his face. “I tried to talk to you about that night, about what happened with Emily, but you wouldn’t let me.”
My eyes flip to Emily. She gives me a look like she has no idea what he’s talking about and shakes her head.
“Emily has nothing to do with this. What happened that night was between the two of us.”
Aiden looks confused and frustrated…and confused. “What are you talking about?”
I’ve thought about that night for a lot of years. Even when I try not to think about it, it’s still there mocking me, reminding me that I wasn’t good enough to date. I walk across the living room and stop in front of the window to watch the storm roll in.
Aiden says my name, a quiet demand. “Lizzie.”
Lizzie, not Liz. I close my eyes and acknowledge him with a little nod. I’m not trying to ignore him, I’m just so nervous that my legs are shaking. I hadn’t planned on ever talking about this with Aiden, let alone my sister.
I turn around. “I don’t know if I’m more upset that I have to relive that night, or that you’re pretending you don’t remember what happened.”
